Creative Networks - second stage

original mapping process

Along with the empty shop project we have been working on the Creative Network project which has been slowly progressing over the last few weeks. It's taken a while but the two graphics hopefully sum up the evening. On the graph below there are a few misc that if people could sum that would be great. The second graph also looks at some the names cover both being an event as well as a network.

We have a number next steps if you like to go to the next step. Firstly we would like to develop the mapping process further and include other events networks etc to the graphs. We would also like to look into the assets of each group to see if we can cross connect groups that maybe strong in one area and weak in another so they may pool resources. We have also go the wish list that was also started during the first chat but we would further like to develop this to see if there are things collaborative tools to increase overall strength of the mapped areas. Ideas such as a group calendar for example.

Finally this is an open project and we hope people will both be able to increase the knowledge of the mapping and also suggest other ways forward. Hope everyone has some great ideas and plans.


grouped with some notes doing more than one thing. Event also covers performance


ideas and suggestions for future development. We would love more.


Thanks again for the help and we hope we can use this way of working together in the future to highlight that there is a flexibility of working and living in Wales that can have great advantages.

The week that was - Empty shop ideas meeting

So what a week. We have been busy and busy and a bit more busy. I think this is the week we will look back and realise that it was the week that tipped. Monday was a meeting with everyone at Cardiff Design Festival and it's first planning meeting for 2010. On the same night and at the same time (ish), Igloo regeneration held an open invitation to investigate the wants for a Digital media centre at Roath Basin next to the newly announced BBC studio's.

Tuesday came quickly on Monday's heals with the empty shop ideas meeting. The turn out was great with about 20 people or so. There were loads of ideas and we will be developing these more over the next week or so. Then Wednesday our traditional club night was a bit of a quiet one but we did sign our lives away by registering as a limited company (by guarantee). We are then hoping to apply for Community Interest Company (CIC), which after many months of debate seems to sum us up now and where we want to go in the future. Charity didn't seem to fit neither did just a basic business. Time will tell whether we have to change it again, but for now we are all very excited about what's going on, if not a wee bit tired.


ideas session on Tuesday nights empty shop evening


No room to put anymore ideas down at the empty shop meeting

Recent Press for ARK

Over the last few weeks we have had a number of pieces of press relating to ARK's recent projects including the empty shop project and the ongoing work with the creative network project. Thank you to Andrew from Hoffi for putting the above video together of my interview at 6am!! with BBC Radio Wales. Below are a few other pieces that have been written about us. It's great to get the coverage as without it we definitely wouldn't have had the interest in people getting involved without it. So thank you for all the support.

Media Wales

http://yourcardiff.walesonline.co.uk/2010/05/20/empty-arcade-shops-to-get-creative-streak/

http://yourcardiff.walesonline.co.uk/2010/05/11/making-use-of-cardiffs-empty-shops/

http://yourcardiff.walesonline.co.uk/2010/05/11/thinkark-cardiff-empty-shops/

CAI

http://cardiffartsinstitute.org/2010/05/zeitgeist/wednesday-club-with-ark/

Guardian Cardiff

http://www.guardian.co.uk/cardiff/2010/may/10/cardiff-creative-network

Dilemma monday

Last night was a busy evening. Cardiff Design Festival held their first public planning meeting of the year in Chapter's newly refurbished media point, and Igloo regeneration along with WAG held an ideas workshop about the new Digital Media Centre based in the Roath Basin area of Cardiff. The development is been developed alongside the new BBC buildings in the area.

So which one to attend? Well luckily we managed to get to both. I got to the Roath Basin project and Simon and Lynsey went to the Cardiff Design Festival. I had a great session with the Architect who will be designing the building Robert Sakula, mainly discussing what a Digital Media Centre means and what creative industries may need in a building. There was a great turn out during the evening with a number of familiar faces and others that I need to get to know. What the evening brought for me was the question of digital and what it is? In the context of a Digital Media Centre next to the BBC should it be just for direct businesses within the broadcast sector? but then what is that if not film producers, directors, sound recordists AND website designers, graphic designers, costume designers? There are so many areas that use digital stuff/technologies to create or help them with working that where is the line drawn? there was also discussion on quality of businesses and so output. I wonder how this can be measured and also if it should be measured?

Why should we be?

A few weeks ago we posted a question about what we should be. After a few weeks we are now getting nearer to the answer and thank you for all the help and advice everyone has given us in helping us making a decision. The video above seemed appropriate to post in response. The lucky thing with ARK is that we know why we are doing ARK and have always discussed in terms of belief and the overall plan. In contrast we have struggled to explain our setup to others because they want to know what and how. Hope you enjoy the video, which is taken from a TEDx conference with Simon Sinek speaking.

Empty Shop date announced and first meeting date set

Project 3 - Dead spaces - empty shop

Perhaps you have noticed how many empty shops there are in Cardiff city centre at the moment? We have.

The first empty shop project will take place in an empty shop in Castle Arcade, Cardiff on the 2nd and 3rd of July. We are looking for people to contribute their ideas, skills and knowledge to help make this project happen. We would love you to get involved.

There will be a meeting in Y Tair Pluen (part of Owain Glyndwr on St. John St, opposite St Nicholas church) on Tuesday the 18th of May at 6.30pm to start developing ideas. We are asking anyone interested in taking part in the project to come along. You might already have an idea of something you’d like to do or want to meet people you can exchange ideas with. Or you might just want to find out what's happening - we don’t mind, we want you to come anyway!

ARK- Creative Network event at CAI

The response was fantastic last night. We had a great turnout considering we only arranged the evening about a week or so ago, and there were some really interesting conversations centered around networks / events / venues in Cardiff and Wales. We are going to be looking at this over the next few weeks and coming to some insights to be able to take the project forward. For the first time there also seems to be a number of people that are really interested in being involved and to help out.

Secondly we are also really happy to announce the dates for our empty shops project which will take place from the 2-3 July which is the friday and saturday. So now that you have the dates there is no excuses to get in contact if you feel you want to help out or even put something on during the two days.