CREATIVE.HEIMAT METROPOLITAN CONGRESS APRIL 14, 2010 DOCUMENTATION

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1 CREATIVE.HEIMAT METROPOLITAN CONGRESS APRIL 14, 2010 DOCUMENTATION Kultur- und Kreativwirtschaft is part of 1

2 Imprint Editor/Organiser: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia Clustermanagement Creative Industries CREATIVE.NRW For orders contact (limited edition): Karin Díaz Rohr Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, May 2010 Editorial Office: Textschwester, text and press agency Graphic Design: BOROS Pictures: Claudia Ast, Köln Notice: The documentation contains summaries of the speeches held at the CREATIVE.HEIMAT Metropolitan Congress and should not be seen as original rendering. The congress was held in Düsseldorf on April 14, 2010 by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Clustermanagement Creative Industries CREATIVE.NRW 2

3 Overview 4 foreword 5 welcome ADDRESS Cluster Managers Christian Boros and Werner Lippert 6 IMPULSE SPEECHES Christa Thoben, Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Marjan Hammersma, Director for Media and Creative Industries at the Ministry for Culture in the Netherlands, Netherlands: Using Creative Value. New Approaches for Creative Industries in the Netherlands 8 INTRODUCTION Inga Wellmann, Einstein Forum, Potsdam; Multiplicities, Berlin, Germany 9 KEYNOTE Prof. John Howkins, Member of the United Nations UNDP Advisory Committee on the Creative Economy; Vice Dean and Visiting Professor, Shanghai School of Creativity, China; Author: The Global Rise of the Creative Ecology 10 CREATIVE QUARTERS TALK Prof. Dieter Gorny, Artistic Director City of Creativity, RUHR.2010; Director ecce, Germany: Creative Metropole Ruhr Michael Schindhelm, Director of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority; Writer and Cultural Advisor to International Organizations, Ponte Cremenaga, Switzerland: Creative Quarters Dubai 13 SUPPORTING THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE Four case studies Simon Evans, Creative Cluster Ltd., Sheffield, United Kingdom: Creative Industries, Creative Economy, Creative Clusters Christine de Baan, DutchDFA, Rotterdam, Netherlands: Learning by doing Johanna Skantze, Generator Swedish Creative Industries, Stockholm, Sweden: Creative Industries in Sweden: A Strategic Approach to Sustainable Development Stefanie Bechert, Director of the Federal Government of Germany s Centre of Excellence for the Cultural and Creative Industries, Germany: Reaching for the Stars Followed by a short discussion 17 THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE CREATIVE HOME Three short inputs on the notion of the Creative Home Dr. Bastian Lange, Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography Leipzig/Multiplicities, Berlin, Germany: Stadt Metropolitan Regions as Creative Homes Prof. Thomas Rempen, Communication Designer, Büro Rempen GmbH, Drensteinfurt-Rinkerode, Germany: Land Rural Areas as Creative Home Holm Friebe, Author and CEO of Zentrale Intelligenz Agentur, Berlin, Germany: Fluss Digital Home Followed by a short discussion 20 CREATIVE HOME BRANDING? Panel discussion Guido Heffels, Creative Director and CEO of Heimat Berlin, Germany: Opportunities from the Standpoint of Creatives Christoph Twickel, Journalist and Co-Initiator of Not In Our Name, Marke Hamburg!, Germany Eva Gronbach, Fashion Designer, Cologne, Germany: Creative Home and Identity as Fashion Brand Lukas Hegemann, Board Member of zakk ( cultural centre), Activist of Freiräume für Bewegung, Co-Writer of the corresponding manifest, Düsseldorf, Germany 22 RECAP AND OUTLOOK Cluster Manager Werner Lippert 3

4 Foreword Benchmark Congress for the cultural and creative industries CREATIVE.HEIMAT, April 14, 2010 The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and Clustermanagement Creative Industries invited the international who-is-who of the creative industries to the state capital of Düsseldorf. The interest from the industries was overwhelming with almost 200 guests, a new platform was created on this day. Strategic alignment of the congress Leading creative minds, advisors and managers from Germany and Europe met at the Düsseldorf NRW-Forum für Kultur und Wirtschaft for this one-day congress on the cultural and creative industries. The aim of CREATIVE.HEIMAT was to compare the strategies and instruments of leading European regions for dealing with the cultural and creative industries and to share experiences. The initiators of the congress were the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in collaboration with CREATIVE.NRW, the cluster management for the cultural and creative industries in North Rhine-Westphalia. The aim is to find out what the best conditions for the promotion of the cultural and creative industries are and then to put them into place, said economics minister Christa Thoben. Kick-off for international exchange CREATIVE.HEIMAT was the first metropolitan congress of the cultural and creative industries of its kind in Germany. Almost 200 guests were accredited for the congress. That, in our opinion, is not only due to the big interest in the cultural and creative industries and the want to find out more about them, but also due to the top-class speakers at the congress. We managed to gather the who-is-who of the best-known international minds from the cultural and creative industries in Düsseldorf. We are very proud of that, said organiser and cluster manager Christian Boros. The importance of the cultural and creative industries is still often underestimated. We have recognised the potential in North Rhine-Westphalia and now need strong joint action, said cluster manager Werner Lippert. The TV media partner was 2010LAB (Ruhr.2010), which documented the day in film and interviewed the creative minds to produce an interesting kaleidoscope of statements on creativity and Heimat. The congress and its strong demand as well as the media coverage have shown how important new scenarios of exchange are for the cultural and creative industries. In summary the benchmark congress stands for the following perceptions: MORE HEIMAT: Creativity needs a suitable environment because it is of immense importance where creativity finds its home and freedom to unfold. MORE ECONOMY: Creativity is the key to a strong, future-orientated economy that forms in metropolitan regions with exceptionally dynamic economic activity. MORE INTERNATIONALISM: A strong regional basis is the prerequisite for international success and international, long-term and stable relations. MORE COMMUNITY: To initiate, integrate and implement the creation of economic value and social appreciation successfully, there must be professional management that joins, steers and lobbies so that the industries can act as one with strength. The cultural and creative industries are an important motor for economic development and innovation. In a countrywide comparison, the cultural and creative industries are particularly successful in North Rhine-Westphalia. Around 212,000 people are employed in the sector in NRW and the number of cultural and creative companies has risen continuously from almost 36,000 in 1996 to 50,000 today. This means 7.5% of freelancers, the self-employed and companies in North Rhine-Westphalia work in the cultural and creative industries. 4

