ACT | UJ Conference offers free online resources

The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) urges conference delegates, and those interested in how creativity intersects with everyday life, to take advantage of their online library, which showcases interdisciplinary papers, research and projects.

As the 2016 ACT | UJ Arts & Culture Conference draws nearer, those able to attend, and even those who cannot, are able to tuck into the theme #creativeintersections by engaging with papers and projects by a multitude of thought leaders and researchers, at their own convenience.

ACT CEO, Pieter Jacobs, says they are hoping this online collection of case studies and research will become “a valuable hub of information that moulds the creative sector’s understanding of interdisciplinarity”.

“Access to the online library is completely free with the aim of sharing research and outcomes of collaborations of a multi-disciplinary nature with practitioners who are interested in discovering the challenges and potential of these kinds of endeavours,” Jacobs continues.

The assortment of papers on offer range in subject matter; from dance and drama to sexuality and virtual reality, each attempting to break down barriers and inform through relevant research. The conference organisers have expressed their hopes for the resource to remain relevant, even after this year’s conference has come to an end.

Anastasia Pather, the conference Project Manager explains; “We see this platform as an ongoing project with the capacity to become a growing library that can identify and showcase exciting creative projects.”

Contributing author, Martie Steyn, whose paper Processes of Identification in Performing Artists: A Transpersonal Perspective, investigates core identification processes through the lens of transpersonal psychology, and believes open resources such as this have the ability to empower. “In the information economy, where knowledge is currency, it is more imperative than ever to ensure access to knowledge is free,” she says. “Our humanitarian efforts can no longer be measured only by our financial contributions. We have a responsibility to equip people to function in this world and to live with dignity.”

The ever-growing library can be accessed on the conference website, and all resources are available for download, free of charge.

The 2016 ACT | UJ Arts & Culture Conference, taking place at the UJ Arts Centre at the University of Johannesburg on 16 and 17 March 2016, is presented by the Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) and UJ Arts & Culture, in partnership with the Department of Arts & Culture’s Mzansi Golden Economy Programme, Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) and SAMRO Foundation with support from the National Arts Council, Nedbank Arts Affinity, and Creative Feel Magazine.

To stay up to date with information and opportunities, visit www.creativeconference.co.za or visit the library directly at www.creativeconference.co.za/papers/. Tickets for the conference are now available at https://www.creativeconference.co.za/enrolment/.

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