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| Journeys in social design: from Delhi via London and back again | Journeys in social design: from Delhi via London and back again |
| (2 days later) | |
| Moseying around the exhibits at Southbank Centre's Alchemy festival this past weekend – an annual showcase of music, dance, literature, design and debate from India, South Asia and the UK – what struck me was the range of cultural and social ties between the participating nations. In similar fashion, the Unbox Festival in Delhi earlier this year showcased the cream of India's burgeoning design, art and technology sectors. | |
| Given its longstanding relationship with India's creative entrepreneurs, the British Council's creative economy unit recognised the potential of the UnBox platform to anchor a larger peer-to-peer UK-Indian knowledge exchange programme, as well as foster greater cultural relations between academia and industry. | Given its longstanding relationship with India's creative entrepreneurs, the British Council's creative economy unit recognised the potential of the UnBox platform to anchor a larger peer-to-peer UK-Indian knowledge exchange programme, as well as foster greater cultural relations between academia and industry. |
| Through an open application process, our lead partners on the ground (the British Council, the AHRC and the Science and Innovation Network) curated five multidisciplinary teams of UK and India-based academics and creative professionals to collaborate over a six-week period, across India, on a range of site-specific projects. | Through an open application process, our lead partners on the ground (the British Council, the AHRC and the Science and Innovation Network) curated five multidisciplinary teams of UK and India-based academics and creative professionals to collaborate over a six-week period, across India, on a range of site-specific projects. |
| Their mission? Not exactly run of the mill: | Their mission? Not exactly run of the mill: |
| Work with your assigned host organisation to identify a local challenge; develop an innovative solution involving the various disciplines of expertise within your team; design an interactive means of expressing this at the UnBox Festival in Delhi; dare to pitch for £25,000 worth of R&D funding; and finally, devise a way to bring your learning home to British audiences at Alchemy | Work with your assigned host organisation to identify a local challenge; develop an innovative solution involving the various disciplines of expertise within your team; design an interactive means of expressing this at the UnBox Festival in Delhi; dare to pitch for £25,000 worth of R&D funding; and finally, devise a way to bring your learning home to British audiences at Alchemy |
| Oh, and while you're at it, negotiate the inherent challenges of teamwork between academics, artists and technologists. Not too difficult, then! | Oh, and while you're at it, negotiate the inherent challenges of teamwork between academics, artists and technologists. Not too difficult, then! |
| Fast forward two months and London festival goers now have a chance to taste the fruits of all five projects at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Through interactive activities, audiences can explore the potential of design, film, technology and art, test new gaming platforms, and even participate in a cultural mapping exercise of their very own Southbank Centre. | Fast forward two months and London festival goers now have a chance to taste the fruits of all five projects at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Through interactive activities, audiences can explore the potential of design, film, technology and art, test new gaming platforms, and even participate in a cultural mapping exercise of their very own Southbank Centre. |
| "When you revisit things and see them again, you realise certain things about the project which weren't as apparent at the time," reflects Andrew Burton, professor of fine art at Newcastle University and academic fellow for one of the five installations, UnBuild: Sustainable Lifestyles. | "When you revisit things and see them again, you realise certain things about the project which weren't as apparent at the time," reflects Andrew Burton, professor of fine art at Newcastle University and academic fellow for one of the five installations, UnBuild: Sustainable Lifestyles. |
| Burton's team are challenging Alchemy visitors to try out the handmade and beautifully-beaded camera rigs which they used to compile and chart a diverse range of cultural, commercial and social relationships in a Goan market town. | Burton's team are challenging Alchemy visitors to try out the handmade and beautifully-beaded camera rigs which they used to compile and chart a diverse range of cultural, commercial and social relationships in a Goan market town. |
| Solutions-led thinking | Solutions-led thinking |
| But what makes India particularly ripe for this kind of cultural activity? Perhaps because in light of its own development – wavering between tradition and modernity, the rural and the urban, and the increasing demands of global integration – India's growing design sector is a natural home for solutions-led thinking. | But what makes India particularly ripe for this kind of cultural activity? Perhaps because in light of its own development – wavering between tradition and modernity, the rural and the urban, and the increasing demands of global integration – India's growing design sector is a natural home for solutions-led thinking. |
| The interdisciplinary approach of the UnBox fellowship has enabled it to build bridges between the creative industries and arts and humanities research, and between lessons learned in the UK and those learned in a society with very different trajectories and challenges. The hope is that participants and audiences walk away with a clearer understanding of what makes India so critical right now on the international stage. | The interdisciplinary approach of the UnBox fellowship has enabled it to build bridges between the creative industries and arts and humanities research, and between lessons learned in the UK and those learned in a society with very different trajectories and challenges. The hope is that participants and audiences walk away with a clearer understanding of what makes India so critical right now on the international stage. |
| In her fellowship team, Radhamohini Prasad, a filmmaker from Kalimpong, has been exploring new ways of communicating India's infamously complicated legislative processes to wider civic audiences through creative multimedia platforms. This work is especially relevant, she says, at a time when one nation's law governs two co-existing Indias: the urban and the rural. | In her fellowship team, Radhamohini Prasad, a filmmaker from Kalimpong, has been exploring new ways of communicating India's infamously complicated legislative processes to wider civic audiences through creative multimedia platforms. This work is especially relevant, she says, at a time when one nation's law governs two co-existing Indias: the urban and the rural. |
| "As someone from the arts, I've always felt the need to put things into context. This is why I applied to this fellowship – it was actually rooted in something. The end result could have been abstract; it could have been a lot of things. But it was steeped in a foundation – Indian Parliamentary processes – which was very structured and has been formed for decades. It's become a great need in India to have artists coming into do this, to help us understand where we're all coming from." | "As someone from the arts, I've always felt the need to put things into context. This is why I applied to this fellowship – it was actually rooted in something. The end result could have been abstract; it could have been a lot of things. But it was steeped in a foundation – Indian Parliamentary processes – which was very structured and has been formed for decades. It's become a great need in India to have artists coming into do this, to help us understand where we're all coming from." |
| It's possible that the outcomes of the fellowships may raise more questions than answers. As design producer John Thackera echoed in his keynote speech at UnBox in Delhi, the projects' strength lies in how they unearth new ways of knowing rather than finite solutions. | It's possible that the outcomes of the fellowships may raise more questions than answers. As design producer John Thackera echoed in his keynote speech at UnBox in Delhi, the projects' strength lies in how they unearth new ways of knowing rather than finite solutions. |
| Here, the clichéd value of a 'journey' holds truer than ever. In their attempts to cross-pollinate elements of cultural heritage, civic empowerment, creative technology and community mapping, the outcomes of these fellowships could be transferable and provocative. Above all, they highlight how socially critical the connection between research, design-led thinking and creative practice is likely to become the world over. | Here, the clichéd value of a 'journey' holds truer than ever. In their attempts to cross-pollinate elements of cultural heritage, civic empowerment, creative technology and community mapping, the outcomes of these fellowships could be transferable and provocative. Above all, they highlight how socially critical the connection between research, design-led thinking and creative practice is likely to become the world over. |
| Carly Frey is a creative economy advisor at the British Council in London – follow the UnBox journey and find out more about the projects here, and the creative economy unit here | Carly Frey is a creative economy advisor at the British Council in London – follow the UnBox journey and find out more about the projects here, and the creative economy unit here |
| This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To get more articles like this direct to your inbox, sign up free to become a member of the Culture Professionals Network. | This content is brought to you by Guardian Professional. To get more articles like this direct to your inbox, sign up free to become a member of the Culture Professionals Network. |