The Three Bells

Ep 0 (pilot): Introducing The Three Bells – Adrian Ellis in conversation with Stephanie Fortunato

In this bonus pilot episode of The Three Bells, our host Stephanie Fortunato (Director of the Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, City of Providence), speaks with Adrian Ellis, Founder and Chair of the Global Cultural Districts Network.

They cover a lot of ground: Adrian's recent move to Italy, his take on the future of international travel and what it means for cities and cultural institutions which rely heavily on tourism, the origins of The Three Bells, the goal of the podcast for GCDN and much more.

Afterwards, Stephanie is joined by fellow podcast host Criena Gehrke, (CEO, HOTA, Home of the Arts) for the second part of the episode: the Key Takeaways segment.

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The Three Bells podcast is produced by AEA Consulting and the Binnacle Foundation, for the Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN). More information and supporting material can be found at https://thethreebells.net

Summary:

In this episode, our host Stephanie Fortunato speaks with Ilana Altman, Co-Executive Director, about The Bentway’s artful and playful approach to activating public spaces – as illustrated by their 2021 Playing in Public season and accompanying Play Provocations resource that encourages cities to become more play-friendly. They discuss the evolution of The Bentway as a platform for connected urban life, and the importance of programming public spaces to be not only responsive to the needs of communities, but to also encourage creative practice. Ilana also shares the plans for The Bentway's STREET season, which promises a summer of public art to help their audience see the streets of Toronto anew.

After, Stephanie is joined by fellow host Criena Gehrke to discuss key takeaways. They reflect on how dynamic public spaces allow users to respond to the sites in a plethora of imaginative ways. They highlight the importance of this open approach to public spaces for progressive and inclusive urban planning.

References:

• The Bentway is a public space under The Gardiner Expressway, which The Bentway Conservancy operates, maintains, and programmes as a platform for creative practice, public art, and connected urban life.
• The Artful City, a platform to explore, debate and contemplate public art in Toronto.
• Play Provocations, a resource published by The Bentway together with Daily Tous Les Jours, a Montreal-based art and design studio. The resource synthesises the major insights they gleaned from The Bentway’s Summer 2021 Season, Playing in Public. It expands the definition of play, explores why play is important for both children and adults, and how we can make our cities more play-friendly. A downloadable copy of their resource can be accessed here.
• Playing in Public, The Bentway’s Summer 2021 Season, is a neighbourhood-based exhibition consisting of 16 artist projects that explored different facets of play. The projects ranged from installations, to connective and roaming projects, and pop-up events. Importantly, the installations were not just situated at The Bentway but also at other properties within the vicinity, encouraging audiences to explore and navigate the neighbourhood.
• Walk Walk Dance, a work by Daily Tous Les Jours, was installed at The Bentway in 2020. The project is highly touch-based, consisting of music-making lines that allow audiences to “play” music when stepped, jumped or danced on.
• The Under-Gardiner Public Realm Plan has recently been unveiled by The Bentway in partnership with The City of Toronto.
• STREET is The Bentway's Summer 2022 Season, which promises a summer of public art to help their audience see the streets of Toronto anew.

Guest bio:

Ilana Altman is Co-Executive Director of The Bentway. She is a cultural planner and designer who has a background in art and architecture. Prior to joining The Bentway, she has worked with notable design firms and led the curation and design of exhibitions and installations at the SFMOMA, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York and the Art Gallery of Ontario. In 2014, Ilana founded the Artful City, a Toronto collective that aims to advance public art research, policies, and imaginations.

Episode Summary:
In this episode, our host Stephanie Fortunato speaks with Rosie Dow, Manager of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Arts and Health at UCL. They talk about Rosie’s new role at UCL, her previous work leading “HARP”, the benefits of singing, as well as the essential role of networks in the field of arts and health.

