The Culture Academy hosted a fireside chat with Professor Andy Pratt on January 19, 2024, in conjunction of the Singapore Art Week 2024. The discussion, moderated by Chng Hak-Peng, delved into "The Art of Progress: Exploring Impact and Developing Capabilities in the Creative Economy." It emphasized the need to recognize the innovative and diverse nature of the creative economy, encompassing various art forms like computer games and visual art. The definition of the creative economy should be adaptable and inclusive to accommodate its evolution.
Understanding the creative economy involves challenging existing narratives, acknowledging its economic contributions, impact on social agendas, and influence on government structures. Policymakers and statisticians should broaden their perspective and update data collection methods to capture its vibrancy. Supporting the sector requires an ecosystem approach, identifying strengths and weaknesses, and recognizing the role of institutions, networks, intermediaries, and gatekeepers. Additionally, supporting knowledge exchange involves acknowledging relational learning, mapping access and barriers to local knowledge systems, and integrating forecasts into local systems for awareness and change stimulation.
Speaker
UNESCO Chair of Global Creative Economy, Director of the Centre of Culture and the Creative Industries,
Professor of Cultural Economy,
City, University of London
Andy Pratt previously established the first Department of Culture and the Creative Industries in the world at King’s College London. He previously taught at LSE, and UCL, and had held visiting professor positions at many institutions including SMU (Singapore) and ZHdK/ETH, Zurich. He specializes the analysis of the cultural industries globally. This research has three strands. The first focuses on the social and economic dynamics of clustering and knowledge exchange. The second strand concerns the definition and measurement of employment in the cultural, or creative, industries. The third concerns cultural governance and policy making at the national, regional and urban scales. He has worked with UNESCO, UNCTAD, WIPO, the World Bank and many national and city government on these topics. His current research concerns trans-local cultural production chains and is funded by EU Horizon 2020. He has previously explored projects on urban creative economy, clustering, knowledge transfer, innovation and creativity. He has worked with UNESCO, UNCTAD, WIPO and many national and city government on these topics. Until 2023 he was Editor-in-Chief of the international interdisciplinary journal City, Culture and Society.
Moderator
Fellow,
Culture Academy,
Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
Chng Hak-Peng is a Fellow of the Ministry of Culture, Community, and Youth’s Culture Academy, which champions the development of the next generation of Singapore’s cultural leaders in the public and private sectors. In professional practice, he is a strategy and leadership advisor to companies going through acquisitions, mergers, and transformation. He has more than 20 years of hands-on leadership and management experience across Asia and the United States of America.
From 2015 to 2022, Hak-Peng served for eight years as Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Symphony Group, the country’s flagship classical music organization that manages the full-time professional national orchestra, several amateur orchestral and choral ensembles, as well as the Singapore market for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. During his time, he focused on the development of the international brand of the orchestra, as well as nationwide community, youth, and education programmes.