Sharing knowledge and building connections
Future Festivals South Africa explores the possibilities for cultural festivals in the Age of Covid-19. In collaboration with Rhodes University, King’s College London presents an international project titled Future Festivals South Africa: Possibilities for the Age of Covid-19. The project asks participants to collectively envision the kinds of spaces and places for future festivals. The project is partnering with some of the country’s most important festivals and will be seeking to develop an inclusive network of stakeholders. The project brings together an interdisciplinary team of researchers including cultural economists, cultural policy researchers and creative labour specialists.
It aims to build an understanding of how Covid-19 has affected the arts and cultural festivals in South Africa. Using this information to encourage new ideas for the future, including new business models and new audience approaches. Data collection has been carefully designed to integrate mixed methods and to involve a wide range of research participants including festival organisers, creative producers, and festival audiences. Qualitative interviews and focus groups will be conducted with festival organisers and creative producers.
National Arts Festival 2030 a collective collage
Future Festivals South Africa is working with the National Arts Festival as a research partner to find out: What will the National Arts Festival look like ten years from now? Led by artists Duduetsang Lamola (blk banaana) and Francois Knoetze, this open-call invites you to playfully speculate and dream the kinds of spaces, places and people you would like to see form part of the National Arts Festival in the year 2030.
Future Festivals South Africa asks creatives to participate by creatively contributing to the project. Lamola and Knoets will incorporate and draw participant’s contributions in the creation of an interactive 360 video world of this future festival.
How to participate:
Be inspired, and create your response in any format you prefer. It may be helpful to consider some or one of the following questions.
- How would I like to experience NAF in the future?
- What is the position of the ‘audience’?
- What kind of tools are making my experience of the festival possible?
- What might artwork look like in ten years time?
- What might the spaces and environments look or feel like?
- What kind of ‘public’ do you imagine engaging in the NAF of the future?
- Who invests in the festival in 2030?
For more information click here: https://www.future-festivals.org/National-Arts-Festival-Letters-from-the-Future.html
