Showing papers in "Cultural Trends in 2022"
TL;DR: In this article , a more sophisticated appreciation of the uses of music and its impact on wellbeing is required, providing a more balanced view of the connections between music, wellbeing and health and reflecting on how this paradox might be resolved.
Abstract: ABSTRACT This paper interrogates two different perspectives on music and wellbeing. The first positions musical practice as being beneficial for emotional wellbeing and mental health, whilst the second positions musical work – building a career as a musician – as potentially detrimental. This apparent paradox matters because the clinical findings which establish a causal link between music and wellbeing are being disembedded from the contexts in which those links are manifesting by charities, social enterprises, advocacy organisations, educational institutions, governments and international bodies, and fuelling normative sociological prescriptions which encourage participation in music making. For those who go on to develop career ambitions, wellbeing outcomes are far less clear. Therefore, a more sophisticated appreciation of the uses of music and its impact on wellbeing is required. This paper provides a more balanced view of the connections between music, wellbeing and health and reflects on how this paradox might be resolved.
9 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors developed a theoretical approach combining concepts of precarity and emotional labour with Bourdieu's theory of social practices to understand and explain freelance musicians' strategies and emotional labor for dealing with their ambiguous positions and careers.
Abstract: ABSTRACT The pandemic Covid-19 has highlighted the precarious working conditions that freelance performers and artists have always worked under. The aim of this article is to understand and explain freelance musicians’ strategies and emotional labour for dealing with their ambiguous positions and careers. The article develops a theoretical approach, combining concepts of precarity and emotional labour with Bourdieu’s theory of social practices. Interviews with 13 professional Swedish freelance musicians in the art music/classical genre were conducted in the winter of 2021. What is at stake in the gigs the freelancers have, are issues of social belonging and symbolic recognition. Aspirations for working life are negotiated in obvious and subtle ways, practically and emotionally. The freelancers strive to create a fixed point in a job on uncertain grounds.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors examined the impacts of COVID-19 on the digital work of museums and galleries in the UK, 2020-21, focusing on social media activity, and explored how approaches to, and institutional perceptions of, social media shift during the pandemic.
Abstract: This article examines the impacts of COVID-19 on the digital work of museums and galleries in the UK, 2020 – 2021. Focusing on social media activity, we explore two questions: (1) How did approaches to, and institutional perceptions of, social media shift during the pandemic? and (2) Looking to the future, what practical and theoretical challenges do social media present for museums and galleries, and what are the related policy implications? The discussion draws on a mixed-methods study including an analysis of 9000 tweets, and re fl ective semi-structured interviews with 19 digital workers. Our fi ndings can help shape global digital heritage practices as we emerge from the pandemic, enabling more dynamic and meaningful forms of cultural participation, and underpinning more con fi dent and ethical social media trajectories. to
3 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors examine two contemporary proposals for newly orienting cultural policy, one based on the idea of cultural "commons" free of the State and market forces, and the other has been drawn up by the Podemos political party.
Abstract: ABSTRACT Three main factors spurred a re-think of Spain's cultural policy: (1) cuts in public spending on culture: (2) the 2008 global financial crisis and its impact on cultural funding; (3) the institutional crisis and the popular unrest that found expression in the 15-M. These factors created an opportunity for rethinking cultural policy. This paper examines two contemporary proposals for newly orienting cultural policy. One is based on the idea of cultural “commons” free of the State and market forces. The other has been drawn up by the Podemos political party, and seeks to break the cultural mould cast by successive post-dictatorship social-democratic and conservative governments and is based upon cultural dissemination. This paper thus: (1) analyses the discourse on cultural policy in Spain by left-wing populism; (2) assesses to what extent this political current came up with an alternative to earlier policy paradigms; (3) discusses the soundness of commons-based proposals.
2 citations
TL;DR: In the context of the Creative Doodle Book, which modelled inclusive online practice with learning disabled participants as mentioned in this paper , the authors explored barriers to access, but also issues surrounding support and expectations.
