Location: Cultural Centre Valve - Dance Studio 3
Address: Hallituskatu 7, 90100 Oulu, Finland | Venue Information | Event Map

Captions are available for this session

Please note: Before the workshop begins, there will be a short introduction to both this session and to the workshop taking place at the same time, Beyond the Grant: Alternative Financial Tools and the Politics of Value. The aim is to explain what to expect and demystify some of the terms used before you commit to either session. The introduction will take place in Cultural Centre Valve - Dance Studio 2, before participants move to the room listed at the top of this entry. 

In this participatory workshop, we will explore what it means to make and sustain cultural work in the age of machines. As digital technologies and AI become embedded in artistic practice, they are changing not only how work is produced, but also how value is created, shared and managed over time.

Rather than focusing on tools alone, the session will examine how artists and organisations are rethinking financial resilience and support in digital contexts. Participants will engage with four interconnected themes: value beyond the live performance; artists as micro-enterprises and new digital business models; the role of AI in creative production; and the ecosystems and partnerships that support cultural work.

Drawing on international case studies, we will explore how organisations are navigating these shifts through immersive and hybrid formats, new funding approaches, and collaborations with universities, technology partners and beyond.

Through interactive group work participants will reflect on their own practice and map how value is created, how it reaches audiences and how it is maintained. The session will offer practical ways of thinking about financial sustainability beyond funding alone, and how digital tools, including AI, can support creative and organisational capacity.
 

Facilitator:

Dr Kadja Manninen, Researcher in Digital Innovation, UK