David Ocón , PhD, has 20 years of experience in the arts, culture, and education sectors. He has led departments at organisations such as the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF, Singapore), the European Network on Cultural Management and Policy (ENCATC, Belgium), and Cervantes Institute (Beijing, China), where he was the head of culture. David is currently based in Singapore where he is an Assistant Professor at Singapore Management University’s School of Social Sciences. He teaches and researches Cultural Relations and Diplomacy in Asia, Urban Cultural Anthropology, Arts Marketing, and Cultural and Heritage Management. As an academic, he has worked, among others, at City University of Hong Kong, James Cook University, and the School of Technology for the Arts Singapore. For more than a decade he has been a visiting faculty member at University of Barcelona’s International Cultural Cooperation and Management Postgraduate Programme. David leads training and seminars at several Asian and European institutions. He is an evaluator of arts management programmes, and regularly provides strategic advice for cultural organisations worldwide.
Enhancing ASEAN-EU Relations through Cultural Cooperation: Realities and Unexplored Potential, 2024
This study explores how multilateral cultural cooperation can strengthen ASEAN-EU ties, complemen... more This study explores how multilateral cultural cooperation can strengthen ASEAN-EU ties, complementing the bilateral cultural cooperation already present in the two. Highlighting the importance of multilateral cultural exchanges in fostering mutual understanding and addressing global challenges, it emphasises that culture can serve as a bridge between Southeast Asian and European societies, supporting other forms of cooperation, such as economic, strategic and geopolitical ones. Multilateral cultural initiatives offer broader, more inclusive engagement opportunities, thereby enhancing diplomatic relations, economic development and regional stability. This research gathered data through extensive historical analysis, targeted surveys and expert interviews, ensuring a comprehensive and nuanced view. The study provides targeted recommendations for policymakers in ASEAN and the EU which focus on developing long-term cultural strategies, increasing institutional collaboration and securing core funding for sustainable projects.
The expanding footprint of urban Asian settlements and increasing living standards have put press... more The expanding footprint of urban Asian settlements and increasing living standards have put pressure on cemetery sites. Public health narratives and the sanctity associated with death matters in Asian urban landscapes have fed into the rhetoric of cemeteries as undesirable heritage spaces. Often lacking protection, many cemeteries have been exhumed, cleared, and relocated to allow room for new developments and infrastructure, risking the survival of this quiet element of the urban cultural patrimony. Within an Asian context, synergies between nature and cultural heritage preservation are not prevalent in major cities like Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok. In light of increasing recognition of urban cemeteries as multi-valued sites with both natural and cultural heritage values, this paper turns to deconstructing the nature-cultural binary and the concept of entanglement to frame an investigation of collaborative interactions. A focused study on Asian urban cemeteries follows, examining existing trends and adapted mix uses and highlighting the region's unique conservation challenges. The analysis reveals three major typologies encapsulating the region's current nature-cultural heritage entangled preservation approaches: sustainable compromises, memories, and everyday sustainability. To conclude, the paper distils respectful alternative futures for these spaces to be better integrated into the modern textures of the cities, unlocking functional recourses to destruction or oblivion. Keywords Nature and cultural heritage • Urban Asia • Heritage and sustainability • Heritage preservation • Cemeteries in Asian cities • Environmental and social sustainability
International Journal of Heritage Studies - https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2023.2231903 , 2023
Kubor Kassim is a century-old, serene Muslim cemetery in Singapore. Although many of its survivin... more Kubor Kassim is a century-old, serene Muslim cemetery in Singapore. Although many of its surviving 3,000 graves are unidentified, the graveyard contains elaborate tombs from internees of notable background, including community leaders and respected Muslim sheikhs (religious leaders and scholars). Kubor Kassim also houses a surau (prayer house) where religious classes are conducted, and offers its own miniature ecosystem of flora and fauna, including banyan trees and hornbills. Asia’s rapid urbanisation subjects cultural heritage to tensions that threaten its preservation and poses dilemmas for decision-makers. The choice between expansion and protection is rarely straightforward, and controversies intertwine development, urban planning, sustainability, memory-shaping, and identity-building. For most of its short history as a nation, Singapore has had to make challenging decisions regarding the use of its territory. Space is a highly sought and tightly controlled commodity in such a land-scarce, fully urbanised and densely-populated country. Kubor Kassim is one of the latest examples of these tensions. Surrounded by private residential properties, in an area affected by population pressures and earmarked for future residential development, the cemetery is at risk of disappearance. Given Kubor Kassim’s uncertain future and being mindful that a heritage site’s tangibility cannot be replaced, this paper posits digitalisation as a preservation alternative. Using tools such as digital documentation and archiving, virtual mapping capturing with 360-degree technology, interactive maps, podcasts, and UAV (drone) photography and filming, this investigation explores encounters with the cemetery that can also act as its’ memory insurance policy’ in case of destruction or disappearance. The research includes comprehensive documentation, field works to record the site, interviews, and surveys. The paper urges reflection on the importance of cultural heritage in Asian cities, often threatened by the very process of urban growth and development. It also demonstrates that the design of parallel digital worlds can provide respectful and sustainable ways of preserving the priceless memories associated with cultural heritage.
