Comments on: What is Birmingham’s Creative Direction?

By: stef

stef — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:43:48 +0000

Thanks all - some interesting angles as always! Charlotte - thanks, I remember that too - it’s just a shame it seems so ‘blank canvas’. In my experience users of websites need a very simple thing to react to and that just seems a bit, well, open ended.

@Nick, true, there’s a lot to be said for the external influencing voices to guide the direction that a city’s leadership takes…

By: Nick Booth

Nick Booth — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 22:50:01 +0000

The who’s job is it to lead the vision is actually uncomplicated in once sense.

It is the person who controls the most politicial power or spare public money and who is expected to lead. This is why the idea of an elected Mayor appeals to many. But it can be done through the existing system if the personalities are there.

The people who follow will often do what is required of them. If that is to lay the grey hand of bureaucracy or political expediency on the future of the city - that’s what they do (or they leave to help run a place with better leadership).

Of course it doesn’t all boil down to one person. Leaders at many levels in the city can help. But the leader of the local authority remains the most potent symbol of our collective ambition.

By: Charlotte Carey

Charlotte Carey — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:01:29 +0000

Hey Stef

Saw this and thought of you Re: making pledges:

http://www.culturewm.org.uk/makeapledge.jsp

Also went to Cultural inds and climate change in the WM event today and will blog about it late - a great deal of food for thought on how the sector can help stimulate changes.

By: stef

stef — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 22:11:59 +0000

Thanks all - some interesting thoughts coming out of this suggestion. I like the ‘never had a plan’ comment about Newcastle-Gateshead. I guess what I’m saying is that this doesn’t need to be a strict ‘a then b then c’ plan - the charter idea just means that we can all sign up to some shared principles which act as guides for other things that then happen, rather than planning out the entire thing in detail.

As Wayne Hemmingway said when he came up to speak - “Don’t plan the randomness out of the city”.

By: Simon Felton

Simon Felton — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 21:57:09 +0000

A plan like that is a definite help to the politicians who while welcoming such an aim do not in reality do anything more than as you say, ‘a lukewarm, umm sounds good’.

Birmingham has more potential than many other cities in the great mix of people it has played host to historically and will continue to do so. A city of a 1000 trades becoming a city of a 1000 cultures.
That would be my great fear in the project, engaging with the diversity the city plays host to and encouraging the civic ownership of the project as you say that we all own.

By: Birmingham’s creativity can’t be stifled by politics « Groves Media

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 19:00:55 +0000

[...] Birmingham’s creativity can’t be stifled by politics Posted on December 4, 2007 by Paul Groves There has been talk of late about the growing case for the appointment of a Director to steer the next phase of the growth and development of Birmingham’s flourishing creative industries. [...]

By: Paul Groves

Paul Groves — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 18:26:00 +0000

Thanks for the response over on Jo’s blog.
I must say I’m more enthused having read a bit more about the ideas behind this and, of course, you’re right in the response about having to take the city’s creative success to the next level.
It obviously has to come up from under the radar at some point and I think the European models you cite are spot on.
I remain cynical, however, mainly because I’ve been a journalist for too long. But my scepticism is also based on seeing other schemes and projects fall by the way side as soon as they become official or get a handy new label (not just in Birmingham, but in other cities around the UK). Equally, I’m twitchy because the Birmingham establishment’s track record on understanding such creativity and initiative, let alone supporting it, is not exactly great.
I think the more that can be done without input from the usual suspects the better. There will be cross-over, inevitably, and I think that is where the main problems will occur.
“…do we want Birmingham to be a World leader in the creative and cultural stakes?”
I think the answer is a resounding “yes”.
Do others, such as BCC et al?
The answer seems to be a less convincing “maybe”.
But perversely that could be a plus in the long run.

By: D'log

D'log — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:45:32 +0000

You wrote: “Either way, to put the city on the map, to up its game, pull out culture from under that bushel and put it centre stage is a tough ask. It needs a plan.”

Does it? Newcastle-Gateshead are always saying they “never had a plan” and that was part of the success there. A plan, in Council-speak, can be an excuse to footle around for two years talking to consultants from outside the area, about “strategy documents about strategy documents”.

Charlotte wrote: “I’m not sure who that would be here?”. One of the obvious candidates would be the first director of the New Art Gallery Walsall, Peter Jenkinson. Although after dealing with Walsall Council, and then getting a taste of Dudley and Sandwell councils with the Black Country Creative Partnerships, I’d imagine he’s been put off working with a local authority forever.

By: It aint what you spend | Birmingham: It’s Not Shit

It aint what you spend | Birmingham: It’s Not Shit — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:04:10 +0000

[...] Of course, rather than getting het up about how much is spent - it’s much better to think about how it’s spent, and so, would a Creative Director help in that regard? [...]

By: Charlotte Carey

Charlotte Carey — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:59:07 +0000

This looks interesting and nice to have it broken down into manageable chunks. I certainly have an interest and some experience of ‘Social auditing’ i.e. the idea of capturing the value of an activity or organisation in terms of their social, environmental and local economic reach. As for the Creative Director I still have reservations as said in response to Joanna Geary’s posting:

Employed by whom? Representing who? And whose idea of creativity etc etc? Does Birmingham have a Peter Saville equivalent? Someone who has already got a track record, experience and vision to take on this role?

I’m not sure who that would be here? It might be that we need a different model in Birmingham? However I agree you do need someone to champion and have ownership of an idea, in this instance I think you might need a whole generation, a whole sector, a whole community of practice to champion and have ownership.