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The Post-graduation Blues

Posted by: on: October 3, 2012

It’s been exactly one month since I handed in my MA dissertation and officially finished university… actually school overall… which means, to be more precise, the end of 17 years of my life!!! SEVEN-TEEN. You can imagine that I wished for this moment to happen over and over again, but now that it’s finally here, now that I’m an adult (!), now that I am absolutely free to set my life, I dread it! It’s so scary knowing that in September you don’t have something waiting for you, that no matter what, you know you’ll always have academia if everything else fails.

Employment is a sort of Pandora’s box, especially if your “broad” degree allows you to work in everything and anything but actually nothing. Which sector, which industry, what position, how qualified, full-time/part-time, freelance, taxes and a billion other dilemmas. The “good” part is that I’m not alone in the feeling…

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The creative city and The experience economy

Posted by: on: June 7, 2012

In one of my latest papers for the MA program I am on this year I looked at the connections between concepts of the experience economy and of the creative city.

As (surprisingly!!!!) the paper was very, very, very well received, I thought about sharing it as it might help other students (and ok… maybe other researchers too:)). Here is the introduction and following the link you can read the whole thing: essay.

“They will forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” 

The economy and the city

The connection between the development of urban areas and the different stages of the local, regional or global economy has been constantly debated throughout they years (Scott, 2006; Jacobs, 1969; Kong and Conor, 2009). There is no doubt that the evolution of cities and that of the dynamics of economic production, labour and consumption can be overlapped during different periods of history, however, stating that one has led to the birth of the other can prove to be a very challenging argument. Jane Jacobs (1969) claimed that historically, cities have been the origin and engine of innovation and economic growth, on the other hand, Scott (2006:2) suggests that “the shifting fortunes of each individual urban area” depends highly on the shift in economic models and behaviours. To answer the question “which was first?” is impossible as “new ideas and new fields of economy are invented in cities” (Kong and Connor, 2009:208) but also, cities have been created and expanded due to the needs and demands of the economy different ages.

Combining the models of Toffler (1980) and Bell (1973), the world economy can be divided into a first, agrarian wave, based on agricultural practices, a second wave of mass produced goods and automised machines, followed by a post-industrial, third wave, focused mainly on the provision of services. Over the past 20 years, as new technologies have shown their power and due to significant changes in the financial capital and the amount of leisure time, concepts like the “knowledge economy” (in which the main currency is information; Bell, 1973), “the experience economy” (based on the value added by experiences to the consumption process; Pine and Gilmore, 1999) and the highly praised “creative economy” (in which creativity is the main factor of differentiation between products, companies or places; Pratt, 2008) have also been circulating. They could either be placed in the last, post-industrial wave or most likely, considered to have created a Forth Wave of their own in which they co-exist and overlap.

During each stage, cities have been the main arenas for the interaction between producers, consumers and all the other entities connected to the transactional processes. In Antiquity and Medieval times, they were the world’s communication knots and therefore its main markets, growing steadily to accommodate a variety of trades that answered the needs of those passing through (Hall, 2000). The nineteenth-century capitalism gave birth to the classical factory town, followed by the rise of the fordist mass production “associated with the growth and spread of the large industrial metropolis” (Scott, 2006:3). As “traditional manufacturing activities declined in the developed world” (Pratt, 2008:5) new styles of urbanisation have developed to create the perfect conditions in which new economies could flourish and to cater for a new work force.

The very popular concept of “creative city” (Landry, 2000) could be the perfect urban model associated with the development of knowledge, experience and creativity all together because it brings “the dimensions of economy, culture, and place back into a practical and humanly reasonable harmony” (Scott, 2006:15). As creativity and information are the base for the creative city (Cooke, 2008), this paper will focus on examining the extent to which “experiences” and other concepts associated with Pine and Gilmore’s (1999) description of the experience economy, are part of, or resources for, this type of urban environment.

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Creative Industries in Communist Romania

Posted by: on: April 19, 2012

Last year I wrote a paper for one of my university modules on the Creative Industries in strict regimes, focusing on Communist Romania. It’s definitely not the best piece of writing, not necessarily a mind-blowing piece and for most Romanians things will probably sound very familiar. However, here, in the UK, it was received extremely well (and yes, I got a nice mark for it) as many of my tutors and colleagues found it quite informative and interesting. Also, the introductory part as well as my literature review could prove quite useful for anyone wanting to define creativity, understand what limits it or encourages it, as well as find out what are ‘the creative industries’ and why they should be praised.

Hope you enjoy reading it: Creative Industries in Communist Romania

P.S. I am more than happy to comment on anything on the topic! Let me know what you think!