Journal of Asian Public Policy - https://doi.org/10.1080/17516234.2022.2148314, 2023
Few countries have advanced their culture globally as China has done in the last two decades with... more Few countries have advanced their culture globally as China has done in the last two decades with its culture ‘going out’ strategy. Promoting cultural goods and services overseas and fostering cultural exchanges, the strategy is also part of the country’s efforts to advance its soft power abroad. Broadly, there are two contrasting perspectives on the strategy’s performance. Because of its stability and financial muscle, local analysts generally praise it, while the overarching official involvement provokes suspicion in some international contexts. This article provides a neutral assessment of the implementation, achievements, and impact of China’s culture ‘going out’ strategy, investigating its successes and shortfalls.
Managing the Arts and Culture: Cultivating a Practice, 2023
Managing cultural organizations requires insight into a range of areas including marketing, fundr... more Managing cultural organizations requires insight into a range of areas including marketing, fundraising, programming, finances, and leadership. This book integrates practical and theoretical insights, blending academic and practitioner voices to help readers "speak the language" in the creative industries.
The chapter on Arts Marketing proposes a systematic approach to marketing in the arts sector supported by easy-to-implement tools and methodologies that can apply to a variety of arts organizations: theater, dance, visual arts, music, and community organizations. The chapter benefits from a range of features, including:
- Scenarios to help orient readers to common arts marketing problems
- Ethical dilemmas
- Study questions to enable students to review the skills learned
- Experiential exercises to gain experience and apply skills
- Emphasis on cross-cultural and transferrable skills
- Integration of international perspectives
- Suggested additional readings and website links
Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 13(1): 87-107 - https://doi.org.10.1108/JCHMSD-08-2020-0116, 2023
Singapore tops multiple global rankings for the consumption of luxury products. In this land-scar... more Singapore tops multiple global rankings for the consumption of luxury products. In this land-scarce and densely-populated city-state, to purchase a high-end car, landed property, or to have a fine dining experience, ranks amongst the most expensive in all Asian cities. That luxurious approach in life, however, does not find a parallel in death. As this paper indicates, a life of luxuries in Singapore does not necessarily mean deluxe burials, graves, mausoleums, or shrines. In fact, due to scarcity of land and the tight control on its usage, there are limited options for the well-off to display the same sense of wealth in death as they did in life. This paper explores the correlation between elaborate burials and the right to eternal rest, and investigates how a land-deprived country faces the challenge of sustainably balancing modernisation aspirations with respect for burial customs and cultural heritage.
(Book) Cultural Leadership in Transition Tourism: Developing Innovative and Sustainable Models, 157-181, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14121-8_9, 2022
During the early years of the 2020s, large parts of the world came to a
standstill instigated by ... more During the early years of the 2020s, large parts of the world came to a standstill instigated by COVID-19. The pandemic dramatically affected people’s mobility, including intensive lockdowns, border closures, and prohibition of local and international travel. These restrictions had dramatic implications for tourism, particularly for destinations that live from it and need it to survive. Locations, particularly with cultural heritage attractions such as monuments, historical buildings, archaeological sites, landscapes, urban ensembles, and sites known for their customs, folklore, oral and performing traditions, and religious manifestations, suffered the consequences. While digital leisure experiences cannot replace in-person visits, recent developments in digitalisation, such as 360-degree technology, virtual and augmented reality, and gaming, both ‘serious’—video games designed for educational objectives—and for pure entertainment, are increasingly impacting how we visit, interact with and consume cultural heritage. This chapter investigates the latest trends in digitalisation in its application to cultural heritage tourism in Asia, particularly in contexts of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, where in-person opportunities to engage with cultural heritage assets are significatively reduced. The chapter argues that, albeit initially largely unintentional, the push for these new technologies during the pandemic has generated more sustainable and equal access paths to cultural heritage assets, particularly for visitors with limited means or mobility.
