&



The
Network
Report

for
Cultural
Olympiad
in
the
North
West

November
2008
 Initial
ideas
from
Debbi
Lander
on
B&E
strand





Curated
by
Dr
Andy
Miah,
University
of
the
West
of
Scotland

Fellow,
FACT,
Foundation
for
Art
and
Creative
Technology,
Liverpool


This
document
arises
from
an
Open
Forum
for
a
network
of
interested
parties

within
the
North
West
on
the
Body
&
Economy
strand
of
the


Cultural
Olympiad
for
the
Northwest.



The
Forum
was
held
in
July
2008
in
Liverpool.
It
was
co‐hosted
by


Culture
Northwest
and
FACT
with
financial
support
from
the
Legacy
Trust
UK.


Report
elements
enabled
by
http://www.wordle.net/



 1

TABLE
OF
CONTENTS

VISION
FROM
NW
CREATIVE
PROGRAMMER

PROGRAMME
OUTLINE

KEY
PROGRAMMING
DIRECTIVES

WHAT
“BODY+ECONOMY”
MEANS
TO
US

PARTICIPANTS’
DISCUSSIONS


CONCLUSIONS


NEXT
PHASE

PARTICPANTS
LIST


 2

VISION
FROM


NW
CREATIVE
PROGRAMMER
|
DEBBI
LANDER



Initial
programming
thoughts
broadly
describe
the
areas
of
interest
that
apply
to
the
B&E
strand.





 3

PROGRAMME
OUTLINE


Body
and
Economy
is
one
of
the
three
programme
strands
of
the
Cultural
Olympiad
in
the
Northwest.

This
programme
strand
explores
our
bodies
and
their
relationship
between
biology,
technology
and
the

emerging
economy
of
human
enhancement.
The
network
created
for
this
strand
met
in
July
2008
to

define
the
framework
for
this
theme
within
the
context
of
the
Olympics,
elite
sports
and
new
media.
It

considered
such
questions
as:


• How
are
technological
cultures
redefining
what
it
means
to
be
human?


• What
is
the
contribution
of
elite
sports
and
new
media
to
this
redefinition?

• With
human
enhancement
being
one
of
the
big
themes
of
the
21st
Century,
what
do
we
mean
by
the

values
of
fair
play,
respect
and
excellence?


The
Forum
explored
opportunities
for
regional
engagement
and
collaboration
with
regard
to
developing

the
Cultural
Olympiad
programme
in
the
Northwest.
Key
local
development
questions
included:



• What
relevant
regional
practice
is
taking
place
that
is
distinctive
to
the
region
and
of

national/international
significance
to
the
theme?


• How
can
2012
be
harnessed
to
develop
enduring
cross
sector
and
inter
disciplinary
collaborations?

• Which
public
agendas
call
for
cultural
commentary
and
attention
through
the
Cultural
Olympiad
in

the
Northwest?



 4

KEY
PROGRAMMING
DIRECTIVES



• Gather
information
to
assist
the
programming
of
relevant
content.

• Provide
clarity
to
regional
cultural
agencies
on
programming.

• Establish
the
theme’s
scope–
e.g.
from
science
to
new
media,
or
interdisciplinary,
guidelines
for

programming.

• Establish
a
resource
and
community
list:
related
projects
in
regions,
relevant
organizations,

opportunities
for
partnerships
(and
development
objectives).

• Identify
relevant
policy
stakeholders
who
can
assist
in
facilitating
the
Northwest’s
vision
for
its

contribution
to
the
UK
wide
Cultural
Olympiad.

• Develop
a
cross‐sector
approach
to
programming
that
allows
the
fostering
of
partnerships
within
the

community
around
the
Cultural
Olympiad
programme
in
the
Northwest.


• Assist
community
to
understand
formal
mechanism
of
participation.

• Use
the
forum
as
a
developmental
tool.