P.P.S The poster is form the Communism Museum in Prague

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“All art is quite useless!” (Oscar Wilde)  Can art teach us how to ‘manage’ better?

Posted by: on: February 28, 2012

It’s been a while since I posted something valuable here but my MA, my super-active social/cultural life in London and all the travelling kept me quite busy.

To carry on from where I stopped before the holidays, here is the actual essay I wrote on arts-based learning. Please feel free to click on the document to read the entire 4000 words 🙂

The first publication of Oscar Wilde’s controversial novel, “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, in 1890, led to an avalanche of outraged criticism due to the interpretation of its content as immoral by various Victorian critics who believed that art’s role was to educate. As a reply to the public’s reaction, Wilde rewrote some of the passages as well as added more chapters to justify his characters’ actions and to simplify the moral and philosophical messages. However, devoted to the aesthetic school of thought and therefore believing in the intrinsic values and the beauty of “art for art’s sake”, he also added a preface to the novel in which he defended the freedom of art by claiming that, as an object, it is “quite useless” because it is not meant “to instruct or to influence action in any way”, but simply to be admired and “create a mood” (Oscar Wilde, 1891:1).

In the practical, productivity oriented, industrialised world, “useless” is one of the most abominable adjectives as anything that serves no functional purpose is generally condemned by a society lost in the pursuit of capitalist value. Its association with “art”, leads therefore to the outcasting of works that have been created without a specific, practical aim and which form a field meant only to entertain through “beauty” by revealing its message to the educated viewer “but by concealing its artist” (Oscar Wilde) and especially the path to its production. However, despite the stereotypes circulating in the judgement of the twenty-first century, corporate driven world, in the “creation” of “a work of art” lies a lot more than simply scribbling words on a piece of paper, dipping a brush in coloured paint or playing an instrument. Complex thinking, planning, trial and error as well as continuous improvement through rehearsal are just a few steps of the artistic process, usually ignored even by the artists themselves, if the finalised piece fails to impress its audiences. All these could be easily deconstructed and successfully applied in a variety of other circumstances, like they have been, for example, in science, where figures such as Einstein, Feynman or Feigenbaum “have credited the arts as a source of their inspiration” (Root-Bernstein, 2000:61). The process of “making art”, rather than the works of art themselves, can help in the development of a variety of skills, feelings and thinking patterns which lead to the improvement of both the results of any daily action and the steps taken towards them.

To address the question of what exactly “art” can “teach” and what can be “learned” from it, a clear definition of what it stands for is required. Furthermore, in analysing the relationship between art and “managing”, the extensive meaning of the verb needs to be addressed as well because it can be applied to everyday life but also be associated with certain individuals within social or organisational structures. Last, but not least, to understand the extent to which the two can be linked, a discussion of what “better” management refers to and how art interacts with it is also mandatory as it can be the first step in giving directions and determining the outcomes of such collaborations.

And here is the rest: essay final

Any feedback will be highly appreciated!

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Arts Based Learning and Artful Creation

Posted by: on: December 12, 2011

 

A word cloud from my “Art of Management and Management of Art” module essay for this term.

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Kneehigh – Probably the best theatre company in the world!

Posted by: on: December 2, 2011

It’s storytelling in its most majestic form: fairytales turned into stage productions with original music, amazing choreography, incredible talent and a dazzling capacity of making the audience completely forget they are still sitting in a theatre.  The 30 years old Cornwall based, worldwide travelling company is my idea of perfection!

I came across Kneehigh while performing on one of their scripts last summer (Tristan and Yseult) and from my first lines (a song in Hungarian 🙂 ) it was love at first sight! I was captured by their style, their courage and most of all the mind blowing references to so many symbols across all areas of arts and culture. Then, in September, I had the chance to finally see them live in London with their latests production: Wilde Bride

“In a stunning elemental world of dust, clay and fire here is a red hot story with a brutal edge and a beating heart…  The story of what happens when your father accidentally sells you to the Devil.

Betrayed by her father, our heroine has those ‘cross-road’ blues. She chooses to walk into the wilderness rejecting not only the Devil, but also her home and trusting heart as well. In the wilds she meets a Prince and becomes pregnant, but when he is called to war, her heart breaks as she finds herself at those pesky cross-roads again.

In the cool green of the forest, she brings up her child, and – wonder of wonders – her broken heart grows back. Perhaps this is happily ever after, perhaps there is even more joy to come…

This epic and poetic wondertale is classic Kneehigh stuff. Charting a life from child to adult, you can expect instinctive storytelling, devilish humour and a heady mix of live blues music and devilish humour. The Wild Bride is a grown up, spring bud, dustball of a romance for brave children and adults alike.”