The Hague Journal of Diplomacy (HJD), Vol 17, 277-305 - doi: 10.1163/1871191X-bja10081, 2021
Beyond their traditional role as entertainment, form of expression and meeting spaces
within loca... more Beyond their traditional role as entertainment, form of expression and meeting spaces within local communities, arts and culture festivals can perform various functions. They can serve as showcases of artistic pride, signal openness towards cultural diversity, support the local economy, contribute to reducing political tension and provide grounds to consolidate international relationships. On occasion, such festivals function as tools to support the vision of a multilateral co-operation institution, as is the case of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Through a comprehensive review of the arts and culture festivals curated in ASEAN, this article investigates the festivals’ ulterior motivations. A range of economic, political, diplomatic, and organisational logics explain the evolution of such festivals during the last fifty years. The article concludes that arts and culture festivals have remained a compelling and instrumental co-operation mechanism in ASEAN, but formats and approaches need substantial revision.
International Journal of Heritage Studies, Vol. 27(10), 975-990 - https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2021.1883711, 2021
In the last decade, the dramatic developments in digitalisation have reached cultural heritage. D... more In the last decade, the dramatic developments in digitalisation have reached cultural heritage. Digital archiving and reconstruction, virtual reality, and 3D laser scanning, modelling and printing, are influencing the way we consume, manage, and preserve it. As part of the latter, detailed virtual records of endangered urban cultural heritage, through digital archiving, capturing, and reconstruction techniques, can help preserve its memories and lengthen its life; particularly, once decision-makers resolve to end its tangibility. However, the application of digitalisation to cultural heritage is not always easy, faced with issues such as cost, lack of sources and skills, sustainability, and intellectual property limitations. This paper illustrates the challenges encountered by land-deprived and fast-growing Southeast Asian cities in amalgamating urban cultural heritage preservation with pressing development needs. Ultimately, it discusses the introduction of digitalisation in this debate by examining the broader consequences of the association.
eTropic: Electronic Journal of Studies in the Tropics Vol. 17(1), pp. 90-116 - https://doi.org/10.25120/etropic.17.1.2018.3644, 2018
The process of heritage-making is far from straightforward. Defining the meaning of
heritage in ... more The process of heritage-making is far from straightforward. Defining the meaning of
heritage in young nations and cities where land availability is limited is a
challenging exercise. It often crosses the paths of history, religion, memory sharing,
development, and identity-building. It requires fluent communication
channels between civil society, local organisations and governments. Willingness
to cooperate from all the parties involved is essential; dialogue a must.
In land-scarce or densely populated Asian cities, expansion and growth is colliding
with the preservation of legacies, the past and memory. This paper examines
regional case studies from Hong Kong, Manila and Singapore, where preservation
of cultural patrimony, development and daily life follow conflicting paths. It sheds
light on the policies behind heritage-making, where the interaction with concepts
such as memory, identity, urban planning, progress, and nature, creates complex
situations and requires imaginative resolutions.
ENCATC Journal of Cultural Management and Policy 7(1), pp. 44-58, 2017
Despite bearing similar names and sharing certain aims, the implementation of the Cultural City/C... more Despite bearing similar names and sharing certain aims, the implementation of the Cultural City/Capital initiative in Europe and in the sub-regions of Southeast and Northeast Asia has been substantially dissimilar. In Europe, the annual European City of Culture (ECOC) status commonly constitutes an opportunity to showcase the best of the arts and culture of the host city, and counts on the support of sizable public funding. In Southeast Asia, the initiative scarcely receives any public or regional funds and the understanding of what the designation means varies widely from country to country. In Northeast Asia, regional diplomacy is one of the main motivations for initiating the scheme.
This paper seeks to examine the Cultural Capital patterns chosen in these Asian sub-regions in comparison with their European counterpart, as well as their motivations and reasons to exist. Ultimately, the paper investigates how much ASEAN and Northeast Asia are simply trying to replicate the European model, carve their own concepts, or create hybrid schemes. .
The Asian Conference on Cultural Studies, Official Conference Proceedings, pp.390-99, 2013
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) are two of the mos... more The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) are two of the most studied regional integration processes in the world. For different reasons, they are often regarded as the two most successful too. Over the decades, they have however, chosen very different paths in order to achieve their unique visions of regionalism. The EU opted for the creation of consolidated legal tools, binding decision-mechanisms and specialised and permanent formal institutional structures that would foster integration and federalism; ASEAN, in the contrary, has given priority to sovereignty, non-interference, non-intervention, equality and mutual respect for national identity and for each nation’s independence.
