Digital Meets Creativity
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The impact of the digital revolution on the cultural and creative industries, as underscored in the 2005 Convention on the Protection and the Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, will be the focus of discussions at UNESCO Headquarters on 12 September 2016.

Joining the debate will be two leading artists from the Republic of Korea, Mr Han Ho and Mr Byeong Sam Jeon, who will also display their latest creations supporting the notion that the digital age represents remarkable opportunities for artists giving them and the public an important vehicle for creation and enjoyment of artistic work. The exhibition 'Technology in Contemporary Art' encompasses new techniques in producing the creative expressions on show.

The opening ceremony for the exhibition on 12 September, at 18:00, will feature the Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, Byong Hyun Lee, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Korea to UNESCO, Francesco Bandarin, Assistant Director General for Culture, UNESCO, as well as the Korean artists. This exhibit tis organized in the context of the "KOREA-UNESCO week" celebrations.

Artist, Mr Han Ho's work brings a feeling of total immersion in the perception of light through paintings associated with holograms or digital LED. In 2015, his installation: The Eternal Light (Dongsang i mong), was presented as part of the "Personal Structures" exhibition at Pallazzo Bembo during the Venice Biennale.

Mr Byeong Sam Jeon's work in the exhibition is a collaboration between artistic imagination and scientific technology through videos, interactive sound and kinetic installations. Mr Byeong Sam Jeon has also been appointed as artistic director of the International Biennial of Cheongju Craft 2015. The exhibition and artists are being supported by the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Korea to UNESCO. The Republic of Korea has been a strong supporter of the 2005 Convention since it ratified early in 2006 and has also supported the creative industries in developing countries through the Korean Funds in Trust (KFIT) since 2007.

As emphasized in UNESCO's first Global Report, Re|Shaping Cultural Policies, digital technologies have profoundly transformed the cultural and creative industry landscape, both in the Global North and South. Technological changes have also led to the emergence of new players and new logics.

To highlight the fact that digital technologies have transformed the way in which cultural goods and services are produced, distributed and consumed, a special seminar called: 'Digital meets Creativity' will set the scene on 12 September from 16:00 to 18:00 (Room II).

The seminar will bring together the artists and experts, including Vincent Rioux, Head of digital media department at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Paris, and Anthony Krause, Head of the Policy & Research Unit, Diversity of Cultural Expressions Section (UNESCO).

They will debate how artists can better profit from the digital revolution and the 2005 Convention on the Protection and the Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Key issues to be discussed will include: how to encourage and support new forms of digital creativity; new ways to ensure access to digital technologies and increased participation in cultural life; how to promote artistic freedom and the social and economic rights of artists working in the digital environment.

New Operational Guidelines on the impact of digital technology on the diversity of cultural expressions will be presented for discussion at the 10th Ordinary session of the next Intergovernmental Committee meeting of the 2005 Convention (12-15 December 2106). They seek to guide Member States on how to adapt their cultural policies to the new digital environment that affects the creative chain, from creation to production, distribution, access and participation.

The digital exhibition will be on display at UNESCO's Miro Hall between12-23 September, 2016.

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