5 WELCOME ADDRESS Cluster Managers Christian Boros and Werner Lippert The congress was opened by the cluster managers Christian Boros and Werner Lippert, who warmly welcomed the ministers, the speakers and all visitors to an outstanding, beautiful and colourful venue; the NRW Forum was decorated in a spatial interpretation of the Cluster Management design in honour of the day. Christian Boros and Werner Lippert underlined that they are responsible for the second most important sector of the economy in NRW, but also emphasised their view of themselves as part of a global movement. The goals of the day to set a benchmark, to compare strategies and policies and to learn from each others experiences were established and a delighted wish for an inspiring day was expressed. The congress was held in English. Christian Boros, Werner Lippert 5

6 IMPULSE SPEECHES Christa Thoben, Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany CREATIVE.HEIMAT is the title of this congress, but what is actually Heimat?, Christa Thoben wonders. The word is translated as home, homeland and native country, but no one-to-one translation can get near its meaning, she establishes. Thoben also refers to the German author, theologian and philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder s definition of Heimat, being where you do not have to explain yourself. She means that applying this thought to a society which feels rooted or at home signifies profits for the whole country. Additionally, she says that only people who value their Heimat will be committed to doing something for it and states that all globality has its foundation in regionality, in local structures. According to Thoben, creatives are particularly willing and able to form networks and new ways of interacting and it must be ensured that the work conditions for creatives are inspiring as well as socially and economically appealing. Boundaries between home and work have long since blurred, working hours are becoming flexible and workplaces mobile, she says. As part of improving these conditions as well as of trying to attain the ideal creative Heimat, Thoben considers activities such as the CREATIVE.HEIMAT congress. She means that activities where the topic is discussed among both creatives and politicians and where opportunities are given to learn also from other countries experiences are highly important. For the NRW government, these activities are especially crucial, as NRW aims to be the number one federal state for innovation in Germany. Questions such as What are the general conditions required to enable creative excellence?, How do our European neighbours manage to establish an environment for creatives? and What common features and differences are there? are important to address, Thoben believes, as she considers societies of active citizens in need of a feeling of belonging together. market with innovations thanks to their geographical and subject-related focusing of know-how and experience, she continues. Subsequently, Thoben states that nowadays, a company is hardly able on its own to generate the knowledge required to quickly translate results from research and development into marketable products. The clusters with their short channels are indented to enhance the quality of a location, to tie enterprises to it as well as to communicate the top-class services provided there externally. The cultural and creative industries in NRW are already the most successful nationwide having 212,000 people and 50,000 companies working within the field, but in order to ensure that the location remains attractive above all for young creatives the NRW government set up a cluster management team last year. The cluster policy backs the innovation intention by promoting cooperation between enterprises, research institutions and the public sector in sixteen selected fields of industry and technology with particularly high potential for growth and importance to the state s economic development. Thoben declares that if economic policy works hand in hand with the creatives to help shape their conditions and to support them, it must acknowledge their networks in a way similar to the cluster structures in industry branches. Clusters are quicker to 6

7 Marjan Hammersma, Director for Media and Creative Industries at the Ministry for Culture in the Netherlands, Netherlands: Using Creative Value. New Approaches for Creative Industries in the Netherlands Policies on creative industries are about bridging gaps. Gaps between culture and industry. Between different ministries and between levels of government. Creative industries policies are also about making different people work together. Not only within cities, states and countries but also within Europe. Marjan Hammersma believes that the creative industries represent an essential part of finding solutions for not only economic growth, but also social problems. She considers the creative industries to offer a new perspective on issues such as our aging population, the constantly more expensive health care and the lack of oil. The Dutch government appreciates this philosophy through policy programmes for the creative industry as well as through supporting a large product-service design project bringing technical universities and creative industries together. The first Dutch policy programme ran successfully from 2005 to 2008 and focused on making the cultural and creative sectors work together with the industry. In autumn 2009 the Dutch government and the Ministry of Economic Affairs in the Netherlands launched a new 100 million euro policy programme called Creative Value. The main objective is to generate substantive innovative projects created by the creative industry itself. The programme will run until 2013 and follows six action lines: self organisation; improving intellectual copyright expertise; promoting research, education and entrepreneurship; improving access to investment capital, strengthening infrastructures; and increasing international orientation. Hammersma emphasises the importance of local policies that support the self organisation and cluster creation in the fragmented creative sector. Loose networks are still important, but we feel that more is needed, she says. Alongside the Creative Value programme, a programme for innovation in the creative industry is being developed in collaboration with the sector and is to be finalised this year. Hammersma underlines that the Dutch policies on the creative industries are not perfect and says that we struggle, fail, learn and continue to look for better approaches but we believe that we are on the right track. Internationally, the Netherlands promote Dutch design, fashion and architecture. Hammersma believes that a lot could be gained by increased common European promotion and policy cooperation; forces should be joined more often when promoting European creative industries, she says. Furthermore, Hammersma welcomes a development of a common policy for the European market, above all in the field of copyrights. 7

