There has recently been much discussion at BIMA about its role at the heart of our industry. BIMA’s been going for longer than any other interactive trade body, and although it had a bad start (and still has a fairly dire website), it now has a leadership that genuinely wants to help support – and challenge – Britain’s new media sector. One of the key planks of this is its desire to get involved in education, in counterpoint to its involvement with advising both inward-looking regulators and outward advocates of British excellence. Education is critical to the future of the credibility of this more ‘official’ role.
However, I’m not entirely sure the direction of this ambition to define what gets taught and how is the whole story, and I think it might be worth putting up for discussion, even outright rejection, a slightly different way of looking at this issue. After all, this is about encouraging people to want to join in and excel to become a new generation of innovators.
As an outside observer (and a long-time critic) of BIMA I must say I do think its ambitions to represent our industry (in terms of helping guide education of those who will become our industry’s future) are laudable. However, this must in my view be done in such a way that it inspires. This means not just setting standards, or circumscribing the arts that go into interactive. Nor, importantly, should it be about describing the needs, somehow, of the future industry by endless discussion in committees of worthies – some of whom will be trying to look at the outside view of the game from the middle ranks of companies that have a vested interest in guiding the directions the business takes, and can afford to donate their time in order to do so. Providing an educational hub for the British industry must not, must not become just another expression of the needs of the vested interests.
Instead, I believe we must simply provide inspiration. D&AD always did this extraordinarily successfully, providing inspiration through access to established talent, providing an open door rather than a long corridor. This inspiration-not-proscription approach should open company doors to students from the earliest possible vocational stages of the curriculum, so they can see what’s possible today and dream of what’s possible tomorrow. BIMA should organise, perhaps even use its subscription fees to pay for, exposure to the very best interactive work that’s being done now, nationally. Workshops, educational days and open access to production studios, museums and galleries, media companies and so on would actually showcase our industry and demonstrate our commitment to its future. Even at the most basic level, providing a variety of sub-sector student awards (at all grades of education) gets kids and undergraduates thinking aspirationally. It might even drive a raised game at the grown-up BIMA awards, still languishing in unfocused and under-committed limbo.
It is imperative that when BIMA does finally achieve its ambitions to become the facilitator of our next generation, it does so simply by providing access to the best of today, to give students something to build on, not be constrained by. And I think that if this were genuinely the policy, and if BIMA were really to champion such an approach, the doors would open. Many of us have been inviting students from our old schools and colleges to see what we do for years, because it gives something back and the very best students keep in touch. I cannot think of a single agency or interactive media organisation that would not welcome the chance to show off the best of its work and the best efforts of its people and provide inspiration for the next generation.
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On January 27th, 2009, Paul Walsh said...
Felix, I’m sure Mirage, Chair of the working group responsible for ‘Inspiring Future Talent’, will reply, but I’d like to contribute to the conversation as I believe I can articulate an analogy which drives this initiative – which I believe is in agreement with your post.
So, my sister Deirdra (http://deebreathnach.com), a 32 year old mature student, is a very talented artist. You could argue that I’m biased and I guess I am. However, famous Irish artists and her own lecturers have bought some of her pieces (paintings – but she’s also a talented creative thinker and writer amongst other things). When she was 2 years into her degree, I asked the obvious – “so sis, what would you like to do when you grow up? Have you ever thought about doing something within the digital industry?” To which she replied “digital? What on earth could I do? What do you mean?”
Deirdra’s creative streak hasn’t just arrived – she has always been creative and has always assumed she’d end up doing something creative. However, for many reasons, she never had the opportunity to pursue her dream.
So, if my 32 year old sister doesn’t know what it means to put her creative talent to good use within the digital/interactive industry, how does a 16 year old coming out of school, know the answer my question?!
This is where I see BIMA playing a part – helping teachers to articulate to students, what digital/interactive is and how they can work within that industry. There are many ways to skin this cat but the first, is to do something that is very goal orientated. It’s all very well and good to demonstrate outstanding work produced by the countries creative agencies. It’s also a good idea to walk them around galleries. However, I think it’s more important to help students realise their own potential. Furthermore, think of the perception of associations in general.
The first on the list of deliverables is to ‘get schools’ involved in the entire process. The BIMA Schools Digital Challenge 2009, addressed to any team within a school or college, is to come up with a ‘Digital’ solution that provides a practical benefit for their community. They will need to develop a concept that provides positive outcomes for those around them. We’ve deliberately kept the brief broad to give them scope for imagination but our key aim is to encourage them to combine creativity and technology with real social benefits.
