Inclusive curatorial strategies – a case study of an interdisciplinary conference and festival: Communities and Communication

This article is a critical reflection on community building through research, creative practice and knowledge production processes across creative disciplines. Our interest in the topic culminated in the ‘interdisciplinary extravaganza’ - an international, interdisciplinary conference and film festival the three of us summoned into being just before the pandemic peaked across the globe, making any in-person activities impossible during that period. Although the concept of an “extravaganza” may seem an exaggeration, the word does offer some indication of the ambition we held for the event. The Communities and Communications Conference (CC&C herein) was a first iteration of conference activity for the team and an initial testing ground to explore the ways in which a space could be created that was welcoming and safe for a range of researchers and approaches. We wanted to help represent and offer a space to a wide range of content and voices working in research, but also to attract people who would not normally frequent similar events (both as contributors and audiences). To welcome an interdisciplinary approach was central to this aim and in ensuring breadth of content and contributors, we felt, we were able to make the most of the enforced opportunity we were presented with in terms of lockdown and social distancing.