Experiencing arts and culture. Understanding and measuring quality in physical and virtual environments

The proposed workshop programme is set to review existing definitions of cultural engagement and outline the main lines of assessment that have been tested within the Impacts 08 programme and are being further explored in a diversity of special projects within Liverpool and the North West in the context of the 2008 European Capital of Culture. The programme also establishes a link with partners and stakeholders in the South East who aspire to maximise audience engagement in the lead to the 2012 Olympic Games via Cultural Olympiad - related activities.

The main issues we aim to explore are interpretations of quality within arts and cultural experiences and approaches to measuring and fully assessing the impact of such experiences. Large-scale cultural events such as the Capital of Culture and the Cultural Olympiad involve extensive collaborations and partnerships as well as targeted spending over brief but intense periods of time. However, understanding the value of experiencing such events and their long term impacts remains a contested issue.

In order to frame the debate and maximise opportunities for advanced research methodologies as well as suggested lines of action for practitioners and policy-makers, we are proposing to conduct three workshops that will consider the same questions around quality and measurement.

- The first will set-up the scene, by reviewing current definitions and tensions in the interpretation of cultural engagement and outlining established research methodologies.
- The second will build on the same questions but with a focus on cultural engagement in physical environments - particularly, the experience of public art and how it differs from a gallery environment
- The third workshop will focus on emerging questions around the impact of virtual environments, in particular, the effect of blurring amateur and professional production as well as the impact of increased interaction and the role of audiences as producers of content

The workshops will involve a core group of 16 participants/speakers who will be involved in the three debates and will have the opportunity to test the methodological and conceptual issues raised in each meeting against their own academic or creative practices.