how will we create?

Podcasts

CREATING ICONIC NATIONAL MOMENTS 

Host: Hannah Austin, Head of Major Projects and Co-Programme Manager UK at Expo 2020 Dubai
Guest: Martin Green CBE, Chief Creative Officer, Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Festival UK* 2022 and UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK

Martin Green CBE is the Chief Creative Officer of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, a groundbreaking celebration of creativity taking place across the UK in 2022, designed to reach millions and bring people together. Previously, Martin has masterminded some of Britain’s most significant major events including the opening of The O2 in London; the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic opening and closing ceremonies and the opening ceremony of the 2014 Tour de France Grand Départ in Leeds. He also served as CEO and Director of Hull UK City of Culture 2017, where he delivered 365 days of transformative culture for the city to huge acclaim.

In this episode, host Hannah Austin discusses with Martin what it means to create a major creative programme, working with the four governments of the UK and hundreds of the brightest minds from across science, technology, engineering, arts and maths to deliver on the dream. Martin talks about the UNBOXED programme, which was announced in October 2021 and features 10 creative, especially curated projects that explore the importance of creativity and collaboration in generating new ideas and opportunities that shape the ways we work, live and play.

For more information about UNBOXED, visit unboxed2022.uk

THE VALUE OF INSTALLATION ART AS A PLACE MAKER 

Host: Hannah Austin, Head of Major Projects and Co-Programme Manager UK at Expo 2020 Dubai
Guest: Lise Arlot, Head of Strategy, MTArt Agency

Lise Arlot is an art entrepreneur and art business guest lecturer. She is passionate about enabling as many people as possible to have access to and engagement with art. She co-founded Feral Horses, a global crowdfunding platform which sold shares of about 20 artworks to happy co-owners who are now experiencing the joy of being art collectors.  

Lise is now the Head of Operations & Strategy at MTArt Agency, an award-winning talent agency that represents the top visual artists around the world.  

In this episode, Hannah and Lise discuss art’s role in public places, how it ‘turns spaces into places’, and why local communities should be involved with the selection process for the majority of public art pieces. Lise also expounds on the role that the art market plays in supporting and protecting public art pieces. 

For more information about MTArt Agency and the Inside out Festival, visit https://mtart.agency/ and https://www.westminster.gov.uk/insideout  

DOES IT MATTER IF IT IS NOT REAL? 

Host: Hannah Austin, Head of Major Projects and Co-Programme Manager UK at Expo 2020 Dubai
Guest: Helen Brundson, Director, British Animation Awards

Helen Brunsdon has worked extensively across the animation industry as a consultant, producer and executive, working with some of the most creative names in animation. In addition to her production work, Helen also works as animation advisor, programmer, events producer and jury member. Helen served as the Director of Animation UK in December 2016 before becoming the Director of the British Animation Awards (BAA).  

The power of animation in telling a story is well known and appreciated by many audiences. In this episode, host Hannah Austin discusses with Helen what it means to have a holistic view of the animation industry and how it fits into many aspects of the Arts, including music, film and children’s TV. Their conversation explores both the artistic and commercial side of animation, audiences’ changing appetites, what challenges the UK animation industry is facing and what must be done to ensure that the industry goes from strength to strength.​ 

For more information about the British Animation Awards, visit https://www.britishanimationawards.com/  

BEAUTIFUL DATA 

Host: Hannah Austin, Head of Major Projects and Co-Programme Manager UK at Expo 2020 Dubai
Guest: Professor Tracy Harwood, Professor of Digital Culture, De Montfort University

Tracy Harwood is Professor of Digital Culture at the Institute of Creative Technologies at De Montfort University. She serves as director of the University’s Usability Lab and the award-winning Art AI Festival.    

Her work is transdisciplinary, crossing computer science, arts, design, health and marketing disciplines, and focuses on the application of emerging technologies to creative and applied business and consumer contexts. This includes Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, Virtual/Augmented/Mixed Reality (VR/AR/MR), and game engines technologies used in machinima and virtual production.  

In this episode, host Hannah Austin discusses with Professor Harwood how art and data are logical and creative partners. They also explore the process that goes behind the visual representation of data and the Art-AI Festival, taking place in Leicester between May 2021-2022, which celebrates creative applications of artificial intelligence.  

For more information about the Art-AI Festival and DMU’s Institute of Creative Technologies, visit https://www.art-ai.io/ and https://www.dmu.ac.uk/research/centres-institutes/ioct/index.aspx   

To listen to more of Professor Harwood’s podcast on her channel, ‘And Now For Something Completely Machinima, visit https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/and-now-for-something-completely-machinima/id1551547214 

e-commerce podcast: empowering artisans and makers through e-commerce 

Host: Chloe Thomas, Founder of the eCommerce MasterPlan
Guest: Olivier Buffon, Head of International

In this episode of our E-Commerce podcast mini-series, host Chloe Thomas meets Olivier Buffon, Head of International at Faire, an online wholesale marketplace connecting thousands of independent retailers and brands across the globe. In his role, Olivier oversees Faire's international scaling and expansion strategy. 

Faire was founded in 2017 on the belief that the future of retail is local. Their mission is to help independent entrepreneurs chase their dreams, as an online wholesale marketplace empowering small business owners and independent brands to buy and sell wholesale online.  

This podcast will explore how e-commerce can support alternative retailers and local economies, helping to build a more sustainable future and thriving communities in place of mono-retail.  

For more information about Faire, visit https://inews.co.uk/news/business/wholesale-marketplace-faire-launch-uk-co-founder-predicts-boom-independent-retailers-924936#new_tab  

To learn more about Chloe Thomas and listen to more of her podcast, visit https://chloethomas.com/  

'Lights on' - creating world class entertainment  

Host: Hannah Austin, Head of Major Projects and Co-Programme Manager UK at Expo 2020 Dubai
Guest: Graeme Farrow, Artistic Director, Wales Millennium Centre

After completing an MBA at the University of Ulster Graeme pursued a highly successful career in the arts in Belfast and Londonderry.

In 2006 Graeme became director of the Belfast Festival at Queen's University, establishing the festival's reputation as a must-see arts festival and later became Head of Culture and Arts at Queens's, responsible for the Queen's Film Theatre and the Naughton Gallery.

Since joining the Wales Millennium Centre as Artistic Director in 2016, Graeme has brought the critically-acclaimed City of the Unexpected to Cardiff, as well as Tiger Bay the Musical and the international arts festival,Festival of Voice, which continues to grow.

In this episode, host Hannah Austin talks with Graeme about the state of the art sector in the UK as we emerge from the pandemic, while exploring why culture can only truly be great if it’s accessible to all.

Find out more about Graeme and the Wales Millennium Centre here.