Concept and context of the creative economy
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1.1.11
Cultural and creative commons
There are a multiplicity of applications of the Commons theory, and despite the lack of agreement on a definition, the concept has been increasingly used on values that relate to culture. A cultural commons is found when a group of people share an identity, as in the case of language, customs and styles as well as rites and traditions. It is located in time and space, either physical or virtual, and shared by a socially cohesive community.23 As a system of intellectual resources available in a geographical or virtual area, a cultural commons is the evolution of the more traditional cultural district or cluster. Whether an image of a city, a local language or an artistic movement, a cultural commons is recognized in living cultures as the oral and intangible heritage of humanity. Living cultures are constantly changing. However, those who work against the local culture, particularly in pursuit of financial enrichment, can pose a challenge to the concept of cultural commons, and in certain cases become an economic and a socio-political threat to the status quo. Such is the case in some African rural areas that are remote from the centre of political and economic power and thus cut off from the main market opportunities.24 This suggests a need to further explore the relationship between cultural commons and cultural districts on both the theoretical and practical levels. In the digital world, the concept of creative commons continues to gain ground with the growing importance of mobile phones, emails, blogs and highly collaborative Web applications. Social networks and communities of users interact on virtual platforms, opening up new frontiers in information sharing, property rights and other fields related to the globalization of virtual networks and processes. From the economic and legal point of view, the debate over regulating these new value creation channels, points to a need to revisit issues related to the distribution of rights and responsibilities. It is likely to require a shift of focus from a traditional property rights approach to a long-term perspective in which benefits are generated by collective action and by creativity sharing.25 This issue is further examined in chapter 6. The recent trend towards “creativity in collaboration” rests on the notion that creativity is essentially a social 23
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process, not only involving individuals, but also a specific socio-cultural domain of knowledge and a field. As per Csikszentmihalyi’s systems model of creativity, the domain is a constituent factor in creativity,26 although it is important to keep in mind that domains change. Thus, collaboration with others seems to be the rule in creative process, since every creative idea builds on previous ideas of others. In this context, it could be argued that important developments in the arts are possible because of intensive cooperation or cocreation, as is the case in theatre, film, ballet, jazz improvisation and new media.27 In chapter 6, issues related to creative collaboration is further elaborated.
1.1.12
Experience economy
The term “the experience economy” appeared in 1999 in the title of a book by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore.28 A similar idea was explored in another 1999 book entitled The Dream Society, by Rolf Jensen from the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies in Denmark. The concept builds on the idea that in the near future, people would be willing to allocate high percentages of their salaries in order to have amazing life experiences. Their desire for emotional experiences would be linked to the consumption of creative products and services that should be highly specified and differentiated, as compared to a simple commodity business. Having gotten its start in the Scandinavian countries, the concept is gradually being more widely assimilated, as evidenced by the growing sense that creative businesses must orchestrate memorable events for their customers. The enriching experience would in turn be associated with a customized lifestyle, status and the use of certain brands. This approach recognizes the difference between the pleasure and experience of going to an opera hall for a performance versus listening to an opera CD at home. It appreciates and capitalizes on the fact that when people go to a restaurant, they go not just for the food, but for the multifaceted experience of enjoying an evening in a charming atmosphere, with good wine, company, conversation, music, etc. From the economic perspective, the experience economy could be seen as a natural progression in the value-added
Several research papers were debated at the first international workshop on cultural commons, organized by the Silvia Santagata Research Centre in collaboration with the University of Turin, Italy, in January 2010. Bocchino and Murpheree (2010). Carbone and Trimarchi (2010). Csikszentmihalyi (1999). Oostwoud Wijdenes (2009). Pine and Gilmore (1999).
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