The Three Bells

Our host, Hilary Knight, interviews Anab Jain, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Superflux, to explore the studio’s innovative work of creating visceral experiences that encourage audiences to imagine theoretical futures, and the power of tapping into human emotion.

References:

• Superflux: https://superflux.in/#
• Anab serves as Professor of Design Investigations at the dieAngewandte, University of Applied Arts in Vienna: https://www.dieangewandte.at/en/institutes/design/industrial_design_2
• Mitigation of Shock, Singapore: https://superflux.in/index.php/work/mitigation-of-shock-singapore/#
• The Vault of Life, Museum of the Future, Dubai: https://superflux.in/index.php/work/the-vault-of-life-in-museum-of-the-future/#
• The Quiet Enchanting, London: https://superflux.in/index.php/work/the-quiet-enchanting/#

LinkedIn:

• Anab Jain: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anabjain
• Superflux: https://www.linkedin.com/company/superflux/

Guest Bio:

Anab is a designer, futurist, filmmaker and educator. As Co-founder and Director of Superflux, she catalyses the Studio’s mission to leave a meaningful legacy for our planet and its future custodians. https://superflux.in/index.php/team/anab/#

In this second episode of Reflections from The Three Bells, our host, Adrian Ellis, shares his personal perspective on the evolving responsibilities of cultural institutions and their role in navigating an increasingly polarized world.

External references: 

• When background becomes foreground editorial by Adrian Ellis, beginning at 28:35: https://www.thethreebells.net/episodes/s2e8
• Stathis Kalyvas: https://www.politics.ox.ac.uk/person/stathis-kalyvas
• Trump Made Chair of Kennedy Center as Its President Is Fired: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/arts/music/trump-kennedy-center-chairman.html
• Trump seeks greater control of independent regulators with his new executive order: https://apnews.com/article/trump-order-agency-independent-regulator-b3f13291374d91491a13f164b402f51b

Credits:
The Three Bells podcast is produced by AEA Consulting for the Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN). Episode direction by Gregorio Lucena Scarpella. Production support by Alyssa Cartwright. Sound mixing and theme music by Artwave Studio. The views and opinions expressed by the hosts are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of AEA or GCDN.

Our host, Stephanie Fortunato, speaks with Natasha Sharma, co-Curator of the Govandi Arts Festival, about how engagement with the arts and creative interventions can help displaced or overlooked communities reclaim space, agency, and narratives of belonging.

In this first episode of our new format, our host, Stephanie Fortunato, shares her latest reflections on the state of our world and our industry through a thoughtful audio essay: We must unleash radical thought…

References

• Southern California wildfires: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2025_Southern_California_wildfires
• The Linotype Daily: https://dwriletterpress.net/the-linotype-daily-1
• The Linotype Daily Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelinotypedaily/
• Linotype Machine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linotype_machine
• Brain rot, Oxford Word of the Year 2024: https://corp.oup.com/word-of-the-year/
• Harry Belafonte’s Speech accepting NAACP Spingarn Medal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6gpeROY9Y0
• Harry Belafonte Obituary: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/25/arts/music/harry-belafonte-dead.html
• Fair Culture Charter: https://www.fair-culture.org/
• European Parliament press release, Music streaming sector: EU must ensure just pay for artists and fair algorithms: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20240112IPR16773/music-streaming-sector-eu-must-ensure-just-pay-for-artists-and-fair-algorithms
• IFACCA 2024 Year in Review: https://ifacca.org/news/2024/12/19/2024-year-review/
• SMU DataArts Research: https://culturaldata.org/research/research/
• Springboard for the Arts, Minnesota: https://springboardforthearts.org/
• Creatives Rebuild New York: https://www.creativesrebuildny.org/
• IFACCA report ‘Culture as a Public Good’ : https://ifacca.org/media/filer_public/5e/41/5e416ea9-47c5-4d3e-959e-074d624da3bb/ifacca_-_culture_as_a_public_good_report_-_july_2024_-_english.pdf

Our host, Adrian Ellis, sits down with Elaine Bedell, OBE, CEO of Southbank Centre to discuss what it means to lead Europe’s largest  centre for the arts.

