Culture.info Blog

Welcome to the Culture.Info blog – all are welcome to contribute their writings and thoughts on any aspect of cultural developments from anywhere in the world…

As Director of EUCLID, the company behind www.culture.info, I will get the ball rolling with some thoughts from my most recent attendance at some international cultural conferences and related events. And then its your turn….

Geoffrey (Brown)

Well, back from the 34th annual conference of STP&A – “social theory, politics and the arts” – held in Baltimore, USA in mid October. A wide range of presentations and debates – ranging from the visual arts market to the cultural industries in China through to the likely world dominance of Disney in live performing arts. It appears that the stage production of “Beauty & the Beast” has now taken more money than the film (!) and the lesson Disney have learned seems to be that they have found another goldmine – simply reproduce all their films as stage shows, first on Broadway or in London, and then all over the world, et voila, a whole new (and substantial) income stream. The side effects are the potential squeezing of other performing arts productions.

On to a one-day conference in Dublin on the Creative City – fascinating presentations with some gems of information and analysis – including the first time I have heard the “night-time economy” referred to as an “alocoholic agora” – a fabbo phrase. Sir Ken Robinson entertained us with a witty and informative presentation which range from the California experience (where the government budget for prisons is five times that for all aspects of education…) through to an excerpt from a wonderful video about the work of a dance project in Leeds working with disenfranchised and disenchanted adolescents – the proverbial “feral youth” that disturb the dreams of the middle classes these days – including interviews with some of the young participants who had been through this process that simply reminded and inspired regarding the potential of arts participation to change people’s lives.

And then to Marseille for the annual conference of Culture Action Europe, the agency representing and advocating on behalf of culture in Europe. A focus on culture and the EU’s external relations and on intercultural dialogue. Fascinating collection of speakers from across Europe and beyond (e.g. Algeria and Egypt), and over 250 delegates – including 14 from the UK (including 4 from various regional offices of Arts Council England). While 14 may seem low, it was in fact the same as Germany and the third highest after France (host country) and Belgium (23 – but this includes many from various EU institutions and other networks based in Brussels). Still, it is to be hoped there will be more UK delegates next year. If you didn’t know, Marseille has recently been awarded the title of European Capital of Culture in 2013. A link with Liverpool, current Capital of Culture, is that Marseille is the location for the ground-breaking Unite d’Habitation designed by Le Corbusier, and Liverpool is hosting a wonderful exhibition of the life and work of Le Corbusier – in the crypt of Liverpool’s catholic cathedral.

Also caught up with Matthew Jarrett from the Arts Council England regional base in the North East of England and who is on a 6 months secondment to be based at the Office of the North East in Brussels, working to raise the profile of culture in both liaison with EU institutions and in the ways in which a broad range of goals and objectives will be achieved. This is an exciting and unique initiative – I hope it works and that it may be picked up on by other UK based arts and cultural agencies and support bodies.