Process

Cultural infrastructure development models are “‘diverse, responding to the social, economic, cultural, and environmental capacities and to changes within communities’ (Creative City Network of Canada 2008), such as agents and partnerships, cultural-creative enterprise trends and funding frameworks” (Ang et al. 2016: 38).

Culture is fluid and cultural activities can take place in any context. Limiting the concept of culture to a predetermined set of infrastructural resources and venues is, therefore, problematic. Music, for example, can be performed and heard in concert halls, businesses, hotels, bars, community halls, schools and on streets. To focus on a single aspect of physical infrastructure, such as a concert hall, privileges professional or commercial musical activities, and overlooks leisure or amateur musical practices that are integral parts of the cultural ‘system’ or ‘ecology’ of music (Potts 2007). ICS research broadens cultural mapping to include cultural venues and different types of cultural enterprise and organisation. Being overly focused on physical venues (fixity or materiality of culture) can result in the neglect of the flows and relations that are part of the ecology of culture (Bavinton 2011).

Research into cultural infrastructure must take these factors into account. It must further consider varying definitions of ‘culture’ and ‘cultural activity’, and design appropriate parameters to classify different types of cultural activity. To address this challenge, ICS uses a classification framework that identifies five types of cultural activity and their associated spaces: Performance and Exhibition (e.g., concert halls, museums); Commercial and Enterprise (e.g., creative businesses); Community and Participation Practice (e.g., community centres, libraries); Practice, Education and Development (e.g., art schools, rehearsal facilities) and Practice and Festival, Event and Public Space (e.g., parks) (Ang et al 2016: 40-7).