Handel with care

Lost in CCI paid a call on the Handel House Museum in central London today, to visit current student Tracy Li at her internship.

As the blue plaque shows, this is where the composer George Frideric Handel lived from 1723 until his death in 1759. Many of his most famous works were composed here, including the Messiah, Zadok the Priest and Music for the Royal Fireworks. As well as some wonderfullly narrow and winding staircases, panelled rooms and creaking floorboards, the museum features two harpsichords, some rather uncomfortable looking furniture, many portraits of Handel and his contemporaries, and a wardrobe of eighteenth century clothes for kids to dress up in. A composer in residence was recently appointed and regularly takes part in concerts, recitals and education events.

Tracy has been working with the museum’s marketing officer Shuk Kwan Liu, focussing on attracting more international tourists to the museum, and targetting international music festivals as well as early music festivals in the UK. She has learned a lot about museum marketing, and has enjoyed having the chance to put some of her own ideas into practice as well.

Tracy seemed especially interested in Handel’s bed, an attractive but rather small four-poster. Apparently he was a large man, yet a small bed suited him well, because, as Tracy explained, “he sometimes ate too much and so he needed to sleep sitting upright”.

Pictured below (L-R) are yours truly, Shuk Kwan Liu and Tracy.

Graduation

Five of our finest graduates (MA CCI, 2005-6) are pictured here, berobed and bemortared, if that’s the right word, just after this year’s ceremony at London’s Barbican Centre. They are (L-R) Tae-Eun Kim, Chloe Preece, Victor Orive-Martin, Jihee Kim and Eugene Ng.

Many thanks to Eugene for sending in this image! Eugene also updated us on his activities since returning to Singapore clutching his degree. “Things are busy at the [Design] Ministry for now as we are going to launch the National Arts Festival in a couple of days time. After which would be the Singapore Design Festival happening at the end of the year, as well as the national cultural promotional programme called ‘Singapore Seasons’ in Shanghai and Beijing. The first ‘Singapore Season’ was held in London in 2005 and it is basically using the Arts and Creative Industries to promote Singaporean culture and the Singapore Brand. And we are planning our showcase at the London Design Festival this year too (and I hope that I will be scheduled for it!!). [...] It is exciting to see it all happening!

“Missing you and everyone in London…. keep in touch and take care!”

American independents

From 1st to 7th June 2007 a selection of award-winning US films will be shown in the heart of central London at the Declaration of Independence Film Festival – with the help of former CCI student Chloe Preece (MA CCI, 2005-6), who is Festival Assistant Producer, and current CCI students Marianna Kaplatzi and Ying Xiong, working as volunteers.

Films showing at the festival include a crime drama short on the streets of Detriot for a micro budget of $541 (The Death of Michael Smith); the first independently-produced carbon neutral film (Sweet Land); and the screenwriting debut of Generation X author Douglas Coupland (Everything’s Gone Green).

Chloe wrote to us: “I especially recommend Before the Music Dies for you music fans!”

The festival is taking place in Bloomsbury at the Renoir Cinema and the nearby alternative arts venue, the Horse Hospital. More details at www.declarationfilmfest.org.

Welcome to Shanghai

In the first of a series of reports from CCI internships, here’s a photo of Kate Rosser (and friend), who is currently in Shanghai on an 8-week internship with PR agency Adventi. Kate is shown here at a shooting in the fashion business Bonpoint. Other clients she has worked with recently include Moet and Chandon, and the bakery Paul.

Kate writes: “work is very good, written a couple of press releases and new release for various companies – all fantastic opportunities, at an internship in London or anywhere else, there is no way i would have access to clients like this or come close to doing anything like a press release!”

Our contact in Adventi is 2004-5 CCI student Anne Wu, who is very kindly taking care of Kate while she’s out there.

It’s Kate’s first visit to Shanghai, so what does she make of the city? “I personally think its incredibly different from any other city ive been to. Really difficult not speaking the langauge, obviously, but I didnt think it would be this much of a culture shock.”

Below is Kate’s favourite pic from her trip so far, taken at the Dolce&Gabbana Private Show and Party and the Martini Bar. You don’t look too culture shocked to me, Kate

The Lives of Others

This is a hearty recommendation for Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s film “Das Leben der Anderen” (The Lives of Others), which is now showing in London. It’s the best film I have seen in a long time.