8 INTRODUCTION Inga Wellmann, Einstein Forum, Potsdam; Multiplicities, Berlin, Germany After thanking Christa Thoben and Marjan Hammersma for their inspiring talks, the moderator of the CREATIVE. HEIMAT conference Inga Wellmann emphasises that we have a lot ahead of us during the conference: a real tour d horizon of the potential but also of the challenges that come along with creative cluster management. She states that the main quest of the day is to find out what actually constitutes a creative Heimat. Wellmann announces that local and international perspectives will be brought together during the day and that the conference is all about listening, learning and sharing experiences. Furthermore, even though the creative industry is complex and exact definitions still vary between countries, she states that the creative economy is undoubtedly one of the major trends of our time. Wellmann declares that with the term creativity already being overused we need conferences such as CREATIVE.HEIMAT to envisage also practical perspectives on the subject. The focus of NRW s creative cluster management lies on the core of the creative industries: art, fashion, design, publishing and advertising, which all have constantly increasing spill-over effects on all parts of the economy. This involves a shift in our society, combining the remains of the industrial capitalist era with a post-industrial era that is driven by creativity, ideas and knowledge as main resources. What this brings forward are new ways of thinking, working, living and interacting. For the Ruhr region, making use of this opportunity and unleashing this creative potential is crucial. Moving on from the congress initial political perspective, Wellmann introduces the keynote speaker Professor John Howkins and invites him to present a global overview on what he calls the creative ecology. 8

9 KEYNOTE Prof. John Howkins, Member of the United Nations UNDP Advisory Committee on the Creative Economy; Vice Dean and Visiting Professor, Shanghai School of Creativity, China; Author: The Global Rise of the Creative Ecology Today s creative industries have a major influence on every large economic sector, including agriculture, the service sector, business and the culture and arts sectors. Economic sectors do not operate separately from each other anymore and constantly interchange work ideas; organisations and occupational categories of every economic sector depend increasingly on innovation and individual ideas, characteristics previously valued only by the creative industries. The creative life of an artist and the traditional, straight forward life of a miner do not exist separately from each other anymore, but are combined. This can be a source of personal satisfaction and creative innovation, or it can create a conflict of mutual incomprehension between these two different ways of working and essentially living. A McKinsey study asked people whether their job involved them using their own judgement to create a better workplace, or to do their job better, and if so, whether the workplace allowed them to make that change. Forty-seven percent of respondents replied Yes, showing that these people are being creative at work. A newer McKinsey study found that 77% of new jobs require their workers to use and apply own judgment. Looking at these results, it becomes clear that virtually all jobs in a modern society require people to be creative, innovative and to produce novelty. Prof. Howkins has established three principles fostering the culture of a creative ecology. First, based on neuroscience, he has established that everybody is born creative. It is hard-wired into us, just like language is. Second, this creativity needs freedom. The freedom to have the ability to follow one s dream, to freely choose one s work and to freely evaluate one s inner life. In order for this to occur, one must live in a society that is tolerant of other peoples life choices. Thirdly, this freedom needs markets that transfer creative ideas into economic goods and services. Governments have the task of regulating these markets. For example, copyright policies are key regulators of what kind of information a person has access to and determines modern digital society s access to culture. The ongoing challenge is to find a balance between the individual voice and the acceptance of society. Even China, which has fostered conformist thinking for the last decades, has realized the importance of being creative and is developing ways to prepare the youngest generation for a future economy that applies creativity in every economic sector. Prof. Howkins has been invited by the Chinese government as one of the best future thinkers in the industry to help formulate a plan that will encourage high levels of creativity in the curriculum of Chinese primary schools. Chinese schools are very strict in their ways of teaching. Pupils are instructed to memorize material, and if it is repeated word perfect, one gets to the next level. It is very competitive and exhausting. With this in mind, Prof. Howkins wrote a report on how to best incorporate creativity into Chinese schools. He then developed these principles for general use. There are four key principles: diversity, change, learning and adaptation. Diversity can be measured in terms of gender, lifestyle, individual voice and attitude, and demands tolerance towards other people. Change is fundamental. The most interesting projects are rather unstable. Being slightly off balance can provoke creative solutions. Learning is followed by adaptation. There is a tension between learning and education. Education is what we receive from the government. Learning is what we take charge of, how we manage ourselves. There is a strong positive correlation between the ability to learn and the ability to be creative. If an artist, performer or innovative scientist stops learning, they stop being creative and their minds die. Cluster managers and governments wanting to encourage creativity should clearly define the rules between organisation and its environment and the degree of emotional, personal and financial support. Regulations need to fit the creative age. 9

