Second Seminar: Cardiff (April 2009)
The second seminar of the Regional Studies Association Research Network on Creative Industries, and the Regions: Relationship between places, local and regional policies and creative production was held on the 22nd and 23rd of April 2009 at the University of Cardiff.
Second seminar overview:
Creative industries, scenes, cities, places: idiosyncratic dimensions of the cultural economy.
The second seminar focused on the relationship between places (cities, neighbourhoods, and quarters) and the development of creative industries. It will question what makes a place a ‘creative place’. In particular it looked at the idiosyncratic dimensions which link creative practitioners to the place where they operate. The seminar also addressed the fate of “non-creative” workers and places and explore how places can become more creative and who can be responsible for making this happen.
Download the full programme of the seminar.
Read below the report on the seminar and download working papers and presentations.
Second seminar overview:
Creative industries, scenes, cities, places: idiosyncratic dimensions of the cultural economy.
The second seminar focused on the relationship between places (cities, neighbourhoods, and quarters) and the development of creative industries. It will question what makes a place a ‘creative place’. In particular it looked at the idiosyncratic dimensions which link creative practitioners to the place where they operate. The seminar also addressed the fate of “non-creative” workers and places and explore how places can become more creative and who can be responsible for making this happen.
Download the full programme of the seminar.
Read below the report on the seminar and download working papers and presentations.
Second Seminar, Cardiff (April 2009): Report
The second seminar welcomed over 20 speakers from around Europe, and in the region of 40 delegates, who we would like to thank for their lively contribution from the floor. The first afternoon of the event was reserved for PhD students and younger researchers, presenting their first major pieces of research work.
During the first session, Lech Suwala from Germany explored conceptual issues around the spatial forces of creativity with regard to ‘creative fields’, Carmel Conefrey then presented findings from her PhD on rural creativity, with specific reference to Stroud in Gloucestershire. It was then the turn of Bruno Lusso to talk about Lille as example of the use of creative and cultural industries to regenerate former industrial areas. To conclude a very busy session, Simon Moreton discussed the role of affordable studio provision in London over the last 4 decades.
Opening of the seminar
After the coffee break, on a related theme Katherine Champion opened the second session reporting her doctoral research on the contribution of ‘cheap space’ in creative milieu, within the context of Manchester area. In the next paper Evelina Wahlqvist presented longitudinal data from Sweden tracking the labour market position of arts graduates. The final contribution of the first day was from Amanda Brandellero of the Netherlands, focusing on the trajectory of migrant workers in the cultural industries. Attendees from day 1 then retired to a nearby Restaurant to carry on informal discussions of the issues raised earlier, joined by a number of speakers from the second day.
Lunch Break
The ‘main event’ kicked off in the grand surroundings of the Council Chamber of the Glamorgan Building with an informal welcome to Cardiff from Nick Clifton and Brian Morgan, the latter setting the scene with an overview of ‘cultural capital’. The first presentation of the day was given by Olwen Mosely, who continued the Cardiff theme with an insightful account of the role of design festivals in fostering a sense of creative community. Rachel Granger then took the ‘scene-making’ topic into a consideration of the influence of the ‘underground’ within performing and digital arts. Following a brief break, the second session of the day centred around creative clusters; Lisa De Propris set the scene with a review of early findings from NESTA funded research mapping creative activity in the UK. Nick Clifton and Robert Huggins followed, presenting their quantitative research exploring links between creativity and competitiveness and the local and regional level. The morning’s proceedings were concluded by Roberta Comunian, focusing on the inhibitors and enablers of the regional creative economy in the UK. Following a well-earned lunch, Bastian Lange reviewed contrasting aspects of scene formation in the design industries of Berlin and Leipzig; continuing the city-level focus, Carla Sedini followed with gender perspective case study material relating to quality of life factors for creative professionals in Milan, research arising from the EU-funded ACRE project.
More networking ...
The final session of the day opened with a lively contribution from Patrick Collins on the role of creative sector policy in achieving balanced development, the case in point being that of the West of Ireland. The session’s theme of reporting research into national and regional geographies of creativity was continued by Balázs Lengyel and Bence Ságvári’s quantitative modeling of the location dynamics of the creative workforce in the Hungarian regional innovation system. The last academic presentation of the programme was given by Enrico Bertacchini, who described the geography of creativity and cultural production in Italy with specific reference to the urban-rural divide.
Finally, Nick Clifton made some brief concluding remarks, and thanked all the presenters- and contributors from the floor- for all their efforts in making the two days such a stimulating and enjoyable experience. On a personal note, I would just like to restate these sentiments; being the local organiser of the event was a hectic but ultimately extremely rewarding experience, and it was a pleasure to welcome speakers and delegates from a dozen or so European countries, from Ireland in the west over to Hungary and the Baltic states in the east. A number of areas for spin-out activity and future collaborations arising from the session have already been discussed, most immediate being a special issue the RSA’s Regions magazine for Spring 2010, along with an organised session at RSA’s International Conference to be held in Pecs in May 2010.