Quite a few agencies already engage with schools on many different levels. But I’m quite confident that with today’s climate, the CSR element is likely to be the first to get the boot. If it’s not, those same agencies will need to rethink, as it should be if they’re to ensure they optimise their own business potential and generate enough profit to sustain their own business. It’s BIMA’s role, with the help of industry, including agencies and brands, to help ensure we future-proof the creative talent in this country.
Remember, this is not a one-off project. This is a long-term initiative which is likely to take a few years to get right. This will only be achieved if we get you and others to get involved. If you want to demonstrate ‘how’ it should be done, then get in touch with the team and help steer it in the right direction.
If this is the one main thing that starts to take shape by the time I leave BIMA as Chair, I’ll be very proud of the team.
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On January 27th, 2009, Louis Jones said...
This is simple a mammoth task yet one that must be taken up and why not? Marketing has not grown over night, yet a lot of the world stood still whilst it did and that’s why we have millions of flummoxed face.
You walk into a school and mention ‘Viral’ you could get a whisper from the teacher ‘not in front of the kids’. Yet they are the perfect target audience for the growth of the industry. Step into any School, College or University and you are automatically surrounded by talented ambitious individuals with no concept of restraints or limitations. A good college and all universities hold a Web Design course, writing lessons, ‘that I need’, TV studies, Marketing, Art, Project management and Acting. Creating such an open contest and combining the students in a power ranger sort of way merging all areas will inevitable have a positive outcome; not only for the desired goal, yet long term. Intimidated kids do not stay intimidated of growing industries with a little guidance; provide the same guidance to your dad and how would you get on?
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On January 27th, 2009, lorraine warren said...
This is an important debate and one that the EPSRC has recognised to at least some extent with the formation of the Creator cluster project, http://www.creatorproject.org as part of the Digital Economy programme. This project [I am on the Steering Group] is headed by the Mixed Reality Lab at Nottingham, http://www.mrl.nott.ac.uk/ and includes other sites where art and digital activity are combined, eg Culture Lab at Newcastle, Rainbow Group at Cambridge. These groupings may well be recognised in the ongoing EPSRC ‘hub’ bids currently being considered.
You’re probably aware of all that! Perhaps where I can contribute, is that, as a researcher in innovation management, my part in all this is to articulate how value is created and recognised in very early stage experimental work – not just economic value [though this is clearly important to sustainability] but also, meaning, artistic, cultural, technical creative, societal and so on. I do this through spending a lot of time working ‘hands on’ in collaborative projects with creative artists, computer scientists and companies. As well as attempting to publish in academic journals, I also diffuse the outcomes in teaching – currently this is to UG and PG students in the UK in my own School (Management). But I do think there is much I could contribute to other students whether they be creative artists or indeed computer scientists, and am currently developing opportunities in these areas.
People do find cross-connecting across the digital and creative arts challenging and it does take time. Further much of the standard bus/man discourse really puts people off – so I seek to avoid that while finding ways to articulate new vistas that look to realise value for sustainable futures, without compromising artistic integrity.
If I can be of any assistance to this debate – speaking, writing, educating, I’m happy to consider possibilities.
Lorraine
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On January 27th, 2009, Alastair Duncan said...
Felix – I’m not sure anyone is prescribing anything at this point. To make serious change to the national curriculum in schools takes, (whether we like it or not) a great deal of time and detailed discussion with educationalists and the government, which of itself is no mean feat.
Affecting policy makers does mean that we have to be absolutely clear and informed about what we are fighting for. BIMA should, in my view, be playing at a level where it is influencing DCMS and DFaS departments, and any help anyone provides to get us there had to be taken graciously.
I would argue, though, that our opportunity for influence is probably at a high point this year a the government is forming right now a strategy for both ‘Creative Britain’ and ‘Digital Britain’ which in my view are inextricably linked.
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On February 27th, 2009, Rebecca Caroe said...
Why not start small by asking every BIMA member to offer work experience or an internship for a week this summer to a student. Give them front line experience of agency and client-side life?
Expose them to the reality of our daily lives and show them cool things. Get them reading the blogs, following on Twitter and taking ideas back to their school / college / friends and SHOWING others how to do the digital thing for themselves.
The real power is in a wide base of people using digital tools and talking about it around their networks.
Rebecca
Education, education, education