Abstract: ABSTRACT Inclusivity is an underlying principle of community arts, particularly for learning disabled and autistic people for whom the arts can create spaces of equity and inclusive participation. The Covid-19 pandemic required practitioners to find ways of replicating this sense of inclusivity through online delivery. This “digital turn” raised two recurring concerns. First, the accessibility and inclusivity of online activities; second, the quality of alternative digital provision. This paper examines these themes in the specific context of the Creative Doodle Book, which modelled inclusive online practice with learning disabled participants. Drawing on over 20 interviews with learning-disability focused community arts groups, the paper explores barriers to access, but also issues surrounding support and expectations. However, the focus is equally on the benefits once within an online “space”, including new skills, widening networks, the development of inclusive capital and the opportunity to enable greater agency and self-advocacy both during Covid and beyond.
2 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors review how the music city paradigm has influenced the latest music-related policies in the Australian context with a focus on Brisbane and Melbourne, and highlight that policies derived from the music-city paradigm focus on the live music city and not on the city as a site of music production.
Abstract: ABSTRACT
This article critically reviews the edited collection Music Cities: Evaluating a Global Cultural Policy Concept published in 2020 as well as two Australian policy documents. We review how the music city paradigm has influenced the latest music-related policies in the Australian context with a focus on Brisbane and Melbourne. Melbourne and Brisbane have developed contrasting approaches that came about to address the same issue: encroaching gentrification impacting the viability of live music venues. We also highlight that policies derived from the music city paradigm focus on the live music city and not on the city as a site of music production. Ultimately, this might not be the best approach to foster resilient music scenes, especially in a global pandemic context.
2 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors compare the anti-screen monopoly regulations in Korea and France and conclude that the Korean market is less monopolised than France despite the non-existence of these regulations.
Abstract: In recent years, there have been many voices in Korea arguing that a few commercially successful films take up the opportunities for the exhibition of other films and thus limit the selection of titles available for moviegoers, a trend dubbed the “screen monopoly”. In seeking a solution, a number of scholars have looked to the anti-screen monopoly “regulations” in France, but without providing rigorous or persuasive evidence. By comparing the appropriate variables of Korea and France, this paper argues that the Korean film market is less monopolised than France despite the non-existence of these regulations. Furthermore, it demonstrates that Korea has more diversity than France. As a result, this paper concludes that introducing the French anti-screen monopoly regulations in Korea does not seem a beneficial option. The findings in this paper suggest a strong need to re-examine the effectiveness of government policies in the cultural industry.
2 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the plight of visual artists during Covid-19 illuminates the working conditions of a chronically under-examined sub-section of cultural labour and demonstrates the severity of pandemic impacts on visual artists' social and economic circumstances, including inappropriate criteria for accessing government and Arts Council England emergency measures.
Abstract: This analysis of the plight of visual artists during Covid-19 illuminates the working conditions of a chronically under-examined sub-section of cultural labour. It demonstrates the severity of pandemic impacts on visual artists’ social and economic circumstances, including inappropriate criteria for accessing government and Arts Council England emergency measures. A central concern is a consideration of how arts policies might better acknowledge and account in future arts infrastructures for the distinctive, diverse social contributions of this workforce element. The commentary reveals a stark contrast between ambitions at national and local levels about what artists and the arts are for, and where and how arts policy should be made and implemented. It evidences an emerging grassroots appetite for a dramatic shift from current hierarchical patterns driven by national imperatives to nuanced, localized infrastructures that can ensure artists’ multiple talents and assets contribute fully to social and economic change for the better within communities. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Cultural Trends is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
2 citations
2 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the authors examined the role of digital initiatives in either alleviating or exacerbating the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on professional classical musicians and found that the Melbourne Digital Concert Hall in Australia may have functioned as a positive intervention for participating musicians during a period of extreme career insecurity.
Abstract: ABSTRACT With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, performance venues worldwide were shuttered, and many arts organisations “pivoted” to digital performance platforms. While existing literature has explored the impact of such strategies on organisations and audiences, there has been limited consideration of the role of digital initiatives in either alleviating or exacerbating the negative impacts of the pandemic on professional classical musicians. This article examines one such initiative, the Melbourne Digital Concert Hall in Australia, and maps the extent to which it may have functioned as a positive intervention for participating musicians during a period of extreme career insecurity. Using survey data from 63 musicians who performed on the platform, I find the initiative partially addressed three negative impacts caused by the pandemic—the losses of work, identity, and community. However, the initiative was unable to counteract a fourth negative impact—the loss of audience—due to its digital format.
