Sparking an exchange of ideas

Vivid Ideas 2014 will engage leaders from over 16 creative disciplines in a captivating ideas exchange.
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Vivid Ideas festival director Jess Scully. Image courtesy Destination NSW.

One of the strongest aspects of allied creative industries is the ability for like-minded artists to form collaborations and to bring ideas to life for their consumers and audiences.

In this spirit, Vivid Ideas 2014 will soon capture the imagination of local and international thought leaders, artists and entrepreneurs from across the creative sector, as they use the unique meeting point of a festival platform to facilitate a cross disciplinary conversation.

‘Innovation happens at the intersection of disciplines,’ said Vivid Ideas Festival Director Jess Scully.

‘You start to get these different perspectives and new combinations and possibilities come out of that. Unexpected products, unexpected opportunities, works or responses to problems.’

Scully said that when you see an industry through someone else’s eyes, it is surprising to see what emerges.

‘I’ve found that really inspiring things come about when you have an animator working with a biotechnologist, or when you have an architect working with a filmmaker,’ she said.

Vivid Ideas, which welcomed some 10,000 attendees in 2013, spans an impressive program of 200 events centred on the core themes of creativity, innovation and their relationship to the business world.

According to Scully, it is this factor that separates Vivid Ideas from other similar events.

‘Vivid Ideas can be thought of as an annual opportunity to get together and find out what the big trends are in your field, whether you’re in film or art or fashion or science or marketing – you name it,’ she said.

This exchange of ideas forms one third of the greater Vivid Sydney program, where hundreds of thousands of people can also look forward to enchanting light displays and a cutting-edge contemporary music program across Sydney. 

‘At the same time as all this exciting entertainment is going on around the city, activating public spaces and venues for 18 days, we’re also running a really in depth creative industries professional development program,’ said Scully.

From 23 May to 9 June, events will be held across a variety of venues including Carriageworks and Museum of Sydney, with the primary venue known as the Vivid Ideas Exchange to be located at Level 6 of the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Scully said that both individuals and organisations will be given a forum to meet, identify and exchange challenges and opportunities, but to also showcase work and develop key business contacts. 

Everything from architecture and visual arts, through to interior design and fashion, music production, filmmaking, app design and gaming is explored in the festival program, with participants given the chance to meet interesting and motivated people who work both in similar fields and from different walks of life.

‘When you’re working as a creative practitioner you realise that a lot of people have the same questions and that actually we’re all learning and facing the same sort of problems,’ she said.

Regardless of whether you freelance or work for a larger business, Scully said that participation in the festival results in a much stronger interplay between those who formally identify as artists or creative practitioners and those who are engaged with the corporate sector. .

 ‘It’s really flipped. We’re seeing that the corporate sector, big business, government and media – formally the “big end of town” – are appreciating creative thinking and innovation as imperative to their prosperity,’ she said.           

‘There is also a greater awareness of how storytelling and developing holistic and inclusive experiences is a really crucial part of audience engagement.’

‘For example, skills that people in theatre, in architecture or interior design have are now important in the retail sector when it comes to creating a positive brand perception,’ she said.

A standout feature of the program will be a number of exclusive internationally renowned Keynote Speakers, who as leaders in their field will share their knowledge and insights with audiences.

‘When we are briefing our key speakers, we always ask them to think of the five key things they’d like people to take away from their presentations, and how to apply it in practice,’ said Scully.

‘That way it’s about more than coming to see someone’s beautiful portfolio or body of work, it’s also about figuring out how to enhance what you do every day,’ she said.

The Portfolio Masterclass, as Vivid Idea’s longest running program, will feature targeted sessions where emerging practitioners can meet with established creative directors and industry leaders for advice and a potential break.

‘From that process, we’ve heard of many people being hired. We rarely get that opportunity to get that no strings attached, totally honest insight,’ said Scully. 

‘People at different levels can reflect on their careers. It’s great to have this once a year opportunity where people sit with their peers, or with others who might be a few rungs ahead on the ladder and get some really genuine feedback,’ she said.

‘It’s inspiring and a great way to get inspired, but it’s about applied inspiration. It’s about learning something new and then immediately figuring out how that relates to your practice.’

Vivid Ideas, the creative professional development arm of Vivid Sydney runs from 23 May to 9 June 2014.

For an advanced copy of the indispensable A5 Vivid Ideas guide posted to you, please click the link and subscribe.

For more information and tickets visit the Vivid Ideas website.

Troy Nankervis
About the Author
Troy Nankervis is an ArtsHub journalist from Melbourne. Follow him on twitter @troynankervis