10 CREATIVE QUARTERS TALK Inga Wellmann introduces the next part of the conference, bringing focus to the development of creative areas in two regions, the Ruhr region and Dubai both of which have been developed within very different political, historical, cultural and geographical contexts. Prof. Dieter Gorny, Artistic Director City of Creativity, RUHR.2010; Director ecce, Germany: Creative Metropole Ruhr The Ruhr area is the new European metropolis, says Professor Dieter Gorny. The area is the culture capital of Europe 2010, but has a very strong industrial yesterday and has lost over 700,000 jobs in the mining industry alone. Therefore, it is now forced to build up new structures and new economies. We believe that arts, culture, creativity and ideas can be strong drivers for technological and economic innovation and intelligent use of resources and we see the creative industries as an important driving force for future jobs and the future structure of the region, says Gorny. In Europe and in Germany the creative industries today are in third place after machine building and the automobile market. In the Ruhr area 85,700 people work in the creative industries and the growth factor is 50%. The main advantage of the Ruhr region is that it represents the third biggest agglomeration in Europe, but disadvantages include a population that is decreasing and aging quicker than other German regions. Additionally, Germany has been far behind in the European discussion about the development of the creative industry. There is however a strong tradition in Germany to talk about the potential of the creative industry and NRW was the first region in Germany to produce a creative industries report. Apart from economic factors, Gorny believes that education, culture and technology are important in making creative industries a real driver of society. No other sector is so combined with the technical development of our society, he continues. Achievements in the culture capital of Europe 2010 cover all industries and include amongst others a large number of conferences, festivals and awards; commissions cooperating on music, games, design and communication subjects; collaboration with EXPO Shanghai; as well as the online television channel 2010lab.tv and radio channel byte.fm/ruhr. Gorny says that the potential of a creative city depends on two main criteria: talent and location. Through the RUHR.2010 project people are being brought together, a system for cooperation is being developed and places where clusters can be made are being identified. To secure sustainability and to create Heimat, we have to build up more creative quarters and have to be patient, says Gorny Prof. Dieter Gorny Michael Schindhelm, Director of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority; Writer and Cultural Advisor to International Organizations, Ponte Cremenaga, Switzerland: Creative Quarters Dubai Dubai is the opposite of what you call Heimat. Dubai is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. Its location and geo-conditions are bad: First, its neighbours present tension, as the area is known for political instability and religious fundamentalists. Second, Dubai doesn t have any natural resources beside oil and gas and yet the focus is to get rid of oil dependence. The main recourse facilitating Dubai s success is intelligence; therefore the government heavily invests in international professionals and focuses on the economic service sector. In 2007, services accounted for 73.6% of GDP in Dubai. Furthermore, international attention has been captured by Dubai s extraordinary architectural buildings. By probably over-indulging in real estate, Dubai created a real estate bubble. Another impact on Dubai is migration. The country has little human resources of its own; more than 90% of the population come from all over the world. Less than 10% of the population lives in the cities, contrary to any other city in the world, where people move from the countryside to the city, thus creating a new phenomenon in urban development. In a historical view, in the late 18th century the Al Maktum family invited other nationalities to settle and build the port. With the settlement of the ruling family, 10

11 the fast growing concept of Dubai was born. The population of Dubai is expected to have almost doubled over that of 2008 by the end of this year (2010). Suddenly Dubai is facing questions such as: How to absorb this speed? How to empower local activities? How to respect the traditions of the Bedouins of the Gulf region? Traditionally, Dubai s culture mainly revolves around the religion of Islam and traditional Arab and Bedouin culture. In order to combine traditional culture with Dubai s modern society, the government appointed Michael Schindhelm as cultural ambassador from 2007 till summer With a multi billion budget at hand, it was Schindhelm s job to build an art exhibition hall and the Dubai opera hall. A new cultural highlight of the city is the small Madinat Theater next to the Burj al Arab. Culturally important and international concerts, theatre plays and ballets are performed and the Dubai International Film Festival takes place there. Dubai prides itself on being the only truly international city in the Arab world and strives to provide a home to international visitors and their various cultural interests. Other cultural highlights are the two open air museums Heritage and Diving Village, built by the government in the north of Dubai in Located by the Dubai Creek in the Al Schindagha district, residents and visitors have the unique chance to experience local Dubai history, culture and traditions. Michael Schindhelm Panel discussion with Prof. Dieter Gorny and Michael Schindhelm Moderated by Inga Wellmann, Professor Dieter Gorny and Michael Schindhelm discussed the similarities between the Ruhr region and Dubai, especially the cultural diversity that exists in both regions and the dynamic creative society this results in. Dubai is a very open and liberal society and it is only a cliché that the country operates top-down, said Schindhelm. He also believes that the Dubai government is very concerned with including all people and that many cultural initiatives arise from the people themselves. For example, Dubai has a classical orchestra which was self-initiated by a diverse cultural mixture of people. This is what makes Dubai strong; cultural spaces are created by the people, not the governments, said Schindhelm. Gorny agreed that the mixture that has come out of Dubai is amazing and praised the government for encouraging people to come to Dubai and create cultural spaces. Further, Gorny stated that adaptation of different communication strategies is necessary in culturally diverse regions in order to reach the people and both speakers recognized the importance of not only talking to the heads of government. 11

