Talking Through Your Arts – Remixing arts and culture

Product life cycles are shrinking and the desire for the ‘next new thing’ is fiercer than ever.  Innovate or die. What’s likely to kill you in the new economy is not somebody doing something better; it’s somebody doing something different.  At the same time as competition is increasing, so is collaboration among competitors.

The intersection between culture, technology and entrepreneurship is where some of the world’s best ideas are emerging.  REMIX Sydney is an inaugural platform that seeks to connect the different sectors.  The two-day summit at Carriageworks is an initiative of Culturelabel, a group of entrepreneurs who have created a unique online superstore and a training academy.

First staged in London in 2012, to sell-out crowds, REMIX seeks to shape the future of the cultural creative industries in major cities by facilitating industry leaders to exchange ideas, foster dialogue and collaborate.  There are summits being held in five major cities including Dubai, London and New York.

The City of Sydney has demonstrated their support, committing a $70,000 sponsorship. The City spends more than $34 million per year on culture in Sydney.  The soon-to-be-released Cultural Policy details future directions, priorities and commitments on cultural activities and creative enterprise. It incorporates the backing of REMIX.

It was in 2009 that Culturelabel published their first eBook, on cultural entrepreneurship, Intelligent Naivety.  The authors Simon Cronshaw and Peter Tullin explore the strategies designed to turn ideas into reality for generating commercial revenue for cultural organisations.  The book is still relevant and has received more than 15,000 downloads.

There are a total of 75 speakers at REMIX with an expected attendance of more than 2,000 global leaders. A few names include, Cronshaw and Tullin; Tom Uglow, director of Google’s Creative Lab; Simon Crerar, editor of Buzzfeed; and Katrina Sedgwick, head of ABC Arts. Topics discussed cover future partnerships and the building of creative businesses.

For many of us imagination is synonymous with creativity. Everyone has imagination. However, there is an important difference between the two. Creativity in contrast, is the expression of imagination.  Creativity is the way a person brings ideas into the tangible world so that others can share and feel them.  It involves talent, training, and skill that can be learned and developed. (AS)

May 8-9, Culture, Technology and Entrepreneurship, Conference and Master Classes, Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh, $175-555, culturelabel.com/remix/syd/

BY ANGELA STRETCH