Civic Creative Base Tokyo [CCBT]’s Hello from the Global Creative Laboratories! is a series of Meetups to collaborate with its overseas counterparts in the field of digital creativity. Its second iteration is titled, “Cultural Facilities Responding to the Times.” CCBT invites Exploratorium from the U.S.A. that (re)promotes education in the arts and sciences, Germany’s HELLERAU that expands the conventions in the performing arts, and ARCOLABS from Indonesia that is an curator collective without a physical base to Shibuya, Tokyo.
Experimenting Steps Ahead and Proposing the New.
Ongoing Challenges and Innovations for Cultural Hubs.
Many cultural hubs and their laboratories were established as responses to the challenges that societies and cities faced at particular times, with the hopes that “experimentations” and “explorations in expressions” would provide new discoveries and proposals to alleviate and/or solve the challenges societies confronted. Moreover, it can be said that technology and its use—due to its variability and applicability—has been meeting and exceeding these societal expectations. While technologies continue to develop, society’s demands also change in tandem, and, in order for cultural labs to fulfill their function in being receptive to these changes, it is imperative that they, too, are attentive to society’s subtle changes and adapt accordingly: labs need to review, adjust and innovate, and finally renew their ways constantly.
For Hello from the Global Creative Laboratories vol. 2 | Cultural Facilities Responding to the Times, CCBT invites Exploratorium from the U.S.A. that (re)promotes education in the arts and sciences, Germany’s HELLERAU that expands the conventions in the performing arts, and ARCOLABS from Indonesia that is an curator collective without a physical base to Shibuya, Tokyo. How have cultural hubs across the world responded to the hybridization of many events in this Post-Covid 19 times, the surge of AI technology, or the rise of Web3? How can labs think ahead to respond to society’s needs and propose the new in these ever-changing times? We welcome you to join us in addressing and thinking about these challenges.
Time Line
3:30 pm-3:40 pm［Introduction］
3:40 pm-5:40 pm［Session1] Cultural Facilities Responding to the Times
Speakers: (30min each)
– Matsumoto Ryoko (Exploratorium)
– Birte Sonnenberg (HELLERAU – European Centre for the Arts)
– Jeong Ok Jeon (ARCOLABS)
– Ito Takayuki (Civic Creative Base Tokyo [CCBT])
5:55 pm-7:00pm［Session2］Cross-discussion, Q&A
Moderator: Hirota Fumi (Civic Creative Base Tokyo [CCBT])
Participating Facilities
Exploratorium (San Francisco/USA)
Founded by Frank Oppenheimer in 1969, the Exploratorium in San Francisco revolutionized the science museum experience with its emphasis on hands-on learning and merging art and science. Pioneering in science education, it champions inquiry-based learning and has significantly influenced national science education policies. Functioning as a public learning laboratory, the museum continuously innovates, evident in its evolving exhibits. Stemming from its vision on education, the Exploratorium has developed numerous original educational programs, not just for visitors but also targeting educators. Since its inception, the Exploratorium has advocated that science and art are complementary elements for understanding the world, placing both art and science at the core of its endeavors.
https://www.exploratorium.edu
HELLERAU – European Center for the Arts (Dresden/Germany)
HELLERAU, built in 1911 as a festival theater and educational institution for music and rhythm according to the visions of the pioneer of modern architecture Heinrich Tessenow and the music teacher Émile Jaques-Dalcroze, developed into a laboratory of artistic modernity within an eventful history.
Today, HELLERAU – European Centre for the Arts is one of the most important centers for contemporary art in Germany and Europe. HELLERAU acts as an interdisciplinary co-production and guest performance house and offers contemporary arts dance, music, theater, performance, media art, and visual arts spaces for production and presentation.
HELLERAU cooperates with other cultural partners regionally, nationally, and internationally and is involved in numerous networks.
https://www.hellerau.org/en/
ARCOLABS（Indonesia）
Founded in 2014 in Indonesia, ARCOLABS has transitioned from an academic research center to an independent curator-initiative, emphasizing a wide array of contemporary and new media art programs. Its experimental and laboratory-like setting encourages innovation and creative thinking through diverse practice-based programs, including art exhibitions, community projects, and educational workshops. By encouraging a blend of academic research and practical application, the organization serves as a testing ground for new ideas and innovative practices in the arts. With a team of full-time and project-based curators, arts managers, and researchers, ARCOLABS promotes interdisciplinary interactions and international exchanges within the arts community. Its open and flexible approach facilitates a vibrant, collaborative atmosphere, establishing ARCOLABS as a key contributor to the contemporary and new media art landscape in Indonesia and beyond.
http://www.arcolabs.org
Civic Creative Base Tokyo [CCBT] (Tokyo/Japan)
Civic Creative Base Tokyo [CCBT] opened its doors in October 2022 in Shibuya, Tokyo as a hub for the public to explore their “civic-creative” imaginations through art and digital technology. As a lab to realize and popularize this “civic creativity,” CCBT hosts projects and events in tandem with its experts and collaborators in the fields of art, design, and technology. Through its five core programs––Meetup, Workshop, Art Incubation, Camp, and Showcase––CCBT aims to become the driving force of innovation that is generated from Tokyo.
https://ccbt.rekibun.or.jp/en