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13 SUPPORTING THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES AN INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE Four case studies To include the international perspective in the congress, Inga Wellmann introduces four speakers from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany and sets the scene for an instructive and inspiring afternoon filled with practical examples of methods and procedures. Wellmann states that all four countries have very different histories in dealing with the creative industries, with for example the UK being a forerunner, having implemented national programmes already in the 1990s, whereas Germany has only just recently started to acknowledge the potential of the creative industries on a federal level. Simon Evans, Creative Cluster Ltd, Sheffield, United Kingdom: Creative Industries, Creative Economy, Creative Clusters In 1997, the UK was the first country to officially adopt a creative policy concept. The creative industries are now central to the economy, accounting for 6-7% of the GDP. In London creative industries earn more and employ more people than financial services. The principal government policy is Creative Britain, a raft of policies run from different ministries and covering education, export, intellectual property, broadcasting, regional development and culture. I believe that the BBC has a central role in the British creative economy. It is an invisible hand, Simon Evans says. The BBC is one of the world s most successful media brands. It is more independent and market-orientated than other national broadcasters, but its funding is better protected than others, he continues. Evans also establishes that there are four kinds of business in the creative sector: creative content producers, creative service providers, platforms and distributors, and creative hardware makers. Evans says that the paradox of the creative economy is that content production is not good business as it is so risky, but that there would be no business for anyone else without it. As no one can say if a creative product is going to be a success, the demand uncertainty is especially risky. Creative service providers must further be one of the biggest areas for growth in advanced economies, and the main challenge among these businesses is not the need of start-up capital, but the finance for buy-outs and mergers. Governments should encourage successful start-ups to grow: We must ensure that our cluster policies do not just create ghettos of micro-businesses. Moreover, Evans believes that distribution historically was a safe business, but that the Internet has imposed a huge instability. This is hard for governments because these deep changes in technology now require deep changes in regulation. Johanna Skantze, Simon Evans, Christine De Baan 13

14 The UK does not include creative hardware makers in the creative economy, but the UN does. Hardware manufacturers have however developed a new business model where they trade also with intellectual property (for example the iphone and Xbox). If we are serious about the creative economy, how do we get from here to the time when creative industries employ as many people, and contribute as much to the economy, as coal and steel used to? Evans asks. He points out that if the creative industries are truly to be part of the mainstream economy they must be sustained by ordinary commercial investment, rather than investment only from the government. Moreover, European creative business needs to understand the consumers in growing economies such as China, India, Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey and this should not be hard as their communities are right here on our doorsteps. Creative industries will be at the centre of European economy in the next 100 years and the places that understand that cultural diversity is a commercial imperative will succeed the most, Evans concludes. start, both with regards to content and governance, and the desire to quickly make a visible mark. New ways of working had to be tried and tested and the partners needed to actually start realising their ambitions for collaboration. All parties had to get used to supporting an agenda other than their own. The past year has shown that the main factor in this process is time: the time that each partner can invest in the process and the time needed by all to get accustomed to its demands. This is already paying its dividends in better collaboration. As Christine de Baan stated: learning from doing is just as important as learning by doing. Besides this, the possibility of jointly developing new tools that combine multiple aims and fields of expertise, and that can continue to have effect after 2012, is becoming an important part of the DutchDFA project. Market research and cultural mapping has been carried out during the first year to shape a common basis on how Dutch design is perceived in different regions and markets. Furthermore, several activities such as exhibitions, short interviews ( com), fashion shows as well as promotion and publicity events have been performed. Christine de Baan, DutchDFA, Rotterdam, Netherlands: Learning by doing The Dutch Design Fashion Architecture (DutchDFA) programme has recently completed its first year. The programme, which runs from 2009 through 2012 and has a 12 million euro budget, aims to strengthen the international position of Dutch design, fashion and architecture on a long-term basis by joining forces within the field. This temporary strategic project currently takes place in three focus countries Germany, China and India and relates to topical issues and local demands. The aim is to build long-lasting international relationships while addressing issues facing today s world through design. DutchDFA is a unique collaboration between public and private partners, drawing together the Dutch Ministries of Economic Affairs, of Education, Culture & Science and of Foreign Affairs, with cultural sector institutes, professional associations and branch organizations in the field of design, fashion and architecture. It combines cultural, economic, diplomatic and various professional agendas. From the start expectations were high, both in the field and of the government. Particularly in the first six months this led to tensions between the necessity for a careful Johanna Skantze, Generator Swedish Creative Industries, Stockholm, Sweden: Creative Industries in Sweden: A Strategic Approach to Sustainable Development Generator Swedish Creative Industries is a non-profit association devoted to developing the cultural and creative industries in Sweden. This is done by means of competence development, initiatives to increase understanding and knowledge about the industries and facilitating contact between all involved actors. The membership consists of regional (regions, regional associations, county administrative boards, county councils) and local (municipalities, municipality associations) actors. Universities, colleges and industry associations can also be associated to the organisation. Among the activities is a yearly conference that gathers more than 300 people in the public sector working with development of the cultural and creative industries, gathering and distribution of statistics, reports and publications, workshops facilitating the development process in member regions, industry-specific projects, lobbying etc. Further, Generator Swedish Creative Industries collaborates with educational institutions and branch organizations and develops new business incubators. The association also supports cooperation between business and cultural 14

