Presentations
Reports on each of the World Summit sessions are
provided below by clicking on the session title below. Where we have
been provided with a copy of a speaker’s presentation, this is linked to
the speakers name in the programme below and is also linked to the
speakers profiles on the
speakers page. Please note that the presentations are large files and may take some time to download.
TUESDAY 4 October PLACE
A sense of country
and connection to the land is central to Indigenous peoples. As the
landscape, environment and societies evolve, the broader community is
also increasingly aware of the inextricable link between culture and
place.
KEYNOTE SESSIONModerated by
Robyn Archer AOJacques Martial
talked about the links between culture and place. He is President of
the Parc de la Villette in Paris, one of the best funded cultural
institutions in France. While in the past local residents, many of whom
are from North Africa, used the park for family leisure and play, very
few entered the major cultural facilities which are integral to the
park. Jacques Martial came into the Parc with an express policy for
inclusion, both for those local residents and the arts and artists from
France d’Outres-Mers: he will tell us how this is playing out and about
his plans for the next five years. He has also been actively engaged in
the region which includes Guadeloupe and Martinique and can offer a
perspective on the arts there.
Eduard Miralles
responded from a crucial point of intersection. How can local
governments ensure that their cultural policies allow for the kind of
radical cultural inclusion of long-resident minorities and recent
arrivals as described by Jacques Martial? How can policy balance the
sometimes conflicting emotions of artists and residents in the
increasingly diverse mix of populations in our big cities and
neighbourhoods? And what are the other cultural priorities for local
government in the twenty-first century?
PANEL SESSION - My PlaceRocco Landesman,
Pooja Sood and
Lachlan McDonald
talked about the creative intersections in three very different places
in the world, and how the creative projects they are involved in are
very much determined by the particular nature of their place. The
economic revival of struggling American towns, an urban village in New
Delhi, and small communities in the vast spaces of remote Western
Australia all point to the specifics of ‘place’ and their intersection
with the arts. The session was moderated by
Professor Paul James.
ROUNDTABLES1: Indigenous wisdom of place (Supported by Creative New Zealand)
Dr Treahna Hamm (artist, Australia, of Yorta Yorta and Wadi Wadi peoples),
Vernon Ah Kee (artist, Australia, born in North Queensland of the Kuku Yalandji, Waanji, Yidindji and Gugu Yimithirr peoples)
Tainui Stephens (independent film and television producer, New Zealand, Te Rarawa). Moderator:
Louise Profeit-Leblanc (Aboriginal Arts Coordinator, Canada Council, from the Nacho Nyak Dun First Nation of the Yukon Territory in Northern Canada).
The Earth’s Indigenous peoples have a richly layered connection to
‘country’. This intimate knowledge can inform 21st century environmental
behaviour, especially through the arts, but also has the ability to
influence multiple perspectives on contemporary art and life. The
particular relationship of Indigenous artists to their sense of place is
not only important for their own art, but offers vital pathways for all
the arts. There is much to learn, and this is the table for fashioning a
policy initiative which would enable that knowledge and art to be
better understood and more widely disseminated.
2: A climate for change (Supported by the Asia-Europe Foundation as part of its Connect2Culture programme)
Vincensius ‘venzha’ Christianwan (Artist, House of Natural Fiber, Indonesia),
Theo Anagnostopoulos (Founder, SciCo, Greece),
Alison Tickell (Director, Julie’s Bicycle, England),
Pooja Sood (Director, KHOJ International Artists’ Association, India). Moderator:
Angharad Wynne-Jones (Producer, Tipping Point Australia).
There are multiple initiatives throughout the world for addressing
the effects of climate change. Many artists, especially in the visual
arts media, have addressed the issues through their work, but how can
policy ensure best practice? There are excellent individual examples
such as Julie’s Bicycle in London, the Sydney Theatre Company’s
award-winning Greening the Wharf, and numerous individual festivals
insisting on recycling and carbon offsets. Can policy pick up on these
individual initiatives and ensure more widespread adoption of
environmentally sustainable practices in the arts?
