Our Impact on the World
Cinema, television, theatre, performance and other creative arts are vital to the UK. They employ millions, generate more economic value than the aerospace, life sciences and automotive industries combined, and immeasurably enhance our quality of life. Yet the pace of change is accelerating, as new virtual, augmented and extended reality digital technologies emerge. The Centre for Creative Futures seeks to address the profound questions this raises about how, in the future, we will produce, consume and participate in the creative arts. Which forms of liveness and intimacy will these technologies mediate? What new collaborative models can generate new forms of connection? And how can we identify ways to empower marginalised voices and promote positive change?
Through practice-based and traditional forms of research, the Centre seeks to contribute to many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Examples include:
- Our work on the role of creative practice and healthcare training and simulation for nurses, which suppports Good Health and Wellbeing (SDG3).
- The ‘Safe Working Practices in Theatre’ project, launched in the wake of the #MeToo movement and focusing on making creative productions safer and more accessible for participants and audiences, which contributes to Gender Equality (5).
- Our hosting of a new PhD scholarship for researchers with a disability, aimed at studying and addressing the isolation of certain communities, which supports Reduced Inequalities (10).
- The award-winning ‘Radio Ghost’ project, using serious games technology in public spaces, such as shopping malls, to highlight supply chain and human rights issues, which supports Responsible Consumption and Production (12).
- Our creative partnerships with local communities in Brazil during COP 30, enabling indigenous voices to create alternatives to the western-dominated narrative on climate change, which supports Climate Action (13).
Knowledge Exchange Events
CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS SERIES: Screening of the documentary, Turn Your Body To The Sun, + director's Q&A.
Join us on Wednesday 5 March 2025 for a special screening of Turn Your Body to the Sun, an extraordinary documentary by director Aliona van der Horst. This film uncovers the incredible life story of a Tatar Soviet soldier captured by the Germans during WWII. His daughter, Sana, embarks on a journey to trace the path of her silent father, delving into his diaries and various personal and public archives to understand the man she knew as a child.
As Sana leads the filmmaker through this personal journey, Van der Horst uses innovative techniques for archival footage, unearthing the often-overlooked stories of millions of Soviet soldiers caught in the flames of war. The film breaks decades of silence, revealing the subtle remnants of a forgotten human tragedy.
Aliona van der Horst Bio:
Aliona van der Horst (born 1970) grew up in the Netherlands with a Russian mother and a Dutch father. She studied Russian literature at the University of Amsterdam and Documentary at the Dutch Film and TV school. She is one of the best-known Dutch documentary directors. Her films are essayistic and classically documentary at the same time. They arise from thorough research and an observational way of working, often in close collaboration with others.
In her 30 years of filmmaking she has received multiple awards for her films. Because of her personal, poetic and cinematic vision, her films are profoundly compelling and touching.