Creative Engagement

As a creative practitioner and producer I am interested in the ability of creative arts practice to instigate and be a driver of sustainable development. When coupled with social interaction creative engagement can be a powerful driver for change. The United Nations recently adopted several resolutions that clearly acknowledge the connections between culture, innovation and creativity. This does appear to show that the potential of Creative industries to contribute and transform sustainable development through positive change is now becoming recognised and accepted. The recent Australian Regional Development Conference (http://www.regionaldevelopment.org.au), for instance, explores the place of Creative Industries to support sustainable development in regional communities.

Over the last nine or so months, I have been involved with a project that seeks to mobilise communities in Regional NSW to recount their ‘stories’ about water. Water in Australia is an issue of great concern. It has been a contentious and significant issue since the first days of Australia’s European settlement. Its distribution and use, as an increasingly limited resource, affects us all, particularly those communities whose identity and livelihood are linked to water access and usage. The potential of a creative framework for a ‘conversation on water’ that enables and drives a consultative process through the engagement of the public, offers valuable opportunities for collaboration between divergent parties in the community, inclusive of governmental agencies who work in the field. The challenge for authorities is how to listen to communities: how to hear the variety of knowledge and opinion and how to manage a conversation that identifies commonality and maximises positivity.

It is anticipated there will be many positive outcomes both known and unexpected. So far the project has generated wide interest and support, for instance it has been endorsed by the Australian National Maritime Museum. It is presently seeking funding to proceed further.