3: Rebuilding communitiesMaría Victoria Alcaraz (Director General, San Martín Cultural Centre, Argentina),
Komi M’Kegbe Foga Tublu (Manager Cultural Heritage, Ecole du patrimoine africain, Benin),
Pilar Kasat (Managing Director, Community Arts Network, Western Australia). Moderator:
Elise Huffer (Culture Adviser, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Fiji).
When remote areas or fragile systems are hit by unexpected
disturbances such as drought, flood, earthquakes, fire, but also
shifting economies, job-loss, diminishing population and resources, how
can the arts help rehabilitate such communities? Many artists, both
local and visiting, want to work with affected communities and the
communities are often keen to welcome artists into their midst. What are
the policies that can facilitate such collaborations? In this session,
our starting point examples are a ‘cultural first aid kit’ developed in
response to the Chilean earthquake, the place of culinary art specific
to the Batammariba people in building cultural tourism for Togo and
Benin, and the inspirational story of resilience and hope in Narrogin, a
wheatbelt town in Western Australia.
4: Invigorating cities Moira Sinclair (Executive Director, Arts Council England, London),
Say Kosal (President, National League of Communes/Sangkats, Cambodia),
Marcus Westbury (Founder, Renew Newcastle and Renew Australia),
Eduard Miralles (Cultural Relations Advisor, Barcelona Provincial Council, Spain). Moderator:
Sue Beal (Chair, Cultural Development Network, Australia).
Cities have become a hot topic. Recently the global balance gently
tipped to a place where, for the first time in its recorded history,
there were more people living in cities than not. And cities are
growing. There are infinite ways in which the arts play a role in these
places where rich and poor increasingly live side by side, and diverse
cultures of age and race jostle. Are arts policies responding to these
realities or are new frameworks required?
5: Changing places - evolving cultural policies in Asia (Supported by ASEF/culture360.org, an online portal of the Asia-Europe Foundation)
Dr Chaitanya Sambrani (Lecturer, art historian and curator, Australian National University School of Art and Social Sciences, Australia),
Shen Qilan (Editor, Art World Magazine, China),
Dr Kiwon Hong (Assistant professor of cultural policy, Sookmyung Women’s University, Korea),
MaLou Jacob (Executive Director, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Philippines). Moderator:
Lesley Alway (Arts Director, Asialink, Australia).
This roundtable took as its starting point the intersection of arts
and cultural policies with international relations and more specifically
the context provided by the shifts in geopolitics and world economies
in Asia. It has been acknowledged that we are now living in the ‘Asian
Century’ as the focus of economic development shifts from West to East,
particularly through the emergence of the two new super economies -
China and India.
This transference of economic power and influence has been
accompanied by increasing interest in cultural engagement from within,
without and across Asia. At the government level, this intersection is
often referred to as ‘soft-power’ and whilst it risks collision with
‘nation-state’ marketing, it also provides new avenues for the arts to
develop new bilateral and multilateral platforms for engagement.
Additionally, some of the most stimulating projects have been generated
from non-government and private initiatives.
6: Screening the landscapeVilsoni Hereniko (Director, Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture, and Pacific Studies, Fiji),
Steven Loft (Trudeau National Visiting Fellow, Ryerson University, Canada). Moderator:
John Oster (Chief Executive Officer, Indigenous Art Code, Australia)
With the background of Vilsoni Hereniko’s film The Land has Eyes, and
others such as Warwick Thornton’s uncompromising portrayal of central
Australia, Samson and Delilah, we discuss how screen-based arts paint
powerful pictures of place. Baz Luhrmann’s film Australia was used by
government tourism departments to leverage’ promotion for clear reasons.
Does arts policy abandon screen to commercial forces, and if not, can
it do more? What sparkling new policy initiative would allow screenbased
arts to fulfil their 21st century potential?
7: Global connectivityDr Mario Merialdi (World Health Organisation, Switzerland),
Jo Dorras (Wan Smolbag, Vanuatu),
Katelijn Verstraete (Asia-Europe Foundation, Singapore). Moderator:
Rose Hiscock (Executive Director, Arts Development, Australia Council)
The economic responsibility of developed nations towards developing
nations is globally acknowledged, but have we taken the same level of
responsibility in the arts? Artists have taken the lead in global
collaborations of all kinds. Cultural ‘fusion’ is age-old and
continuing, but are we doing the same in policy and arts-support?
