World Summit on Arts and Culture

These three clusters should be understood as a network of intertwined themes. Throughout the Summit programme, emphasis might be placed on one cluster or another; however, the dimension of all clusters will be interrogated and considered in the debates and actions.

 

 

To be futureproof is to anticipate events and develop ways to adapt, to mitigate negative effects and to take advantage of positive ones. This is something that those within the cultural and creative sector stakeholder group - including arts councils, ministries of culture and cultural agencies - must do as they navigate polycrisis. Knowledge - and its diverse systems - will be critical to how we futureproof our roadmap for the CCS, as will the tools and insights that we develop to support them and the environments in which they operate.

 

Knowledge systems for culture are important and multifaceted. They range from organised structures, processes, and frameworks to resources that are designed to gather, manage, monitor, guide and disseminate information, data, insights and strategic directions. Moreover, they are supported and strengthened by analysis, research, education, and cross-disciplinary approaches.

 

Diverse knowledge systems for culture can also support amplifying marginalised voices and indigenous perspectives, creating a more inclusive and equitable representation of diverse cultural narratives, which is key to futureproofing. These systems can play a crucial role in challenging, key in decolonising to reshape dominant paradigms and power structures; and to develop enabling cultural policies that will ensure vital and sustainable CCS, that are diverse, equitable and inclusive.

In many cultures, knowledge is an extension of wisdom. This implies that knowledge encompasses lived experiences and may be intertwined with, even inseparable from, the spiritual realm. The latter perspective goes beyond viewing knowledge solely as something acquired from others. Exploring wisdom cultures can offer valuable insights into understanding knowledge systems more deeply.

 

 

For our purposes, collectivity and connectedness means belonging and being part of a larger whole with a common goal. At the 9th World Summit, delegates discussed the erosion of public debate as a key challenge and highlighted the role of digital platforms, social media, media organisations, and arts and cultural institutions as gatekeepers that can both democratise and dominate culture, and create opposing environments in which people only encounter information and beliefs that align with their own (commonly referred to as echo chambers). This erosion mirrors and reinforces the polarised nature of political debate and public opinion mounting in different parts of the world. This is increasingly played out in the cultural arena, where art may be targeted symbolically or misused for competing agendas. In addition, such platforms can reinforce dominant narratives, making other voices even more marginalised and invisible. This puts cultural platforms under pressure from all sides, which can create fertile ground for censure and censorship (both by peers and artists themselves).

 

Connectedness and collectivity also compass the human relationship with ecology; how we see and define this connection with nature. We cannot chart a future that does not think beyond the human realm, we must be inclusive of other forms of life and the environment. These are major issues that will affect the sustainability of the arts and culture ecosystem, particularly the diversity of cultural expressions. We can tackle these issues by coming together as a collective and connected international community.

 

 

The digital age has profoundly shaped the world in which we live, how we experience it, how we relate to one another, and especially what we trust. In addition, for the CCS digital technologies and tools have transformed not only artistic and cultural practices, but the entire cultural value chain: from creation to production, distribution, access and participation.

 

Recent technologies have radically changed how artists can work, with optimised processes and greater opportunities to experiment, collaborate, create, present, and find audiences. However, these opportunities are not distributed evenly, with a digital divide that separates those who can access necessary infrastructure, skills, knowledge, and experience, and often replicates existing barriers including those based on language, disability, race, and gender. Moreover, the challenges we face are compounded by fundamental questions related to the nature of creation: when works of art are produced by artificial intelligence or machine learning, who holds the rights? And how can we stop traditional cultural expressions from being appropriated and exploited?

 

New technologies have also generated new products and created opportunities to preserve intangible heritage, archive information, open new markets, adopt innovative business models, and empower actors across the cultural value chain. However, these too come with challenges. Abundant cultural goods and services concentrate supply in a way that affects diversity of cultural expressions and content discoverability, and many organisations struggle to adapt to new environments due to a lack of infrastructure, funds, time, staff and/or technical resources. What modes of education do we have, and what narratives are they based on?

 

In addition, a disconnect between the cultural sector and non-cultural sectors that drive the digital agenda creates an imbalance in the skills, knowledge and funding required to operate - and compete with viable business models - in changed markets, with new players and scales of operation. And there are risks associated with deficiencies in skills development, with a lack of awareness and access to reliable data (and the systems needed to analyse and leverage such information) that hinders the cultural and creative sectors’ ability to carry out evaluation and forward planning.

 

Moreover, rapid technological advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) - and other advancing technologies such as robotics, cloud computing, and the Internet of Things - are transforming disciplines, economies, and industries, and challenging ideas about what it means to be human, as noted by UNESCO. This has a direct effect on the arts and cultural ecosystem and its stakeholders. This is even more profound for diverse perspectives of younger generations that have been born

into the digital era. In addition, one of the significant obstacles faced by the CCS in embracing new technologies is the perception that the digital age represents a reality arriving "from outside" (that is, from other types of disciplines such as engineering or programming) and that, therefore, others should be in charge (so the CSS can just listen to these other players). The opportunity to foster more dialogue and break down silos contributes to empowering the CCS in this digital environment. During the Summit we will develop a deeper understanding of these opportunities, challenges, and societal impact of the digital age and tech philosophy, which will inform our strategies to futureproof a roadmap for the CCS.

 

All sessions on the main stage - including in-conversations and plenaries - will be programmed with speakers and moderators identified directly by the co-hosts, in consultation with the IPAC. Considering the different session formats, the Call for Participants helps enrich the programme sessions. As a general guide, the organisers anticipate the following responsibilities and profiles for the different types of participants:

 

 

Chairs should be established and highly regarded voices from the arts and culture sector who have sound understanding of the in-conversation speakers’ area of expertise. They will introduce the speakers, monitor the session timing, and conclude with a final (2 min) reflection.

 

 

Moderators should be well-regarded voices from the sector who have strong understanding of the issues being addressed. Moderators for the provocation and response sessions should be able to respectfully question and challenge ideas, and spark productive debate between participants. Moderators for the presentation sessions should be attentive to the content presented and capable of identifying issues that can be teased out with delegates’ input. All moderators will be responsible for monitoring the timing of their session and mediating Q&A elements.

 

 

Plenary speakers should be provocateurs and recognised authorities in their field of work, which may or may not be arts and culture. They should be capable of challenging received ideas and presenting thought-provoking perspectives on the issues being addressed in the session. They should be comfortable engaging in active debate with their fellow session participants and delegates.

 

 

The World Café response session will rely on table hosts to guide conversations around specific questions and create an inclusive environment that actively encourages delegates to participate. Table hosts must be able to generate conversation, negotiate a range of perspectives and maintain momentum. The role is less about leading discussion and more about facilitating conversation between delegates. Based on the language needs of registered delegates, we will allocate an appropriate number of table hosts who can work with delegates in Spanish and French. Moderators and facilitators will be invited to host a table in addition to other sessions.

 

 

Facilitators should have strong understanding of the issues being addressed within a given session, as well as the ability to facilitate conversations between delegates. They should be adept at managing the event format: able to invite delegates to join/leave the table, balance competing voices, synthesise information, maintain the focus of discussion, and summarise key responses.

 

 

The Workshop Leads, like the Long Table Facilitators, should have strong understanding of the issues being addressed within the workshop and able to fully lead the session. However, in the case of the participatory workshop, they will also propose a participatory methodology that has a proven track record, which can be ideas based or grounded in creative practice.