Emma Bell & Polona Dolzan on Creativity´s Impact on Society

Emma: The economy is a huge driving force in terms of encouraging and influencing art and design movement and progression mainly because it strikes common ground for many creatives. For example during the recession in the UK things such as lack of funding and personal expense played a vital role in what designers and artists were feasibly able to create. During this time there was a surge in work that involved embracing sustainability in terms of art and design that revolved around recycling and utilisation. I experienced this in many forms from using second hand materials, reworking alternative fabrics and DIY design within my personal work.

Polona: The availability of free and low cost events and opportunities encourage a city or area to maintain creative relations and increase artistic potential. Projects such as artist in residence schemes, education based workshops, lectures and discussions open the general public all nurture creative development. An example of this was experiencing  ‘Late Night at the Museum’ events which opened up a wealth of opportunities for people to visit more that 80 museums and galleries within the city at a relatively low cost. Such events further encourage visitors both local and tourists to become involved and informed about upcoming features which can ultimately generate funds that are injected into the economy of the arts.

How can the promotion of creativity as societal strategy be planned? If possible please name specific tools or forms of planning (formell / informell) which had been successful. What are the limits in promoting creativity?

Emma: There’s a great importance of tapping into the educational and media sectors and allowing the more publically visible avenues to further encourage smaller initiatives and community based projects to join forces. I think the greatest limit and challenge in promoting creativity is avoiding exclusivity and maintaining accessibility.

Polona: Ensuring a coherant programme of accompanying events to compliment the main issue or feature is vital. I think it’s important to offer something for everyone from symposiums, children’s workshops, collaborations, guest speakers and public art. The limitations in promoting creativity derive from not knowing or understanding the audience and the demands of a forward thinking creative hub.

What is the relation between creativity and the culture? Will creativity f.e. play a collaborative or competitive role in an increasingly cultural diverse and migrated society?

Emma: I think that the two entities are closely linked in that creativity allows a society to develop and progress in terms of cultural understanding. I believe that creativity plays a collaborative role in that there are so many reliant factors that must work in cooperation in order for an art scene to thrive and develop. Examples of this include institution support, available space, online social networking, audience interest and both national and international involvement and awareness.

Polona: The celebration of cultural diversity plays an integral role in any city or region and encourages creativity to flourish. Collaboration is key in ensuring that the arts reach all avenues from larger institutions to small communities whether it be through the method of publications, blogs, broadcast media, word of mouth or guerilla tactics such as a flash mob or pop up installations.

Interviewee’s profile

Name
Emma Bell

Current occupation
Fashion Designer /Art Director/ Curator

Three crucial turning points in your professional life
1. Working alongside the contemporary team at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London specifically on the Yohji Yamamoto exhibition.

2. Curating and project managing ‘Fish and Chips, Twice Please?!’ as well as fulfilling the role of exhibition designer.

3. Premiere of documentary and installation piece at SHUNT Lounge in association with RCA Communication Art and Design MA course.

The three most important regions in the structural process of transformation are
Emerging talent, public interaction and education.

Which issue is vital for you
Making the arts accessible, informative and available to all.

Name
Polona Dolzan

Current occupation
Curator/Theatre Designer/ Performance Artist

Three crucial turning points in your professional life

1. Working alongside the contemporary team at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London specifically on the Yohji Yamamoto exhibition.

2. Curating and project managing ‘Fish and Chips, Twice Please?!’ as well as fulfilling the role of exhibition designer.

3. Premiere of documentary and installation piece at SHUNT Lounge in association with RCA Communication Art and Design MA course.

The three most important regions in the structural process of transformation are
Wide audience participation, cross disciplinary practice, multi-cultural awareness.

Which issue is vital for you:
International collaboration and community involvement.

Credits: Bell/Dolzan

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