At this Summit we had many participants from wealthy countries with
healthy arts budgets and formal frameworks. But we also had participants
from countries which have art and artists, but little or no formal
policy frameworks or support for the arts. What are our responsibilities
and how can we put them into action?
8: The outer limitsErica Seccombe (artist, Australia),
Professor Tim Senden (Professor, ANU College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Australia),
Gavin Artz (CEO, Australian Network for Art and Technology). Moderator:
Pia Waugh (IT Policy Advisor to Senator Kate Lundy and Digital Culture Sphere Coordinator, Australia).
Throughout history there have been artists who have leapt to use new
technologies (electric light, recorded sound, photography, film etc). As
advances in science and technology increase exponentially in the 21st
century, artists’ experimentation abounds and in many cases reveals new
potentials to their inventors. How does arts policy enable and support
these collaborations and what would be the one big new policy shift or
idea that would help arts keep in step with science in coming years?
9: Moving fast and flexible – the changing landscape of digital technologies Becky Schutt (Fellow, Judge Business School, Cambridge University, England),
Shane Simpson (Special Counsel, Simpsons, Australia),
Pius Knüsel (Director, Pro Helvetia, the Swiss Arts Council). Moderator:
Katherine Watson (Director, European Cultural Foundation, Netherlands).
The digital revolution has the power to strike fear into the hearts
of anyone working in traditional real time/real space artforms. The fear
is that download culture will eat away at traditional arts audiences
and its popularity with digital natives will eventually see arts support
shift to these newer forms of creativity and away from books, theatre,
live music etc. But many see the huge opportunities that digital
technology and communications can bring to artists and artforms, if they
can open up and embrace them.
WEDNESDAY 5 October 2011 PEOPLE
The
impact of the arts on the human landscape and how artists engage with
community concerns such as crime prevention, poverty reduction, social
cohesion, health and education will underscore the day’s discussions.
KEYNOTE SESSIONModerated by
Robyn Archer AODr Tim Greacen
made the claim that without health there is no creativity and vice
versa. From his perspective as both psychologist and singer, he has
explored the way health and the arts are intertwined. He has written
extensively on doctor/patient relationships and advocated successful
arts/health programmes such as Video et Sante which offers a pathway to
mental health through new skills and creativity. He has also worked
throughout the world in programmes for people with AIDS.
Jo Dorras and
Danny Marcel,
members of Wan Smolbag will respond from the perspective of a theatre
company based in Port Vila for more than 20 years. They are not funded
through a culture programme or policy, but largely through foreign aid
which supports their social welfare and health programmes over a wide,
inclusive base throughout Vanuatu and its remote islands. They have a
particular focus on sexually transmitted diseases through the arts of
drama (theatre and TV) and music, and create skills development
opportunities in all branches of these media.
PANEL SESSION – OUTSIDE THE COMFORT ZONEPaul Komesaroff, Lucina Jiménez and
Mike van Graan (
traducción español)
talked about those places where the arts intersect with real danger. In
many places the arts are still viewed as a luxury and many of us are
proud to describe the arts as a safe place to discuss dangerous issues,
but there are places where just being an artist is dangerous, and others
where art is obliged to intersect with armed conflict, serious unrest,
and their consequences. The session was moderated by
Amanda Smith (Presenter, Artworks, ABC Radio National, Australia).
ROUNDTABLES10: Across the divide .Martin Drury (Arts Director, the Arts Council Ireland),
Bilel Aboudi
(Deputy Director of International Cooperation and External
Relations/Public Services Advisor, Ministry of Culture, Tunisia).
Moderator:
Anne Dunn (Consultant, Australia).
What is the nature of the relationship between policy makers and arts
practitioners and how might we bridge that gap? Could there be a new
system of structures that enable holistic intersections with the myriad
sectors that exist in society? As Martin Drury has written ‘The profile
of the decision-makers and the vested interests of the “arts sector ”
are among many barriers to full public participation in the arts. The
creative intersections which were the focus of this Summit are part of a
Cartesian geometry that never quite succeeds in squaring the circle.
What might the alternative geometry look like?!’