15 agencies, such as the Swedish Arts Council, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, the Swedish Film Institute and the Swedish National Heritage Board. Generator Swedish Creative Industries is the continuation of a project financed by the Knowledge Foundation. Within the framework of this project, eight regional hubs promoting development and growth in small, expanding companies were established. Today these hubs are recognized actors for boosting growth through projects within education, research and business collaboration. According to Johanna Skantze, there is quite a lot happening within the creative and cultural industries in Sweden at the moment. The cultural and creative industries are not only important growth sectors, but also appreciate the value of good design not only as an aesthetic addition but as a strategic tool and have the power to strengthen Sweden as a brand on the international stage. The Swedish government launched an action plan last year to create good conditions for entrepreneurs, potential and existing companies within the field of culture and creativity, to develop new forms of cooperation between culture and business which will benefit both parts and to promote culture and artistic talent as important perspectives for innovation and development in business and society. Stefanie Bechert, Director of the Federal Government of Germany s Centre of Excellence for the Cultural and Creative Industries (Kompetenzzentrum Kultur- und Kreativwirtschaft des Bundes), Germany: Reaching for the stars Not only in NRW, but also on a national level, the cultural and creative industries are gaining recognition and now employ more than one million people in Germany. These industries have further been less affected by the financial crisis than the traditional sectors. The Federal Government s Centre of Excellence for the Cultural and Creative Industries believes not only that the cultural and creative industries make up an important and independent sector of the German economy, but also that they are a key part of a knowledge- and content-oriented society as well as being leaders in innovation. Consequently, Stefanie Bechert says, awareness about these industries must be increased and they must be incorporated in the policymaking processes. The Federal Government s Centre of Excellence for the Cultural and Creative Industries was set up at the national conference on the cultural industry in Berlin a few months ago. The aim is to consistently provide supporting contact persons to small firms and self-employed artists that perform extraordinary innovative services and that develop unique products for markets that are yet to be redefined. The centre s fields of action include improving access to existing pubic funding programmes, promoting professionalisation and training as well as facilitating access to international markets. An example of an initiative by the Federal Government is the new portal launched last week with customised information for above all small and medium sized enterprises and self-employed artists in the cultural and creative industries. The centre has further set up eight regional offices around Germany with experts supporting the initiatives at the grass root level. In order to enhance public awareness, the centre participates in intersectoral conferences and campaigns as well as in both international and single market events. In addition, RKW, the German Centre for Productivity and Innovation, which coordinates the centre, organises its own annual conference this year with a competitiveness and responsibility focus integrating the cultural and creative industries and traditional industrial branches. Followed by a short discussion moderated by Inga Wellmann with Simon Evans, Christine de Baan, Johanna Skantze and Stefanie Bechert Inga Wellmann asked Johanna Skantze, Simon Evans, Christine de Baan and Stefanie Bechert what format works best in order to allow a dialogue on eye level between governmental bodies, established economies and a free creative scene. It was concluded that the optimal format depends on what you want to achieve, but that open arenas allowing people to meet and start exchanging ideas is a good start. We meet people from the field and bring them together in one room with a shared agenda. That is enough to get them exited. We create the atmosphere where they can talk freely. Simply bringing them together helps, said de Baan. Bechert continued: Let people with the same problems and challenges meet. Connect those people. Evans recognised the specific problems of getting people together. For example, he said, If you want to get senior business people together who are on planes most of the time, it may be best to hold the meeting at the prime minister s office! Creating 15

16 natural meeting points and being helpful is accordingly the best format, but as Bechert said, you should take the backseat. Moreover, according to Skantze, seminars with people from different backgrounds are the most effective. It was further discussed how to make creative people accept programs and Skantze said that neutral actors hubs can facilitate this. Hubs work with the mission to gather actors from the public and private sectors, from the academic world and the cultural sector and to promote collaboration between them. De Baan stated that the different agendas of the organisations cater to the different creative needs of the people and further that since the government is participating in this, they need to engage with the people they represent. When there is public funding, Evans said, artists will take it up and businesses are touched less. Fashion houses and designers, for example, may be more interested in practical programmes that connect smaller companies to large suppliers. In addition, Skantze also recognised that geographical proximity is a factor that may facilitate this collaboration. As conclusion, Wellmann underlined the crucial role of intermediary structures when wanting to establish a viable dialogue at eye level between all the different stakeholders of the creative industries. Simon Evans, Christine De Baan, Stefanie Berchert 16

