Stuart MacDonald OBE, director of Creative Frontline, outlines opportunities in the north-east for the design and technology sectors
ABERDEEN – anything come to mind apart from granite and North Sea oil? Try Aberdeen as leader in Scotland and the UK’s creative and hi-tech economy.
Last December, the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (Nesta) published an interactive map showing the concentration of jobs in the creative and hi-tech economy by UK region.
Concentration was measured by a ‘location quotient’ – a quotient higher than one indicated that the region had a higher concentration of creative and hi-tech jobs than the UK as a whole. Not only did Aberdeen have one of the largest concentrations of these jobs – bigger than Glasgow and almost the same as Edinburgh – but emerged as Scotland’s hi-tech capital, outperforming Greater Manchester to boot!
Not only did Aberdeen have one of the largest concentrations of these jobs – bigger than Glasgow and almost the same as Edinburgh – but emerged as Scotland’s hi-tech capital, outperforming Greater Manchester to boot!
This should have come as an impressive piece of news to anyone interested in Scotland’s creative future but because of Central Belt myopia it went largely unnoticed, hidden like much of the design and innovation that happens in the north.
Associating Aberdeen solely with North Sea oil is short-sighted; not all of the regions’ design and technology is focussed on the energy sector. Also, it misses out the many design and digital initiatives ranging from advances in medical technology to trendy new ways of experiencing culture.
One of the emerging areas in global innovation is applying design to solve social issues like mental health. An example is SaacScan, a new piece of eye-scanning technology developed by researchers at Aberdeen University and the Design Council.
The outcome is an eye test that can distinguish between schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. It is non-invasive and needs minimal training. Another example of social design is Code the City, a project involving volunteers in Aberdeen getting together to create civic tools to benefit their home city.
One of the emerging areas in global innovation is applying design to solve social issues like mental health. An example is SaacScan, a new piece of eye-scanning technology developed by researchers at Aberdeen University and the Design Council.
Technological expertise from the energy sector is being used to develop new apps and tools to help citizens . Steve Milne, who organises Code the City and also runs http://refreshaberdeen.com , a virtual creative economy hub, works for Fifth Ring, one of a number of award-winning creative agencies which contribute to the region leading the UK’s creative economy.
Culturally, Aberdeen is also showing the rest of Scotland how to innovate. This April, the Look Again Festival broke new ground, integrating art, design and technology to encourage locals to become tourists in their own city.
As an example of design thinking, the festival challenged people to look again at their surroundings and have a renewed experience of the familiar.
In a neat subversion of the usually pedestrian sculpture trail, famous city monuments were digitally transformed: Aberdeen’s famous ‘Mannie in the Green’ turned into a chatty man with the use of open source environmental sensors; Robert Burns’ statue was adorned with headphones made using the latest 3D printing; and Prince Albert became a blue sky thinker through the imaginative use of social media.
Culturally, Aberdeen is also showing the rest of Scotland how to innovate. This April, the Look Again Festival broke new ground, integrating art, design and technology to encourage locals to become tourists in their own city.
Look Again is also an example of creative entrepreneurialism. A partnership between the city’s SMART Consultants and the Robert Gordon University (RGU), the festival is one outcome of the strategy, ‘Creating a New North: A vision for the region’s cultural future’.
Led by RGU, this cultural strategy it is another ‘first’ and creates meaningful links between academia, the creative economy and the local region. The rest of Scotland needs to look again and rethink its attitude to Aberdeen and the north-east and see what makes a successful creative economy.
Picture courtesy of Kay Williams