11: Getting traction with arts and education policiesMichael Wimmer (Founder and General Manager, Educult, Austria),
Linda Lorenza (Senior Project Officer, Arts, Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority). Moderator:
Lucina Jiménez (Anthropologist, Mexico)
The field of arts education and arts in education is awash with
enthusiasm, passion, good thinking, even better intentions and new
policy initiatives. But how much actually changes? Why have some
countries succeeded in establishing well funded and effective arts
education programmes, while others are losing ground due to changing
political situations, and still others have yet to win the case for arts
in the curriculum? How can arts education policies be more robust and
what are the connections, actual and potential, between arts, artists
and policymaking? Learn more about what the tensions are and help tease
out the one big thing that might actually work for everyone.
12: Sante! Arts and wellbeing Dr Tim Greacen (Director, Maison Blanche Research Laboratory, France),
Pamela Udoka (President/Artistic Director, Children’s Arts Development Initiative, Nigeria),
Raelene Baker (Principal Indigenous Advisor, Arts Queensland, Australia). Moderator:
Professor Ruth Rentschler (Board member, VicHealth, Australia).
Research increasingly yields more evidence about the positive effects
of the arts on human health. And it is coming at us from all angles and
in all media: from ambient colour, design and music to skills
development and practice by patients themselves - the arts work at many
levels. The field in focus here is mental health, but the session will
also consider the physical health perspective and all speakers have an
intimate association with the arts in this context. From a dense field
we need one beautiful flower to rise up as the most effective new policy
initiative.
13: Who put the ‘dis’ in disability?Gaelle Mellis (Resident Designer, Restless Dance Theatre, Australia),
Emma Bennison (Executive Officer, Arts Access Australia). Moderator:
Becky Llewellyn (Director, Disability Consultancy Services, Australia).
The world abounds with goodwill towards the inclusion of everyone
into the arts, whether as artist, arts-worker or audience. But there is
often a cost associated with accessibility and inclusion, and when
funding feels the squeeze, the temptation is to cut back on practical
applications. The wellmade plans are dis-continued, dis-missed and the
extent of the problem sometimes dis-guised. So what’s possible? And
what’s most needed at this time? The answer to those questions is what
this session should take to the final plenary.
14: The art of misdemeanourAndrew Dixon (Chief Executive, Creative Scotland),
PANG Khee Teik (Arts Programme Director, Annexe Gallery, Malaysia) and
Scott Rankin (Big hART, Australia) Moderator:
Lydia Miller (Executive Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Arts, Australia Council).
The intersection of arts with what Scott Rankin has called ‘outsider
culture’ has produced surprising results, as has the work of artists in
prisons and in other contexts outside the law. While rehabilitation may
be the key concern on the inside, and political action on the outside,
the fact is that art often reaches beyond the immediate objectives. Good
writing, good music, good visual art and video, theatre and
screen-based work can emerge from the ‘inside’ and at the outermost
edge. Where and how could policy have an effect on the potential of
these transactions?
15: Interculturality: Creating dynamic intersections Professor Michael Mel (Pro Vice Chancellor, University of Goroka, Papua New Guinea),
Paula Abood (Arab Australian writer),
Nike Jonah (Project Manager, decibel Performing Arts Showcase, Arts Council England),
Dr Tim Curtis Programme Specialist for Culture, UNESCO office Bangkok, Thailand). Moderator:
Magdalena Moreno (CEO, Kultour, Australia).
When people of diverse cultures meet and engage, a dynamic space is
created. This session explores the creative environment that emerges
when cultural diversity is at the heart of the artistic synapse. The
2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity
of Cultural Expressions states that cultural diversity is a driving
force of development, not only in respect of economic growth, but also
as a means of leading a more fulfilling intellectual, emotional, moral
and spiritual life. What role can cultural policy play in stimulating
the potential for living encounters where the unscripted more often than
not has the most significant and systemic impact?
16: It’s not just a case of ‘show me the money’Anmol Vellani (Executive Director, India Foundation for the Arts),
Rupert Myer (Philanthropist and Chair, National Gallery of Australia),
Ariunaa Tserenpil (Director, Arts Council of Mongolia). Moderator:
Louise Walsh (Director, Artsupport Australia, Australia Council).
