Boosting the Creative Industry

The Dortmund "U" / Photo: Sonja Werner

The Capital of Culture is involved in this, often unseen, dynamic process with a number of long-term structural projects. The first key element for the support of the creative economy initiated by RUHR.2010 is the new concept developed in 2008 together with other interested parties for using vacant properties and brownfield sites for artists and creative individuals in ten towns throughout the Ruhr region. The "Creative.Quarters" project aims to encourage the influx of foreign artists and to persuade domestic university graduates and school students to remain in the region. Locations and spaces for living and working are being developed, which are exciting and inspiring and offer great scope for new ideas and visions.

This method of urban regeneration is unique, it manages without investment in construction projects and received international recognition from the presentation in the German Pavilion at the Expo Shanghai 2010 and at the Expo Real 2009 in Munich. These initiatives are also closely linked to another major focus of the Capital of Culture: involvement with the architectural heritage of the region.

The second key element is to make the creative minds and driving forces in our region and their themes visible in the European context. The end of the industrial society and change through culture are the mega-themes of current international discussion. The first cross-sector and multi-theme Web TV platform "2010LAB.tv" addresses this development. It brings art, culture, creativity and their proponents together in a multimedia context and gives them visibility. All contributions and articles come from a regional as well as international group of authors and editors, augmented by a Europe-wide community. The items are categorised for retrieval by sector, town and theme. The three main themes of 2010LAB.tv are "Creative Minds", "Creative.Quarters" and "Politics and Strategies".

All these ideas are based on an extended concept of culture. Culture is produced not just by those who until now have been accepted as artists, e.g. painters and musicians, it is also produced by every freelancer or entrepreneur who earns his or her money through artistic or creative activity, which includes film-makers, game-developers and communication experts as well as dancers, theatre-makers and publishers.

In addition to the two main projects introduced to promote "New Existences and Media", RUHR.2010 is also focusing on "Fairs and Markets". Regional commissions for music, games and the communications industry have already been established and more industries are to follow. Here those active in the individual sectors develop their own support measures, which they finance themselves long-term. They address politicians and municipal administrations as a common interest group. The regional collaboration of protagonists from 53 cities encourages the development of new markets - and customers. For instance, the Ruhr Music Commission has initiated the establishment of a studio in the Ruhr for the Grimme Award-winning online radio ByteFM: For the European Capital of Culture year in 2010, ByteFM/Ruhr had its head office at the premises of the former Prinz Regent colliery in Bochum - a national platform for the Ruhr sound and its creators. Thanks to the initiative of the Ruhr Games Commission, the Games Factory Ruhr was established in Mülheim an der Ruhr in 2009 with more than 60 jobs. Further activities are aimed at promoting existing trade fair structures (contemporary art ruhr, bild.sprachen, KUBOSHOW) and the creation of the first cross-sector congress and trade fair for creativity and the economy.

The music industry is a particularly important driving force for change in the Ruhr Metropolis. Because of this, Music has its own structural development concept, which includes the ByteFM/Ruhr Studio, the Ruhr Pop Foundation, a multimedia Jazzatlas and grubenklang.reloaded, a contemporary "pit sound" jazz project in the Ruhr Metropolis. What happened, what is happening and what's going to happen? Answers to these questions are given by original creative artists from the local scene, including Georg Graewe who made an international mark in the 1980s jazz scene with the "GrubenKlangOrchester".

The traditional separation of business, science and culture is an artificial construct these days and obsolete in our knowledge society. Whereas culture was seen in past decades as something "nice to have", it is now a "must have" - particularly for the economic prosperity of a city. And whereas creative activity was seen in previous decades as something exclusive and elitist, it now finds its way into all areas of everyday life and the economy. Policy decisions for the creative economy are therefore part of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary strategy for municipal politics, with a remodelling of policies for education and schools part of the approach. RUHR.2010 showcases this with the "RuhrForum Filmbildung" film education event with five film festivals in Oberhausen, Duisburg, Dortmund, Bochum and Lünen, thereby demonstrating a new model strategy for teaching in schools. Not just for the Ruhr Metropolis but for the whole of Europe!

The "Boosting the Creative Industry" programme consists of four different themes:

New Existences and Media

With its promotion of creativity and the creative industry, the European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010 has broken new ground compared to previous capitals of culture. The focus here is on those involved in the privately funded cultural and artistic scene and the project has pursued three strategic promotion focal points: People, Markets and Media.

For the "People" strategy, urban development areas have been identified in ten towns (Creative.Quarters) to attract creative foreign talents and encourage university graduates to stay in the region. Regional collaboration initiatives (industry sector commissions) have been established that support themselves financially and promote the development of new markets and customers. A good example of the promotion of markets and market structures is the establishment of a Europe-wide congress and trade fair for creativity and the economy as well as support for existing fairs such as "contemporary art ruhr" and the "Living Games Festival".

Media, particularly digital media, today play a central role in creativity, e.g. as a production resource and material, forming "canvas" of the media society. The international ISEA2010 RUHR media festival with around 1,500 media artists from all over the world was hosted in the Ruhr region. RUHR.2010 acts as a global communication platform and addresses the digital issue, a vital prerequisite for maintaining credibility and involvement in today's cultural life. RUHR.2010 and the State Chancellery of NRW have jointly sponsored "2010LAB.tv", the first cross-sector and multi-theme Web TV platform to combine and make visible art, culture, creativity and their protagonists. The common aim is to drive forward social change through culture.
A project combining these three promotion strategies was DESIGNKIOSK RUHR.2010, which featured a change of use for the beloved kiosks of the Ruhr region as presentation areas for design, art and handicraft.       

