In her first Reflections of Season 6, Hilary Knight explores the idea that luxury brands could replace museums as sites of cultural trust for Gen Z – and why she doesn’t buy it.

External Links

• ‘Enshittification’ is coming for absolutely everything – FT article by Cory Doctorow 
• Brand Valued: How socially valued brands hold the key to a sustainable future and business success– by Guy Champniss & Fernando Rodés Vilà

About our Contributor

Hilary Knight Hilary Knight  is a creative leader with over 20 years of experience driving strategy, innovation, and digital transformation for cultural organisations worldwide. Currently a Senior Associate with AEA Consulting, she has held senior roles at the BBC, Channel 4, Film4, and Tate, where she led pioneering initiatives that embedded digital thinking and expanded audiences. + 

Stephanie Fortunato, speaks with Conrado Uribe about the power of networks to break cycles of isolation – and to make “collective imagination” a practical force in how cities evolve. Moving from Medellín to Barcelona to a Latin America-wide network of cultural districts, Conrado reflects on collaboration, governance, and why the real foundations of a district are its people, not its buildings.

External references:

• Conexiones Creativas: Conrado’s organisation, designing and delivering projects to strengthen cultural and creative ecosystems. 
• Plataforma de Distritos Creativos y Culturales: The network platform Conrado describes, supporting exchanges across creative districts in the Americas and Europe. 
• Campus Colombias: The convening format Conrado references as a catalyst moment in the organisation’s early years. 
• Museo de Antioquia: Museum at the centre of Conrado’s Medellín experience and a key cultural anchor in the city. 
• MDE – Encuentro Internacional de Arte de Medellín: The four-year international art encounter organised by Museo de Antioquia, referenced in the episode’s Medellín context. 
• LOOP Barcelona: The moving-image platform and festival Conrado mentions as a formative collaboration-led model. 
• Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens: The “humans succeed through collaboration” framing Conrado references via Harari’s work. 
• “Scenius, or Communal Genius” (Wired): A widely cited explainer of Brian Eno’s idea of “scenius” that Conrado invokes (collective creativity over lone genius). 

About our guest:
Conrado Uribe Pereira, is a curator and cultural strategist, and Content Director at Conexiones Creativas, the Colombia-founded platform behind a growing network of creative and cultural districts across Latin America and parts of Southern Europe. In the episode, he traces how his work in Medellín (including at the Museo de Antioquia) and later in Barcelona shaped his conviction that districts succeed when they invest first in talent (“software”), then governance (“artware”), and only then in infrastructure. + 

In this first Reflections of Season 6, Stephanie Fortunato looks back on the curatorial choices that shaped our 2025 season. Reflecting on a year that deliberately centred women and non-binary leaders, she considers what the data on gender inequality tells us, why progress cannot be taken for granted, and how storytelling can help expand our collective imagination of leadership, belonging, and cultural power.

External references:

• The Reykjavík Index for Leadership: background and latest findings for the index referenced in the episode, measuring perceptions of women’s suitability for leadership across 23 sectors (including generational differences).
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg on “When there are nine”: Clip/source for the quote Stephanie references about representation on the US Supreme Court.

About our Contributor

Stephanie Fortunato is Director of Special Projects of the Global Cultural Districts Network. Her expertise sits at the intersection of cultural planning and urban development, collaborating with local communities on creating policies and partnerships to strengthen neighbourhoods and transform public spaces. + 

In the first episode of Season 6, Adrian Ellis speaks with Noah Horowitz, CEO of Art Basel, about how art fairs shape cities and cultural ecosystems. Their conversation explores the evolving role of Art Basel as a cultural platform operating at the intersection of culture, capital, and place – and what that means for the cities that host them.

External references:

• Art Basel: Global art fair platform founded in Basel in 1970, with editions in Basel, Miami Beach, Hong Kong, Paris, and Qatar.
• MCH Group: Swiss-based live marketing and events company and parent company of Art Basel.
• UBS & Art Basel – The Art Market Report: Annual research report referenced in the discussion of market dynamics and collecting trends.
• Art Basel Paris: Art Basel’s Paris edition, held at the Grand Palais.
• Art Basel Qatar: Newly announced Art Basel edition, launching in Doha, Qatar, 5-7 February 2026.

About our guest:
Noah Horowitz, is CEO of Art Basel. Previously Director of Americas for Art Basel, he has also held leadership roles at Sotheby’s and The Armory Show. Trained as an art historian, his work sits at the intersection of the art market, cultural institutions, and urban life. +

In this last Reflections from The Three Bells of our 2025 season, a mural becomes the starting point for a deeply personal exploration of the quiet ways individual stories slip into collective narrative. Through the story of a tiny knit hat, Stephanie Fortunato reflects on Providence as an adopted home, the threads that bind people to place, and the communities we call home.

External Links

• AS220, Providence: independent arts organisation in Providence.
• PVDFest: Providence’s annual citywide arts festival.
• The Avenue Concept: Providence-based nonprofit public art organisation responsible for coordinating the mural installation.
• Shey Rivera Ríos – Artist who created the mural featured in the episode.
• Amber Art & Design – Artist and fabrication collective that installed the mural using parachute cloth.

