Clare Reddington, Creative Director of Bristol's Watershed, talks us through her Playable City project and why diversity within in the innovation space is key to creating and connecting effectively.
2. 2
Diversity means excitement and energy.
Creative-minded people enjoy a mix of
influences... a place seething with the interplay
of cultures and ideas... They also happen to be
qualities conducive to innovation, risk-taking,
and the formation of new businesses. John
Seely Brown,
#4: im not sure I trust these guys to create a scheme i want to live and work in. And its these guys and people like them who are designing the technology systems being used in our cities. On average, in 2014 only about 5% of technology workers in Silicon Valley companies were black or hispanic. There are many things wrong with this - but a point I heard Joi Ito make in Japan back in October was one of unconscious bias. If the unconscious bias of white middle age men is encoded into the decisions of a driverless car - how will that affect its OS?
#5: but then its often not a good week in the tech industry and people love a good technology panic - as this driverless car video shows
#7: people want to feel connected -A City API
City to Person
Person to City
Person to Person
#8: we dont need digital signs telling us what to do, we need creativity and diversity
#10: A City API
City to Person
Person to City
Person to Person
#14: Last year we were here in Austin, where the first winner of our Playable City Award, Hello Lamp Post gave Austinites the opportunity to spark up playful text message conversations with the street furniture of their city,
Playable City projects work best when championed by city governance and citizens themselves, and we were delighted to be COMMISSIONED BY
THE CITY OF AUSTIN ART IN PUBLIC PLACES PROGRAM
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
ART ALLIANCE AUSTIN to bring Hello Lamp Post to a city that knows how to keep it weird.
#20: The notion of a Playable City means different things in different places, and we work with artists, technologists, city and community partners around the world to explore what a Playable City idea might look like in different social contexts. At the moment we are running a lab with partners in Lagos, Nigeria, the fastest growing city in the world.
#23: Why did we want to work with danfo:
Part of a multi-layered transport system (4 or 5 layers?)
Part of traffic, which is deeply embedded in the city culture
Lots and lots of people in a similar situation at any given single time
#28: Our tests
First test: Sitting in Danfo with the somewhat unfinished piece, guiding people to use it
Second test: Hanging it in a Danfo
Discussions with people at the bus stop, in the park
#30: simple joy. the container as a physical space is really important adding precious and focus to the objects. Objects in cases, music on CDs - inaccessible.