Oxford Brookes to host Creative Industries Festival

Oxford Brookes University is soon set to host a festival of music, talks, performances and more, organised by its Creative Industries Research and Innovation Network (CIRIN).

Between 9 and 16 May, the University will welcome more than 50 artists, performers, researchers and professionals who are coming together around this year’s theme of joyful resistance.

Topics of interest for the event include the climate crisis, all-embracing creativity, social justice, and spaces for resistance.

The event marks the third anniversary of CIRIN, celebrating its work in championing the UK’s creative industries. The network aims to bring together diverse disciplines such as advertising, architecture, arts, design, film, publishing, software, games and media.

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Professor Daniela Treveri Gennari, Chair of CIRIN and Research Lead for the University’s School of Arts, said: “I’m excited about this festival which includes everything from how we encourage children into the creative industries through to how theatre can challenge ageism and age-induced shame.

“The festival will showcase the work of CIRIN over the last three years and highlight the vital economic and social impact of the creative industries to our society.”

Special guests for the event include Trevor MacFarlane, Director of Culture Commons, and Fran Sanderson, Director of Arts Programmes and Investments for Nesta, both of whom will be there for the opening on Tuesday 9 May.

The programme continues with a session exploring creative solutions for urban environments with industry architects and the Brookes Sustainable and Resilient Futures Network.

Musical performances and artist discussions on the theme of Flamboyant Nature take place on Thursday 11 May, as the University welcomes Queer artist PriestX, singer/songwriter/producer NAALA, and DJ, performer and educator Thempress.

The musical theme continues on Tuesday 16 May, when Blues experts Michael Roach and Christian O’Connell lead a conversation on Paul Oliver’s trip to the US in 1960. Paul Oliver was a Blues scholar whose work uncovered the origins and development of the music, and the hidden lives of African Americans during segregation.

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