17 THE WHEREABOUTS OF THE CREATIVE HOME Three short inputs on the notion of the Creative Home Heimat is of course different for everyone, Inga Wellmann concludes, but are there better Heimats than others, in terms of, for example, effectiveness and creativity? How strongly is the idea of creativity linked to urbanity? Does place matter in an era driven by digital tools and virtual spheres? Wellmann introduces Dr. Bastian Lange, Prof. Dieter Gorny and Holm Friebe, who were to respectively discuss the city, the countryside and the digital world (Stadt, Land, Fluss) as the ideal Heimat. Dr. Bastian Lange, Leibniz-Institute for Regional Geography Leipzig/Multiplicities, Berlin, Germany: Stadt Metropolitan Regions as Creative Homes Lange introduces three theses on how policy-making can foster the creative industries in the RUHR area. First, nowadays, metropolitan spaces cannot be considered as a fixed entity of social, cultural and economic actors. Increasing mobility and spatial dynamics make it difficult to design adequate policies. Secondly, the decentralized metropolitan RUHR area is a set of multilocal zones with no clear centre and is closer to the idea of a transit area. Thirdly, policy-making for the creative industries is challenged by the absence of a stable, spatial social and economic centre. It is vital to shift the view from fixed spatial centres to open socio-cultural places and how they are organized and orchestrated. Lange identifies four dimensions of places, run by creative workers: Firstly: Places as social interfaces for the distribution of creative products. Production in creative industries is rather disperse, transitory, fragmented, and takes place in decentralized temporary projects. It has no clear, stable and lasting centre and creative people constantly wander between various projects and their own. Creative workers need places to expose their products to various social groups. Secondly: Places as testing realms. Undefined spaces serve as temporary spots to expose newly invented products. Artists and creative people like designing their own environment as they present their products at unknown places in order to create their own story. For policy-making, less activity is more efficient, post heroic management instead of strong leadership. Thirdly: Openness permeability boundaries. Creative places face the challenge of condensing social ties at a certain place in order to exchange knowledge and to test products. Places should thus be reconceptualised where instability becomes a necessity to avoid routines and create diversity and openness. This generates new milieus, genres, perspectives and styles. Fourthly: Temporary places permanent instabilities. From the perspective of creative workers regarding market product placement, places have to be open and unstable in order to attract a broad audience. That is a rather tricky state for stakeholders because once a place has been invented, it is more likely that the achievement is secured and stable than it is invented anew. A brief conclusion: 1. The places of creative industries are constant transitory socio-spatial testing realms. 2. These places function on the basis of instabilities. 3. These places and their protagonists intend to irritate everyday perceptions and the mechanics of dominant urban and regional values. Prof. Thomas Rempen, Communication Designer, Büro Rempen GmbH, Drensteinfurt-Rinkerode, Germany: Land Rural Areas as Creative Home Professor Thomas Rempen states that creativity is at home in your head wherever that head may be and consequently implies that to run a creative business from the countryside does not have to be limiting. Rempen, however, also points out that he would not have started his first advertising agency in the countryside as he wanted to be where the buzz is; he declares that life and business in the countryside is easier if you are already successful and if you have a certain degree of personal awareness. Furthermore, running a business from the countryside was not possible before the internet. The internet has facilitated working independently, on the go and free of constraints in general. According to Rempen, there are at least three good reasons speaking for a creative Heimat in the countryside: 17

18 Holm Friebe, Author and CEO of Zentrale Intelligenz Agentur, Berlin, Germany: Fluss Digital Home Firstly: Being away from the hustle and bustle frees your mind, establishes creativity and inspiration, and offers an opportunity for focused concentration and efficiency people are more straight-forward and lateral thinking. Secondly: Keeping an office in the country helps you to keep your feet firmly on the ground it becomes easier to get to the bottom of things and there is no reason for opportunism. Thirdly: Great concepts are created in small spaces and teams and sometimes even by individuals as opposed to production, which is dependent on other actors in the market. In addition, our NRW countryside is simply beautiful, says Rempen. Rempen has two proposals and promotions to help the creative industry in NRW: creating a genius loci and inventing the event creative chateau. He believes that a genius loci (a protective spirit of a place) could be created through a start factory sponsored by the NRW government and large companies as a public-private partnership, bringing the best minds and talents to the region; the best international creatives would be offered one-year scholarships over the internet. I tend to find the category creative more and more problematic over the years, not to mention Heimat. Therefore, I approach the subject from a different angle and focus on topics that together form the basic conditions of the so-called creative industries: work, the nature of work, economic structure and physical production, says Holm Friebe. He further believes that all these conditions will undergo dramatic changes in the near future. Firstly, work will become liquid. Secondly, co-working and Wikinomics will symbolise the new concept of work and thirdly, the next industrial revolution is approaching. The number of solofreelancers and single-entrepreneurs has already risen by more than 25% in Germany in the last decade and Friebe calls this growing type of worker digital bohemia, indicating that they organise their work in loose, non-hierarchical networks, often in metropolitan contexts. To them, flow is important in two regards: it indicates the quality of intrinsically motivated, self-programmed and satisfied work and it symbolises the change from a stable profession to a diverse stream of projects. Wikinomics is a term created by Don Tapscot that embraces the new paradigm of co-working and decentralised peer-production. An example of this trend is the emergence of co-working spaces all over the world, for example the Betahause in Berlin, Friebe says. He furthermore declares that the next industrial revolution is around the corner and that it will affect the industrial production chain and the entire structure of our physical economy as it challenges the logic of mass production. Moreover, he assumes that the next industrial revolution will bring creative industries and old-fashioned industrial policies together as the revolution is not (only) about creativity, but about a new way of starting businesses and manufacturing high-end products with shared resources

19 Followed by a short discussion with Dr. Bastian Lange, Prof. Thomas Rempen and Holm Friebe Dr. Bastian Lange, Prof. Thomas Rempen and Holm Friebe discussed the trend of nomad workers who work where they feel like and consequences of this on NRW with its many different areas. Lange affirmed that and that possibilities of working where you feel like is related to scale; in microscale processes you can look at more details and differences, but in general you have to allow and accept the existing heterogeneity. Friebe was of the opinion that for some production networks there were still reasons for sticking together and that the location did matter sometimes. However, he continued, new collaborations would emerge and the next generation copy shop might for example have a fabbing centre attached. Lange agreed with Friebe that mobility was not always possible, whereas Rempen pointed out that people needed to be more mobile these days and artistic people needed to be brought together. What it always came down to, however, was communication. Prof. Thomas Rempen, Holm Friebe, Dr. Bastian Lange, Inga Wellmann 19

