The Three Bells Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN)

Our host Stephanie Fortunato speaks with Luisa Bravo, founder and president of City Space Architecture. They discuss principles for designing inclusively and creating moments for sharing and togetherness, and how it takes a village to create successful public spaces – including the importance of working with collaborators that might not agree with you.
References
City Space Architecture: https://www.cityspacearchitecture.org/Mastering Public Space Magazine: https://www.masteringpublicspace.org/Ascoli Piceno: https://www.italymagazine.com/ascoli-picenoJan Gehl: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_GehlLife Between Buildings by Jan Gehl: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5597655-life-between-buildingsThe Journal of Public Space: https://www.journalpublicspace.org/index.php/jpsMuseo Spazio Pubblico: https://www.museospaziopubblico.it/The Overstory by Richard Powers: https://www.richardpowers.net/the-overstory/Buster Simpson, artist: http://www.bustersimpson.net/Presidio Tunnel Tops, San Francisco CA: https://presidio.gov/explore/attractions/presidio-tunnel-topsOld Tree by Pamela Rosenkranz: https://www.thehighline.org/art/projects/pamela-rosenkranz/Shadow Tree by Elizabeth Keithline: https://www.pem.org/shadow-treeUpside Down Trees by Natalie Jeremijenko : https://massmoca.org/event/upside-down-trees/The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/717356/the-creative-act-by-rick-rubin/ Luisa Bravo Bio
Dr Luisa Bravo is a public space scholar and passionate activist, a cultural entrepreneur and an academic. After completing her PhD (2008), she has taught, researched and lectured in Europe, the United States, Middle East, Asia and Australia. She is Adjunct Professor in Urban Design at the University of Florence in Italy and has 20+ years experience in the professional field with a specific focus on public space. 
 Luisa holds a strong record of academic publications, she has been the recipient of grants and awards, such as the Australia Endeavour Executive Award, and she served as keynote speaker in major international conferences in 30+ countries. She has actively participated in key United Nations summits, such as the Habitat III conference (Quito, 2016), the World Urban Forum (Kuala Lumpur, 2018; Abu Dhabi, 2020; Katowice, 2022) the first UN-Habitat Assembly (Nairobi, 2019) and two High Level Meetings at the UN headquarters in New York (2017, 2022). With her non-profit organization City Space Architecture, that she founded in 2013, she organized and curated conferences, seminars, workshops and exhibitions internationally aimed at promoting public space culture. Under her leadership, City Space Architecture became partner of UN-Habitat and was engaged in the General Assembly of Partners (GAP), Research and Academia Partner Constituent Group.
 Luisa initiated and is currently leading several public space projects, such as: The Journal of Public Space, the first, interdisciplinary, academic, open access journal entirely dedicated to public space; the Public Space Academy, the first, free, interdisciplinary educational program on public space; the Public Space Museum, a collaborative and transdisciplinary practice on public space; the web-magazine Mastering Public Space, an online and free resource with a curated collection of news on public space from influential and reliable sources. 
 She is Member of AESOP Thematic group Public Spaces and Urban Cultures, Member of the Board of Experts for the European Prize for Urban Public Space, Expert to the European Commission for the Horizon Europe Program and for the research project 'Public Spaces as Spaces for Citizen Engagement', promoted by the JRC Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy. She is also an expert evaluator for the European COST project and for the Fulbright Commission (USA), and a consultant for the Global Platform for the Right to the City for which she wrote the thematic paper 'Cities and Human Set

Our host Adrian Ellis speaks with Shain Shapiro, one of the world’s leading music policy thinkers and advocates, founder of Sound Diplomacy, director of the Center for Music Ecosystems, and author of This Must be the Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better. They discuss the role of music in the urban ecosystem, what a city’s music strategy can be, and the ‘edge’ music has as an urban policy tool.
References
Shain Shapiro Website: https://www.shainshapiro.com/
Sound Diplomacy: https://www.sounddiplomacy.com/
This Must Be The Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better: https://www.shainshapiro.com/book
Center for Music Ecosystems: https://www.centerformusicecosystems.com/
Global Leaders Institute: https://www.globalleadersinstitute.org/
Global Leaders Institute Course led by Shain Shapiro: https://www.globalleadersinstitute.org/blog-post/what-is-a-music-city/
 
LinkedIns
Shain Shapiro: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shainhouse/
Sound Diplomacy: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sound-diplomacy/
Center for Music Ecosystems: https://www.linkedin.com/company/centerformusicecosystems/
Shain Shapiro Bio
Shain Shapiro is a globally recognised thought leader at the convergence of music, culture and urban policy. This is showcased in his debut book, This Must Be The Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better. 
 
