Creative Economies

(View large version of the poster)​

The significance of processes and practices of the creative industries for other fields (economic, socio-cultural etc.) has long been established in theory and practice; yet, many stakeholders in politics, administration and the wider business community are still not fully aware of the sector’s impacts. Existing structures, policies, regulations and protocols continuously prevent and obstruct unconventional, disruptive and innovative initiatives that are at the core of the creative economies. This raises the question, how new perspectives for governance at the intersections of policy making and creative economies could be achieved?

For our investigation, we need to open various black boxes: What do we mean by value creation? What values are created in the creative economies, and for whom? How do we measure these values? Which (entrepreneurial) strategies are needed to mediate between the actors of the creative economies and those who set the framework conditions? Whatwould suitableexperimental approaches and corresponding supportive creative/academic/administrative/institutional structures be? How may we deal with uncertainties that are a necessity of the creative process? How may “risky projects” be realised in such experimental settings?

We believe, that a basis for a new understanding of the creative economies in Hong Kong should be a Hong Kong Creative Economies Report drawing on experimental statistics, mappings and the latest international thinking. To build on and further extend the work of previous reports and to create new impacts, we need to collect a comprehensive overview of the current situation “on the ground” (e.g. through direct input of representatives of the creative ecologies), and review international practices and approaches (in terms of experimental statistics, visualisations or narrative techniques). These approaches may be most effective in making the positive effects of creative activity accessible for a broader public, and establish stakeholders, procedures, and protocols to sustainably move our agenda forward.

The international workshop “Mapping Creativity” will explore, how narrative structures / strategies for the creative economies may be developed and articulated, which knowledge and skills could be used, and the areas that should be focused on. These considerations will become the starting point for a draft prototype creative economies report intended to boost the strategic development of the creative and cultural industries in Hong Kong and beyond.

The workshop is informed and supported by the CreativeEconomies research venture of Zurich University of the Arts and the Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation, that are currently preparing a prototype of a new European Creative Economies Report, to be presented in Berlin in 2020.

‘Mapping Creativity’ is acknowledged as an associated partner programme of Art Basel Hong Kong 2019.

Workshop Objectives

The workshop aims at achieving the following objectives:

• to better understand value creations in and the related governance approaches for the creative economies;
• to review and reflect existing international narrative strategies for mapping the creative economies;
• to draft new and alternative narrative approaches, utilising on emerging technologies, specific socio-cultural, economic or geographical situations;
• to draft/design outlines, guidelines, protocols and case studies for the further development of other new, alternative narrative strategies; and
• to consider the possibility of setting Hong Kong up as a “case study” and testing ground for these new, alternative narrative strategies.

Workshop Dates

25 March 2019, 13–18.30h
26 March 2019, 9.30–18h

Workshop Venue

Academy of Visual Arts
Kai Tak-campus
51 Kwun Tong Road
Kowloon City

Co-Curators:

Peter Benz
Academy of Visual Arts, HKBU
Christoph Weckerle
Zürich University of the Arts (ZHdK)

In collaboration with: Hazel Wong
Academy of Visual Arts, HKBU

Speakers

• Christoph Backes | Competence Centre of the German Government for Cultural and Creative Industries
• Peter Benz | Academy of Visual Arts, HKBU
• Géraldine Borio | Department of Architecture, HKU
• John Davies | Nesta, the UK’s Innovation Foundation, London
• Laurent Gutierrez | School of Design, HK PolyU
• Desmond Hui | Hang Seng University of Hong Kong
• Michael Leung | artist and designer
• Patrick Mok | Department of Social Science, Hang Seng University of Hong Kong
• Kingsley Ng | Academy of Visual Arts, HKBU
• Roman Page | CreativeEconomies Research Venture, ZHdK | Statistical Office Canton of Zurich
• Christoph Weckerle | Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK)
• Hartmut Wickert | CreativeEconomies Research Venture, ZHdK
• Ada Wong | Make a Difference Institute (MaD)

Graduates (in alphabetic order)

• Cheung King-Wai, Reds | Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity
• Law Wai-Shan, Susi | Arts & Culture Outreach (ACO)
• Ling Chi-Tang, Parry | Post Tree Lifestyle
• Ng Kong-Wah, Jane | Phenotypesetter

Target Participants

The workshop aims at gathering approx. 20 senior stakeholders from HK’s creative economies together with active members of the local ecology and the general public to contribute their respective institutional and personal expertise and insights to the discourse, and eventually taking away concrete ideas and action items to be further developed in their institutions and/or in collaboration with other participants.

The individual presentations by the respective workshop speakers (specific timeslots to be confirmed) are open to VIP card holders of Art Basel and selected members of the academic/professional community (after RSVP).

Workshop Outline

Aftermath

(to be discussed during the workshop)

• development of further networks and institutional frameworks for an international Creative Economies hub
• possibilities for dissemination of workshop insights in academia and/or wider publics
• completion of full funding proposal for a Hong Kong Creative Economies Report by late 2019 (only for HK)