About our Contributor

Stephanie Fortunato is Director of Special Projects of the Global Cultural Districts Network. Her expertise sits at the intersection of cultural planning and urban development, collaborating with local communities on creating policies and partnerships to strengthen neighbourhoods and transform public spaces. + 

Adrian Ellis speaks with Charlotte Burns, Founder of Studio Burns, about how the art world constructs its stories – and what happens when data complicates them. From representation and market dynamics to institutional culture, they explore how research can surface patterns that would otherwise remain invisible and help inform future practice.

External references: 

• Studio Burns – Independent editorial and research studio founded by Charlotte Burns, producing investigative journalism, data-driven projects, and podcasts about the art world. 
• The Burns Halperin Report – a longitudinal data study on representation in US museums and the international art market, co-created by Charlotte Burns and Julia Halperin.
• Artists Speak: The Anonymous Was A Woman Artist Survey – written by Charlotte Burns, Julia Halperin, and SMU DataArts, synthesising responses from over 1,200 women artists on careers, finances, family, and identity. 
• Museums Moving Forward – study on workplace equity and organisational culture in US art museums, offering longitudinal data on pay, promotions, discrimination, and job satisfaction. 

Bio:
Charlotte Burns, is a journalist, researcher and founder of Studio Burns and the co-founder of The Burns Halperin Report, the largest data study of its kind tracking representation in museums and the market. She is also the host and producer of the podcasts The Art World: What If…?!, and Hope & Dread and In Other Words with Schwartzman& in New York. +

In this episode of Reflections from The Three Bells, Hilary Knight explores how WEIRD bias shapes AI – and how artists are challenging algorithmic monoculture with radical acts of cultural imagination.

External references: 

• “The Weirdest People in the World?” – Henrich, Heine, and Norenzayan (2010)
• Stephanie Dinkins – Not The Only One
• Ameera Kawash – Tatreez Garden
• Minne Atairu – Artist using AI to speculate on looted Benin Bronzes and postcolonial memory.
• “Reimagining Looted Artworks Using AI” – Art in America
  Article profiling Minne Atairu’s work with AI and the politics of restitution.
• Nick Couldry & Ulises A. Mejias – The Costs of Connection
  A foundational text on data colonialism and digital power structures.
• Google AI Glossary for African Languages: Google’s initiative to improve AI access and inclusion across African languages.

About the host:
Hilary Knight  is a creative leader with over 20 years of experience driving strategy, innovation, and digital transformation for cultural organisations worldwide. Currently a Senior Associate with AEA Consulting, she has held senior roles at the BBC, Channel 4, Film4, and Tate, where she led pioneering initiatives that embedded digital thinking and expanded audiences. + 

Our host, Stephanie Fortunato speaks with Andrea Dempster Chung, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Kingston Creative, about their long-term strategy to build a cultural district in downtown Kingston – and what it takes to turn natural talent into a thriving creative ecosystem.

External references: 

• Kingston Creative – the official site of the initiative.
• Paint the City – a large-scale mural programme aimed at beautifying downtown Kingston and supporting local artists.
• Artwalk Kingston – monthly activation by Kingston Creative in downtown Kingston.
• CreateTech Caribbean – a regional programme launched by Kingston Creative to support creative entrepreneurs through training and access to finance.
• Climate Change Art Park – a public art project by Camille Chedda developed in collaboration with GCDN and Alserkal Advisory as part of A Feral Commons.

About the guest:
Andrea Dempster Chung, is an engineer, entrepreneur and executive. She is the Cofounder and Executive Director of Kingston Creative an organisation seeking to transform Downtown; the founder of Bookophilia, a bookstore that promotes Caribbean literature and the founder of Go Global Art, an art marketing platform which helps artists from developing countries gain access to global markets. +

Hilary Knight speaks with Rachel Parent, Directrice Générale HUB Montréal about building a global creative network at the intersection of culture, tech, and business – and why keeping things human is more important than ever.

External references: 

• HUB Montréal – Annual international fair and gathering for digital creativity
• Moment Factory – Montreal-based multimedia studio producing immersive experiences globally
• La Piscine – Montreal-based cultural and creative industries business accelerator
• TeamLab – Tokyo-based art collective producing immersive art and running permanent museums in Japan and internationally
• Science Museum Group – Referenced for museum innovation and variation in tech adoption
• Cleveland Museum of Art – Referenced for integrating tech such as AI and digital experiences into museum practice
• Codaworx – A platform connecting artists and commissioners of public art, referenced as an international partner
• ABBA Voyage – The hologram-based immersive concert experience mentioned in the discussion
• The Golden Key – Immersive AI-powered installation referenced by Rachel, co-presented at Milan Design Week and HUB Montréal

About our guest:
Rachel Parent, is Directrice Génréale of HUB Montréal, an international market event for digital creativity. She leads strategy and development for HUB’s global network of cultural, technological, and creative sector participants. Previously active in the music and screen industries, Rachel brings a cross-sectoral perspective to how innovation happens in cultural ecosystems. +