Shain has defined a new way to think about the value of music in cities and places and through it, influenced over 120 cities and places to invest in music and culture as founder and executive chairman of Sound Diplomacy and founder and executive director of the not-for-profit global Center for Music Ecosystems. 
 
He has authored authoritative reports on the role of music in cities, tourism, the night time economy, real estate and recovery, including the most extensive guide to music and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ever written, in partnership with the United Nations. He has spoken at hundreds of global conventions, such as SXSW and the UN World Urban Forum and delivered the first ever TEDx talk on music’s role in cities. He is also the recipient of Folk Alliance International’s Spirit of Folk Award in 2022. 
 
Shain holds a PhD from the University of London and lives in East London, and is leading a module on music policy at the Harvard-affiliated Global Leaders Institute. He has also authored a course with Berklee College of Music on international music export, and helped create the Momentum Music Fund in England.

Our host, Hilary Knight, speaks with Jason Bruges, Founder and Artistic Director of Jason Bruges Studio, who create site-specific artworks and dynamic immersive experiences. They discuss the task of animating architecture, taking inspiration from nature and natural systems and devising opportunities for co-creating and community building in public spaces.
Jason Bruges Bio
Jason Bruges Studio has become internationally renowned for producing innovative installations, interventions and ground breaking works. This practice involves creating interactive spaces and surfaces that sit between the world of architecture, site specific installation art and interaction design. Considered a pioneer of this hybrid in-between space, Jason has subsequently paved the way for a new genre of design studios, artists and designer-makers.
 
Born on 15th September 1972, Jason Bruges is a multi-disciplinary artist and designer based in London. Jason’s work blends architecture with interaction design and uses a high-tech, mixed media palette to explore spectacle, time-based interventions and dynamic spatial experiences. He is passionate about creating site-specific pieces that engage people with their environments.Jason Bruges trained as an architect at Oxford Brookes University and the Bartlett School of Architecture, (UCL). He worked with Foster + Partners for three years before moving to Imagination to become a Senior Interaction Designer.
 
In 2002 Jason set up his own practice and now works with a talented team of people to develop and deliver interactive projects worldwide. The studio comprises of an experienced team of architects, engineers, industrial designers and computational designers as well as specialists in electronics, programming and project management.
References
Jason Bruges Studio: https://www.jasonbruges.com/home/Jason Bruges Studio Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonbrugesstudio/Eastbourne Alive: https://eastbournealive.co.uk/our-artists/jason-bruges-studioLux Automata, Artwork for DeepMind: https://www.jasonbruges.com/lux-automataEnergy Dynamics, Artwork for client: DTEK : https://www.jasonbruges.com/art#/energy-dynamics/Awe by Dacher Keltner: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622175/awe-by-dacher-keltner/ 
LinkedIns
Jason Bruges: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonbruges/Jason Bruges Studio: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jason-bruges-studio-limited/

In her swan song as a host for The Three Bells, Criena Gehrke (Executive Director, Queensland Theatre) speaks with two leading figures in Calgary’s arts and culture scene, Alex Sarian (President & CEO, Arts Commons) and Nicholas R. Bell (President & CEO, Glenbow Museum). The dynamic conversation covers plenty of ground: from the magic and warmth of Calgary’s cultural scene to the personal and institutional responsibilities carried on the road to reconciliation with indigenous communities. The Three Bells podcast is produced by AEA Consulting for the Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN). Sound mixing and theme music by Artwave Studio. 
References
Glenbow: https://www.glenbow.org/
Arts Commons: https://www.artscommons.ca/
Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre: https://www.studiobell.ca/
Central Library: https://calgarylibrary.ca/
Contemporary Calgary: https://www.contemporarycalgary.com/
Arts Commons Transformation Project: https://www.contemporarycalgary.com/
Wanda Dalla Costa: https://www.avenuecalgary.com/city-life/how-indigenous-architecture-is-shaping-the-future-of-arts-commons/

