Ahhh, the beautiful and creative. They give us a dose of joy and pleasant surprises. We’re getting a lot more of those moments, thanks, in part, to the growth of CCIs – the Cultural and Creative Industries – which are industries powered by human creativity. An unlimited resource that’s within every person on earth!
The creative industry in Brunei is pretty much a blank canvas at the moment, with little specks of colour everywhere; a piece of art in progress. There’s also the cultural industry which needs a little TLC. Both can bloom into something great. Our imaginations and heritage can be turned into delightful and desirable products that are uniquely Bruneian. For travellers and Bruneians, both. UNESCO and some of their friends have taken a snapshot of the global CCI situation last year and found out that these industries invigorate businesses, create millions of jobs, make cities more attractive (London theatres, Milan fashion, etc) and add to our quality of life.
We want to build a similar CCI map for Brunei, to see how far this is true for us. You can help out. If you’re part of the cultural or creative industries in Brunei, and know someone who is, head over to (www.progresif.com/home/creativecommunity). We’re definitely talking about you if your work is artistic, cultural or heritage-related in nature and/or is based on individual creativity (which means it involves intellectual property) – and makes money.
Check out these eight clusters and see which one you fit into:
CRAFTS
Textiles, woodcarving, metalwork. You get the gist! Anything handy and relating to culture and heritage, including how it’s made, as in the case when you use an old technique to create something new.
FASION DESIGN
Sparkles, glitter, baubles and buttons – and that’s just for shoes. Of course we’re talking about clothes, jewellery and other accessories, from the design aspect, the production, and right down to the distribution.
ARCHITECTURE
Likely to have hard hats tucked in the car boot, these are creatives involved with anything to do with the consulting, design, planning, construction and conservation of a building (inside, outside) and landscapes.
MULTIMEDIA
Oh how we love those vines! And who’s seen the short animation showing in cinemas right now about how the brain and heart work out their differences? In this cluster are people who work on audio and visual mediums such as film, video, photography, radio, animation and interactive content.
PUBLISHING
Digital is growing, what with interactive media, VR/AR and what not. But print ain’t fading into the background. Books, newspapers, magazines, catalogues, flyers and their equivalents in digital form need editorial, production, promotion and distribution services.
ADVERTISING
Memorable jingles, touching Public Service Announcement vids, larger than life posters! This sector is all about getting information out there using all sorts of platforms – billboards, radio, the back of a bus. Consultancy, campaigns, ad space and production and distribution of ad materials – all in!
VISUAL ARTS
You might think that art installations and sculptures are rare here in Brunei – the trick is to look in the right places since these two actually make up the core activity under this cluster along with painting, fine arts, galleries, art fairs, exhibitions and auctions. So this one is for the artists, designers and people who bring it all together into local events and openings.
MUSIC & PERFORMING ARTS
Music, like film, travels far and takes a gamut of people along for the ride. You’re in here if you spend time on musical production, recording, distribution, be it live or recorded. Then there’s performance art which includes stage users (sort of, sometimes) i.e. dance, theatre, stand-up comedy, and the like.
