aims

• explore the roles of creative people and the 'cultural industries' in the development of society, culture and public policy by conducting 'action research'.

• assess the impact of creative activities, and in particular the experimental arts, on society and culture as a whole by drawing on bodies of knowledge & experience from the fields of Art & Design and the Social Sciences.

• identify ways through 'cultural analysis' in which creative practices can be critical forces for change and development in society, such as being effective tools in social and economic regeneration.

• develop links with industry to explore new forms of partnership and investment in culture to bring greater benefits to communities, audiences, practitioners and investors.

• evaluate and enhance current thinking on the relationship between culture and the economy to broaden the understanding of the former's role in the development of society.

• influence public policy around the role of creativity in learning, work and play.

• embed creativity in everyday life by stimulating life long learning.

objectives

STIMULATING INNOVATION & CREATIVITY

• devise and realise practical projects as models for innovation and collaboration.

• investigate the impact of new technologies (and artists' use of them) on society.

• explore the importance of experimental creative arts for industry and innovation and champion artists as key links in the development chain of new technologies, services and practices.

• rethink what public art can be and how it impacts on society through new approaches and technologies.

NETWORKS FOR COLLABORATION

• research how networks and modes of communication - virtual and physical - foster and build communities (of people and interests), and are transformative of social and cultural relations within local and across global communities.

ACCESS AND UNDERSTANDING

• organise events (talks, symposia, colloquia etc) and publications (research reports and creative publications) placing SoMa's findings in the public realm to foster critical debate.

• feed back into teaching programmes and research activities of partner institutions, acting as an interface for further collaborations between practitioners from different disciplines.

• seek out new sites for contemporary art to reach audiences unable to engage with the current structure of galleries and museums - such as public libraries and new media production centres.