LinkedIns
Alex Sarian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexsarian/
Nicholas Bell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-r-bell-6157b673/
Wanda Dalla Costa, AIA, FRAIC, LEED AP:https://www.linkedin.com/in/tawarc/
Criena Gehrke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/criena-gehrke-783303106/
***
Alex Sarian Bio
From Madrid to Shanghai to New York City, Alex has worked with artists and arts organizations in fifteen countries spanning five continents. A Toronto native and fully bilingual, Alex was raised in Buenos Aires and moved to New York City in 2002, where he held senior executive roles at several arts institutions, including seven years at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
 
In January 2020, at the age of 36, Alex was appointed President & CEO of Arts Commons, becoming the youngest executive to oversee a major performing arts center in North America. In this role, he is responsible for the third largest arts center in Canada, home to six resident arts organizations, and over 200 community groups and commercial presenters. Occupying over 560,000 square feet in the downtown core of Canada’s third most diverse city, the Arts Commons complex normally welcomes more than 600,000 visitors to its 2,000 events every year, and features rehearsal studios, production workshops, education spaces, art/media/sound galleries, restaurants, public community areas, and six performance venues—including the Jack Singer Concert Hall, noted by The New York Times as one of the best acoustic venues in North America. 
 
Since beginning his tenure, Alex has led Arts Commons’ successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the development of free outdoor and digital programming, the creation of an Indigenous reconciliation strategy, an unprecedented investment in digital and accessibility infrastructure, and launched the single largest cultural infrastructure project in Canadian history—scheduled to break ground in 2024.
 
Passionate about civic engagement, Alex volunteers on a number of international boards in the areas of education, philanthropy, economic development, advocacy and policy, and innovation. 
 
Alex received undergraduate and graduate degrees from New York University, is a graduate of the Community Shift program at Western University’s Ivey School of Business, and was an inaugural graduate of the Impact Program for Arts Leaders at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.
Nicholas Bell Bio
Originally from Vancouver, Nicholas joined Glenbow in 2019 from his position as Senior Vice President for Curatorial Affairs at Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. Nicholas launched a formidable exhibitions program during his three years at the preeminent American maritime museum. He previously served as The Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator-in-Charge of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery in Washin

SummaryIn the first episode of our 2024 season, our host Stephanie Fortunato speaks with Tairone Bastien, curator of 'A Feral Commons', a global public art co-commission project that examines the often unrecognized co-dependence and open-ended collaborations between human and non-human beings. The project is led by Alserkal Advisory in collaboration with GCDN and with support from UAP – and features site-specific installations located in three cultural districts worldwide: Alserkal Avenue, Kingston Creative, and Victoria Yards.
Guest bio
Tairone Bastien (he/him) is an independent curator based in Toronto and an Assistant Professor in the Criticism and Curatorial Practice program at Ontario College of Art and Design University. Tairone co-curated the inaugural Toronto Biennial of Art in 2019 and in 2022. From 2011-2016, Tairone established the arts program at Alserkal Avenue and the Alserkal Residency in Dubai, for artists, curators, and researchers in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. From 2005-2010, he was a curator for Performa in New York City, co-organizing the first three editions of the ground-breaking biennial of live performance art. Tairone holds a Master of Art from the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, New York; and a Bachelor’s Degree in Art History with a Minor in Critical Studies in Sexuality from the University of British Columbia.
 