20 CREATIVE HOME BRANDING? Panel discussion moderated by Inga Wellmann with Guido Heffels, Christoph Twickel, Eva Gronbach and Lukas Hegemann. The last panel of the conference looked at brands and branding processes that deal with the notion of creative Heimat. What potential does it hold when being integrated in the creative work? What risks does it have when being implemented by public bodies in a way that instrumentalises the cultural scene? Guido Heffels, Creative Director and CEO of Heimat Berlin, Germany: Opportunities from the Standpoint of Creatives Guido Heffels named his agency Heimat as he wanted to create something new and in 1999 agencies were usually named after their founders. He further sought a name that people could relate to and Heimat remained the final proposal, also incorporating the agency s way of working; usually agencies ask their clients where their Heimat is, whereas Heffels agency appreciates the role of advertising as a mirror of actual life and instead asks Where do you come from? On social networking, Heffels said he has high confidence on cooperating with real people that surround you and do work that you believe in. The agency chose Berlin as they wanted to work somewhere where advertising is not fashion as it is in Hamburg and somewhere where advertising is not natural, where taxi drivers can react: What, you can give awards for advertising!? Christoph Twickel, Journalist and Co-Initiator of Not In Our Name, Marke Hamburg!, Germany The manifest Not In Our Name, Marke Hamburg! was published by creative people who wanted to make a point and say that they didn t want to be excepted from the rule or to be treated special. The manifesto was written in response to city branding initiatives as the authors believed that by branding the city, everything that didn t fit in was eliminated. We see that city branding is not about creating a place where creative people live, it is about making it look like it is a place where creative people live, Twickel said. The manifesto was written as a declaration of solidarity to proclaim that the city belongs to everyone, not only the authors, but also all the poor people that have to move out when the city becomes more expensive. Furthermore, Twickel said that the gentrification strategies of becoming a creative city by creating exclusive places, apartments and shops simply make the city boring. nionhh.wordpress.com Lukas Hegemann, Christoph Twickel, Guido Heffels, Eva Gronbach 20

21 Eva Gronbach, Fashion Designer, Cologne, Germany: Creative Home and Identity as Fashion Brand Eva Gronbach was confronted with her German identity her Heimat by her tutors when she studied fashion in Belgium and France. She left Germany because it at that time was not a fashion country, not sexy, but later she started to call her work a declaration of love for Germany and to use red, black and yellow and the eagle as symbols. It was the first time the German icons comprised lightness and were seen as fashion instead of politics. Gronbach said that she can be creative when it hurts and that coming back to NRW and the dying industries in Ruhr area inspires her. I love fashion, but I have to say that I hate the fashion scene, she said. Gronbach has initiated a project for young children in schools to grow the fashion culture in Germany. She goes into schools where 90% are immigrants and ask the children to express themselves, to design own outfits and to be creative. The project will be part of a RUHR.2010 fashion show and is very positive as it revolves around children and their future, said Gronbach; They are all very inspired by their nostalgic family backgrounds! Lukas Hegemann, Board Member of zakk (cultural centre), Activist of Freiräume für Bewegung, Co-Writer of the corresponding manifesto, Düsseldorf, Germany Freiräume für Bewegung was initiated in response to the status quo situation where there were hardly two voices who would agree on an overall political programme, but where there was a consensus on the need of reclaiming the streets and how to do it; no new structures should be formed, but instead Freiräume für Bewegung should remain a movement, primarily recognised by symbolic actions. Lukas Hegemann said that the movement was recently called left-winged by a newspaper, but that to him, Freiräume für Bewegung was not winged at all, it was for people who agreed that there was more to a city than money. The movement wants to acknowledge the increasingly regulated city and for example point at limitations such as bans against musical performances on the streets or the obligation to officially register a picnic as a festival or a demonstration as soon as there are more than ten participants. Until now the movement has been focusing on getting people together and on gaining publicity for the discussion about what the city should be. 21

22 RECAP AND OUTLOOK Inga Wellmann concluded that the congress had been a success and that practices, challenges and potentials of creative cluster management had indeed been discussed from a variety of crucial angles, resulting in essential lessons not just for the government of NRW, but for the local and international community as a whole. She expressed a warm thank-you to all participants and guests of the conference for their contributions and attention before handing over to cluster manager Werner Lippert, who had the challenging task of summing up the day. What did we learn today? Firstly, that self organisation and the support of self organisation seem to be one of the most important and most effective tools for the creative industries. Secondly, that cross-discipline seems to be the second most important issue for both sides: the creative people and the ministries. Additionally, one lesson from the last discussion is that we have to discuss the role of creativity not only for the economy, but also for our society and for our future. We have to learn to support an agenda other than our own. We have to find new ways of worshipping and evaluating creativity and its processes. We have to grant authenticity of locations and communities. Finally, we have to be more patient than we are. Thirdly, Heimat has an immense meaning for the condition of being creative. But we are speaking about open spaces, instable processes, flows and new business models. Prof. John Howkins, Christa Thoben, Marjaan Hammersma, Werner Lippert, Christian Boros 22

23 Get Together 23