Creativity Week—It's a wrap!
These meetings of music and engineering demonstrated beautifully the value of interdisciplinarity and provided the perfect setting to showcase the achievements of some of Victoria’s most creative students.
Many congratulations are extended to the winners of the Creativity Scholarship:
- Claudia Boyo studies toward a Bachelor of Architecture majoring in Landscape Architecture. Her project is a development of the Hurunui O Te Rangi Marae, the nearby reserve and the road that links them, honouring the community’s Māori culture and eco-system.
- Carissa Corlett studies toward a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology. Her project is the creation of the Misfits Club that teaches fine arts and facilitates a safe space for university students.
- Orion Holder-Monk studies toward a Bachelor of Design Innovation majoring in Media Design. His project is a web series consisting of dark and strange comedies set in the suburbs of Wellington.
- Nicole Hone studies toward a Bachelor of Design Innovation majoring in Industrial Design. Her project is a wireless speaker inspired by the transportation of liquid within plants and aimed at providing a new listening experience.
- Marcus Jackson studies toward a Bachelor of Music majoring in Composition. His project is a composition bringing together musical composition, queer theory, philosophy of identity, theatre, video art and mathematics.
Framed around several ‘faces’ of creativity, including creativity as cultural identity, innovation, digital communication, theory in practice and interdisciplinarity, Creativity Week highlighted some of the varied and exciting forms that creative thinking takes at Victoria.
As well as contributors from the Victoria community, we would like to thank all our guest speakers during the week including ‘serious play’ proponent Professor David Gauntlett, business strategy expert Professor Moura Quayle, Poet Laureate of the Navajo Nation Professor Emerita Luci Tapahanso, tattoo artist Steve Ma Ching, photographer Helen Mitchell, digital creativity expert Associate Professor Linda Leung, Senior Curator Pacific Cultures, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Sean Mallon, and business leader Karen Vercoe.
Find out more about the cultivating creative capital theme at Creative Capital
Key Creativity Week events included:
Professor David Gauntlett—public lecture: Victoria’s first Ambassador of Creativity, Professor David Gauntlett, Professor of Creativity and Design and Director of Research at Westminster School of Media, Arts and Design, presented the keynote address for Creativity Week.
Around 100 people were at Old Government Buildings to listen to Professor Gauntlett as he examined the platforms and connections that support creative thinking and in particular focused on the importance of community and interaction between humans in powering creativity.
During his time at Victoria, Professor Gauntlett also ran a Lego workshop for PhD students which was very well-received. “LEGO connects with some valuable social movements—such as maker culture and open knowledge sharing—and can help to build a mindset which is creative, optimistic, and willing to try out new things”.
Professor Moura Quayle—public lecture: Close to 60 people gathered at the Old Government Buildings to hear visiting Professor Moura Quayle, Director of the UBC Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia.
Sponsored by Victoria Business School, Professor Quayle’s public lecture unpacked business, academia and government design processes, principles and practices, and how they translate into the world of creative coalitions – re-thinking how we work together to tackle systemic problems and maintain a competitive advantage.
“Creative coalitions are designed with the processes, principles and practices of strategic thinking and design. The strategies, techniques and lessons are scalable, whether you’re running a tech start-up, a university faculty, a Fortune 500 company, or a government Ministry.” Professor Quayle told the audience. “Reconciling business, academic, public and personal interests in innovation and sustainability can enable us to lead and change our cities, our organisations and our lives.”
Professor Quayle also conducted a panel conversation on Creating and Maintaining Sustainability—An Interdisciplinary Conversation, during creativity week.
Professor Emerita Luci Tapahonso—Creativity campfire: Professor Emerita Luci Tapahonso, Poet Laureate of the Navajo Nation, joined Associate Professor Hon Luamanuvao Winnie Laban, Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Pasifika) and Professor Rawinia Higgins, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Māori) around the ‘campfire’ in the Hunter Council Chamber for ‘Festival of Creative Translation: The Indigenous Connection’.
The roundtable conversation on the many faces and facets of translation was led by Dr Marco Sonzogni, Programme Director, School of Languages and Cultures and Associate Professor Sydney Shep, Reader in Book History and Printer at the Press. The conversation highlighted the intricacies of negotiating languages and cultures, transforming poetry into print, and capturing the performative worlds of song, dance and ritual. The event was followed by readings of Professor Emerita Tapahonso’s work.
As the Wai-te-ata Press inaugural Creator-in-Residence, Professor Emerita Tapahonso visited Arohata Women’s Prison, Te Papa Tongarewa and Taita Central School, and participated in Creativity Week’s multidisciplinary panel ‘Languages of Indigeneity’. She also met with local author Patricia Grace in Wellington and with indigenous writers in Auckland.