S1:E3 Making the case for artistic risk-taking – Victoria Broackes in conversation with Adrian Ellis
Guest
Victoria Broackes
In conversation with
Adrian Ellis
Key Takeaways Contributor
Criena Gehrke
In this episode, our host Adrian Ellis speaks with Victoria Broackes, the Director of the London Design Biennale. Drawing on her curatorial experiences, they talk candidly about the challenges facing cultural programming, particularly in relation to the opportunities presented by digital technology, and the untapped possibilities of experiential exhibition-making.
Thereafter, Adrian is joined by fellow host Criena Gehrke to discuss key takeaways. They reflect upon the tensions facing artistic risk-taking as well as the need for cultural programming to tell meaningful and resonant stories.
Date of Recording
17 May 2021
Date of Publication
27 May 2021
Transcript
[00:00:00]
[THEME MUSIC]
[00:00:05]
Adrian Ellis: Hello, and welcome to The Three Bells - the podcast of the Global Cultural Districts Network produced by AEA Consulting with support from The Binnacle Foundation. I am Adrian Ellis and I'm delighted this week to have as my guest, Vicky Broackes.
I followed Vicky's career for many years, both at the Victoria & Albert Museum, where she was responsible for a series of deeply imaginative exhibitions about popular culture and now the Director of the London Design Biennale, which opens on the 1st of June at Somerset House. And so I'm delighted to have an opportunity to talk to Vicky, both about the biennale and about her other extremely interesting professional experiences that led her to the biennale.
So, Vicky thank you for coming and welcome.
[00:00:53]
Vicky Broackes: Oh, thank you so much, Adrian. It's lovely to be here.
…
External Links
V&A Exhibition: “David Bowie is..” + digital archive – the V&A holds a unique collection of David Bowie photographs, album sleeve artwork and memorabilia, charting the creative process of one of the most pioneering and influential performers of modern times.
V&A Exhibition: “Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains” – a spectacular and unparalleled audio-visual journey through Pink Floyd's unique and extraordinary worlds, chronicling the music, design and staging of the band, from their debut in the 1960s through to the present day.
theVOV – this new “phygital” venture curates an ever evolving events programme that aims to expand audience’s understanding of the arts and allows them to ask questions directly to artists, curators and other leaders in the arts.
London Design Biennale 2021 – kicking off on June 1, 2021, Watch the world’s most ambitious and imaginative designers and curators respond to our Artistic Director Es Devlin’s theme of Resonance with pavilions set across the historic location of Somerset House.
The sudden flourishing of culture about trees – from a fake forest in central London to Chekhov’s Cherry Orchard told from the orchard’s point of view, writers, directors and artists are exploring the roots of nature.
Documents/books
THE EVOLUTION OF ‘IMMERSIVE’ EXHIBTIONS AT THE V&A MUSEUM, LONDON – 2008-2021 – a retrospective article by Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh.
“Taking Risk in Times of Adversity” – This paper was written by Adrian Ellis as a background note for a meeting of the Ford Foundation's New Directions/New Donors program organized by the Nonprofit Finance Fund in New York in May 2002.
About Our Speakers
Victoria Broackes is Director of London Design Biennale. Prior to joining the Biennale, Victoria was Senior Curator for the V&A Department of Theatre & Performance. From 2009 to 2018 she was Head of the London Design Festival at the V&A. In 2013 Vicky co-curated David Bowie is, the fastest selling and most visited exhibition in the V&A’s history; along with Kylie: The Exhibition; and The House of Annie Lennox. +
Adrian Ellis is the founder of AEA Consulting (1990) and the Global Cultural Districts Network (2013). He has worked in senior management and as a board member in both museums and the performing arts and as a strategy consultant to leading clients in the cultural, public, and business sectors around the world. +
Criena Gehrke is Chief Executive Officer of HOTA, Home of the Arts. She has a diverse and eclectic background in arts management and a particular passion for the role of arts and culture in building strong and connected communities. She has worked with all tiers of government on the development and implementation of cultural policy. +
