foundationsand contracts. in this process many institutions have also developed a research
infrastructure, policy and strategy with identifiable and accessible outcomes enabling
them to take advantage of their national contexts and identifiable areas for supporting
research through funding bodies.
By underlining the important role of the funding bodies elia pointed at a crucial
issue for the future of artistic research. From where will the necessary funds come?
From government sources, research councils or from third party contract? plus – an
equally important question: what type of research is worth funding?
research and the ‘creative industries’a google search on the combination of the terms ‘creative industries’ and ‘research’
yields some 575,000 hits (January 2010). This is an indication of the fact that the creative
industries are seen increasingly as important factors in the national and international
economy.
in the united Kingdom the mapping of the creative industries started as a
political initiative in the late 1990s. other countries swiftly drew inspiration from
this exercise and the subsequent discussion focussed on ways and means to enhance
the competitiveness of arts and design through research and development activities.
The growing economic impact of the creative industries was subsequently used as an
argument for the funding of research in and through the arts.
a number of universities worldwide have created some form of research unit in
this field, particularly in the uK, australia and new zealand. some of these units
are oriented towards the business sector; others are initiatives promoted by regional
councils or local authorities with the aim of providing new job opportunities. even so
there is, in many cases, room for research and development projects involving the fine
and performing arts.
Just to take one example: the auckland university of Technology in new zealand has
established a Creative industries Research institute, a hub which weaves together the
many creative strands running through the Faculty of design and Creative Technologies.
according to the university the aim is to create a focal point for collaborative research
and practice between the varied areas of expertise, encourage excellence and promote
the innovation that is core to many of the creative industries. The definition of ‘creative
industries’ is a very wide one, as can be expected in a university of this kind with its
particular focus on the interaction of technologies and design. however, a Centre for
performance Research is also part of the institute which was set up in 2007.
switzerland is another country in which practice- based research in the arts is
partially linked to the creative industries. This was underlined by the Rector of the
zürcher hochschule der Künste, hans- peter schwarz, in a conference speech in 2008.
he noted that the discourse on the creative industries has been mixed with the debate
on arts- based research over the past few years. Representatives of the art schools have
increasingly tended to make this connection as a way of legitimizing the developing
research activities. he envisaged that this line of argument will be even stronger in the
wake of the international financial crisis and particularly in switzerland this utilitarian
approach for education in the arts has been fundamental because of the fact that it has
been by and large privately organized.