by Idea Bombing Newcastle co-founders Emily Davies O'Sullivan and Stephanie Moscovis.
Image courtesy Yvonne Mullane.
The Newcastle arm of Idea Bombing had their inaugural event last Tuesday. The event was centred around the question “How can we make Newcastle more creative?”.
In the lead up to the event the enthusiasm for Idea Bombing was out of control. Initial anticipation for attendance was optimistically 30 people, but in the weeks leading up to the event it was clear that the people of Newcastle just wanted to bomb! The enthusiasm was felt at all levels, with Newcastle Now being keen to be involved from the earliest conception of the event. So many people approached us who were happy to be involved and everyone who we asked to be involved jumped at the opportunity.
The speakers for the night covered a variety of the creative industries in Newcastle and presented a complete spectrum of what is possible and what should be strived for in the future.
Our first speaker of the night, Ben Greaves, Co-founder of the Office of Student Architecture (OSA), set the scene for the role that students play. He outlined how he had contributed and the importance of initiative in getting things done. He posed the question; what could be done with $100 to make your area more creative? Backed by his extensive portfolio of projects that he and the OSA have been involved in, he painted an impressive picture of what is possible.
Image courtesy Yvonne Mullane.
Ben Greaves was followed up by our second Ben for the night, Ben Mitchell. Ben Mitchell has a very impressive CV for creativity. Currently he is the President of the Roost Collective, a Renew Newcastle initiative which simply explain themselves as expanding opportunities for creative and professional development in Newcastle. Ben has been involved in a range of creative pursuits which he outlined for us on the night, from the value of engaging with other creatives through events, to the importance of just pursuing creativity for creativity sake. He asserted that Newcastle had a vibrant creativity currently but that it’s just a matter of knowing where to look and making it more obvious through getting involved.
Luke Burrell, Creative Novocastrian Royalty, was next to the rug at the front of the room. Luke has helped found a number of amazing initiatives around town and is currently in the process of setting up INNX, a workspace for the creative industries. His core message was to encourage us all to be desperate enough to get off your bum and embrace the freedom of ignorance to be creative without concern for the consequences.
The night was rounded out by Roderick Smith, Chairperson of Renew Newcastle, he provided an overview of the elements of creativity he has been involved and gave his thoughts on what is the creative economy. At the conclusion of the speakers, the audience was eager to get bombing and mingling (and no doubt drinking). The Idea Wall was soon awash with great ideas. It was an awesome opportunity for a variety of people to come together to contribute and contribute they did!