 5

 








WHAT
“BODY+ECONOMY”

MEANS
TO
US





 6

WHAT
BODY
MEANS
TO
US..


. 



 7

7



WHAT
ECONOMY
MEANS
TO
US...














 8

8








DISCUSSION
SUMMARIES

Participants
at
the
workshop
were
asked
to
outline
their
ideas,
priorities
interests

and
concerns.
The
following
pages
outline
their
conversations,
much
of
which
are

summarized
in
the
preceding
narrative.
Participants
were
divided
into
4
groups.



9

9

GOLD












 10

RED



 11

SILVER














 12

GREEN



 13

CONCLUSIONS


THE
NORTH
WEST
BOASTS
A
THRIVING
BIOTECHNOLOGY

SECTOR,
COMBINING
EXCELLENCE
AND
COMPETITIVE

ADVANTAGE
ACROSS
HIGHER
EDUCATION,
TISSUE

ENGINEERING
AND
THE
CREATIVE
INDUSTRIES.


Delegates
were
offered
presentations
from
Olympic
expert
Dr
Andy
Miah,
Head
of
FACT
Liverpool

Professor
Mike
Stubbs,
pioneering
wheelchairbound
artist
Ann
Whitehurst
and
film‐maker
Adam
Tallon,

to
engage
with
a
wide
range
of
ideas
related
to
B&E.
The
BBC’s
Head
of
Regional
Programmes,
Tamsin

O’Brien
was
invited
to
chair
the
proceedings
drawing
the
community
into
discussions
about
the
role
of
the

media
in
working
with
the
Cultural
Olympiad.
Chief
Executive
for
Culture
Northwest
Libby
Raper

introduced
the
speakers,
also
providing
a
context
for
discussions.




 14

The
leading
edge
of
sport
culture
needs
to
be
addressed;
where
emerging
and
alternative
sports,

integrated
with
digital
gaming
technology
expresses
the
future
of
sport
for
some
young
people.




Connecting
the
Olympics
and
Paralympics
requires
specific
new
attention;
recognizing
the
important
role

of
DaDa
Fest
in
the
Northwest.
A
discussion
point
was
the
advancement
in
prosthetic
devices
acting
as
a

catalyst
to
the
Olympics
and
Paralympics
merging
programmatically
by
2012
and
therefore
what
issues
this

raises
in
terms
of
greater
visibility
for
the
Paralympics,
but
potential
loss
of
support
for
its
Movement?



Connecting
culture
and
science
was
identified
as
a
key
opportunity
for
the
B&E
strand,
specifically
in
the

context
of
regional
distinctiveness
i.e.
drawing
on
and
promoting
our
pioneering
status
–
as
the
birthplace

of
the
industrial
revolution
and
the
leaders
in
areas
of
biotechnology
and
therefore
the
biological

revolution
of
our
future.




Leveraging
expertise
in
anti‐doping
through
the
communications
opportunities
around
the
Cultural

Olympiad.
Partnerships
could
be
formed
to
build
a
critical
mass
of
attention
around
the
harms
of
doping

and
the
way
that
emerging
technologies
might
change
the
capacity
and
values
of
anti‐doping.
Linking
to

the
wider
social
context
of
substance
abuse,
opportunities
to
programme
and/or
drive
development
of

youth
led
projects
using
arts
and
culture
to
raise
issues
of
substance
abuse.



Drive
debate
around
healthy
living
and
elite
sports,
particularly
the
space
for
young
people
to
engage

with
the
Olympic
values
and
the
recognition
of
the
significant
health
challenges
in
the
Northwest.




 15



Dance
was
discussed
as
a
toy,
tool
and
container
for
expressing
the
identity
of
youth

culture,
sub
cultures

and
also
humanity.
Dance
in
all
its
forms
from
contemporary
to
street
connects
art
and
sport
and

embraces
both
the
competitive
and
co‐operative
elements
of
body
based
cultural
practices.
It
offers

opportunities
to
debate
image
and
identity,
connect
culture
to
the
health
agenda
and
to
connect
culture
to

the
Olympic
context
through
the
art/sport
link.