1 citations
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors explore and unfold the conflicting narratives of the work and competences of creatives in the era of creative industries and argue that the Norwegian creative industries policy seems to have limited capacity to embrace the hybridity and complexity of creative work, which also reduces its relevance and accuracy.
Abstract: The article explores and unfolds the conflicting narratives of the work and competences of creatives in the era of creative industries. Based on a French pragmatic approach, the analysis sheds light on a mismatch between how bureaucrats in the Norwegian business support system valuate creative work, and how creatives valuate their own work. I find that the bureaucrats mobilise a narrow and stereotyped grammar when talking of creative work, while the creatives themselves seem to express far more complex and pragmatic understandings. I argue that the Norwegian creative industries policy seems to have limited capacity to embrace the hybridity and complexity of creative work, which also reduces its relevance and accuracy. The analysis is based on qualitative interviews with creatives and bureaucrats on a local level and contributes to the knowledge on the individual bureaucrats as non-creative outsiders, but still, actors highly significant to creative industries.
TL;DR: The authors explored the motivation behind why producers/consumers, key opinion leaders, or wanghong are still devoted to producing and posting videos on the short video platform Douyin, which is the Chinese version of Tik Tok, despite the precarious condition.
Abstract: ABSTRACT Studies of digital platforms have critically examined the exploitation and low paid condition of creative labour in cultural industries. This study aims to empirically explore the motivation behind why producers/consumers, key opinion leaders, or wanghong are still devoted to producing and posting videos on the short video platform Douyin, which is the Chinese version of Tik Tok, despite the precarious condition. Leveraging on Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capitals and the interchangeability of capitals, this paper argues that Douyin provides the possibility for different wanghong to pursue their own intended capitals, which are not just economic capital, but also social, symbolic, and cultural capital. Under a relatively close environment of China, the flexibility and interchangeability of capital gain have at least become an alternative for these wanghong to explore their creativity and fulfil their desires.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors consider how new entrants to the creative industries view the challenge of achieving equality, diversity and inclusion in the sector and find that new entrants do see the need for EDI initiatives in creative industries, but they frame EDI interventions in terms of the needs of individuals.
Abstract: This paper considers how new entrants to the Creative Industries view the challenge of achieving equality, diversity and inclusion in the sector. The research adopts a case study approach based on a snowball sample and interviews with 21 new entrants to media work. All were graduates of the same media degree programme and all were based in Ireland and worked in the audio-visual sector, PR, communications, marketing, content creation or advertising, as well as in media-related roles in non-media organisations and companies. The key findings are that new entrants do see the need for EDI initiatives in creative industries. However, they frame EDI interventions in terms of the needs of individuals. Because of their new entrant status they do not see themselves as being in a strong position to advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion in creative industries and so do not view themselves as change agents.
TL;DR: The first decade of the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) has been examined in this paper , where the authors argue that despite the broad visibility and normative influence of the Convention, the IFCD has not received the levels of financial support by both state Parties and the private sector as the Secretariat envisaged.
Abstract: This article examines the first decade (2010–2019) of the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD or the Fund). It first reviews how the IFCD works to promote cultural development and international cooperation within UNESCO’s 2005 Convention. It then explores how the Fund is financed and how its expected results are defined. The article argues that despite the broad visibility and normative influence of the Convention, the IFCD has not received the levels of financial support by both state Parties and the private sector as the Secretariat envisaged. Moreover, the shift to creativity has neither delivered better fundraising results for the IFCD nor fitted squarely into UNESCO’s broader cultural development frameworks. This opens further questions on the conceptualisation of structural changes as a key objective of projects supported by the IFCD, and the possibility of them addressing structural inequalities that characterise the political economy of the globalised cultural industries.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors trace how a marginalised subculture came to be institutionalised as a point of national pride by the government and the role that glocalisation has played in this dramatic reversal of the fortunes of the B-boys in Korea.