Guest bio

Elaine Bedell has been CEO of Southbank Centre since 2017. 

Southbank Centre is the largest arts centre in Europe and the UK’s 5th most visited attraction. Over 20 million people a year visit the 11-acre site, which houses 3 performing arts venues, including the Royal Festival Hall, as well as the Hayward Gallery and the National Poetry Library, 14 bars and restaurants, a food market and the Southbank skatepark.

Before this, Elaine enjoyed a 25-year career in media, with roles including Controller of Entertainment at the BBC and ITV Director of Entertainment and Comedy, where she commissioned shows including Strictly, X Factor and Top Gear. She's been a Trustee of the V&A Museum and was the Executive Chair of the Edinburgh International TV Festival.  Elaine's also a published novelist and has won a BAFTA. She was awarded an OBE in the 2024 New Year’s Honours for Services to Business and the Arts.

References

• Southbank Centre: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/
• Venues at Southbank Centre: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/venues/
• Aurora orchestra: https://www.auroraorchestra.com/
• Elaine's recent interview with the Brunswick Group: https://review.brunswickgroup.com/article/southbank-centre-ceo-elaine-bedell/

LinkedIn

Elaine Bedell: linkedin.com/in/elaine-bedell-obe-7bb172103

Southbank Centre: https://www.linkedin.com/company/southbank-centre/posts/

Our host Stephanie Fortunato sits down with Rana Amirtahmasebi and Jason Schupbach, co-editors of The Routledge Handbook of Urban Cultural Planning, to be released in December 2024.

The Handbook is the first survey of the latest and greatest thinking in urban cultural planning in 10 years, exploring approaches to bringing more cultural vibrancy and engagement in sustainable urban development. The book focuses on the spatial and social organization of urban spaces that facilitate artistic production, foster community well-being, and nurture expressions of civic identity.

Acknowledgment
The Handbook is a partnership between the editors and the World Cities Culture Forum, a network of civic leaders from over 40 creative cities across six continents who share solutions to build a world where culture is at the heart of thriving cities. Leadership at the forum, including Executive Director Laia Gasch, provided significant assistance in helping to structure the book and identify authors.

In addition, the editors are grateful for the assistance provided by Global Cultural Districts Network, including Founder Adrian Ellis and Director of Special Projects Stephanie Fortunato, in finding authors and identifying key issues. Also, we are grateful to the staff of the National Endowment for the Arts for assisting identifying authors, including Chair Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, Senior Advisor Jennifer Hughes and Director of State, Regional and Local Partnerships Michael Orlove. Tashera Dean assisted in copyediting.

References

• The Routledge Handbook of Urban Cultural Planning: https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Handbook-of-Urban-Cultural-Planning/Amirtahmasebi-Schupbach/p/book/9781032509907
• Mark Schuster, professor of urban studies and planning, an expert on arts funding policies: https://news.mit.edu/2008/obit-schuster-0227
• UNESCO Culture in city reconstruction and recovery: position paper: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000265981
• Khaled al-Asaad, a Syrian archaeologist and the head of antiquities at the ancient city of Palmyra: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55977964
• Buddhas of Bamiyan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhas_of_Bamiyan
• Rebuilding the Old Bridge in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina: https://whc.unesco.org/en/story-mostar-bridge/
• Roberto Bedoya, Cultural Affairs Manager, City of Oakland: https://www.oaklandca.gov/staff/roberto-bedoya

Rana Amirtahmasebi Bio

Rana Amirtahmasebi is an economic development and cultural planning strategist and researcher. She is the founder of Eparque Urban Strategies in New York and previously worked at the World Bank, Aga Khan Programme on Islamic Architecture at MIT and several other entities. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rana-amirtahmasebi-56a0667/

Jason Schupbach Bio

Jason Schupbach is the dean of the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design at Drexel University. He is a nationally recognized expert in the role that arts and design play in improving communities. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonschupbach/ 

Our host, Adrian Ellis speaks to Ore Disu, Director of The Institute, Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) on the mission and vision of MOWAA and how the institution is thinking about culture, museum praxis and the very idea of “The Museum” differently and within the African context.

