Jonathan Mills "The Festival and The City: Creativity in Contemporary Urban Life"

Jonathan Mills, Festival Director and Chief Executive of the internationally renowned Edinburgh International Festival, will be speaking at a public lecture organised by the Centre for Liveable Cities, on Monday, 8 March 2010. Mr Mills will address the topic of "The Festival and The City – Creativity in Contemporary Urban Life."

Mills is the winner of the Centenary medal, Australia in 2002 and Prix Italia in 2005. He is one of Australia’s most experienced Festival Directors, having held the position of Artistic Director of the Melbourne International Arts Festival, the Melbourne Federation Festival, the Melbourne Millennium Eve celebrations, and the Brisbane Biennial International Music Festival.

Creativity in Contemporary Urban Life
 
Bringing his experience working with various cities to create festivals that bring vibrancy to them, Mr Mills will address two pertinent questions at this lecture:

-  How do the arts contribute to ‘liveable’ cities?

-  What is the role of an arts festival in the creative life of a modern city?

The lecture is set to address some of the key concerns highlighted by the Economic Strategies Committee on the need to focus on the softer aspects such as the arts and culture in Singapore.

World Cities Summit 2010

Mills is also a valued participant at the coming World Cities Summit 2010, which will be held in Singapore from 28 Jun – 1 Jul 2010. Mr Mills,  together with other leading experts in their fields, will gather at the summit to address issues on the practical aspects of city governance and integrated approaches to urban development under the Summit’s theme of ‘Liveable and Sustainable Cities for the Future’.

He will be involved primarily in discussions about how the strength of a city lies in the diversity of its talent, its capabilities and its population, and how diversity enhances innovation and ideas, mitigates risks, ultimately improves its survivability. Delegates will also study the means and models that policymakers should consider, in recognising and celebrating diversity and balancing the needs of different community groups, and how best to foster conditions for creating social capital and building inclusive and harmonious cities.
 
Public Lecture at MND Auditorium
 
Date:   8 March 2010 (Monday)
Time:   3.00 – 5.00pm
Venue:  MND Auditorium
        Ministry of National Development Complex, Annexe A, 9 Maxwell Road, Singapore 069112
 
Programme
 
3.00 pm   Registration & Networking Refreshment
3.30 pm   The Festival and The City
                 Creativity in Contemporary Urban Life
Featuring Mr Jonathan Mills, Director and Chief Executive of the Edinburgh International Festivals
4.15pm    Q & A with Mr Jonathan Mills