Jump to the theme: New Existences and Media 

Music

In every city, town and even the smallest province throughout the world, music is a driving force for global media attention as well as for urban development and change. Naturally, this also holds true for the Ruhr Metropolis - from the FZW (Leisure Centre West) in Dortmund as a catalyst for the revitalisation of the site around the Dortmund U through to the recently established "Ruhr Music Commission", a structural initiative run and funded independently by those involved in the music industry. The activities range from showcases and joint advertising through to the creation of a Ruhr studio for the award-winning ByteFM online radio from Hamburg and the establishment of a modern music academy that provides music and music business education far removed from the formulaic talent competitions currently swamping the airwaves.

Although it is important to develop the market and relevant structures for an economically successful music scene, it should not be forgotten that it is the musicians and their music that form the essential core. This includes music festivals such as "Bochum Total" as well as the jazz scene in the Ruhr region, which WDR journalist and jazz aficionado Michael Rüsenberg presented for the first time in the multimedia "Jazzatlas Ruhr". Take the plunge! In addition to introducing young musicians through the "jazzwerkruhr" initiative, the programme will also be showcasing big names of the Ruhr musical scene, e.g. through the "grubenklang.reloaded" contemporary jazz project. What happened, what is happening and what's going to happen? The answers to these questions will be provided i.a. by the original creative forces from the local scene, including Georg Graewe who made an international mark on 1980s jazz with the "GrubenKlangOrchester".

Jump to the theme: Music       

Film Forum

Film is everywhere in 21st century society. Whereas film was formerly the exclusive province of cinema and TV, it is nowadays a continuous presence on mobile phones, in airport lounges and elsewhere. The next generation of TV cameras promises to popularise filming and photography at a high technical level, far removed from those mobile phone clips so frequently characterised as visual pollution. The medium of the generation of the 1980s and 90s was photography and its popularisation transformed not only leisure activities but also entire professional groups, the news and international reporting. Film is the new driving force of the future. It will also be decisive in conveying the modern image of a new Ruhr abroad - a Ruhr Metropolis driving change through culture. But film is also a major factor in the production of new ideas in the Ruhr and in the creation of global visual worlds.

The future of film and media education is the theme of the "Ruhr Forum for Film Education", which started in December 2009. The aim here is to extend active practical involvement with film, the cinema and related media in order to develop attractive and compelling images for children and young adults, as well as for teaching staff at schools and colleges. Various activities and innovations are being initiated in the Ruhr that could act as models for the rest of Europe. The "Ruhr Forum for Film Education" is supported by the following five film festivals: International Women's Film Festival Dortmund/Cologne, CinemaFest Lünen, International Short Film Days Oberhausen, Duisburg Film Week/doxs! (documentary films for children and young people) and Bochum - Film Festival of the Ruhr.

Alongside the launch of these long-term local film initiatives, the internationally renowned European Film Awards ceremony took place in the Jahrhunderthalle in Bochum in December 2009. Around 1200 film makers from all over the world came here in addition to an international TV audience in 40 different countries. The new image of the Ruhr Metropolis was made visible internationally at the start of its year as European Capital of Culture. The event was accompanied by a European Film Week in the cinemas of the Ruhr.

Fairs and Markets

The long-term expansion of the creative industry in the Ruhr Metropolis is necessitating the structural development of related markets and trade fairs - because artistic quality does not find its own markets: it requires vehicles and intermediaries for its commercialisation. This is particularly applicable in the international context.

The Ruhr boasts a number of internationally significant market-makers for the creative economy, for instance the red dot design award and the German Developer Awards. They recognise outstanding products and promote global awareness of same. In our media-oriented society, attracting interest quickly and cost-effectively across regional frontiers has huge economic value, particularly for small companies and start-ups. For RUHR.2010, the development of awards and prizes is a sustainable means of nurturing the Ruhr's creative economy. Indeed, in 2008, RUHR.2010 launched the Creative-Award, the first recipient of which was the online magazine "Spoonfork", in 2009 it was Raul Mandru with his "Surveillance Map" who received the award.

In the area of classic trade fairs and exhibitions too, the creative economy is itself initiating numerous measures that must be given room to flourish - with larger audiences, more customers and Europe-wide marketing. Such initiatives include "contemporary art ruhr", the "bild.sprachen" trade show for applied photography and the KUBOSHOW art fair. Within the design sector, HeimatDESIGN for example, a fair and platform run in Dortmund, is known beyond the Ruhr. Meanwhile, there is also now a new computer-games festival for the gaming segment: "Living Games Festival". With schools and young people as its key target groups, it focuses on learning materials and complements the GamesCom trade fair in Cologne. For architecture and property, a "Creative economy and property" trade show is at the planning stage. Marketplaces and fairs are also being developed in other sectors, and the work will continue after 2010.

Away from industry-specific markets, innovations are now being spawned at the interfaces of traditional careers and economic sectors. This development requires, in turn, a cross-industry trade show that identifies innovations and makes them accessible to a pan-European market. Discovering innovations is, after all, the key to securing the markets of tomorrow. And that’s another reason why RUHR.2010 is establishing CREATIVE EUROPE, the first European congress and exhibition for creativity and the economy. Although the creative economy in Europe generates some 650 billion euro annually, it still does not have a central cross-sector forum and trade fair venue. With North Rhine-Westphalia already playing host to a large number of international flagship fairs, CREATIVE EUROPE will extend the region’s competitive advantage as an exhibition hub within the global creative economy.

Jump to the theme: Fairs and Markets