THE ARTS AND HEALTH
THE Arts and Health Research: Inspiring Creative Dialogue, special issue published in Cogent Arts & Humanities, brings together a collection of scholarly, arts-based (or creative practice-based) research papers arising from a two-day interdisciplinary symposium held in Vancouver, Canada in April 2016. The goal in the symposium was to bring together health researchers, artists and designers working within literary, performative and visual practices in order to identify mutual interests and foster cross-pollination between the arts and health, or more precisely across creative practices and health research. With this special issue, the discussion is continues. The hope is that the collected contributions will stimulate wider interest in this rapidly growing field, and that the individual projects, methods and practices discussed here might help support other artists and researchers, seeking new modes of collaboration that cross not only scholarly disciplines, but also, perhaps more importantly, critical fields of inquiry, institutions, cultural practices and social differences.
Download the full report here.
COPYRIGHT is a big issue in the digital age. The copyright debate is raging largely between the European Union (EU) and the big technology giants. EU lawmakers have been working for two years on proposed legislation aimed at updating copyright for the digital age.
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READ the rationale for and outcomes of the process to put together a proposal for a New European Agenda for Culture which was tabled earlier this year. Preliminary research found that European Union citizens believe culture is the most important factor in creating a sense of community. But 36% don't currently participate in cultural activities, so increasing cultural participation would bring Europeans closer together.
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THIS literature review, The rise of coworking spaces: A literature review, by Alessandro Gandini addresses one of the most interesting phenomena to recently emerge in the past two decades: The rise and diffusion of coworking spaces. Co-working spaces are encouraging transformation in the workplace, allowing people to freelance and be independent workers - but ones with access to infrastructure, the internet, information and networks that can work as an "engine" for their profession and growth.
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UNESCO recently launched a 'Policy Monitoring Platform' which allows for easy access to policies and measures implemented in the context of the Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
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National Arts Festival Back in Face-to-Face mode
As you read this the final cultural shows of National Arts Festival are possibly on stage in Makhanda. The National Arts Festival came back in a face-to-face format for the first time in two years.
ABSA opens new art gallery
Absa has opened a new art gallery in the piazza of Towers Main in Johannesburg central business district as of May 2022. The Absa Art Gallery officially opened its doors with the first exhibition titled Voices: Past and Present.
James Ngcobo joins Joburg City Theatres
The award-winning actor and director James Ngcobo has joined Joburg City Theatres (JCT) as an artistic director. Ngcobo who was with the Market Theatre Foundation for nine years joins the JCT as of July 1 and will be responsible for developing and implementing an artistic vision for organisation’s 10 spaces.
Report Highlights
In this edition we highlight key findings from our recent reports. The reports are: a chapter from the Mapping Study that gives the provincial profile of the cultural and creative industry and the South African’s Animation Industry: Ecosystem Analysis.
Executive Direction - June 2022
I am hopeful that as you read this edition of The Cultural Observer you are warm as this winter has been very chilly, with temperatures plummeting to close to zero degrees in some parts of the country.
