Reflections from The Three Bells: S6#5
Title
When background becomes foreground…
Contributor
Adrian Ellis
In this latest Reflections, Adrian Ellis draws on a recent panel at the Hong Kong International Cultural Summit to outline six tests for cultural districts today – and what happens when background issues become foreground pressures.
Date of Recording
28 April 2026
Date of Publication
21 May 2026
[00:00:00]
THEME MUSIC
[00:00:05]
Adrian Ellis: Hello, and welcome to The Three Bells. This podcast is part of the sixth season produced by AEA Consulting for the Global Cultural Districts Network. The focus is, as always, on the relationship between cultural and urban life, and the ways in which cultural life contributes to the vitality of cities and vice versa. This series and supporting materials can be found at www.thethreebells.net. And if you like our content, please subscribe and give us a positive review on your favourite podcast listening platform.
I am Adrian Ellis, chair of GCDN and the director of AEA Consulting, and this is Reflections from The Three Bells.
Last month, I had the privilege of being on a panel moderated by Betty Fung, the CEO of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority in Hong Kong. It was the plenary session of the 2026 Hong Kong International Cultural Summit and I was in extremely distinguished company, alongside Mariet Westerman, of the Guggenheim, Elaine Bedell of Southbank Centre, Douglas Gautier from the Royal Arts Complex in Riyadh.
And the theme was Multi-disciplinary Arts Districts in the 21st Century – Challenges and Opportunities.
And this is more or less what I said.
…
About our Contributor
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. +