Abstract: ABSTRACT When the forces of globalisation brought B-boying (or breakdancing) to Korea, the traditionally conservative mainstream society looked askance at the practice. The government, concerned with building a strong national culture, set restrictive policies to protect Korean society from what it saw as a disruptive foreign influence. Nevertheless, a marginalised Korean B-boy subculture developed; rejected locally, Korean crews began competing globally. When they swept major international competitions, B-boying exploded in Korea and the government began to support and deploy it as iconic of Korea’s youthful and dynamic art world. Thus, B-boying in Korea has undergone two major cycles of globalisation and Korean government intervention since the 1980s. In this paper, we trace how a marginalised subculture came to be institutionalised as a point of national pride by the government and the role that glocalisation has played in this dramatic reversal of the fortunes of the B-boys in Korea.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors focus on the role that publishers' decision-making processes have played in reinforcing a lack of diversity, and how they contribute to an absence of knowledge of or attention to the audience, which then serves as a factor contributing to homogeneity.
Abstract: ABSTRACT In recent years, critics’ attention has been drawn to a persistent lack of diversity in the publishing industry. These claims are based on ethnic and cultural homogeneity amongst authors, publishing company staff and content. While scholars have pointed to the role that publishers’ decision-making processes have played in reinforcing a lack of diversity, this article focuses on how such processes position the audience, and how they contribute to an absence of knowledge of or attention to the audience, which then serves as a factor contributing to homogeneity. It identifies practices within the industry that allow for this absence of knowledge, including a focus on the book as a cultural form and the industry’s use of proxies, such as sales data and social media reviews and discussion, in place of audience data. The article ends by suggesting ways in which the industry may be supported to increase its knowledge of actual and potential audiences without jeopardizing its objective of publishing “good stories”.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors explore how socioeconomic and psychosocial adversities may have changed or evolved, and how these changes have been perceived and subjectively experienced by freelance cultural workers.
Abstract: There is a dearth of qualitative research exploring how freelancers working in the cultural industries have been affected during COVID-19. In particular, there is a lack of research exploring how socioeconomic and psychosocial adversities may have changed or evolved, and how these changes have been perceived and subjectively experienced by freelance cultural workers. This study builds on qualitative interviews carried out in July–November 2020 (n = 20) by exploring findings from follow-up interviews conducted in May–July 2021 (n = 16). It presents an inequality of experiences connected to a range of socioeconomic and psychosocial factors, showing how some freelancers experienced small changes (e.g. to the kind of work carried out), with others experiencing major changes (e.g. leaving the sector completely). It concludes with a call for highly bespoke financial and psychological support, as well as a need to rethink what cultural value is for this workforce in the “new normal”, considering changing valuing processes.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors used two surveys (2020 and 2021) of firms and freelancers, and key stakeholder interviews in the cultural and creative industries, in South Africa and a Social Accounting Matrix, to estimate the economywide impact of the lockdowns using quantitative techniques.
Abstract: ABSTRACT In many countries, lockdown regulations and social distancing have had a negative impact on the cultural and creative industries. As vaccination rates rise, and restrictions begin to ease, understanding the recovery paths for different parts of the sector in many contexts will be important. Much sector-specific research has been conducted, but there are far fewer studies that estimate the economy-wide impact of the lockdowns using quantitative techniques. Published research is also dominated by information from the global north, with less information coming from developing country contexts with higher levels of informality. This article uses two surveys (2020 and 2021) of firms and freelancers, and key stakeholder interviews in the cultural and creative industries, in South Africa and a Social Accounting Matrix, to fill this gap. Data on changing business continuity is used to construct a vulnerability score for each sub-sector, and to determine domain-specific factors that affect predicted recovery rates.
TL;DR: In this paper , the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) implements creative placemaking (CPM) policy by forging and coordinating a broad-based national policy network by unpacking roles, resources, and affected interests of policy actors and their relationships with each other in the policy network.
