Here + There is the 5th pathfinder for Bristol + Bath Creative R+D. It is a year long programme designed to explore how being locally rooted allows us to understand ourselves as part of an interconnected global network exploring through a programme of talent development, research exchange and business development. 

The programme is interested to explore the future of international collaboration and ways of working. Here + There will connect the creative clusters of Bristol and Bath to an international creative technology conversation through a programme of talent development, research exchange and business development. 

Talent Development 

Freelancers are the lifeblood of creative ecosystems in cities all over the world; injecting them with new ideas, cross-pollinating projects and responding to emerging opportunities. However, with the least security in the sector, they are also most at risk right now. We believe that developing global perspectives and international relationships brings meaning and opportunity to freelancers and is of increasing importance in today’s world. 

In 2021 we connected groups of young creative professionals in Bristol, Lagos, Durban, Bath and Seoul with sessions that brought together professional development activity, with themes of Future Heritage, Climate Justice and Creative Resilience. Programmes included: 

Future Leaders International featured a series of creative labs running simultaneously across Lagos, Bristol and Durban. These labs, and the activity around them, supported a cohort of 18 young creative entrepreneurs – six from each city – connecting them internationally. The themes explored were developed in response to local need and context. The process tested a new model of hybrid (digital/physical) labs for international collaboration. 

Gathering Moss is a digital landscape populated with artistic ideas made in response to the climate emergency. It invites visitors to explore, to imagine the future of our rapidly heating world, to be hopeful and to act. 

Gathering Moss was terraformed by a group of young artists from South Korea and the UK who connected through a 5-day Creative Camp, plus, South Korean media artists Bang & Lee, who present hybrid works in response to the environment of Jeju Island in South Korea. 

Research Exchange 

We believe that the creative and cultural industries need new models for international working that attend to the possibilities of new technology, evolving audience behaviours, the climate crisis, and a changing political climate.  

Through a collaborative enquiry we will explore how to develop locally rooted work while proactively positioning ourselves as part of a global network, ensuring we consider the different perspectives of the network. 

The collaborative enquiry is a space for collective knowledge production, connections and experimentation. Led by Watershed (Bristol) and Made Culture (Lagos) a group of 20 creative professionals from across Bristol, Bath and Lagos will come together for two research labs. They will deep dive into futures for international collaboration and an alternative approach to research and knowledge production. 

Coming soon - Meet the Enquiry Cohort 

Business Development  

We are interested in how companies might work internationally, not by developing the most vanilla version of what they do, but instead by ‘de-localising’ an existing piece of work and adapting it for another context. 

Working with four existing companies we are offering a programme of support to help them develop an existing creative technology product for audiences or markets elsewhere in the world. Working alongside an international collaborator the companies will prototype new iterations of existing work. Companies will also receive support to explore new revenue streams, strengthen or adapt business models, and navigate the complexities of working in new locations.  

Alongside the business development support, Gill Wildman and Mark Leaver have hosted 3 International Market Opportunities sessions. We have been joined by experts from the Department of International Trade, Motion Impossible, Ardman Animations, Punchdrunk, Arcadia, Luke Jerram, No-Fi games and The British Council.  

The sessions take a deep dive into working internationally and how creative professionals can navigate the complexities of working internationally.  More International Market Opportunities sessions coming soon! 

Meet the Here + There International Prototype Teams 

About the Bristol+Bath Creative R+D

Bristol+Bath Creative R+D is a £6.8 million collaboration that aims to raise the bar for the region’s creative industries. The five-year programme seeks to forge connections and partnerships in Bristol and Bath, sharing knowledge, creating crossovers and even greater opportunities in what’s already one of the most vibrant clusters in the UK. 

This first-of-a-kind collaboration between the region’s four universities - UWE Bristol, Bath Spa, the University of Bath and the University of Bristol - and digital creativity centre Watershed, intends to break down the doors, connecting the worlds of university research and creative business to develop a shared vision for tomorrow’s creative industries.

Visit the Bristol+Bath Creative R+D website to read more about its activities, projects supported, and insight from the wider network. 

If you would like more information on Here + There contact emma.b@watershed.co.uk