Often neglected in comparison to security, political and economic factors, culture is frequently considered the “little brother” among the key actors playing towards achieving regionalism, the one with perhaps less strategic impact. Despite this, due to its informality, subtleness and direct implication with civil societies, it could also be argued that culture and the arts have in ASEAN and the EU been instrumental in the long road to achieving regionalism, and even in the push for development of regional identities. In this paper we will tempt to investigate differences and similitude in their regional approaches to the arts as tools for stimulating regional cooperation and a certain “we-ness” sentiment. We will do that through the analysis of their dissimilar strategies and agendas regarding Arts and Culture Festivals: whereas ASEAN mainly organises its own festivals, in the EU there is a strand inside the “Culture-Programme” to which independent festivals can apply if their events have enough “European character”. A bottom-up participative approach in Europe, straight planning in Southeast Asia – paradoxically, a more direct intervention by the less formalised organisation.
Presented at the 20th International Conference on Cultural Economics, Melbourne, June 2018
In the context of World War II, Japan invaded large parts of Asia. During the years of occupation... more In the context of World War II, Japan invaded large parts of Asia. During the years of occupation, Japan spearheaded the concept of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, aimed at promoting culture and economic unity in the region, and controversially considered by some as the first modern scheme of Asian cooperation. After Japan’s surrender, the country undertook fundamental economic reforms and dramatic reconstruction, and by the late 1960s it had also achieved an astounding recovery. Events such as the hosting of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games and the Osaka International Exposition in 1970 underscored the country’s economic development.
However, Japan’s image in Southeast Asia was heavily damaged after the occupation period; mistrust and suspicion were common among governments and citizens. After the country was back on its feet, Japan initiated a proactive policy of soft diplomacy in the region aimed at reactivating links, improving relations and cleaning up its deteriorated image. The Japan Foundation was created to undertake international cultural exchange, and an ASEAN Cultural Fund established by Japan for the promotion of cultural cooperation in the region. Many other cultural measures followed, all intended to reinforce the new diplomatic path Japan was undertaking.
This paper aims to reveal how in the last few decades, culture has been instrumental in the reconstruction of Japan’s reputation and in re-inventing its image vis-à-vis its Southeast Asian partners. It also argues that culture has contributed to reducing reservations and improving relations in support of Japan’s substantial economic interests in the region. At a time when the impulse for East Asian regionalism is gaining critical momentum, the paper also aims to bring into the spotlight China’s recent ‘cultural re-balancing’ towards Southeast Asia. This complements China’s crucial economic and political implantation in the region, and contrasts with Japan’s perceived stagnation in terms of cultural investment. This paradoxical situation is shaping the contemporary race between the two countries to regain influence in the region.
Keywords: Cultural diplomacy; Cultural cooperation; Southeast Asia culture; China culture; Japan culture;
Presented at the SEAMEO Congress on Education, Science and Culture: Southeast Asia in Transition - Re-Thinking Education, Science and Culture for Regional Integration, Bangkok, October 2014
Training in Arts and Cultural Management is a relatively new discipline in Southeast Asia. Only u... more Training in Arts and Cultural Management is a relatively new discipline in Southeast Asia. Only until recently a handful of programmes were in operation, with limited visibility in the region and internationally. If given the chance, prospective arts and culture administrators, managers and professionals in the field would rather seek training programmes in Europe and the US than stay in the region. Some of those students would later come back to Southeast Asia to fill vacancies at local and national institutions. Many, however, still choose to stay abroad.
Economic growth, professionalisation of the cultural field, opening of new spaces and closer regional ties are contributing to a recent surge in arts management programmes in Southeast Asia. In addition, countries such as Singapore are trying to establish themselves as hubs for this type of arts education in the region. However, although the sector is becoming more visible, its international impact is still limited. Strategic coordination is modest, internal mobility scarce and the existing programmes can hardly cope with the pressing current needs of the vibrant regional cultural sector. The exodus of potential qualified arts managers continues, nowadays also to neighbouring countries such as Hong Kong and South Korea.
Through a comprehensive mapping of current arts management programmes in Southeast Asia and interviews with their representatives, the author will seek to analyse existing trends in the field. With the main objective of identifying knowledge and skill gaps in this field, the paper also aims to provide recommendations for culture and education regional leaders. Ultimately, the paper wants to provide support for current and future heads of arts and cultural management training programmes in the region, so that more integrated programmes are attained, more regional synergies forged and more intra-Southeast Asia mobility achieved.
After decades of political turmoil and instability, social revolutions, financial crises and secu... more After decades of political turmoil and instability, social revolutions, financial crises and security concerns, the last few years have seen optimistic transformations in Southeast Asia. The relative socio-political stability achieved in the region since the end of the 1990s was complemented with the consolidation of the regional commitments and the development of new tools for collaboration and dialogue. These significant transformations are also having an impact on the cultural field in Southeast Asia. Until the 1990s, only isolated initiatives were internationally noticeable from a region more concerned with consolidating its still precarious political and social stability than with experimenting with cultural and artistic products. However, financial and political stability has also brought to the region an increase in socio-cultural and artistic initiatives and connections and thus new opportunities as well for the performing arts sector.
