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#CArtsCon2021 was our first ever hybrid event – taking place onsite in Canterbury as well as online – over two days from 15 to 16 September. Due to the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, only a few speakers agreed to come and present in person, and the event was hosted at Warnborough College on the first day, which included a lunch. Exhibitors who showcased their artwork included Anthony Jones, Danielle Williams, Robert Hughes and Julian Ng.
CArtsCon Director, Dr Julian Ng, was the main host, along with Nina Hopson, and Dr Jill Kiefer in the afternoon. After a brief welcome, Dr David Stokes took the floor and talked about the importance of the arts as a social glue to help uplift communities. Sebastian May enthralled participants with the fascinating subject of Land Art, posing as many questions as beautiful imagery. Dr Urs Hauenstein argued for a new way of thinking, a new social consciousness to embed creativity into our everyday lives and careers.
Dr Pamela Hatton demonstrated how the arts can be used to treat those suffering dementia, while Thomas Cleary had everyone in stitches (as usual) by reading from his new book in an effort to show how creative writing can be a cathartic experience. Dr Jill Kiefer welcomed everyone from New York, and did part of a presentation to fill in for speakers who did not make it about how we can find the past in present works of art.
Ryan Zee, the co-founder of Plottr, demonstrated how useful software can be as a device for writers to manage their thoughts and creative processes. Regular CArtsCon presenter Dr Nanyoung Kim displays her versatility and knowledge yet again by turning her hand to Chinese pottery and how it has influenced other cultures around the world. After an introduction about the non-profit work of the Warnborough Foundation, Jane Boyce describes her time on the Compass programme and what it means to be able to regain self-confidence to seek employment.
Following a break, we held a café book reading session for independent authors. Carol M. Salter, a fantasy writer, read from her latest book “What If?”. Other authors included Thomas Cleary, Dr Brenden Tempest-Mogg, Dr Julian Ng and Dr Pamela Hatton. Authors who read their excerpts virtually included Dr Jill Kiefer and Bernadette Frick from Switzerland.
Day 2 kicked off with eminent theatre director, Dr Ildiko Solti, who gave us insight into the clever mechanisms of Elizabethan stagecraft in building a bridge between actors and their audiences. Dr Maria Dremina of Russia fascinated everyone with a real neurostyling session using art to develop business ideas. Markus Feichter showed how schools of the future should be – with creativity and art in all forms embedded in the environment, curriculum and instruction.
Prior to a break for lunch, Ni Luh Nyoman Seri Malini, a professor at Udayana University in Bali, Indonesia presented a case for how English prose is a representation (and preservation) of every day language of its time. She was aided by two of her students, Bella and Clay, who answered questions posed to them.
Dr Julian Ng presented on “Musical Theatre: A Bridge to Different Arts” as a tribute to CArtsCon friend, Dr Kenneth Pickering, who passed away just before the conference. Dr Pickering, a well-known expert on musical theatre, would have presented on this area. We shall certainly miss him.
Carrying on with the theatrical theme, Sasha Utami and her company colleague, Jemima, argued how dance can be a useful educational tool to bridge cultural diversity and differences.
To fill in time due to some speakers’ technical difficulties, we presented a short documentary narrated by CArtsCon director, Dr Jill Kiefer, about Robert Niosi who had made it his mission to painstakingly recreate the Time Machine from the 1960 film part by part. Barrister Ire Ogueche from Nigeria shared the very interesting art of masks and masquerades in Africa as an agent of social change. From Pennsylvania, Dr Katherine Mickle took us outdoors into the breathtaking wilds of South Dakota and Wyoming to show that combining art with science helps us to understand the world around us even better.
We were fortunate to have participation from around the globe, even from those who did not speak. Participants came from as far away as Australia, Chile, Malaysia, Canada, Pakistan and the Philippines. Finally, Dr Elizabeth Raney pulled together two unconventional characters – Andy Warhol and Dr Seuss – to give us an insight into the exciting era of art and skepticism in 60s and 70s America.
We are grateful as always to all our speakers and participants for making this event such a success despite all the logistical challenges. We look forward now to #CArtsCon2022 and we hope to see you all in person then!
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