We’re very pleased to have this guest blog post from Katriona Beales www.katrionabeales.com – thank you Katriona!:
With best networking hat on I set off for the first Rewire London Unconference event, looking to plug AIR membership (alongside Jack Hutchinson) and also do a bit of detective work as to whether this format of event might prove a useful model for future AIR Forums.
Organisers Alison Coward and Sinead Mac Manus are self-proclaimed techies, and have benefited from the various tech Unconferences happening in London. Inspired by these experiences, and puzzled by the lack of a similar event tailored to the wider creative sector, they set up Rewire London (www.rewirelondon.org). They describe Rewire London as “a one-day co-created, experimental and energising event for creative freelancers and businesses.” Unconferences lie somewhere between the more traditional conference format and Open Space Technology, and were inspired by web culture and the way that online communities drive content as opposed to consume a program of events. Unconferences offer a mix up of planned and spontaneous events, combining the traditional, structured presentations by invited guests with space for participants to discuss, debate and share expertise in their own slots. You decide what you are interested in, and when you stop being interested you move on. It’s a format that’s works well for creative people – highly flexible, very responsive and immediate. It also releases the potential of the participant who often has a consumption role rather than one of knowledge transfer.
As always the most enjoyable and professionally useful incidents came through interacting with fellow creatives during the event. There was some debate as to whether the Open Space approach might work better for an artists gathering, as there is a tendency to settle in the structured sessions as they require less stepping outside of your comfort zone. This can limit interaction between participants, and consequently miss the meeting of minds moments. The importance of collaboration was a theme repeatedly touched on, particularly in the current climate and with even darker clouds looming. Consequently, adequate space for networking and new conversations is vital for any future AIR Forum. Additionally, the venue needs to be chosen carefully to provide the right mix of break out areas and central meeting points. RichMix in Shoreditch had some unusual spaces such as a mezzanine but there was some noise spill into other sessions.
There was some useful content from an artist’s point of view. In particular, Sponsume.com presented their web-based crowd-funding platform, which could provide a model for artists to generate funding for projects aside from the usual public funding routes. I also really benefited from a talk on augmented reality as it brought me more up-to-date with recent developments in the digital sector (www.augmentedplanet.com for more details). Much of the innovation in this area is commercially driven and the combined factors of prohibitive cost, and pace of innovation can restrict access for most artists.
Rewire London made good useful of private sector sponsorship, enabling Courvoisier cocktails and a prize draw of genuinely useful giveaways like free business cards. The day was also expertly facilitated by Alison and Sinead. The not-for-profit ethos and price structure, also geared the event to affordability for the self-employed. These are all areas that it is worth carefully considering when it comes to planning the AIR Forum.
All in all a very stimulating day – thanks to AIR and Rewire London.
Katriona Beales : www.katrionabeales.com