Nick Clifton, Cardiff, June 2009.
During the first session, Lech Suwala from Germany explored conceptual issues around the spatial forces of creativity with regard to ‘creative fields’, Carmel Conefrey then presented findings from her PhD on rural creativity, with specific reference to Stroud in Gloucestershire. It was then the turn of Bruno Lusso to talk about Lille as example of the use of creative and cultural industries to regenerate former industrial areas. To conclude a very busy session, Simon Moreton discussed the role of affordable studio provision in London over the last 4 decades.
Opening of the seminar
After the coffee break, on a related theme Katherine Champion opened the second session reporting her doctoral research on the contribution of ‘cheap space’ in creative milieu, within the context of Manchester area. In the next paper Evelina Wahlqvist presented longitudinal data from Sweden tracking the labour market position of arts graduates. The final contribution of the first day was from Amanda Brandellero of the Netherlands, focusing on the trajectory of migrant workers in the cultural industries. Attendees from day 1 then retired to a nearby Restaurant to carry on informal discussions of the issues raised earlier, joined by a number of speakers from the second day.
Lunch Break
The ‘main event’ kicked off in the grand surroundings of the Council Chamber of the Glamorgan Building with an informal welcome to Cardiff from Nick Clifton and Brian Morgan, the latter setting the scene with an overview of ‘cultural capital’. The first presentation of the day was given by Olwen Mosely, who continued the Cardiff theme with an insightful account of the role of design festivals in fostering a sense of creative community. Rachel Granger then took the ‘scene-making’ topic into a consideration of the influence of the ‘underground’ within performing and digital arts. Following a brief break, the second session of the day centred around creative clusters; Lisa De Propris set the scene with a review of early findings from NESTA funded research mapping creative activity in the UK. Nick Clifton and Robert Huggins followed, presenting their quantitative research exploring links between creativity and competitiveness and the local and regional level. The morning’s proceedings were concluded by Roberta Comunian, focusing on the inhibitors and enablers of the regional creative economy in the UK. Following a well-earned lunch, Bastian Lange reviewed contrasting aspects of scene formation in the design industries of Berlin and Leipzig; continuing the city-level focus, Carla Sedini followed with gender perspective case study material relating to quality of life factors for creative professionals in Milan, research arising from the EU-funded ACRE project.
More networking ...
The final session of the day opened with a lively contribution from Patrick Collins on the role of creative sector policy in achieving balanced development, the case in point being that of the West of Ireland. The session’s theme of reporting research into national and regional geographies of creativity was continued by Balázs Lengyel and Bence Ságvári’s quantitative modeling of the location dynamics of the creative workforce in the Hungarian regional innovation system. The last academic presentation of the programme was given by Enrico Bertacchini, who described the geography of creativity and cultural production in Italy with specific reference to the urban-rural divide.
Finally, Nick Clifton made some brief concluding remarks, and thanked all the presenters- and contributors from the floor- for all their efforts in making the two days such a stimulating and enjoyable experience. On a personal note, I would just like to restate these sentiments; being the local organiser of the event was a hectic but ultimately extremely rewarding experience, and it was a pleasure to welcome speakers and delegates from a dozen or so European countries, from Ireland in the west over to Hungary and the Baltic states in the east. A number of areas for spin-out activity and future collaborations arising from the session have already been discussed, most immediate being a special issue the RSA’s Regions magazine for Spring 2010, along with an organised session at RSA’s International Conference to be held in Pecs in May 2010.
Nick Clifton, Cardiff, June 2009.
Second Seminar, Cardiff (April 2009): Papers and Presentations
The Second Seminar of the Research Network took place in Southampton on the 22-23 of April 2009. These are some of the outcomes, in form of presentations and working papers. The materials are included with the permission of the authors. Please respect academic standard referencing when quoting any of the materials.
Lech Suwala, Humboldt-University zu Berlin, Germany, Dept. of Geography “Spatial forges of creativity – creative fields”
Presentation
Carmel Conefrey, School of the Built and Natural Environment University of the West of England “Creative Rural Places: Findings from Exploratory Research in Stroud, Gloucestershire”
Presentation
Bruno Lusso, Department of Geography and town planning, University of Lille 1 – France “Emergent creative and cultural industries in former industrial towns : the case of Roubaix and Tourcoing in the Lille Metropolitan area (France)”
Paper
Simon Moreton, University of Bristol, “Organised artist workspaces and the creative city; affordable studio provision in London, 1968 – 2008”
Katherine Champion, PhD student, Dept of Urban Studies, University of Glasgow, “Cheap space: the cornerstone of a creative milieu?"
