Year 2 Theme: Collide

Introducing this year’s theme Collide, to put into context the changing nature of society and the creative industries...

‘The Digital Age’ is an immersive, seamless experience so pervasive that terms like ‘The Internet of Things’ – defines the digital native’s* relationship with other people and the environment – we communicate and experience our world through technology...

We constantly question our existence and examine the human response to our environment, in an attempt to identify our roles within society and the need to belong...

Some people are concerned that the Internet is eroding our concentration, limiting our experience of life. Others believe that ‘digital natives’ who have experienced the bombardment of branding, consumer society and our obsession with social media will become better equipped to exist in the future.

So, as digital creatives how do we begin to make sense of this revolution?

How do we approach our creative practice in this constantly evolving, multifaceted existence?

Collision Theory –

In a chemical reaction, the reactant particles

can only react with each other when they bump into one another. According

to collision theory when molecules collide, bonds between their atoms can break, and then new bonds can form to make new molecules.

Using Collision Theory as a metaphor for creative practice –

We need to consider our role in the 21st Century, understand culture and communication in

modern society, take many different perspectives, approaches, practices, play with mediums, mix the disciplines, collaborate with others...

Don’t just look at your own creative discipline but look more broadly and deeply at the wider world around us and the part we ourselves play.