Final Report

Creative Industries: Historical, artistic, economic and legal principles

Summer School

15 – 20 July 2007, Yasnaya Polyana

The Summer School was focused on a cross-disciplinary field which had been so far a terra incognita for the Russian academic milieu. Over the Summer School the creative industries were explored both as a scientific agenda and a practical challenge embedded in post-industrial context. Creativity was regarded by the organisers not only as the core issue but also as the key method of the Summer School.

The project was aimed at:

• embedding the concept of creative industries in Russian academic milieu;
• showcasing the academic potential of cross-disciplinary research in the field of creative industries;
• contributing to integration of Russian academic programmes into the practically-oriented international methodological context;
• creating scientific, legal and practical tools for promoting creative industries development in Russia.

The main targets of the project were:

• developing the students’ understanding of historical, economic and legal patterns of creative industries evolution;
• advocating the in-depth study of creative industries as an asset for updating various academic fields and enhancing their practical output;
• offering guidelines for elective and subsequently core units in creative industries for university humanitarian departments;
• encouraging students to explore the creative industries phenomenon in their theses.

Selection Procedure

The participants of the Summer School were selected among the senior students and lecturers of Russian universities supported by Oxford Russia Fund. The applicants were invited to submit an essay exploring the role of creativity in the modern world.

The evaluation committee comprising Mikhail Gnedovsky, Georgy Nikich, Alla Sergievskaya and Elena Zelentsova selected 25 best entries out of 72 submitted to the competition.

The evaluation criteria comprised:

• the conformance of the entry with the competition terms;
• the use of appropriate analytical approaches and methods;
• the originality of the ideas expressed in the essay;
• the authenticity of the submitted text.

Selecting the Summer School participants, the organisers sought to make a team of creative young people willing to apprehend the logic of cross-disciplinary research and eager to find practical implementation for the acquired theoretical base.

24 applicants out of 25 invited attended the Summer School (including one paying participant). The participants, specialising in economics, history, journalism, law, linguistics, philology, philosophy and political sciences, came from 7 Russian Universities. more about the participants

Project Organisers and Partners:

• Cultural Policy Institute; more
• Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy, UK; more
• Creative Industries Agency;
• Faculty of Cultural Management, Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences; more
• Yasnaya Polyana Museum-Estate. more

Lecturers and Facilitators:

• Dr Konstantin Bogdanov, Visiting Professor, University of Constance, Germany; Leading Researcher, The Institute of Russian Literature (The Pushkin House), Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg. – Lecturer.
• Dr. Tom Fleming, Director, Tom Fleming Creative Consultancy, UK. – Lecturer; Expert, Creative Industries: Russian Dimension Seminar.
• Mikhail Gnedovsky, Ph.D., Director, Cultural Policy Institute; Expert, the Council of Europe; Member, Committee, the European Museum Forum. – Chair, Creative Industries: International Dimension Study Session; Lecturer; Group Facilitator.
• Elena Melville, Financial Director, Cultural Policy Institute. – Lecturer; Group Facilitator.
• Georgy Nikich, Ph.D., Lecturer, Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences; Curator, Moscow International Culture Plus Forum. – Lecturer; Group Facilitator.
• Prof. Justin O'Connor, Programme Leader, M.A. in Culture, Creativity and Entrepreneurship, University of Leeds. – Lecturer.
• Elena Zelentsova, Programme Director, Cultural Policy Institute. Lecturer, Faculty of Social and Cultural Project Development, Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences. – Chair, Creative Industries: Russian Dimension Seminar; Lecturer.

Among the guests of the Summer School were Anthony Smith CBE and Boris Saltykov, Trustees, Oxford Russia Fund; Dr. Alla Sergievskaya, Moscow Representative, Oxford Russia Fund; Elena Kniazeva, Acting Editor-in-Chief, Vokrug Sveta (Around the World) Magazine.

