Culture Crush, a major new event for the cultural and creative industries, took place on Thursday the 16th of November 2023 and attracted over 300 professionals from across the creative sectors in Ireland.
The overall theme of the inaugural Culture Crush event was ‘The Intersection of Creativity and Technology’, and the programme featured a stellar line-up of Irish and international speakers and performers discussing the role of technology in the creative space.
The event, which took place at The Complex, Dublin, a multidisciplinary arts venue in the north city centre, kicked off at 10.00am with a packed house, and continued into the evening. It featured panel discussions and keynotes from industry experts, live music and spoken word performances, a chill out space with creative industry support service Minding Creative Minds, and plenty of networking and connecting throughout the day.
Culture Crush was the perfect combination of impressive panels having insightful conversations, relaxed networking opportunities and breath taking musical performances. I’m already looking forward to next year!
Lizzie Jones, Producer, Piranha Bar
The event brought together over 300 creative professionals from various creative disciplines including Film, TV, Animation, VFX, Games, Immersive Tech, Music, Performance & Visual Arts and others.
Topics such as Future Technologies, AI, Creativity and Ownership, IP and Ethics, Audience and Experience, Sustainability and Access, were discussed and debated as speakers shared their insights on both the challenges and the opportunities offered by technology in creativity.
A total of 5 panels of national and international speakers, shared insights into everything from audience engagement to AI assisted pipelines to a swing back to ‘made by humans’ who are after all, at the centre of complex and soulful creativity.
To round off the day, the main stage programme concluded with a session entitled ‘Creative Ireland on the Global Stage’.
Storytelling is the universal drive behind everything we do and there’s so much to be gained in reaching out and figuring out how we can work together
Gilly Fogg, Head Creative, Lighthouse Studios
Highlights from the day included a stunning opening performance from composer, conductor and producer, Eímear Noone and her string quintet with an original composition from ‘World of Warcraft’ and AC/DC’s Back to Black.
A powerful spoken word performance, ‘Legendary’, from poet and writer Dagogo Hart not only inspired audience members, but moved them.
A diverse range of inspirational speakers explored the impact of technology across the arts, both in terms of its opportunities and challenges. One of those speakers, Jo Mangan from The Performance Corporation, spoke about the fun of embracing technology to aid creativity.
Oscar nominated & Emmy award winning Japhet Asher’s keynote spoke about how platforms and tech tools change creative ideas and vice versa.
Enlightening talk by Kathryn Parkes on ‘The Promise and Perils of Tech’.
Minding Creative Minds’ chill out space in the venue’s Gallery space was where attendees could hear about the free services that Minding Creative Minds offer, or simply relax on one of their very appealing bean bags leaving them recharged for lots of networking, connecting and celebrating throughout the remainder of the day and at the evening reception.
MC Sharon Mannion, comedian, writer and actor, best known for her role as ‘Concepta’ in RTÉ’s ‘Bridget & Eamon’, hosted and entertained attendees throughout the day.
Culture Crush is about bringing together our incredible communities of creatives, to connect with each other, to celebrate all that we have achieved, and to look to the future together
Gareth Lee, Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet,
Network Manager
Speaking about the event, Gareth, the Network Manager of CCIS, the organisation behind the event, continued,
“The creative and cultural communities have long been operating in silos, but many of the current challenges and opportunities are relevant to us all, collectively. By coming together to support and empower our creatives, explore collaborations and new ideas, and learn from industry pioneers, we can help shape the development of the creative industries for everyone”.
“The theme for this first event was ‘The Intersection of Creativity and Technology’ which we felt was very timely. It’s important that we discuss the role that technology plays, and will continue to play into the future, across all of the creative industries.
Whether you work in film, animation, music, games or dance, all of us are storytellers; it’s the way in which we tell our stories that is different.
The initial feedback we have received following the event has been incredibly positive, with many people commenting on the need for events like Culture Crush, where professionals from different creative sectors can come together to discuss industry topics relevant to all, so certainly there’s an appetite out there to do more.”
Jam packed celebration, full of unique, high value insights
Dave Minogue, Creative Director, Adventureverse Studios
If you attended the event, be sure to complete the feedback form that was sent to you via Eventbrite (deadline is Friday 1st December)
Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet (CCIS), is co-funded by Skillnet Ireland and network companies. The event was supported by Screen Ireland, Coimisiún na Meán, Furthr and Bank of Ireland.
For latest news follow Culture Crush and CCIS on Twitter/X here | @culturecrush_ie and here @CreateSkillnet
Culture Crush Photographer | Kieran O’ Donoghue
Culture Crush Videographer | Adrian O’Connell
Event Catering | Oxmantown