The Philippines has equally undergone tremendous transformations. Ruled by Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship until 1986, it has since then endured several serious social uprisings and revolutions, reiterated episodes of political corruption, heavy cyclical financial crises and tragic natural disasters. Despite all this, the Philippines has in the last few years regained its confidence and has awakened international interest and investment due to its recovered political and social stability and dynamic economy. How the performing arts scene has evolved and how it is currently perceived in the country owes more than could be imagined to these economic, political, natural and social factors.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP, 1969) is the most representative and iconic performing arts institution in the Philippines. Through the analysis of its performing arts programmes, the recent history and evolution of the country unveils. Taking the CCP as a case study, this paper aims to present how in the Philippines performing arts are extremely sensitive to external economic, political, natural and social influences, perhaps much more than in many other countries in the region, and how over the years their development has been indissoluble from the surroundings. The study ultimately aims to present a set of conclusions that hope can contribute and support current policy makers and programmers in the formulation of strong and coherent strategies to better weather unexpected changes in the face of political, social and economic influences.
This thesis analyses the evolution and current situation of the intergovernmental and institution... more This thesis analyses the evolution and current situation of the intergovernmental and institutional cultural cooperation in the geopolitical domain encompassing the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) process. Today this region comprises the ten Southeast Asian countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the three major economies in Northeast Asia: China, Japan and South Korea.
Throughout the last half century, cultural cooperation has been an active part of the political, economic and diplomatic processes in the APT region. It had an active role in ASEAN’s first steps in the 1970’s; it was part of the diplomatic reconnection between Northeast and Southeast Asia, when Japan, after decades of regional isolation, re-approached its Southeast Asian neighbours; it is also present in the race undertaken by China and Japan since the beginning of this century to gain influence in the region; ultimately, it is an active component of the several cooperation processes and forums underway in the region today.
This cultural cooperation appears to be interdisciplinary in nature and has historically fulfilled a variety of roles. It has provided instrumental support to the implementation of certain strategic economic initiatives. Also, it has played a prominent part in political endeavours that sought to promote the development and affirmation of regional identities. Finally, cultural cooperation has acted as a soft diplomacy tool to help build new alliances and channels for engagement, and to gain influence.
This thesis investigates these and other processes in which cultural cooperation has played notable roles. It examines whether the government-led discourses in support of multilateral cultural cooperation translate into concrete cultural actions and activities; and where they do, it scrutinises the types of initiatives undertaken. Lastly, it highlights a need for further analysis of the cultural milieu in the APT region, scarcely investigated, especially in its official and political aspects.
LINGUA COMICA: Graphic Novels from Asia and Europe (2009, co-editor), 2009
“Lingua Comica: Graphic Novels from Asia and Europe” is the result of the artistic collaborations... more “Lingua Comica: Graphic Novels from Asia and Europe” is the result of the artistic collaborations of participants from the 2nd Asia-Europe Comics Project held in London from September to October 2007. Using comics as their mother tongue, fourteen artists engaged each other through online and face-to-face meetings throughout a period of two months.
The project was organised by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) in collaboration with COMICA London International Comics Festival.
Enhancing ASEAN-EU Relations through Cultural Cooperation: Realities and Unexplored Potential, 2024
This study explores how multilateral cultural cooperation can strengthen ASEAN-EU ties, complemen... more This study explores how multilateral cultural cooperation can strengthen ASEAN-EU ties, complementing the bilateral cultural cooperation already present in the two. Highlighting the importance of multilateral cultural exchanges in fostering mutual understanding and addressing global challenges, it emphasises that culture can serve as a bridge between Southeast Asian and European societies, supporting other forms of cooperation, such as economic, strategic and geopolitical ones. Multilateral cultural initiatives offer broader, more inclusive engagement opportunities, thereby enhancing diplomatic relations, economic development and regional stability. This research gathered data through extensive historical analysis, targeted surveys and expert interviews, ensuring a comprehensive and nuanced view. The study provides targeted recommendations for policymakers in ASEAN and the EU which focus on developing long-term cultural strategies, increasing institutional collaboration and securing core funding for sustainable projects.