Location

The Summer School was held on the premises of Yasnaya Polyana Museum-Estate. The studying sessions took place in the state-of-the-art Educational Centre situated in the office building of the museum. The evening discussions were held in a conference room of the hotel where both students and teachers were staying. The participants visited the memorial exhibitions of the Leo Tolstoy Estate and the innovative projects developed by the museum were the subject of a practical exercise (see below – Project Evolution: from concept to implementation Business Game).

Duration

6 days, 65 hours of studies.

Programme

The Summer School programme comprised lectures delivered by leading experts in the field, discussions and practical training.

Lectures

• Traditional Humanities and Project-Oriented Thinking: the potential of cross-disciplinary studies and practical dimension of scientific research; A Piece of Art in the Post-Industrial Era, by Konstantin Bogdanov;
• Arguments in Favour of Creative Industries Development in Russia; Creative Industries and Urban Development, by Mikhail Gnedovsky;
• Creative Industries and Economic Development; Creative Industries and Creative Clusters in the UK, by Tom Fleming;
• Legal and Economic Aspects of the Creative Industries Development in Russia, by Elena Melville;
• The Art of Benefit and the Benefit of Art; The History of Contemporary Art and Art Market; The Potential of the Contemporary Art: interpretation, communication, art market, by Georgy Nikich;
• Creative Industries and Post-Industrial Development; Creative Industries and Urban Development, by Justin O’Connor; Creative Clusters and Agencies in Russia, by Elena Zelentsova.

Practical Activities

Everyday practical sessions featured group work, discussions and business games aimed at developing the issues brought up by the lecturers.

15.07.07 / Post-Industrial Development – Round Table Discussion and Group Work

The participants were encouraged to name the key features characterising the post-industrial society. The resulting list featured: acculturation, communication, creativity, diversification, flexibility, freedom of choice, glocalisation, high density of the milieu, humanism, identity, information, innovativeness, intellectualisation, mobility, multiculturalism, openness, self-realisation, swift changes, tolerance, virtualisation, merging of work, play and leisure.

At the beginning, the participants discussed in detail the concept of the freedom of choice. Then they were assigned to 4 mixed groups, each of them featuring students of various specialisations coming from different cities. The groups were asked to choose some of the characteristic features of the post-industrial society and develop them into project ideas for the post-industrial development of a Russian city. The developed ideas were presented and discussed over the evening session.

16.07.07 / Creative Industries and Urban Development – Round Table Discussion and Group Work

Over this practical session, the participants were divided according to their specialisation, the groups resulting to be: (1) historians and political scientists; (2) economists; (3) philologists and linguists; (4) lawyers; (5) psychologists and philosophers.

The students were encouraged to consider their potential professional impact on the urban development.

The groups advanced the following ideas:

1. Historians and political scientists: Ensuring flexible transition from the industrial to a post-industrial image of the city;

2. Economists: Developing post-industrial strategies of social and economic development;

3. Philologists and linguists: Creating a new brand of the city;

4. Lawyers: Providing legal support for the independent creative professionals;.

5. Psychologists and philosophers: Running a psychological aid service in a post-industrial city.

The projects were discussed over the evening session.

17.07.07 / Creative Industries Development: Presentation of international practically-oriented scientific studies

The lecturers presented three international cross-disciplinary studies aimed at exploring the role of culture in the post-industrial development.

Konstantin Bogdanov presented a cross-disciplinary research carried out by the University of Constance that brought together layers, economists and sociologists who reflected on the contemporary social trends through an analysis of philological papers exploring legal and economic issues in classical literature.

Justin O’Connor presented the methodology and findings of a research carried out in Manchester in late 1990s. The research was aimed at assessing the economic impact of the creative professionals working in the city. The findings of the investigation provided the basis for the local strategy of creative industries development.

Tom Fleming told the audience about the activities of various British agencies specialising in creative industries development, cultural commodities marketing, intellectual property protection and culture-led urban regeneration.

18.07.07 / Project Evolution: From concept to implementation – Business Game

The students were encouraged to develop project ideas for Yasnaya Polyana Museum-Estate. The individual and group projects were submitted to the organisers and evaluated by an expert committee comprising Mikhail Gnedovsky, Georgy Nikich and Elena Zelentsova.