External references:

• MOWAA website: https://wearemowaa.org/
• Museum of West African Art Announces the Opening of the MOWAA Institute: https://wearemowaa.org/mowaa-institute-launch-announcement/
• The National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM): https://museum.ng/
• Igun Street: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igun_Street
• Benin Bronzes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin_Bronzes 

Guest bio:
Ore Disu has led the MOWAA Institute since January 2022 as its first Director, bringing to it more than a decade of experience in cultural programming, research, and stakeholder management for early-stage organizations. Educated at the University of Cambridge (BA in Architecture) and University College London (MSc in Urban Development Planning), she has implemented grants and contributed to the efforts of non-profit organizations including the Ford Foundation, Goethe Institute, Institute for Liberty and Democracy, Overseas Development Institute, Heinrich Böll Foundation, and the Africa Centre for Cities. From 2016 through 2019, she served in the UK’s Department for International Development as Senior Research Partnerships Manager for the agency’s governance and accountability program in Nigeria. She subsequently moved to a multi-national social enterprise, serving as the Government Relations and Partnerships Lead for pilot programs in Uganda, India, and Nigeria. She has been active as a consultant as the founding Executive Director of Nsibidi Institute in Lagos, Nigeria, and as an Associate of the UK-based firm The Policy Practice.

Our host, Hilary Knight speaks to Rob Cawston, Director of Digital and Service Transformation, National Library of Scotland on how the NLS is taking an ethical stance on the use of AI and how this work is tied to its mission and values.

External References:

• National Library of Scotland: https://www.nls.uk/
• National Library of Scotland AI Statement: https://data.nls.uk/projects/ai-statement/
• National Library of Scotland’s tools: https://data.nls.uk/tools/
• 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_SAG-AFTRA_strike
• Smithsonian’s AI Values Statement: https://datascience.si.edu/ai-values-statement
• Smithsonian’s co-authored the paper "Developing responsible AI practices at the Smithsonian Institution": https://doi.org/10.3897/rio.9.e113334

Bio:

Rob Cawston is the Director of Digital and Service Transformation at the National Library of Scotland and has previously managed digital programmes at the Scottish Government, National Museums Scotland, the Royal Institution, BAFTA and Chatham House. Rob is a graduate of the Oxford Cultural Leaders programme at the Said Business School (University of Oxford) and has served as an Advisory Board Member of Creative Lives supporting community and volunteer-led creative activity across Scotland.

Our host, Stephanie Fortunato speaks to Adriane Jefferson, Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of New Haven. They discuss cultural equity planning at a city level, the fundamental shifts it has facilitated for New Haven, as well as the challenges and opportunities of creating a living and actionable plan to create a more equitable and more culturally diverse ecosystem, written for and by the people.

External references:

• City of New Haven Department of Arts, Culture and Tourism: https://www.newhavenct.gov/government/departments-divisions/arts-culture-tourism
• City of New Haven’s Cultural Equity Plan (2022): https://www.newhavenct.gov/government/departments-divisions/arts-culture-tourism/cultural-equity-plan
• Black Wallstreet Festival: https://www.instagram.com/blackwallstreetfestival/
• The Greater New Haven Creative Sector Relief Fund: https://www.newhavenarts.org/relieffund
• The Creative Entrepreneurship Decoded (ED) program: https://www.togethernewhaven.com/deprogram
• Together New Haven Arts for Antiracism Pledge: https://www.togethernewhaven.com/pledge
• The Breed Entertainment: https://www.thebreedmadeit.com/
• Sweets and Sounds Conference: https://www.sweetsandsounds.com/
• Seeing Sounds Festival: https://www.seeingsoundsfest.com/

LinkedIns

• City of New Haven: https://www.linkedin.com/company/city-of-new-haven/about/
• Adriane Jefferson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adriane-jefferson-a3484319/

Adriane Jefferson Bio

Adriane V. Jefferson is an award-winning Cultural Equity Leader who has worked professionally in the Arts & Culture sector for over 19 years. As the Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of New Haven and the Executive Director of New Haven Festivals Inc. in Connecticut, she has spearheaded several significant initiatives such as The Unapologetically Radical Conference, the City of New Haven’s inaugural Black Wall Street festival, and the first Cultural Equity Plan in the State of Connecticut. Adriane is also a seasoned public speaker, regularly sharing her expertise on cultural equity and activism with various organizations and platforms like Yale University, the NAACP and CT Magazine to name a few. Her work has been featured in Cosmo Magazine, black enterprise magazine, yahoo news, among many other reputable news, sources. She is also currently teaching Arts & Entertainment Management as a professor at Eastern Connecticut State University, she is a Yale Trumbull College Fellow and a member of Delta Sigma sorority Inc.

