CIBA-2022: Creative Meeting of Art and Business
For the second time, the students of the Master's programme ‘Arts and Culture Management’ of HSE University-St Petersburg organised a massive event for representatives of creative industries on the New stage of Alexandrinsky Theatre. At CIBA, the experts with great experience in working with aesthetic intelligence discussed the ways to apply it for increasing business productivity.
On July 15, the New stage of Alexandrinsky Theatre hosted speakers and guests of CIBA conference for the second consecutive year. CIBA (Creative Industries. Business. Art.) is a series of educational meetings devoted to creative industries. It is a place where creativity and art meet business. The conference is aimed at involving youths and representatives of creative industries in cooperation and results orientated conversation.
CIBA is organised by students of HSE Master's programme 'Arts and Culture Management', future art-managers and the New stage of Alexandrinsky Theatre. Supervised by theatre specialists and lecturers, the students developed this project: starting with the creation of the concept and up to its realisation. This work is carried out within the project activities of the programme and is one of the most interesting and needed directions for master's students.
This event is included in the Alexandrinsky Theatre's repertoire and in the list of top-5 events according to the New stage of Alexandrinsky Theatre. The topic of 2022 was aesthetic intelligence.
Elena Zelenskaya, Associate Professor of the Department of Management, HSE University in St. Petersburg, Project Head of CIBA: Creative Industries. Business. Art.
CIBA is unique from two perspectives: as a product for spectators and as an educational project for students. From the first perspective, the uniqueness is expressed by contents of the meetings and speakers—the representatives of various creative industries: from perfumery to restaurant business, from film industry to art galleries, from digital design to fashion.
From the second perspective it is defined by students’ opportunity to work on different tasks of the educational project together with professionals of theatrics and event-management: they are editors, broadcast directors, light electricians, managers of cultural projects and, of course, the invited speakers of the event.
Ekaterina Shevchenko, first-year student of the Master’s programme 'Arts and Culture Management', event manager
In my opinion, the topic of aesthetic intelligence is many-sided and off standard—it is connected both with art, which helps to develop aesthetic intelligence, and business, the results of which are influenced by this type of intelligence. While planning the event, we were inspired by the book ‘Aesthetic Intelligence. How to Boost It and Use It in Business and Beyond’ by Pauline Brown.
I am both very happy and anxious being one of the conference managers. I am anxious because I have to control the timing and speakers—I do not have time to get distracted and listen to their speeches. But I am happy because the conference took place this year after all!
The conference was a three-act performance where each act consisted of its own ideas and meanings. As the event managers of CIBA said, the first act was ‘setting up their taste’ with the help of bright representatives of creative industries in Saint-Petersburg. Leo Leonov, the Founder of the mini-cinema ‘Outcinema’, and Anton Chizhenok, the Designer and Video Graphic Artist for musicians and cultural events, shared their experience of developing creative thinking and visual erudition through cinematography and music. As the second act, there was the discussion panel where five speakers from different spheres discussed the exchange and cooperation between creative industries. The main topic of the discussion was brand collaborations and their importance for the promotion and involvement.
Anton Dontsov, Marketing Director for italy&co., speaker of discussion panel
Today’s discussion was devoted to the way business can be expressed through aesthetic intelligence, through these five senses. Aesthetic intelligence is a kind of prism which you can and should look at the projects through. Each speaker has their personal experience, which they use to involve in their product. Specifically, I was talking about the taste. It is the taste that defines the decisions in restaurant business.
It was really important to take part in CIBA as the company I work for is currently being transformed. Who else but the youth can highlight the interesting aspects of business. Another important thing is finding talents. The conference will help us to make a claim about our company.
As the final act, there was a meeting-interview with secret guests who were Marina Gisich, the Founder of a contemporary art gallery in Saint-Petersburg, and Alexander Malich, Chief Producer of the New stage of Alexandrinsky Theatre. Speakers discussed new trends in art and aesthetics.
Alexander Malich, Chief Producer of the New stage of Alexandrinsky Theatre
CIBA is a very important event for us. First of all, it is a new audience: many young people come and learn about our theatre. Second, we as a unique platform for various genres and directions try to keep this status with the help of educational projects. Such conferences help us to get great feedback. We understand better where we should head further.
The discussion of aesthetic intelligence is very natural within the walls of the New Stage as it depicts balance in the best way possible. On the one hand, we are a modern platform, on the other hand, we are a part of big National theatre with its own rules and traditions. Many of these rules are not clearly formulated. Perhaps, it is true for aesthetic intelligence as well: some things cannot be expressed with words, but only felt.
The creative cooperation of Alexandrinsky Theatre and HSE’s educational programmes results not only in the mutual project CIBA with the Master’s programme ‘Arts and Culture Management’, but in show project with the Bachelor’s programme ‘Design’. The cooperation has been expanded with the partnership agreement between the theatre and Higher School of Economics in June 2022. The theatre and the university will create culturally educational projects in Saint-Petersburg and carry out the art management programmes.
In 2022, the Master’s programme 'Arts and Culture Management' offers prospective students state-funded places and fee-paying places for foreign students. The detailed information about admissions is available on the programme webpage and in the section for the prospective master’s students of HSE University in St. Petersburg.