The criteria for the evaluation were: (1) the creative value of the project; (2) its impact on territorial development; (3) its feasibility.

The winning projects were: (1) Hotel Library (2) Dramatised Guided Tours (3) Promenade Trails (4) Keepsake Ticket.

In the second part of the business game, the authors of the best ideas were asked to formulate the objectives of their projects.

The game facilitators explained to the participants the distinction between the objectives and targets of a project and specified different stages of project development.

19.07.07 / Promoting Your Ideas: Business planning in the cultural sector – Business Game 

The participants were assigned to 4 groups that were given the task to create three catch phrases to promote a Russian city chosen out of those presented at the Summer School. The groups selected the cities of Tver, Perm, Irkutsk and Vladivostok.

The general discussion of the catch phrases was followed by an expert evaluation given by Tom Fleming, Mikhail Gnedovsky, Georgy Nikich, Alla Sergievskaya and Elena Zelentsova, the criteria for the catch phrase evaluation being: (1) its international, national or local dimension, and (2) its pre-industrial, industrial or post-industrial charactiristics.

The expert evaluation was reflected on a map representing the place of the catch phrase in global/local and industrial / post-industrial context.

Group Work over Creative Industries: Russian Dimension Seminar 

The participants were divided into three mixed groups, featuring representatives of various specialisations and different cities.

On 18.07.07, that was the first day of the Seminar, the groups were given the task to choose a Russian city and assess its potential for creative industries development.

On 19.07.07, the groups were asked to develop project ideas for those cities.

On 20.07.07, the last day of the Seminar, they were assigned to expand their project ideas and make final presentations.

Project Ideas Developed by the Participants over the Creative Industries: Russian Dimension Seminar

Group 1 (Facilitator: Georgy Nikich) The Tver Region Creative Development Programme

The group’s efforts were focused on developing a multi-level system of creative institutions in the city of Tver. The main challenge revealed at the analytical stage was the notion of Tver as ‘just a city between Moscow and St. Petersburg’, i.e. a city short of identity. The solution was sought in the development of a variety of projects: from setting up the conditions for creative self-fulfilment of different communities to development of new city brands.

The project included:

• The MosT (Bridge) Project: organising a series of festivals bridging Tver with other cities (Chemnitz, Yablonec, Perm, etc.);
• The TATI Project: establishing a creative initiatives agency in the city;
• The ARTver Project: converting an existing cinema theatre into a creative cluster.

Group 2 (Facilitator: Mikhail Gnedovsky) The Process Agency for Creative Industries Research and Development

The group proposed to establish an independent Russian agency for creative industries development. The mission statement, functions, objectives and main areas of activity of the agency were defined.

To illustrate the work of the agency, a series of pilot projects were developed, including:

• bringing the Formula-1 car races to the city of Irkutsk;
• developing the Students’ Village: a university creative cluster on the territory of a former factory in Novgorod the Great.

Group 3 (Facilitator: Elena Melville)

Project 1: Vanguard Creative Cluster in the city of Togliatti

The group developed a detailed business project of a creative cluster bringing together designers of Togliatti.

Project 2: A Centre for Professional Orientation for Students of the Humanitarian Departments in the Tomsk State University

The project was aimed at encouraging students to discover their creative potential and to find practical implementation for their professional knowledge and skills.

Key Outcomes

(1) The Summer School allowed the participants to explore the post-industrial society and creative economy agenda, showcased the role of the humanities and culture in the progress of cities, and presented the methodology of cross-disciplinary research and development.

(2) The students acquired basic skills of project development and business planning. Several creative project ideas generated over the Summer School are feasible enough to be subsequently implemented both in and outside the universities.

(3) The students were encouraged to incorporate the creative economy and creative industries development issues in their graduation and post-graduation theses.

Further Project Development

Further project activities may include:

• providing expert assistance in developing projects conceived over the Summer School sessions;
• organising annual Summer Schools covering a broader scale of cross-disciplinary practices in the field;
• supplying the university libraries with books exploring various issues of post-industrial society, urban development and creative economy.