Our host, Adrian Ellis, speaks to His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chair, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, on the ambitious plans to position Abu Dhabi as a major tourism and cultural destination – particularly through the Saadiyat Island Cultural District, home to Louvre Abu Dhabi and a host of other world-class cultural institutions set to open their doors in the coming years.

External references: 

• Abu Dhabi DCT: https://dct.gov.ae/en/default.aspx
• DCT Museums and Cultural Assets: https://dct.gov.ae/en/what.we.do/culture/museums.aspx
• Saadiyat Cultural District: https://scdabudhabi.ae/en
• Louvre Abu Dhabi: https://www.louvreabudhabi.ae/
• Zayed National Museum: https://zayednationalmuseum.ae/en/
• The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi: https://abudhabiculture.ae/en/experience/museums/natural-history-museum-abu-dhabi
• teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi: https://abudhabiculture.ae/en/experience/culture-centres/teamlab-phenomena-abu-dhabi
• Guggenheim Abu Dhabi: https://abudhabiculture.ae/en/experience/museums/guggenheim-abu-dhabi
• GCDN Athens Convening: https://gcdn.net/convenings/athens-2024/
• Guardian article: The Parthenon marbles evoke particularly fierce repatriation debates – an archaeologist explains why, dated Nov. 29 2023: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/29/parthenon-marbles-british-museum-european-culture
• Conversation article : The Parthenon marbles evoke particularly fierce repatriation debates – an archaeologist explains why, dated June 7, 2024: https://theconversation.com/the-parthenon-marbles-evoke-particularly-fierce-repatriation-debates-an-archaeologist-explains-why-219152
• Benin bronzes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benin_Bronzes
• Cambodia tracking down thousands of priceless looted antiquities | 60 Minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1DFOGHHcm4
• French president Macron's 2017 speech in Burkina Faso, Africa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA1gBuIbrR0&t=160s

His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak Bio

A member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak is a prominent Emirati leader overseeing the growth of Abu Dhabi’s cultural, entertainment, real estate, and tourism sectors.

In 2016, His Excellency was appointed the Chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), where he oversees the preservation of the emirate’s heritage and history whilst inspiring its dynamic, world-leading approach to creating a recognised cultural capital, where culture is a driver of social and economic development.

Mubarak is accountable for ensuring that Abu Dhabi is a top-of-mind destination for all leisure and business travelers, growing Abu Dhabi’s MICE share, and partnering with global IPs to bring the best of international entertainment to the emirate as well as high profile sporting events including F1, NBA, and UFC.

One of the major achievements in Al Mubarak’s journey at DCT Abu Dhabi is the development of Saadiyat Cultural District – a curated destination for inspiration, artistic expression and cultural dialogue, that is currently home to Louvre Abu Dhabi and once finished will house, Zayed National Museum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi and teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi.

Al Mubarak serves as Chairman of Aldar Properties PJSC, the leading real estate developer in Abu Dhabi responsible for some of the most iconic landmarks and pioneering architecture in the emirate, including residential, commercial, and retail assets.

Al Mubarak is Chairman of Miral, the leading creator of immersive experiences in Abu Dhabi, where he has led the transformation of key areas within the emirate, including Yas Island, and has developed strategic partnerships such as the one established with Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi™.

Al Mubarak is the President of the Abrahamic Family House and a member of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity, where he is joined by international religious leaders, educational scholars, and cultural leaders across the world, to support and spread the values of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.

Al Mubarak serves as Vice-Chair on the Foundation Board of ALIPH, the international alliance for the protection of heritage in conflict areas.

Al Mubarak is a graduate of Northeastern University (Boston, USA), with a double major in Economics and Political Science.