Blick Studios heads to Vietnam
Christine James, Studio Manager of Blick Studios, was invited by The British Council to attend and speak at a Creativity Hub conference in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. The aim of the conference was to share existing knowledge between Asian and British creative hubs, seek out potential collaborations and develop a lasting network beyond the conference. She shared some of her thoughts and experiences from the event and from Vietnam.
How did the British Council first link up with yourself and Blick Studios?
Colette from the British Council Northern Ireland introduced me to Lynsey Smith from the British Council in November 2015 on a trip to Northern Ireland and I showed her around our spaces in Belfast and Derry~Londonderry. Lynsey then very kindly invited me to join their UK Hubs Steering Group. British Council then invited me to participate and share the story of Blick as a case study at their Vietnam Creative Hub-making conference in Ho Chi Minh in March.
What were the most interesting things you came across during the conference?
This conference had a variety of different types of creative hubs, from art collectives, studios, galleries and spaces, to a variety of different maker spaces, tech and co-working spaces. It was great to work, connect with and learn from such a wide variety of creatives, some with very different audiences and aims and objectives, but often with common problems including sustainability, management, growth and scaling up and building and maintaining our respective communities.
What did you learn in Vietnam that we can apply to the creative industries in Belfast?
Lots about collaboration, positivity and sharing amongst the wider creative community, the benefits of bringing like-minded hub makers from the wider creative community together in one-space as well as lots of new ideas on sustainability and collaboration as well as some great contacts within Vietnam for future projects and collaborations.
What was the best thing you did during your off-time?
Apart from getting to meet so many amazing like-minded creative hub owners and makers, I got to spend 2 amazing days at the end of the conference exploring the city, which was an amazing opportunity. It’s a beautiful city with really lovely friendly people and really, really delicious food!
Thanks Christine!
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Further reading:
Creative Economy : “Making Their Mark: Vietnam Launches First Research Creative Hubs.”
British Council: “The Mapping Of Creative Hubs in Vietnam.”
