Creativity does not exist in a vacuum – this is well known. It is just as important to understand that the products of creativity must be published and put into the world in order for them to flourish. Above a certain level of activity, creativity is self-nourishing and self-supporting, but in order for that level to be reached, the work that is created must be consumed by others in as many varied ways as the work itself dictates.
Ideas that have been made into form, communicated and consumed are what fuels more ideas. While the mere publication of texts describing ideas will stimulate a narrow section of society, images, events, buildings, publications and exhibitions will have a far wider effect.
The built environment is one of the most important arenas for the display of ideas and the making of ideas into solid form. Buildings are just one example which is well understood by town planners and brand developers. Modern technologies are increasingly integrating with building and public spaces to meld the virtual worlds with the real worlds. On-line presences are now vital for all public spaces and services, often with interface technology being designed into the fabric of the environment. Public spaces are particularly powerful for the display of creative works and if curated and managed with skill, can play a vital role in associating contemporary values with a city or region.
Local governments perform a vital role in overseeing a coherent policy of creative direction for the built environment. A properly coordinated scheme for the overall ‘design’ of a city or region can have an enormously beneficial effect of attracting international attention and stimulating tourism. However, care must be taken to stay contemporary. This means that talented advice must be sought after and the local decision makers must embrace the concepts of change and risk taking. Decisions to stay ‘safe’ and risk free are in fact the riskiest decisions of all because the scrutiny of international opinion formers is usually well in advance of current trends.
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