Thoughts ...

OK. I am saying that the Creative Industries present a potentially radical way for nation states to engage in Cultural Diplomacy.
The question -Can architecture act as an agent of cultural diplomacy should be rather - How can architecture act as an agent of cultural diplomacy in the epoch of the Creative Industries?

This is recognising that architecture has been used as an agent of cultural diplomacy with the likes of the World Pavilions, the Little Worlds in Japan and the Heritage site in Eastern Washington.
Not forgetting Museums and art galleries which are all agents of cultural diplomacy.
Hitherto- the architecture as detached iconic construct predominantly carried the visual codes and symbolism by which nation-states visually represented themselves to foster cultural diplomacy.
Yet in these architectures - the consumption of culture, the exchange of ideas, the learning of "the other" to foster and promote understanding and improve nation state relations occur in displaced, artificially manipulated environments where culture becomes the exotic of the phenomenon.
Rather than the architecture supporting a genuine, dynamic community and authentic everyday life.

It is responding to the fact there is a hitherto untapped potential in the immediacy of the digital production and dissemination of thoughts and ideas by digital media.
There is a pervasiveness with which the internet,social interaction sites, other mobile technology in addition to the television are reorganising our lifestyles.These digital media are informing our social values as well as informing many of our views and ideas of the world and other cultures.
The majority of the general demographic now own mobile phones. The computer with internet access has become as standardised as the telephone in the home and the fax machine and typewriter in the office.

Mobile technology and digital media have become an integral part of everyday life.
Contemporary society is dependant on the Creative Industries. Western society especially has become a culture of mobile phones, laptops, mp3 players,tweets,online socialising and interacting, "second lives" and entertainment by cinema and television rather than theatre and galleries.

Conversantly - how can architecture respond to this phenomenon?How can architecture be used to create a platform of cross cultural dialogue that capatalises on and embraces the immediacy and permeating effectiveness of the Creative Industies' information distribution?

Such that it becomes a way of existence?

Since the Creative Industries are tangibly revolutionising the notions and realities of "art", "the artist" and "the artisan" and "culture".
The Creative Industries [of which the internet and the film industries are categorised] have even redefined the traditional role of the artist. The creative individual is the "new age" artist.
The artist is therefore recognised not only as the actor - but the lighting specialist, the screen writer and the movie director - all of whom must have a creative vision and technical expertise to execute a production - a digitally created piece.
An extrapolated scale of the cinematic works of Rodchenko. Of course, the creative industries also include traditionally recognised modes of artistic output but in digital format (such as musicians,e-books,photography,CGI) (More on this later)

Art is not only important in terms of its civilising influence [whether you want to split hairs about high and low art].
It would seem to be that the artist and the artisan are important to culture[s] and cultural diplomacy as they serve as cataloguing agents. By their various
artistic outputs they record important moments in history and a society's philosophy and ideals as they develop,vary,differ, change.
Moreover, they have traditionally been the primary agents of cultural diplomacy through creative exchange.


Furthermore, the artefacts that they leave behind whether it is aborigine pottery or the intricate weavings of lace still carry cultural
codes/symbolism and values which express and identify the unique character of that culture at the time of production/fabrication. These
tangible constructs are also viewed as a form of cultural diplomacy as they can be bought/viewed/used/traded/exported to "the other" - creating a dialogue of cultural discussion.

It is these symbols and codes in the tangible artefacts which are useful in conjuring images of "the other". These contribute to the understanding of the foreign or the unfamiliar.
Memories of "Dutch lace" or the pottery of the Aberoigines all carry with them implicit understandings of that culture and it's particular way of life. http://www.claeysantique.com/lace/uk/archives/2004/12/dutch_lace_1.html [link on Dutch lace].

The pottery and other tools of the Aborigines or American Indians were for utilitarian use. But all their artefacts were
always highly decorative and had cultural significance. Now they have departed from us these artefacts are important clues to us. By the art on
them we learn about these former civilisations.

Similarly the Creative Industries also transmit these social codes of life and behaviour in an implicit and pervasive manner. But the medium is through digital media.

It would be good to harness this latent power of the digital medium and the creative output of the artists working in the creative industry in an architecture which responded to the way that digital production and transmission is revolutionising the very notion of art and artist .Yet the artist and artwork are still intimately intertwined with the routine of living.

And as such, an architectural programme which seeks to house the artist to facilitate cultural diplomacy is appropriate.

How could architecture be designed such that [digital] art is rooted in the experience of the everyday to produce an authentic culture and cross-cultural dialogues?

A primary strategy can be that of the ethnoscape - a space where the artist can choose to engage and disengage with the wider public at will such that artistic production once again becomes a phenomenon of the everyday existence - it is an integral part of the everyday reality/routine.
A community/ social centre or site of learning designed into the [urban] fabric such that the creative industries and the creation of art is rooted in the everyday practice of life.

The ethnoscape is my personal conclusion after studying and grappling with the topic. And in the DS9 project I would be seeking to establish how this conclusion can be made manifest in architectonic terms.

Now onto case studies.I think it would be beneficial if I had 3.

The inclusive/interactive community is my suggestion after reading around these topics. Mr Assael is the only architect I have encountered so far actively trying to creative specific communities inclusive of the CI professional.His political aspiration and masterplanning to befit his social agenda is worthy. Yes his aesthetic is commercial.

The Little Worlds are pastiche.They do point to a successful exercise of a particular model that can be used to understand the other [culture] by architecture.They allude to what can be possible in an authentic interactive/collaborating environment. They point to how you can successful modernise a culture while retaining cultural authenticity and uniqueness. [Not dissimilar to the exercise of the Creative Industries which are modernising culture to adapt to digital technological advances].
But yes Heritage pastiche needs to be avoided. [I need to approach this issue of the Little Worlds next].

The Brambuk concept is that it is a tourist facility that potentially turns the craftsman into a display or even a commodity.

In the 70s, there was an old telephone exchange in New York [Eisenman had a studio there] where artists/writers, etc. could
take space and develop their own special community. But this was in the 70s.

I've found the blueprint bar in Taiwan, located in the Hai-an Road Art District that might seem appropriate as a model of the artist active in a wider community.Fostering cross cultural exchange.Able to engage and disengage at will.

But I'm wondering about whether 798 Space in Beijing may not also be appropriate? "Located in Dashanzi Art District (original 798 Factory), the heart of a
growing art and culture community in Beijing, 798 Space is the center and the biggest space that provide cultural, artistic and commercial
activities in the area. It was designed by the East German's architects in the Bauhaus style in the early 1950's. Through the reconstruction
and redesigning with the contemporary aesthetics by artists, the space combines the past, present, and future of the "New China" and the
unique meaning of the socialistic culture."

I don't think there will be a case-study that will be specific to the Creative Industries and artists working in digital media.
But I suppose it would be helpful to my thesis - case studies where artists are successfully working in interactive communities.These last 2 case studies seem to be closer.Especially with 798 Space - it's socio/political agenda alone being one of cultural diplomacy.