Abstract: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) implements creative placemaking (CPM) policy by forging and coordinating a broad-based national policy network. This article visualizes and analyzes the national CPM policy network based on hyperlinks on the policy actors’ websites. By unpacking the roles, resources, and affected interests of policy actors and their relationships with each other in the policy network, this article finds that the NEA exercises institutional entrepreneurship through CPM policy with four governance strategies: (1) seek legitimacy by re-activating federal interagency relations; (2) reorient and expand arts constituencies through existing governance infrastructure and new brokers; (3) develop discursive strategy and advance policy implementation through consulting and research organizations, and (4) diversify financial support by reaching out to banks and foundations. In the entrepreneurial process, the NEA also develops a mutually reinforcing mechanism of public value, financial stability, and artistic vitality with the governance strategies.
TL;DR: Thomas Girst as discussed by the authors has been the Global Head of Cultural Engagement at the BMW Group while also lecturing at various international universities and received the European Cultural Manager of the Year 2016 award.
Abstract: Professor Thomas Girst, PhD, studied Art History, American Studies and German Literature at Hamburg University and New York University. Between 1995 and 2003 he was Head of the Art Science Research Laboratory in New York under the directorship of Stephen Jay Gould (Harvard University). Since 2003, he has been the Global Head of Cultural Engagement at the BMW Group while also lecturing at various international universities. In 2016, Girst received the “European Cultural Manager of the Year” award. His books have been translated into numerous languages and most recently include Art, Literature, and the Japanese American Internment, The Duchamp Dictionary, BMW Art Cars, 100 Secrets of the Art World, and Alle Zeit der Welt. His upcoming book, Cultural Management: A Global Guide, will be published by Thames & Hudson in 2023. lael@zhaw.ch
TL;DR: In this paper , cultural infrastructures, collective actionartists' spaces, urban common and temporary use of real estate are discussed in the context of artists' spaces in urban areas.
Abstract: KEYWORDS: Cultural infrastructurescollective actionartists’ spacesurban commonstemporary usereal estate
TL;DR: In this article , the authors present a guiding framework of the characteristics and considerations that shape AIRG programs in order to present possible pathways that can be followed in program development and implementation, followed by an analysis of the challenges and opportunities.
Abstract: Artist in residence in government (AIRG) programs that embed artists within civic work are becoming increasingly popular across the United States. As governments are challenged to shift systems to be more equitable, repair infrastructure and prepare for future crises, cross-sectoral collaboration models offer new ways of working. Cross-sectoral collaboration that embeds artists in non-arts sectors spurs civic innovation and shifts contexts to inspire new ideas and opportunities. This article builds a guiding framework of the characteristics and considerations that shape AIRG programs in order to present possible pathways that can be followed in program development and implementation. Foundationally, each AIRG is unique and responsive to the specific underlying social, political, economic, environmental and cultural preconditions of place. The guiding framework details preconditions, program design and partners, and program structure, followed by an analysis of the challenges and opportunities. Research was conducted on AIRG programs operating in 2020 and 2021.
TL;DR: In this paper , the authors examined legitimacy and legitimation processes in cultural policies after the 2008 crisis by studying the relationships between the main institutional and economic reforms carried out by France, the UK, Spain and Greece cultural policies between 2008 and 2012 and the legitimation narratives used to frame them.
Abstract: ABSTRACT This article examines legitimacy and legitimation processes in cultural policies after the 2008 crisis. This is done by studying the relationships between the main institutional and economic reforms carried out by France, the UK, Spain and Greece cultural policies between 2008 and 2012 and legitimation narratives used to frame them. Based on literature and documentary review, this comparative case studies analysis addresses cultural policy models, each country cultural systems’ economic power, and continuity and change in policy legitimation strategies. The comparative analysis reveals the importance of the EU centre-periphery dynamics and historical trends for cultural policy legitimation approaches adopted in changing socioeconomic scenarios.
TL;DR: In 2000, the permanent Korean gallery space, named the Korea Foundation Gallery, officially opened in the British Museum as discussed by the authors , which articulates the cultural diplomatic policy and the processes of the foundation of the Korean gallery by investigating the cooperation between South Korean cultural diplomatic institutions (the Korea Foundation and the National Museum of Korea).
