Research

An ongoing pilot project using travel assistant technology to encourage audiences to travel to cultural venues more sustainably has shared its initial findings.

Five cultural venues - Chichester Festival Theatre, The Point & The Berry in Eastleigh, Farnham Maltings, The Old Fire Station Oxford and The Electric in Guildford – are taking part in the Act Green travel pilot, which is being run by consultancy and research agency Indigo-Ltd in partnership with You. Smart. Thing (YST) and crowdEngage.

The venues have received Arts Council England funding to see if a combination of technology and messaging can influence audience behaviour.

YST operates travel assistant technology that allows audience members to see the carbon impact of their travel options. It has paired with crowdEngage, which enables venues to send communications to encourage audiences to use the travel assistant service, to create an integration between the two systems.

Since the pilot began in July, audiences across the five venues have created more than 4,000 sustainable travel plans.

Indigo-Ltd says the initial results show visitors are opting for low-carbon travel methods of public transport rather than driving to venues.

When compared with their usual travel behaviour those who used the route suggested by the travel assistant service reduced their carbon emissions by 41%, together saving an estimated eight tonnes of carbon over the last three months.

The pilot will continue to run until May next year, with results being published in the spring alongside a toolkit for other cultural organisations.

YST CEO Chris Thompson said: “We are delighted to see adoption of our technology across the cultural sector, and in particular, by theatre going audiences”.

“Behaviour change and model shift can be hugely difficult to achieve. It is brilliant to see these theatres offering tailored routes and low-carbon travel options that ultimately enhance the overall cultural experience they deliver.”

Freelancers in England's creative and cultural sectors are being invited to participate in research carried out on behalf of Arts Council England (ACE).

Academics from University of Essex Business School and East 15 Acting School are conducting the research that will help ACE “build a picture of the freelance workforce in all the disciplines it supports”.

The first stage of the research is a survey asking current freelancers, or those who have freelanced in the past, to share their experiences of working in combined arts, dance, literature, libraries, museums, music, theatre and the visual arts.

The survey is open for responses until 31 October.

Project leader, Professor Melissa Tyler, said researchers “want to use this project to give freelancers a voice”.

“We are delighted to be leading this survey and research project which will help shape Arts Council England’s policy and planning for the next three years, making sure that support is targeted where it is most needed.”

Michelle Dickson, ACE Director, Strategy, said that, by taking part in the survey, freelancers “will be helping us to understand the opportunities and challenges that they are facing”.

“[This] will help us at the Arts Council develop better policies and advocate for a fairer and more sustainable future for workers across the cultural sector.”

An independent survey commissioned by Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) has found widespread support for continued and increased investment in the arts.

The Arts Council’s General Population Survey, conducted between May and June this year, found 79% of respondents supported public investment in arts and culture organisations, while 70% agreed with public investment in individual artists.

Over half (58%) of respondents said they would vote for a political candidate who advocated for increased spending on arts and culture. 

In comparison, 9% said they would vote against, while 33% were undecided.

Karly Greene, ACNI’s Director of Strategic Development, said the survey “shows strong support for the arts”.

“It clearly demonstrates the value which the public places on continued and increased investment in the arts infrastructure, for the benefit of our economy, tourism, education and personal health and wellbeing.”

The survey also found more people are attending arts events in Northern Ireland than at the time the last survey took place in 2019-2020.

Almost three-quarters (74%) of respondents said they had attended an arts activity or event in the past 12 months, compared to 68% at the time of the last survey.

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) has awarded £250k for research into how blind people experience art in museums and the ways it can be enhanced.

A collaboration between Dr Ken Wilder and Dr Aaron McPeake (University of the Arts London), Dr Clare O’Dowd from the Henry Moore Institute and the disability-led arts organisation Shape Arts, the project is the first to be awarded financing from AHRC’s exhibition fund.

The three-year study will feature a research season and public engagement events culminating in a 2025 exhibition at the Henry Moore Institute, predominantly featuring works by blind or partially-blind artists and directed by a blind curator.

Working with Shape Arts, the project will also generate the first international database of blind and partially-blind sculptural artists.

Wilder said the project would investigate the role that “touch, sound, smell and proprioception – the perception or awareness of the position and movement of the body – play in engaging with sculpture”.

Professor Christopher Smith, AHRC Executive Chair, said: “As audiences and venues change, and as we seek to be more inclusive and bring our culture to everyone, the nature of how we stage and curate exhibitions needs to evolve. 

“This project will unlock fresh ways for different and often overlooked audiences to experience our historical and cultural heritage, ensuring its value can be fully appreciated by many more people, but they will also inform all of our exhibition making.”

The UK Government's decision to rejoin a European Union research programme will help drive growth in the creative industries by providing access to grant funding opportunities, Creative UK has said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed that from this week British researchers can apply once again for grants from the £85bn Horizon programme.

In total the UK will contribute about £2.6bn on average a year to Horizon and Copernicus, an Earth observation satellite programme, with the UK’s contributions due to start from January.

Creative UK Chief Executive Caroline Norbury said the Horizon deal has “transformative potential” to increase investment in the creative industries for start-ups and innovation.

"Cross border collaboration through research and development is crucial to fuelling the power of creativity to drive innovation, and access to the Horizon Europe programme promises to turbo charge this potential," she said.

"In unlocking access to Horizon Europe funds, the UK’s creative sector will now be able to benefit from €170m made available by the new European Knowledge and Innovation Community, which Creative UK co-founded. 

"This initial investment seeks to increase the innovation capacity and competitiveness of Europe’s Cultural and Creative Industries, and is expected to leverage a further €700m for start-ups and innovation.

“The transformative potential of investments such as these are precisely why Creative UK is working tirelessly to ensure the UK’s cultural sector and creative industries continues to play a leading role in global collaboration. 

"As Horizon Europe opens its doors to the UK once more, we will be equally determined in ensuring our creative economy makes the very best of the opportunity today’s agreement represents.”