Curating culture: knowledge, place, practices

Andy Pratt and Janet Merkel (CCCI), and Tarek Virani (from Creative Works London & QMUL) organised and curated an innovative ‘laboratory’ at Central St Martins School of Art as part of a series of events taking place last week ‘Zurich meets London‘. In this case it was Zurich School of Art that visited CSM. Andy have been involved with these two institutions for a while now, exploring issues associated with knowledge and the creative industries; with Zurich Andy has participated in seminar in Hong Kong (at Art Basel art fair), and Venice (at the Architectural Biennale). The event in London was a great way to learn and reflect upon the establishment of CSM and its linkages with the Kings Cross area of London.

The aim of this event is to explore and develop critical insights into the various ways we ‘plan’ for culture and newness/ cultural innovations. We want to take the phe- nomena of the ‘creative hub’ as a live policy object and interrogate it. Moreover, we want to consider who and in what roles art education can reinforce or extend it roles beyond practical and theoretical expertise. In short we consider a more subtle and more profound ‘impact’ agenda for the arts.

As well as Andy, Janet and Tarek, speakers from the Kings Cross Knowledge Quarter, Argent (the property developer and landlord of the KX site), and Acme (a not for profit artist studio space provider).

City University has just become a member of the Knowledge Quarter, so this was a good opportunity to cement that relationship.

However, Andy, Janet and Tarek were keen to explore practical network building and knowledge exchange. They were very pleased that a diverse, interesting and high powered group of 45 attended the event. The team were helped by CCCI’s own Ros Gill, and Toby Bennett, and Aysegul Kesimoglou.

A further ‘innovation  in practice’ at the event was an experimental documentation strategy with recording and filming. A key aspect of this was the Instagram feed: see here