The expanding footprint of urban Asian settlements and increasing living standards have put press... more The expanding footprint of urban Asian settlements and increasing living standards have put pressure on cemetery sites. Public health narratives and the sanctity associated with death matters in Asian urban landscapes have fed into the rhetoric of cemeteries as undesirable heritage spaces. Often lacking protection, many cemeteries have been exhumed, cleared, and relocated to allow room for new developments and infrastructure, risking the survival of this quiet element of the urban cultural patrimony. Within an Asian context, synergies between nature and cultural heritage preservation are not prevalent in major cities like Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok. In light of increasing recognition of urban cemeteries as multi-valued sites with both natural and cultural heritage values, this paper turns to deconstructing the nature-cultural binary and the concept of entanglement to frame an investigation of collaborative interactions. A focused study on Asian urban cemeteries follows, examining existing trends and adapted mix uses and highlighting the region's unique conservation challenges. The analysis reveals three major typologies encapsulating the region's current nature-cultural heritage entangled preservation approaches: sustainable compromises, memories, and everyday sustainability. To conclude, the paper distils respectful alternative futures for these spaces to be better integrated into the modern textures of the cities, unlocking functional recourses to destruction or oblivion. Keywords Nature and cultural heritage • Urban Asia • Heritage and sustainability • Heritage preservation • Cemeteries in Asian cities • Environmental and social sustainability
International Journal of Heritage Studies - https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2023.2231903 , 2023
Kubor Kassim is a century-old, serene Muslim cemetery in Singapore. Although many of its survivin... more Kubor Kassim is a century-old, serene Muslim cemetery in Singapore. Although many of its surviving 3,000 graves are unidentified, the graveyard contains elaborate tombs from internees of notable background, including community leaders and respected Muslim sheikhs (religious leaders and scholars). Kubor Kassim also houses a surau (prayer house) where religious classes are conducted, and offers its own miniature ecosystem of flora and fauna, including banyan trees and hornbills. Asia’s rapid urbanisation subjects cultural heritage to tensions that threaten its preservation and poses dilemmas for decision-makers. The choice between expansion and protection is rarely straightforward, and controversies intertwine development, urban planning, sustainability, memory-shaping, and identity-building. For most of its short history as a nation, Singapore has had to make challenging decisions regarding the use of its territory. Space is a highly sought and tightly controlled commodity in such a land-scarce, fully urbanised and densely-populated country. Kubor Kassim is one of the latest examples of these tensions. Surrounded by private residential properties, in an area affected by population pressures and earmarked for future residential development, the cemetery is at risk of disappearance. Given Kubor Kassim’s uncertain future and being mindful that a heritage site’s tangibility cannot be replaced, this paper posits digitalisation as a preservation alternative. Using tools such as digital documentation and archiving, virtual mapping capturing with 360-degree technology, interactive maps, podcasts, and UAV (drone) photography and filming, this investigation explores encounters with the cemetery that can also act as its’ memory insurance policy’ in case of destruction or disappearance. The research includes comprehensive documentation, field works to record the site, interviews, and surveys. The paper urges reflection on the importance of cultural heritage in Asian cities, often threatened by the very process of urban growth and development. It also demonstrates that the design of parallel digital worlds can provide respectful and sustainable ways of preserving the priceless memories associated with cultural heritage.
Journal of Asian Public Policy - https://doi.org/10.1080/17516234.2022.2148314, 2023
Few countries have advanced their culture globally as China has done in the last two decades with... more Few countries have advanced their culture globally as China has done in the last two decades with its culture ‘going out’ strategy. Promoting cultural goods and services overseas and fostering cultural exchanges, the strategy is also part of the country’s efforts to advance its soft power abroad. Broadly, there are two contrasting perspectives on the strategy’s performance. Because of its stability and financial muscle, local analysts generally praise it, while the overarching official involvement provokes suspicion in some international contexts. This article provides a neutral assessment of the implementation, achievements, and impact of China’s culture ‘going out’ strategy, investigating its successes and shortfalls.
Managing the Arts and Culture: Cultivating a Practice, 2023
Managing cultural organizations requires insight into a range of areas including marketing, fundr... more Managing cultural organizations requires insight into a range of areas including marketing, fundraising, programming, finances, and leadership. This book integrates practical and theoretical insights, blending academic and practitioner voices to help readers "speak the language" in the creative industries.