External References:

• The World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Arts & Health is based at University College London.
• Health Arts Research People (HARP) – a program that allowed arts interventions to play a more prominent role in the health and wellbeing of people in Wales.
• The Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance is a national membership organisation representing everyone who believes that creativity and cultural engagement can transform our health and wellbeing.
• New Pathways is the largest sexual violence support provider in Wales, with 30 years’ experience of delivering specialist therapeutic support to adults and children affected by the trauma of rape, sexual assault or sexual abuse.
• Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru is the Welsh language national theatre of Wales. The theatre has been running the ar y dibyn series of creative workshops since 2019.

Guest Bio:
Rosie Dow is the Manager of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Arts and Health at UCL. Previously, Rosie ran ‘HARP’, a large Arts and Health innovation and research programme with a focus on how the arts can play a more prominent role in the health and wellbeing of people in Wales. Rosie has been working in the field of arts and health for over ten years. +

Summary:
In this episode, our host Adrian Ellis speaks with Vilma Jurkute, Executive Director of Alserkal in Dubai. They discuss how Alserkal’s commitment to facilitating open dialogue, mapping geographies of practice, and building a repository of knowledge for future generations have catalysed the development of a cultural ecosystem that goes beyond physical infrastructure. They also chat about the vital role cultural institutions play in social transformation and fostering a sense of place and belonging.

After, Adrian is joined by fellow host Stephanie Fortunato to discuss key takeaways. They reflect on how cultural institutions are the heart of a city’s software for creativity, innovation, and renewal – as illustrated by Alserkal.

References:

• Alserkal is a socially responsible and forward-thinking arts and culture enterprise based in Dubai.
• Alserkal Avenue, administered by Alserkal, is home to over 70 contemporary art galleries, visual and performing arts organisations, designers, home-grown and entrepreneur-led business and community spaces.
• Alserkal Arts Foundation was formalised in 2019. It is informed by the three pillars of artistic production, scholarship and research.
• Alserkal Residency allows practitioners across different disciplines to reconnect with their practice. It also supports alternative research, scholarship, and practice that produces new forms of knowledge.
• Common Room is a centre for cultural practitioners and academic researchers.
• Alserkal Advisory was formalised in 2021 and seeks to help develop cultural production and establish spaces for the region.
• Henri Lefebvre was a French philosopher and sociologist, best known for introducing the concepts of the right to the city and the production of social space

Bio:
Vilma Jurkute is the Executive Director of Alserkal, overseeing Alserkal Avenue, Alserkal Arts Foundation, and Alserkal Advisory. Her professional and academic experience is centered on placemaking and the development of sustainable, community-centric creative economies with both global and regional impact.

Summary:

In this episode, our host Adrian Ellis speaks with Sanjoy K. Roy, Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, about his relational journey and global experiences in the arts, which highlights the importance of producing cultural programmes that address current social needs, and are co-created with communities.

Thereafter, Adrian is joined by fellow host Stephanie Fortunato to discuss key takeaways. They reflect on how Sanjoy’s dexterity during the Covid-19 pandemic reflects the agility and resilience of the arts. They also discuss the pros and cons of different organisational models for the arts, and the importance of retaining intellectual property for artistic content.

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References:

1. Jaipur Literature Festival: Brave New World
2. Jaipur Literature Festival London
3. Earth Fables Craft Platform
4. The Espresso Martini

Bio

Sanjoy K. Roy, an entrepreneur of the arts, is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, which produces performing arts, visual arts and literary festivals across 40 cities in countries such as Australia, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Israel, Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, UK, and USA, including the annual Jaipur Literature Festival. He has received the National Award for Excellence and Best Director for the film “Shahjahanabad: The Twilight Years.” He is a founder trustee of Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT) working to provide support services for street and working children in the inner city of Delhi where over 55,000 children have benefited from education, training and residential services. In 2011 the White House presented SBT the US President’s Committee of Arts and Humanities Award for an International Organisation. Sanjoy is Co-chair of the Art and Culture Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI); President of Event and Entertainment Management Association (EEMA) and a Member of the India@75 Culture Committee, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).