And today, I just found out they are putting together a new show based on my favorite story ever – A Very Old Man with Enormous Wingsby Gabriel Garcia Marquez!!!  It’s on at The Little Angel Theatre, 14 Dagmar Passage, London N1 2DN between Sat 19th November – Sun 29th January! 

If you ever have the chance to go to any of their performances DO IT! You will definitely NOT regret it!!!

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What is the Value of Culture?

Posted by: on: November 22, 2011

During my induction week at King’s College, back in September, we were given a short task in order to get used to the house style of writing essays. The question is very broad and there are a billion ways of approaching it, but apparently I did quite a good job so I thought about sharing my answer with the world. As this is my first essay in a long time (my BA was mainly fcused on research reports and media/PR portfolios) any feedback will be truly appreciated!

What is the value of culture?

In your answer you should clearly outline:

i) what you mean by ‘culture’;

ii) from whose (or which) perspective(s) you are primarily answering the question;

iii) relevant arguments or debates concerning the nature of ‘value’ and ‘valuing’; and

iv) what makes your approach to the question a valid response?

“In a time of global recession, international public spheres, virtual realities and online societies, defining “culture”, already famous for being “one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language” (Williams, 1983:87), and especially determining its “value” seems to still be creating many difficulties. This not only concerns scholars and practitioners but especially policy makers, who, above all, must govern the public funds which are directed towards this unknown “concept”. Although the tendencies of the moment are either to avoid the term by any means (Lewis, 1990) or simply assume that its definition is common sense for those involved in the conversation, “it is difficult to deal seriously with the subject of art (or culture) without saying what you mean by it” (Lewis, 1990:3). As “culture” is one of those “concepts (…) that we simply cannot do without, because it is used everywhere” (Willis, 2008:xxi), in my attempt of referring to the controversies around its “value” I will start by analysing previous research and discussions around the term itself in order to reach a definition that could be applicable in the field of public policy and funding.” 

Click here for the rest of it: The Value of Culture

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Wicked was wicked!

Posted by: on: November 10, 2011

A few days ago I wrote about Phantom of the Opera and my “musical” going experience, one which was not as thrilling and rewarding as I thought it would be. So yesterday I decided to give the blockbuster shows another chance and went to see Wicked. For those who don’t know anything about the story, here’s a short synopsis:

When Dorothy famously triumphed over the Wicked Witch, we only ever heard one side of the story. Gregory Maguire’s acclaimed 1995 novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, re-imagined the land of Oz, creating a parallel universe to the familiar story written by L. Frank Baum and first published as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900. WICKED tells the incredible untold story of an unlikely but profound friendship between two girls who first meet as sorcery students at Shiz University: the blonde and very popular Glinda and a misunderstood green girl, Elphaba.

Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences for her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfil their destinies as Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.

From the beginning one expects to enter a fairytale land with spells and charms, witches and fairies and the Apollo Theatre in Victoria was perfectly decorated for it (all green, doh!). I like to be impressed from the first moment I enter an auditorium and the big dragon above the stage as well as the emerald glittering stones on the curtains worked just fine. I must mention that after the Phantom experience we went for a 2pm show instead of the eternally sold out evening performances so the venue was decently filled. Also, compared to the city centre theatres, the Apollo is huuuge so there was plenty of space to breathe and enjoy the show. It obviously didn’t offer the “cosy-ness” the old venues do, but the spectacle is so big and bright that the audience might feel claustrophobic in a smaller place. And since I mentioned audiences, this time there were no noisy, annoying tourists and I actually enjoyed the amazement in the voices of all the school kids around. Also, due to the openness of the venue, it was very easy to forget about the people around and be part of the story on stage.

The show was absolutely brilliant! Honestly, I loved being a kid again and just enjoy the fairytale. Also, it had some nice, intelligent jokes and references included. I really didn’t mind the flashiness and the “in your face” factor this time as I was expecting it from what the show presented itself to be. I guess, from my perspective it really depends on the story for a stage musical to work… Phantom was too much of a “drama” and all the stage tricks and shiny costumes covered the sadness and tragedy of the story which are so much better in the film.

 

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Phantom of the Opera – experiencing popular culture?

