Media Release: Planning notice – accreditation required; 2014 Edinburgh International Culture Summit

CULTURE Ministers and leading commentators from across the world are set to gather in Edinburgh from 10 to 12 August 2014 for the 2nd Edinburgh International Culture Summit, titled ‘Culture – A Currency of Trust’.

Hosted at the Scottish Parliament, the Summit will bring together a range of eminent speakers including Ms Nandi Mandela, business woman and grand-daughter of Nelson Mandela; Irina Bokova, director general of UNESCO; world-renowned musician, Jordi Savall, and French-Vietnamese choreographer, Ea Sola.

The Culture Summit is a collaboration between the Scottish Government, UK Government, British Council, Edinburgh International Festival and Scottish Parliament.

The event, which runs over three-days, offers unparalleled access to the cultural experts and arts leaders who are shaping arts policy across the globe. However, media spaces are limited and accreditation is essential.

Book your place by Monday 28 July 2014 to avoid missing out (full details below).

Event details:

Where: The Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh EH99 1SP

When: Sunday August 10, Monday 11 and Tuesday 12, 2014.

What: Media can attend the four plenary sessions and the guest arrivals.

Sunday August 10th

14:00 Guest arrival and opportunity to see exhibitions ‘Scottishten’ and the Great Tapestry of Scotland.

16:00-17:45 Opening Ceremony will include welcome speeches from the Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer the Rt Hon Tricia Marwick MSP, Scotland’s Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop MSP, UK Secretary of State for Media, Culture and Sport Sajid Javid MP and Sir Jonathan Mills, director of the Edinburgh International Festival.

Internationally-renowned musician Jordi Savall will play a selection of early music along with fellow musicians from Hespèrion XXI. Savall has been recognised as EU Ambassador for intercultural dialogue and advocates the use of music as a medium to achieve understanding.

Plenary One will begin with a powerful presentation from Irina Bokova, director general of UNESCO – taking a long-term view on international advocacy, and Simon Anholt leading professor, thinker and practitioner on culture and influence on a global scale; followed by Saskia Sassen, writer and socialist, and Michael Power financial expert.

Monday August 11th

09:30-10:25 Plenary Two will present Ben Barber considering the Culture of the City; Nandi Mandela considering cultural identity as a ‘Source for Positive Change in a Global Environment’; Robyn Archer exploring what is meant by the use and value in the arts? The session will be rounded to a close by choreographer Ea Sola, who will give a personal reflection on her work exploring traditional Vietnamese culture and emergence of the individual from collective thinking.

14:30-15:30 Plenary Three will pick up on the work of Basma El Husseiny who has promoted cultural exchange projects in the Arab region for over 20 years. Danilo Santos de Miranda, Sao Paulo Director of Brazilian Arts Funding Agency SESC considers the unique and hugely successful SESC model. Paul Carter explores different cultural forms, artistic practices and design to create new public ‘situations’ and Kent Larson will round the session off with his speech on new technologies for urban data observation.

Tuesday August 12th

10:00-11:30 The Summit concludes with the Closing Plenary. Rapporteurs will summarise the various presentations and discussions of the Summit which emerged from the three key themes of Values and Measurements, Cities and Culture, and Advocacy and Identity.

There will be an opportunity for delegates and participants to respond with comments from the floor and a final artist performance.

** Media interview opportunities will be made available during the Summit. Requests for interviews should be made in advance **

ACCREDITATION

All members of the media wishing to attend and observe the Summit must obtain accreditation from the Scottish Parliament in advance.

• To attend the plenary sessions, where media gallery seats are limited, you will need to request a seat at specific sessions.

Please make your request for media accreditation by Monday 28 July 2014.

Contact

For accreditation information, and to discuss interview and feature opportunities in advance of and during the Summit, please contact:

Katy Jeffrey, Press Office

Edinburgh International Culture Summit

T: +44 (0)131 348 6242

M: +44 (0) 7912 182138

E: media@culturesummit.com or katy.jeffrey@scottish.parliament.uk

For more on the Culture Summit, please visit www.culturesummit.com and Tweet us @CultureSummit

MEDIA RELEASE issued by the 2014 International Cultural Summit. You too can post your story ideas for journalists (aka press or media releases), on allmediascotland.com. Email info@allmediascotland.com for more information.

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Contact: Katy Jeffrey
Phone: 01313486242
Email: katy.jeffrey@scottish.parliament.uk
Website: http://www.culturesummit.com/