Made in Germany last year, it won the 2007 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film –but don’t let that put you off.

This film is stylishly produced with plenty of good, old fashioned human interest. Where it really impresses, though, is as a portrait of culture and creativity in the former Eastern bloc, where the state (and in this case especially the East German secret police the Stasi) took an active interest in both the work and the private lives of artists, writers and directors, in addition to overt political dissidents. The result is chilling.

Simply as an historical period piece, “Das Leben der Anderen” works remarkably well. It’s set in East Berlin in the 1980s, and is deeply evocative of the world before glasnost.

But it seems to me that much of the power of this film is not simply historical. The issues that it raises reverberate very uncomfortably today. This is not only for those who still live and work within totalitarian –or at least authoritarian- regimes elsewhere in the world. It also serves to remind those of us who live in considerably more liberal societies that our liberties are not historically inalienable. It also urges us to reflect on how much we should be prepared to accept censorship, surveillance and state control as the price we pay for security.

Crucially, we see in this film that it’s not a question of pantomime villains, of cardboard representations of good and bad. It’s often as much about what ordinary people will do to further their careers or even –probably more painfully- just to get by.

Put another way, if I had a viewing list as well as a reading list for students in CCI, this film would be on it. As you walk out of the cinema and into the street, it makes you look over your shoulder –at history.

Dr Richard Howells

Strummerville

Saw the new Julien Temple documentary Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten yesterday afternoon. It’s a bit long, it won’t convert any new fans, but for the initiated, those who love Joe and/or the Clash, it is essential. Lot of great footage of and insight into the man throughout his life, not all of it positive — in other words, it’s not a hagiography. For Clash fans, the first minute may be worth the price of admission alone, when we see Joe in the studio overdubbing the vocal to “White Riot” in the studio a capella. Make sure your theatre has it turned up loud. Soundtrack looks good too…H

Young entrepreneurs

At the London Book Fair the other week, Lost In CCI bumped into two alumni of the programme, Claire de Braekeleer (2003-4) and Pablo Rossello (2004-5). Since graduation both Claire and Pablo have been working for the British Council in the Creative Economy unit (previously the Creative Industries unit… hmm, interesting change of name). They were at the Book Fair to run the final stages of the International Young Publisher of the Year awards, a initiative launched four years ago to draw attention to some of the world’s most innovative and energetic young publishers, and to bring them to London to pitch their books at the Fair. This year the winner was S.Anand from India. The Creative Economy unit has launched three further awards for young entrepreneurs in design, film and music.

Eurovision!

Members of CCI are probably too sophisticated to admit this, but this year’s Eurovision Song Contest was as gripping as ever. More than that, the “political” fall out (allegations of block voting, for example) has been even more entertaining than the habitual kitsch. What is extraordinary is the way that people are taking this so seriously. I’ m not joking when I say this would make someone an excellent PhD project. Why do people care so much about not only who wins, but also the manner of their victory? We used only to talk about Eurovision in terms of irony and taste, but now the conversation is turning to popular geopolitics. One thing’s for sure: this isn’t a song contest.

Dr Richard Howells

PS: Thank you Malta, GC, for the 12 points.

Cultural and Creative China

As part of our series of Asian Cultural Industries talks, we’ll be hosting a seminar on Chinese Cultural Policy and Creative Industries here at King’s on Friday 25 May. Dr Michael Keane of Queensland University of Technology will be talking about ‘Culture, catch up and the creative field in China’, followed by Dr Lucy Montgomery of the China Media Centre, University of Westminster, on ‘Policy, technology and commercialization: challenges for China’s film and music industries’.

All are welcome to attend. Further information here.

How effective is your ad?

CCI’s Dr Richard Howells has been been appointed to the panel of judges for this year’s IPA (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) Effectiveness Awards. Recognised by agencies and clients as “adland’s most rigorous award scheme”, the Awards have been running in the UK for 26 years and their format has been taken up in eight other countries. Both commercial and public information campaigns are eligible, and judges include representatives from M&C Saatchi, Channel Four, Campaign, Dyson, BT and Transport for London.

If Lost in CCI gets any freebies, we’ll let you know