A big one. I’ve seen Sync (the arts and digital programme I help produce in Scotland) grow nicely, become involved in the fascinating Digital R&D Fund for the Arts, joined the Board of the British Council, and have had a lot of momentum behind my work making mind-positive technology. Needless to say, 2013 has also had its fair share of failure, loss and difficulty, but my PR department said I shouldn’t say too much about that.
What has changed for the better and what, if anything, has changed for the worse?
This year Sync really came into its own and has put us in a unique position to learn so much – we’re now convening conversations that are moving into policy-like space, which is really exciting. This is all within the context of an arts infrastructure headed up by Creative Scotland, which is going through some dramatic changes. It’s been encouraging to see the progress they have made and continue to make.
What do you wish hadn’t happened this year?
The closure of Hide&Seek. So much about their work and way of working pushed the boundaries of the incumbent arts infrastructure – it’s a loss to everyone interested in emergent forms of creative practice and organisational models.
What do you wish had happened this year, but didn’t?
That I’d spent more time this summer at the festivals in Edinburgh.
What would you characterise as your major achievement this year and why?
Being part of a Sync team that has not only done great work and started new conversations, but has done so using ways of working that are themselves progressive. Too often we try to use traditional ways of organising ourselves to support new and emerging practice, without realising that all parts of the system may have to change.
Is there anything you’d like to have done this year but haven’t?
I wish I’d read all The Sandman series by now. I’m only a very recent convert to Neil Gaiman and I currently can’t get enough.
What would make 2014 a better year than 2013?
2014 is going to be a special year in Scotland with the Commonwealth Games and the remarkable cultural programme taking place alongside it, and of course the independence vote. As to what will make it a better year than the last, my understanding is that what it takes is our collective intention to make it better, and so I’m confident that it will be.
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