The
Olympic
Truce
provides
an
integrated
opportunity
to
develop
partnerships
towards,
for
instance,

conflict
resolution
and
development.




A
step‐change
in
participation
and
engagement
is
central
to
discussion
about
the
role
of
the
arts
and

cultural
sector
in
providing
excellence
of
engagement
opportunity
and
inclusion
commitments
through
the

Cultural
Olympiad.
It
was
noted
that
the
Northwest
is
a
diverse
area,
but
that
there
is
work
to
be
done
in

integrating
communities
further,
celebrating
their
differences
through
the
common
endeavour
of
the

Cultural
Olympiad.
Understanding
the
process
of
involvement
was
critical
to
participants,
particularly
given

the
complex
branding
issues
that
surround
the
Games.



Knowledge
transfer
can
be
achieved
through
the
Cultural
Olympiad,
by
connecting
regional
research

projects
which
relate
to
the
Body
and
Economy
and
the
using
the
Higher
Education
sector
to
facilitate

debate
around
the
theme.






 16

NEXT
PHASE


In
February
2009,
the
Northwest
will
launch
its
cultural

legacy
project,
WE
PLAY
and
in
March
2009
there
will
be
a

trailblazer
for
the
major
legacy
programme
linked
to
the

Body
and
Economy
Stand
–
the
new
Northwest
festival
of

film
and
digital
culture,
AND
(Abandon
Normal
Devices).




This
will
provide
a
further
opportunity
for
stakeholder

dialogues.



 17

PARTICIPANTS
LIST


 

Max
Alder
University
of
Liverpool

 Tom
Kelly,
young
person,
FACT

Philip
Birtles
Outside‐Centre
 Debbi
Lander
London
2012

Cathrina
Bourke
FACT
 Peter
Mearns
North
West
Development
Agency


Jackie
Brennan
Regional
Public
Health
Group
 Sam
Meech

Artist

Mardi
Brown
Culture
Northwest
 Andy
Miah
FACT/University
of
the
West
of
Scotland

Tim
Brunsden
Artist
 Pascale
Moyse
moves

Neil
Chester
John
Moores
University
 Amy
Mullen
young
person,
FACT

Heather
Cochorane
FACT
 Tamsin
O
Brien
BBC
North
West

Gareth
Cross
Sport
England
 Bren
O
Callaghan
BBC
Live
Sites


Gina
Czarnecki
artist
sole
trader
 Erinma
Ochu
Manchester
Beacon
for
public
engagement

John
Devine
North
West
Development
Agency
 John
O'Shea
The
Meat
Licence
Proposal

Laura
Drane
Laura
Drane
Associates
 Jim
Parry
Leeds
University

Alayna
Ellis
North
West
Disability
Arts
Forum

 Steve
Parry
Ambassador,
UK
Sport

Abigail
Gilmore
Culture
Northwest
 Libby
Raper
Culture
Northwest

Maggie
Graham
Mencap
 Mark
Remarkable
Performer

Sam
Gray
Manchester
Metropolitan
University
 Mike
Stubbs
FACT

Chris
Guthrie
University
of
Salford
 Josie
Sykes
Museum
of
Science
and
Industry

Julia
Hanna
Liverpool
Culture
Company
 Mary
Tabbon
Freelance
Events
producer

John
Hunt
University
of
Liverpool
 Adam
Tallon
filmmaker

Rebecca
Johnson

young
person,
FACT
 Kate
Taylor
FACT

Alison
Jones
NWDAF
 Ann
Whitehurst
Outside‐Centre

Maureen
Jordon
Arts
Council
of
England
North
West
 Brian
Wynne
Lancaster
University

Julia
Keenan
Arts
Council
England
North
West
 



 18