External references
A Feral Commons Website: https://aferalcommons.com/A Feral Commons ArtistsIo Makandal: https://iomakandal.com/Muhannad Shono: https://muhannadshono.com/Camille Chedda: https://www.camillechedda.com/Alserkal article detailing A Feral Commons: https://alserkal.online/words/the-global-co-commissionUrban Art Project (UAP): https://www.uapcompany.com/Alserkal: https://alserkal.online/Kingston Creative:https://kingstoncreative.org/Victoria Yards: https://www.victoriayards.co.za/Toronto Biennial: https://torontobiennial.org/Hassan Sharif: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hassan_SharifAna Tsing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_TsingFeral Atlas, 79 field reports from scientists, humanists, and artists that show you how to recognize “feral” ecologies: https://feralatlas.org/Mushroom at the end of the world: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mushroom_at_the_End_of_the_WorldArticle detailing Chedda’s Art Exhibition: https://our.today/jamaican-camille-chedda-selected-for-climate-themed-art-exhibition/Juksgei River, Johannesburg South Africa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jukskei_RiverWater for the Future, an organization dedicated to reviving the Jukskei river's ecosystem through collaborative, community-based spatial interventions. Collaborating with Makandal on her exhibition: https://www.waterforthefuture.co.za/ 
LinkedIns
Tairone Bastien : https://www.linkedin.com/in/tairone-bastien-6310608/?originalSubdomain=ca
Alserkal LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/alserkal/
Camille Chedda:https://www.linkedin.com/in/camille-chedda-8233bb33/
Io Makandal:https://www.linkedin.com/in/io-makandal-schiess-6b693629/
 
Instagrams
Muhannad Shono: https://www.instagram.com/muhannad.shono/
Io Makandal: https://www.instagram.com/iomakandal/
Camille Chedda: https://www.instagram.com/camillechedda/
Alserkal: https://www.instagram.com/alserkalavenue/

In the final episode of the 2023 season, our host, Stephanie Fortunato, speaks with Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler, founders of Handspring Puppet Company, whose monumental works include War Horse and Little Amal. They discuss the role of puppetry in storytelling, building new audiences, activism and bridging connections between communities. 

The Three Bells podcast is produced by AEA Consulting for the Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN). Sound mixing and theme music by Artwave Studio.
External references:
Handspring Puppet Company: https://www.handspringpuppet.com/Handspring Puppet Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/handspring-puppet-company/about/War Horse: https://www.warhorseonstage.com/learning/puppets/War Horse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Horse_(play)Life and Times of Michael K: http://www.quaternaire.org/handspring-puppet-co/life-and-times-michael-kThe Walk (Little Amal): https://www.walkwithamal.org/about-us/little-amal-the-walk/Little Amal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_AmalThe Walk Productions (Little Amal) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-walk-productions-little-amal/Bunraku: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BunrakuBarrydale Giant Puppet Parade: https://barrydaleparade.wordpress.com/The Walk, documentary by Tamara Kotevska: https://www.docnyc.net/film/the-walk/Simon Sinacs Ted Talk – How Great Leaders Inspire Action: https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=enBios:
Basil Jones is the co-founder and Executive Producer of Handspring Puppet Company. Jones completed his BFA at UCT. In 1990, Jones set up a not for profit NGO Handspring Trust, which produced the award winning Spider’s Place, an innovative, multi-media science education series for TV, radio an comic aimed at young learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Handspring Trust is involved in a number of projects in urban township and rural areas, using puppetry as a means to educate and empower youth and bring communities together through street parades and performance. He received the Naledi Executive Directors Award (2012), a lifetime achievement award from Tshwane University (2006) and an honorary doctorate in literature from UCT (2012). 
Adrian Kohler is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Handspring Puppet Company, and considered to be one of the world’s leading masters of his medium. He gained a BA Fine Art at the University of Cape Town and then spent a year at The Space Theatre and another in Birmingham U.K. at the Canon Hill Arts Centre and Weld Community Arts Centre. Kohler then moved to Botswana to run the National Popular Theatre Programme for three years. He has had a solo retrospective at the National Gallery in South Africa, and groups of his works have been shown at The Barbican Art Gallery, London and The Museum for African Art, New York. Kohler received the Michaelis Prize, a lifetime achievement award from Tshwane University (2006) and an honorary doctorate in literature UCT (2012). 
Handspring Puppet Company
Founded by Adrian Kohler and Basil Jones (with Jill Joubert and Jon Weinberg) in 1981, the Handspring Puppet Company continues to explore, innovate and push the boundaries of puppetry and contemporary performance. Deeply inspired by traditional puppetry – such as the Bunraku puppeteers of Japan and the Bamana puppeteers of Mali – Handspring fuses ancient craft, technical innovation and modern dramatic themes. Over four decades, the company has collaborated with world-renowned artists, directors, musicians, actors and theatre groups performing in 295 cities in 30 countries.