Abstract: In 2000, the permanent Korean gallery space, named the Korea Foundation Gallery, officially opened in the British Museum. The establishment of the Korean gallery helped advance the universality of the British Museum and fulfilled an institutional goal of South Korean cultural diplomatic institutions. This article aims to draw out the ways in which this Korean gallery demonstrates and characterises South Korean cultural diplomacy in the 1990s. It articulates the cultural diplomatic policy and the processes of the foundation of the Korean gallery by investigating the cooperation between South Korean cultural diplomatic institutions (the Korea Foundation and the National Museum of Korea) and the British Museum. Conclusively, I argue that the purpose, procedure, and outcome of the formation of the Korea Foundation Gallery in the “universal” British Museum exemplarily evidences the characteristics of South Korean cultural diplomacy in the 1990s through museum space.
TL;DR: In this article , a typology of six values (social, cultural, economic, industrial, representational and civic) of benefit to viewing and listening publics, policy stakeholders and the creative sector is presented.
Abstract: Rapid changes in audience habits, media technologies and market dynamics have prompted searching questions about the role and relevance of public service broadcasting (PSB) in the modern digital media landscape. In the UK, where cultural policymaking is increasingly politicised, the normative ideals traditionally associated with PSB are being openly contested. This article evaluates how PSB generates varied forms of “public value” of benefit to viewing and listening publics, policy stakeholders and the creative sector. On the basis of its qualitative analysis of policy documents and related research literatures over two decades, a typology of six values – social, cultural, economic, industrial, representational and civic – is identified and critiqued across regulatory and institutional frameworks. In assessing the challenges, risks and opportunities for sustaining these public values, this article offers its typology for informing cultural and media policy debates on the future of PSB in the UK and beyond.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors reveal how measurement justification and practice became misaligned over time, creating a latent paradox of impact measurement in cultural contexts and argue that current practices of impact measuring both strengthen and weaken the justification for public cultural investment.
Abstract: The cultural sector has increasingly adopted practices of impact measurement to justify public investment. While scholars have investigated the (de)merits of this cultural trend, literature on its rationale, development, and evolution is limited. We address this oversight by uncovering the intellectual history of impact measurement in cultural contexts. We reveal how measurement justification and practice became misaligned over time, creating a latent paradox of impact measurement in cultural contexts. We argue that current practices of impact measurement both strengthen and weaken the justification for public cultural investment. In the short term, impact measurement strengthens investment justification by providing cursory evidence of produced outcomes. In the long term, current practices weaken this justification by failing to produce counterfactual accounts for how cultural spend achieves funding objectives. We problematize this paradox and outline future research to either confront, embrace, or cope with its existence.
TL;DR: In this article , the role of feminist perspectives in the cultural policies in the city of Barcelona during the period 2015-2019, attempting to identify potential resistances to gender-focused cultural policies.
Abstract: ABSTRACT This article explores the role of feminist perspectives in the cultural policies in the city of Barcelona during the period 2015–2019, attempting to identify potential resistances to gender-focused cultural policies. Based on a literature review and interviews with cultural policy and gender experts, the article reveals that resistances to gender-focused cultural policies remain in the cultural administration of the city, despite its feminist discourse. There are two key reasons for this resistance and for the lack of change to public cultural policies: the inertia in the organisation of cultural policies by the responsible department of the City Council and large cultural institutions, which are dominated by institutional cultures that protect male privilege and power; and the City Council’s failure to consider the feminist movement in the design and development of cultural policies.
TL;DR: In this article , the authors analyse the Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport committee's inquiry into the economics of music streaming and place the final report within the context of the music industry's significance to UK cultural policy.
Abstract: ABSTRACT This paper analyses the Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport committee’s inquiry into the economics of music streaming. The scrutiny of the committee’s oral and written evidence, and final report is placed within the context of the music industry’s significance to UK cultural policy since the late 1990s. The perspectives of the UK’s musicians and song-writers are a focal point of the analysis of the inquiry’s published documentation, as they are when discussing the committee’s recommendations released in July 2021.