The place of philanthropy in the arts differs spectacularly from
country to country, even city to city. Where governments do support the
arts, from time to time they are inspired by the level of philanthropy
in the USA and crave that situation for their own countries. Yet the
global financial crisis has proven how fragile such a system is. What is
the relationship between the philanthropic spirit and public policy in
the arts? Should it be more than just a matter of input credits? What is
at the heart of the creative intersection of artists and private
generosity? Is something else needed in policy terms?
17: Not such strange bedfellows Edna dos Santos-Duisenberg (Chief, Creative Economy Programme, UNCTAD, Switzerland),
Farai Mpfunya
(Executive Director, Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust), Elizabeth Ann
Macgregor (Director, Museum of Contemporary Art,
Australia). Moderator: Professor
Justin O’Connor (Professor, Creative Industries Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, Australia).
There was a time when some artists scorned corporate investment in
the arts and commercialisation of culture was seen as cynical and
shallow; but now it is understood that on the one hand artists can work
in genuine collaboration with corporate partners, and on the other hand
they can become businesses in their own right. The worldwide interest in
public policy that supports ‘creative industries’ is partly a response
to a new breed of artist that sees no conflict between art and business.
Is there however a conflict between support for those arts which have
commercial potential with those that will always need subsidy? How does
policy deal with it?
18: Finally – the numbers Professor David Throsby (Professor of Economics, Macquarie University, Australia),
Dr Audrey Yue (Lecturer, University of Melbourne, Australia). Moderator:
Annamari Laaksonen (Research Manager, IFACCA Australia).
Statistics on the arts, how they are collected and how the arts are
evaluated in formal ways may seem dry stuff to artists, but they are
invaluable when it comes to mounting arguments for policy which drives
support for the arts, arts education, regional priorities etc. How can
the numbers be most effectively gathered and applied, and how do we
ensure that the arts retain their freedom of expression and operation
aside from the need for formal evaluation?
OPEN SESSIONS – CREATING CONNECTIONSAfter the
hard work in the roundtables, and as the rapporteurs work to present in
the final plenary on Thursday, this was the delegates' chance to pursue
their own interests and pick two sessions from an eclectic array of
options that, in one way or another, relate to the idea of creative
intersections. Presentations ranged from projects to publications,
case-studies to artworks.
FIRST SESSION
Presentations by delegates, including the performance below by Jacques Martial.
Mauricio Delfin, Culturaperu.org
Maryam Rasihidi, PhD Candidate, Research School of Humanities & the Arts, Australian National University, Australia
SECOND SESSION
Further presentations by delegates.
Hossam Nassar, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Culture, Egypt
Hilary Ogbechie, Acting Director - Extension Services, National Council for Arts & Culture, Nigeria
Mahiriki Tangaroa and Michael Gunn, National Museum of the Cook Islands and National Gallery of Australia
In the first session, in Plenary 1, Jacques Martial gave a special
delegates-only performance (in English) of L’echange, Notebook of a
Return to My Native Land, Aimé Césaire’s seminal prose/poem which coined
the word ‘negritude’ and was ubsequently taken up by America’s Black
Rights movement. This work was co-commissioned by 10 Days on the Island
(Tasmania) and has been performed all over the world including before
the French President on the occasion of the anniversary of the Abolition
of Slavery in France.
THURSDAY 6 October 2011 POLICIES
Having
explored Place and People, we concluded the Summit by considering the
policies and programmes that might help underpin resilient partnerships
between artists and other areas of society.
WRAP UPModerated by
Robyn Archer Professor Brad Haseman
(Queensland University of Technology, Australia) summarised the
discussion from the first two days and in particular the roundtables on
PLACE and PEOPLE. He outlined some of the key ideas for arts policy
initiatives (POLICIES) to support artists to intersect with broad social
issues while maintaining the integrity of their development and
practice.
FINAL KEYNOTE SESSIONA session to promote some food for thought and action.
Alison Tickell
(Julie’s Bicycle, UK). For many global citizens environmental
sustainability is the most important issue of our time. While many in
the arts express their concern, just as many still struggle with how
they can affect the kinds of changes which will make a difference.
Julie’s Bicycle is a shining example of achievement in this area and
should inspire us to move towards equivalent goals in our own spheres.
The session was moderated by
Robyn Archer AO.
