The Creative Process - A Multidisciplinary Examination

6.00pm - 7.30pm, followed by a reception
Tuesday 24 January 2012, Wednesday 22 February 2012, and Thursday 22 March 2012
Venue: The British Academy, 10-11 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AH

A series of three discussions, focusing in turn on the role of the creative process in sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Each discussion is chaired by Professor John Sloboda FBA, Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the Oxford Research Group.

Much is talked about the importance of the Creative Process in the development of ideas and research, but how much do we actually know about what it entails? How do approaches to it differ across and within disciplines? What can academics working in different disciplines learn about the creative process from other fields? And how can the creative process best be nurtured?

Each debate will bring together a panel from the sciences, social sciences and arts and humanities respectively to contribute their perspectives to the theme considering questions such as:

• What do we understand by ‘creative process’?
• How is it understood and examined across the disciplines?
• What can people working in different disciplines learn about creative process from other fields?
• What are the results of ‘creative process’, who decides and can it be learned?
• Do we unnecessarily fetish it?
• Where would we be without it?

Tuesday 24 January 2012: Sciences

Professor Geraint A. Wiggins, Queen Mary, University of London; Dr Alison Prendiville, London College of Communication, University of the Arts, London; Professor Nicky Clayton FRS, Cambridge University and Scientist in Resident, Rambert Dance Company.
Please note that Professor Sir Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, is now unable to take part in the event on 24 January.

Wednesday 22 February 2012: Social Sciences

Professor Pat Healey, Queen Mary, University of London; Professor Rosalind Gill, King's College, London; Dr Beatriz Garcia, Institute of Cultural Capital, University of Liverpool.

Thursday 22 March 2012: Arts and Humanities

Professor Daniel Leech Wilkinson, King's College London; Dr Jonathan Owen Clark, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance; Professor Jacqueline Rose FBA, Queen Mary, University of London; Professor Christopher Bannerman, RESCEN Middlesex University.

About the Chair:
John Sloboda FBA, is Research Professor at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where he leads a research programme on "Understanding Audiences". He is also Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Keele, where, over a period of 34 years he developed and led an international centre of excellence in music psychology, including founding the world's first specialist MSc programme in music psychology. He is author of over 150 publications including, most recently, the Handbook of Music & Emotion published by Oxford University Press in 2010. He has written on musical creativity, and has composed music for use by church choirs. Since 2003 he has devoted the majority of his time to efforts to better document the casualties of conflict, and has been Executive Director of the Oxford Reseach Group and a co-founder of the Iraq Body Count project.

Each event will be from 6.00pm to 7.30pm, followed by a drinks reception. Attendance is free but registration is required for each event.

These events are arranged in partnership with the Culture Capital Exchange and supported by the ESRC (22 February) and the AHRC (22 March).