How can Digital Tools support our Creativity?
Symposium, Friday 7 June, 12.30 – 5.45pm
Coventry University, UK
A symposium event hosted by the StoryFutures Creative Cluster project to explore how digital tools, technologies and their implementation can help make Coventry the most innovative and accessible City of Culture year.
We will be exploring how a cultural programme could help to deliver sustainable growth for the region’s creative industries; what opportunities a 5G testbed might make possible; and how the application of new digital tools could make Coventry a truly playable city.
Powered by Research introduction: City of Culture, Digital Symposium from Jonathan Shaw
Welcome to the Disruptive Media Learning Lab. We officially opened our doors in Sept 2014, fusing research and practice we are here (physically and digitally) to act as a sandpit for colleagues within the university, in both our campus’ here in Coventry, Scarborough, London, Dagenham, Online, forthcoming Poland and partners from across the city and beyond to come together to collaborate, experiment, invent and potentially innovate and change how we see and do education and learning today.
Shaun Hides and I then briefly shared some thoughts on projects ranging from the large budgets to the micro but incredibly impactful…
A brief welcome to the lab
PROGRAMME
1pm
Welcome from Martin Sutherland, Chief Executive, and Tony Guillan, Digital Curator, Coventry City of Culture Trust.
1.10pm
Introduction to the day’s sessions and objectives by Will Saunders, Chief Creative Officer, StoryFutures.
Session 1 – Creating Creative Clusters
1.20 – 1.40pm
Could the StoryFutures model be replicated in Coventry?
Professor James Bennett, Director of the AHRC funded StoryFutures Creative Cluster, will discuss their operating model and how projects with The National Gallery, Punchdrunk and Heathrow Airport have fused immersive storytelling and academic research to grow digital SMEs in the ‘Gateway Cluster region’ immediately to London’s west.
1.40 – 1.50pm
Coventry in the Region: Opportunities for a new Creative Cluster?
Leamington Spa based digital agency Fish in a Bottle will discuss their work and the opportunities they foresee if a similar Creative Cluster model was forged as part of Coventry’s City of Culture year and beyond.
1.50 – 1.55pm
Powered by Research
How universities can help develop sustainable Creative Clusters, and how universities can benefit from working with innovative SMEs.
1.55 – 2.05pm
Opportunities for Arts and Culture in the West Midlands
Doreen Foster, Director Warwick Arts Centre, will discuss the evolving role of digital storytelling and audience engagement for the arts, and how institutions like hers might support and benefit from a regional Creative Cluster.
2.05 – 2.30pm
Discussion
Facilitated discussion of the topics covered in the presentations.
Session 2 – 5G: What is it good for?
2.35 – 2.55pm
5G, Tourism and Creativity: Lessons from Bristol
CEO of Landmrk Seth Jackson will discuss the development of their Smart Tourism project as part of the 5G Testbed in Bristol, and how he perceives the opportunities afforded by 5G in Coventry and the West Midlands for creative practitioners wishing to produce new types of content for audience consumption at scale.
2.55 – 3.05pm
How do we Test and Implement 5G in the West Midlands?
Bal Claire from WM5G will discuss priorities for the region and how the roll-out of 5G could support innovative approaches to R&D in the Creative Industries.
3.05 – 3.15pm
How could 5G support creativity in Coventry?
Dom Breadmore from digital arts collective Ludic Rooms will share his thoughts about how Coventry might benefit from putting 5G into the hands of its creative community.
3.15 – 3.30pm
Discussion
Facilitated discussion of the topics covered in the presentations.
3.30 – Refreshments Break
Session 3 – Participation, Games and Gaming
3.45 – 4.05pm
Here Comes Everybody
Clare Reddington, CEO of Watershed in Bristol, will discuss ways that Coventry City of Culture might support co-creation with the people of Coventry and how we could become a truly playable city.
4.05 – 4.15pm
The Art of Participation
Artist response: What is the creative potential of gamifying participatory, site specific work in the era of 5G mobile networks and what advantages might our Silicon Spa Cluster of companies offer us?
4.15 – 4.25pm
The City as Serious Game: Art, Technology and Civic Space
Tony Guillan, Digital Curator at Coventry City of Culture Trust, will discuss the City of Culture’s ambitions and how he envisages working with artists, technologists and game developers to create exciting audience experiences that also serve a serious mission.
4.25pm
Discussion
Facilitated discussion of the topics covered in the presentations.
5 – 5.45pm
Drinks and networking