The chapter on Arts Marketing proposes a systematic approach to marketing in the arts sector supported by easy-to-implement tools and methodologies that can apply to a variety of arts organizations: theater, dance, visual arts, music, and community organizations. The chapter benefits from a range of features, including:
- Scenarios to help orient readers to common arts marketing problems
- Ethical dilemmas
- Study questions to enable students to review the skills learned
- Experiential exercises to gain experience and apply skills
- Emphasis on cross-cultural and transferrable skills
- Integration of international perspectives
- Suggested additional readings and website links
Journal of Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, 13(1): 87-107 - https://doi.org.10.1108/JCHMSD-08-2020-0116, 2023
Singapore tops multiple global rankings for the consumption of luxury products. In this land-scar... more Singapore tops multiple global rankings for the consumption of luxury products. In this land-scarce and densely-populated city-state, to purchase a high-end car, landed property, or to have a fine dining experience, ranks amongst the most expensive in all Asian cities. That luxurious approach in life, however, does not find a parallel in death. As this paper indicates, a life of luxuries in Singapore does not necessarily mean deluxe burials, graves, mausoleums, or shrines. In fact, due to scarcity of land and the tight control on its usage, there are limited options for the well-off to display the same sense of wealth in death as they did in life. This paper explores the correlation between elaborate burials and the right to eternal rest, and investigates how a land-deprived country faces the challenge of sustainably balancing modernisation aspirations with respect for burial customs and cultural heritage.
(Book) Cultural Leadership in Transition Tourism: Developing Innovative and Sustainable Models, 157-181, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14121-8_9, 2022
During the early years of the 2020s, large parts of the world came to a
standstill instigated by ... more During the early years of the 2020s, large parts of the world came to a standstill instigated by COVID-19. The pandemic dramatically affected people’s mobility, including intensive lockdowns, border closures, and prohibition of local and international travel. These restrictions had dramatic implications for tourism, particularly for destinations that live from it and need it to survive. Locations, particularly with cultural heritage attractions such as monuments, historical buildings, archaeological sites, landscapes, urban ensembles, and sites known for their customs, folklore, oral and performing traditions, and religious manifestations, suffered the consequences. While digital leisure experiences cannot replace in-person visits, recent developments in digitalisation, such as 360-degree technology, virtual and augmented reality, and gaming, both ‘serious’—video games designed for educational objectives—and for pure entertainment, are increasingly impacting how we visit, interact with and consume cultural heritage. This chapter investigates the latest trends in digitalisation in its application to cultural heritage tourism in Asia, particularly in contexts of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, where in-person opportunities to engage with cultural heritage assets are significatively reduced. The chapter argues that, albeit initially largely unintentional, the push for these new technologies during the pandemic has generated more sustainable and equal access paths to cultural heritage assets, particularly for visitors with limited means or mobility.
The Hague Journal of Diplomacy (HJD), Vol 17, 277-305 - doi: 10.1163/1871191X-bja10081, 2021
Beyond their traditional role as entertainment, form of expression and meeting spaces
within loca... more Beyond their traditional role as entertainment, form of expression and meeting spaces within local communities, arts and culture festivals can perform various functions. They can serve as showcases of artistic pride, signal openness towards cultural diversity, support the local economy, contribute to reducing political tension and provide grounds to consolidate international relationships. On occasion, such festivals function as tools to support the vision of a multilateral co-operation institution, as is the case of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Through a comprehensive review of the arts and culture festivals curated in ASEAN, this article investigates the festivals’ ulterior motivations. A range of economic, political, diplomatic, and organisational logics explain the evolution of such festivals during the last fifty years. The article concludes that arts and culture festivals have remained a compelling and instrumental co-operation mechanism in ASEAN, but formats and approaches need substantial revision.
International Journal of Heritage Studies, Vol. 27(10), 975-990 - https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2021.1883711, 2021
In the last decade, the dramatic developments in digitalisation have reached cultural heritage. D... more In the last decade, the dramatic developments in digitalisation have reached cultural heritage. Digital archiving and reconstruction, virtual reality, and 3D laser scanning, modelling and printing, are influencing the way we consume, manage, and preserve it. As part of the latter, detailed virtual records of endangered urban cultural heritage, through digital archiving, capturing, and reconstruction techniques, can help preserve its memories and lengthen its life; particularly, once decision-makers resolve to end its tangibility. However, the application of digitalisation to cultural heritage is not always easy, faced with issues such as cost, lack of sources and skills, sustainability, and intellectual property limitations. This paper illustrates the challenges encountered by land-deprived and fast-growing Southeast Asian cities in amalgamating urban cultural heritage preservation with pressing development needs. Ultimately, it discusses the introduction of digitalisation in this debate by examining the broader consequences of the association.
eTropic: Electronic Journal of Studies in the Tropics Vol. 17(1), pp. 90-116 - https://doi.org/10.25120/etropic.17.1.2018.3644, 2018
The process of heritage-making is far from straightforward. Defining the meaning of
heritage in ... more The process of heritage-making is far from straightforward. Defining the meaning of
heritage in young nations and cities where land availability is limited is a
challenging exercise. It often crosses the paths of history, religion, memory sharing,
development, and identity-building. It requires fluent communication
channels between civil society, local organisations and governments. Willingness
to cooperate from all the parties involved is essential; dialogue a must.