Posted by: on: November 3, 2011

I have been struggling to finish this post for 2 weeks now and I had a billion things to cover in it, but WordPress suddenly decided I forgot about it and it magically vanished from my saved posts. As I can’t possibly rewrite everything, I’ll just go to the point:

A few weeks ago I went to see the famous Phantom of the Opera. I chose it because it’s everybody’s “must-see” musical in London and people come from all over the world for it. It was a nice experience though flashy, shiny, sparkling in your face type of message with a stunning setting which constantly transformed the stage. I hated the number of toursits (more than 90%) who had packed noodles during the interval, the ladies who sang all the songs with the performers and ruined it for me, the very expensive ticket and the simplicity of the plot. So, keeping in mind the “institution” (the musical has been playing in the same theatre for 25years, everyday and it is known as Andrew Lloyd Weber’s masterpiece), to audience (noisy, curious and annoying bunch of people) to the show itself, here are some of the questions I was trying to answer in the long post:

1. How do musicals end up representing a city? What makes them landmarks of London? 

2. Are musicals really good examples of pop culture?

3. Is it the music factor (quite pop songs) that makes them more accesible? (compared to theatre and opera)

I’m not going to try to answer all of these again but as a Creative Industries student, I thought they would be a good start for some debates…

Any comments would be really appreciated!

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Stories of my summer

Posted by: on: October 11, 2011

Summer holidays are usually the time I manage to catch up with my huge fantasy reading list, one that I permanently, passionately though quite hopelessly update during the year on Goodreads. Due to my addiction to stories and storytelling, I spend every available minute in books while travelling or before bed, but nothing compares to the long hours away from reality on a hot (or not) summer day. So… after finishing my degree this year and locking away all media related readings, I went to the closest Waterstones and spent a fortune on pretty volumes (no, I don’t do Kindle!). Obviously things didn’t go as planned and I ended up having a very, very busy summer, but still, here are two titles which I simply couldn’t put down until I reached their very last word.

First of all, if you didn’t hear about The Hunger Games then it’s high time you did as people say they’re the new Harry Potter/Twilight out there. I was first introduced to the title by a fellow actress while playing the role of the sacrificed Athenians in We Are the Minotaur. She’s American, in her 30s and they way she described it was: “it’s the most intense, sick story of kill or be killed in a post-apocalyptic society,  just that with teenagers… and it’s better than JK Rowling”. As an ex-reality media student and since we were playing a role similar to the one of the main character of The Hunger Games, this obviously got my attention:

Suzanne Collins, the author, says that the idea for The Hunger Games came to her one day when she was channel-surfing, and the lines between a reality show competition and war coverage “began to blur in this very unsettling way.” She also cites the Greek myth of Theseus, in which the city of Athens was forced to send young men and women to Crete to be devoured by the Minotaur, as inspiration for the nation of Panem; she explains, “Crete was sending a very clear message: ‘Mess with us and we’ll do something worse than kill you. We’ll kill your children.”

Bought it and couldn’t put it down… I’m not saying this is some sort of exquisite novel with complicated language and billions of hidden symbols and metaphors, but it’s definitely a unique story. Very easy to read, fast paced and also emotional overall, once read and digested it can lead to different discussions on today’s society and where we’re heading. If you’re not a keen reader, then maybe you’ll be tempted by the film due to be release in April 2012 and staring A-listers such as Jennifer Lawrence (aka nominated for an Oscar last year – Winter’s Bone) or Woody Harrelson (which I will see in person next Sunday at the London Film Festival!!!!).

Another absolutely brilliant title is The Night Circus:

A strange beast, creakily plotted but boasting a fabulously intricate mise en scène. At its centre is the appropriately named Le Cirque de Rêves, a dreamlike travelling circus in the latter part of a baggily imagined 19th century. It arrives without warning in fields around the world, opening its gates between the hours of dusk and dawn. Once inside this monochromatic world, audiences might watch a tattooed contortionist fold herself into a tiny glass box, feast on chocolate mice and caramel popcorn, or wander through a sequence of tents that includes an ice garden, a desert and a maze constructed from towering clouds. (more in the Guardian)

I picked it from a pile in the bookshop because it had the word “circus” in the title. Personally I am beyond fascinated with anything that goes deep inside this misterious world and The Night Circus surely does not disappoint! The best thing about this story is the amazing images it creates in one’s imagination. If you’re a visualizer, like myself, then you will simply be blown away by this fantastic scenery created by Erin Morgenstern (a name to watch out for as this is just the debut novel!!!). Also, I must admit that the book cover is probably one of the most beautiful I’ve seen in a few years and I simply couldn’t resist the temptation to know more of what’s inside it.

What I don’t get is why people keep comparing it (as well) with Harry Potter… nowadays any book mentioning magic is automatically inspired by Hogwarts? No! It has nothing to do with it. In my opinion JK’s books were focus so much more on the plot and characters and through them was the fantasy world created, while in The Night Circus it is the senses that are inundated with details, allowing the reader to sink deeper and deeper into the imagination.

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