Vision for the Arts

This coming Monday at an RSA Arts Council England event ‘The Courage of Funders: risk and innovation in the age of artistic excellence, Alan Davey, chief executive of Arts Council England sets out his vision for the arts for the next three years. Monday 3 November, 6.30pm. More information here.

The Quantum of Security

Centre director Dr Richard Howells was a guest at the cast and crew preview screening of the new James Bond movie “The Quantum of Solace”. This took place before the UK release and even in advance of the Royal Premiere with Princes William and Harry.

Director Marc Forster appeared on stage to congratulate everyone on their work before the lights went down for the main feature.

Richard won’t be reviewing the film before the official opening, but has let slip that this is a very dark picture –and very different from the typical Bond outing. But in addition to the film itself, he was fascinated by the strict security arrangements in place. In a bid to prevent (or at least delay) video piracy, no-one was allowed to take in so much as a mobile phone, while everyone was electronically “frisked” with airport-style metal detectors as they entered. Even inside the auditorium, cast, crew and guests were kept under surveillance by security staff on the lookout for illegal recording devices. For Richard, it all added to the excitement –while at the same time providing a telling reminder of the economics of film distribution in the digital age.

Oh- and if you are wondering how he got in himself, Richard’s wife Sarah worked on the costumes on location in Bregenz, Austria. Look for the scene at the opera.

Media seminars

Lost in CCI is pleased to announce a series of media seminars at King’s next month, hosted by the Centre for Cultural, Media, and Creative Industries Research. All are welcome. The seminars take place at 17.00 – 18.30 every Tuesday in November, in Room K3.11, Strand Campus.

4 November 2008
Independent Television Producers – Boom or Bust?
Huw Walters, Commercial Director, Calon TV

11 November 2008
What’s Wrong with the Music Industry?
Ian Parkinson, Former Managing Editor, BBC Radio 1

18 November 2008
Reporting at the Beijing Olympics: Who’s Navigating the Political Landscape?
Temtsel Hao, Producer, BBC World Service China

25 November 2008
Is Fleet Street a Dead End or the New Super Highway?
Richard Burton, Former Editor of New Media, the Telegraph

Please join us at one (or all!) of our seminars to hear and discuss some of the current issues in the UK’s Media Sectors. Any queries, please contact: lynne.nikolychuk@kcl.ac.uk

Researching the Arts -Why Bother?

Organisers had to put out extra chairs to cater for the demand at the CMCI-initiated “Researching the Arts –Why Bother?” public debate held in the splendour of the Weston Room at KCL’s Maughan Library.

The event was conceived by centre director Dr Richard Howells in collaboration with the Institute of Ideas and the Arts and Humanities Research Council, along with Time Out London as media partners. Interest was such that extra seating had to be arranged, with some 80 people attending the event, including a very healthy showing from MA CCI students.

In addition to Richard Howells, speakers included Paul Glinkowski, Rootstein Hopkins Research Fellow at the University of the Arts; Professor Jonathan Bate, professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature at the University of Warwick, Fellow of the British Academy and Royal Society of Literature and Council member, Arts and Humanities Research Council; and Professor Kim Knott, professor of Religious Studies at the University of Leeds and director of the AHRC Diasporas, Migration and Identities programme. The chair was Tiffany Jenkins, director of the arts and society programme at the Institute of Ideas.

Presentations from the panel were followed by lively debate from the floor, with many interesting questions and comments from a wide variety of people including Institute of Ideas director Claire Fox, also known to a wider public for her work on radio and television, including BBC Radio 4’s “The Moral Maze”.

Richard Howells is delighted with the success of the event and its part in putting the importance of arts research on the political –as well as the academic- agenda.

UPDATE: The debate was featured in the 23-29th October edition of the Times Higher Education, page 8, under the tantalising headline: “Arts PhDs still out of favour with sheep farmers”. Those of you who were there will get the reference! The full article can be seen at : http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=404055&c=1

Memory of Fire

Anyone with an interest in photographs of war should check out the 2008 Brighton Photo Biennial, showing at venues both in Brighton and around Sussex until November 16. Subtitled “The War of Images and Images of War”, “Memories of Fire” contains provocative and often disturbing photographs of armed conflict, past and present.

If you can’t make it to down Brighton, there is still a very good website, which also includes a review of the Frank Hurley exhibition by centre director Dr Richard Howells. Go to: http://www.bpb.org.uk/2008/

The Biennial is curated by Dr Julian Stallabrass of the Courtauld Institute of Art.

King’s Up To 22nd In World University Rankings

King’s College London has risen two places in the World University Rankings 2008, published by The Times Higher Education. This puts King’s at an impressive 22nd place in the world, a rise of two places over 2007, and further establishing its position among the world’s top 25 universities.

Centre for Cultural, Media and Creative Industries Research Director Dr Richard Howells is delighted by the latest ranking, and hopes all students, past and present will, feel justifiably proud of their affiliation with King’s as one of the global élite.

No pressure there, then!

Job ad

Forwarded by a friend of Lost in CCI:

Arts Project Officer (EAZ027/001)
UK Services
Salary up to £33,000 pro rata
Lambeth City Learning Centre, BFI Southbank.

Role :
Part Time 3/4 days a week Fixed term – 31st March 2011

Lambeth City Learning Centre (CLC), currently in residence at the BFI Southbank, supports schools in Lambeth in developing their provision in the arts, family learning and technology. The Centre provides support, advice, projects and training for all schools from nursery to secondary and much of this work is in partnership with our local Lambeth arts organisations and the Southbank Cultural Quarter.

Following an expansion in the arts strand of our programme, the CLC is seeking to recruit an Arts Project Officer to support the extension of current provision, build new partnerships, manage programmes and ensure the smooth running of the arts service.

This post requires project management experience and sound understanding of both the arts and education sectors.

For further information, please download an application pack from the link below. Alternatively email recruitment@cfbt.com (packs will be returned by email), or call our recruitment line on 0118 902 1901.

Please quote reference number EAZ027/001 in all correspondence.

Closing date for applications is 20th October 2008

Interviews will take place 7 November 2008.

Download Information Pack

Visiting Researchers

The Centre for Cultural, Media and Creative Industries now has three visiting researchers as part of the team. Sue Hoyle is Director of the Clore Leadership Programme, Bettany Hughes is a witer and broadcaster, and Antti Tietäväinen of the University of Tampere, Finland. He is researching globalisation, Foucauldian analysis and actor network theory.

To find out more about Sue, Bettany and Antti, go to: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/humanities/depts/cci/visitingresearchers.html