Presentation
Evelina Wahlqvist, University of Gothenburg “Arts Graduates And The City – Economic and geographical considerations in perspective of arts school contribution in the West Sweden case"
Presentation
Amanda Brandellero, University of Amsterdam “Crossing cultural boundaries: migrants’ trajectories in the cultural industries”
Paper
Olwen Moseley, Director of Enterprise, Cardiff School of Art & Design “The role of design festivals in creating a sense of ‘creative community’ locally and globally”
Rachel Granger, Faculty for Business, Environment & Society/Institute for Creative Enterprise, Coventry Univesity “The Role of the Underground in the Performing and Digital Arts Scene”
Presentation
Lisa De Propris, Business School, University of Birmingham “The Geography of Creativity in the UK”
Presentation
Nick Clifton, Cardiff University / University of Wales Institute Cardiff and Robert Huggins, University of Wales Institute Cardiff “Competitiveness and Creativity: A place-based perspective”
Presentation
Roberta Comunian, University of Southampton and Caroline Chapain, Birmingham Business School “Enabling and Inhibiting the Creative Economy: the Role of the Regional Dimensions in England.”
Paper
Bastian Lange, Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography in Leipzig (Germany) “Spatial practices of professional scene formation in the design segment – Comparing Berlin and Leipzig”
Presentation
Francesca Zajczyk, Carla Sedini Dept. of sociology and social research – University of Milan – Bicocca “The ‘Sustainability Challenge’: Quality of environment and work among Creative and Knowledge Professionals in Milan. A case study from a gender perspective”
Patrick Collins, National University of Ireland, Galway “Creatively innovative: the creative sector and balanced development- the case of the West of Ireland”
Balázs Lengyel and Bence Ságvári, Institute for World Economics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest “Creative workforce in the Hungarian regional innovation systems”
Paper
Enrico Bertacchini, Department of Economics “Cognetti de Martiis”, University of Torino “The city mouse and the country mouse: the geography of creativity and cultural production in Italy”
Paper
Lech Suwala, Humboldt-University zu Berlin, Germany, Dept. of Geography “Spatial forges of creativity – creative fields”
Presentation
Carmel Conefrey, School of the Built and Natural Environment University of the West of England “Creative Rural Places: Findings from Exploratory Research in Stroud, Gloucestershire”
Presentation
Bruno Lusso, Department of Geography and town planning, University of Lille 1 – France “Emergent creative and cultural industries in former industrial towns : the case of Roubaix and Tourcoing in the Lille Metropolitan area (France)”
Paper
Simon Moreton, University of Bristol, “Organised artist workspaces and the creative city; affordable studio provision in London, 1968 – 2008”
Katherine Champion, PhD student, Dept of Urban Studies, University of Glasgow, “Cheap space: the cornerstone of a creative milieu?"
Presentation
Evelina Wahlqvist, University of Gothenburg “Arts Graduates And The City – Economic and geographical considerations in perspective of arts school contribution in the West Sweden case"
Presentation
Amanda Brandellero, University of Amsterdam “Crossing cultural boundaries: migrants’ trajectories in the cultural industries”
Paper
Olwen Moseley, Director of Enterprise, Cardiff School of Art & Design “The role of design festivals in creating a sense of ‘creative community’ locally and globally”
Rachel Granger, Faculty for Business, Environment & Society/Institute for Creative Enterprise, Coventry Univesity “The Role of the Underground in the Performing and Digital Arts Scene”
Presentation
Lisa De Propris, Business School, University of Birmingham “The Geography of Creativity in the UK”
Presentation
Nick Clifton, Cardiff University / University of Wales Institute Cardiff and Robert Huggins, University of Wales Institute Cardiff “Competitiveness and Creativity: A place-based perspective”
Presentation
Roberta Comunian, University of Southampton and Caroline Chapain, Birmingham Business School “Enabling and Inhibiting the Creative Economy: the Role of the Regional Dimensions in England.”
Paper
Bastian Lange, Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography in Leipzig (Germany) “Spatial practices of professional scene formation in the design segment – Comparing Berlin and Leipzig”
Presentation
Francesca Zajczyk, Carla Sedini Dept. of sociology and social research – University of Milan – Bicocca “The ‘Sustainability Challenge’: Quality of environment and work among Creative and Knowledge Professionals in Milan. A case study from a gender perspective”
Patrick Collins, National University of Ireland, Galway “Creatively innovative: the creative sector and balanced development- the case of the West of Ireland”
Balázs Lengyel and Bence Ságvári, Institute for World Economics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest “Creative workforce in the Hungarian regional innovation systems”
Paper
Enrico Bertacchini, Department of Economics “Cognetti de Martiis”, University of Torino “The city mouse and the country mouse: the geography of creativity and cultural production in Italy”
Paper
The Creative Regions in Europe Research Network is supported by the Regional Studies Association
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