In land-scarce or densely populated Asian cities, expansion and growth is colliding
with the preservation of legacies, the past and memory. This paper examines
regional case studies from Hong Kong, Manila and Singapore, where preservation
of cultural patrimony, development and daily life follow conflicting paths. It sheds
light on the policies behind heritage-making, where the interaction with concepts
such as memory, identity, urban planning, progress, and nature, creates complex
situations and requires imaginative resolutions.
ENCATC Journal of Cultural Management and Policy 7(1), pp. 44-58, 2017
Despite bearing similar names and sharing certain aims, the implementation of the Cultural City/C... more Despite bearing similar names and sharing certain aims, the implementation of the Cultural City/Capital initiative in Europe and in the sub-regions of Southeast and Northeast Asia has been substantially dissimilar. In Europe, the annual European City of Culture (ECOC) status commonly constitutes an opportunity to showcase the best of the arts and culture of the host city, and counts on the support of sizable public funding. In Southeast Asia, the initiative scarcely receives any public or regional funds and the understanding of what the designation means varies widely from country to country. In Northeast Asia, regional diplomacy is one of the main motivations for initiating the scheme.
This paper seeks to examine the Cultural Capital patterns chosen in these Asian sub-regions in comparison with their European counterpart, as well as their motivations and reasons to exist. Ultimately, the paper investigates how much ASEAN and Northeast Asia are simply trying to replicate the European model, carve their own concepts, or create hybrid schemes. .
The Asian Conference on Cultural Studies, Official Conference Proceedings, pp.390-99, 2013
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) are two of the mos... more The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) are two of the most studied regional integration processes in the world. For different reasons, they are often regarded as the two most successful too. Over the decades, they have however, chosen very different paths in order to achieve their unique visions of regionalism. The EU opted for the creation of consolidated legal tools, binding decision-mechanisms and specialised and permanent formal institutional structures that would foster integration and federalism; ASEAN, in the contrary, has given priority to sovereignty, non-interference, non-intervention, equality and mutual respect for national identity and for each nation’s independence.
Often neglected in comparison to security, political and economic factors, culture is frequently considered the “little brother” among the key actors playing towards achieving regionalism, the one with perhaps less strategic impact. Despite this, due to its informality, subtleness and direct implication with civil societies, it could also be argued that culture and the arts have in ASEAN and the EU been instrumental in the long road to achieving regionalism, and even in the push for development of regional identities. In this paper we will tempt to investigate differences and similitude in their regional approaches to the arts as tools for stimulating regional cooperation and a certain “we-ness” sentiment. We will do that through the analysis of their dissimilar strategies and agendas regarding Arts and Culture Festivals: whereas ASEAN mainly organises its own festivals, in the EU there is a strand inside the “Culture-Programme” to which independent festivals can apply if their events have enough “European character”. A bottom-up participative approach in Europe, straight planning in Southeast Asia – paradoxically, a more direct intervention by the less formalised organisation.
Presented at the 20th International Conference on Cultural Economics, Melbourne, June 2018
In the context of World War II, Japan invaded large parts of Asia. During the years of occupation... more In the context of World War II, Japan invaded large parts of Asia. During the years of occupation, Japan spearheaded the concept of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, aimed at promoting culture and economic unity in the region, and controversially considered by some as the first modern scheme of Asian cooperation. After Japan’s surrender, the country undertook fundamental economic reforms and dramatic reconstruction, and by the late 1960s it had also achieved an astounding recovery. Events such as the hosting of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games and the Osaka International Exposition in 1970 underscored the country’s economic development.
However, Japan’s image in Southeast Asia was heavily damaged after the occupation period; mistrust and suspicion were common among governments and citizens. After the country was back on its feet, Japan initiated a proactive policy of soft diplomacy in the region aimed at reactivating links, improving relations and cleaning up its deteriorated image. The Japan Foundation was created to undertake international cultural exchange, and an ASEAN Cultural Fund established by Japan for the promotion of cultural cooperation in the region. Many other cultural measures followed, all intended to reinforce the new diplomatic path Japan was undertaking.
This paper aims to reveal how in the last few decades, culture has been instrumental in the reconstruction of Japan’s reputation and in re-inventing its image vis-à-vis its Southeast Asian partners. It also argues that culture has contributed to reducing reservations and improving relations in support of Japan’s substantial economic interests in the region. At a time when the impulse for East Asian regionalism is gaining critical momentum, the paper also aims to bring into the spotlight China’s recent ‘cultural re-balancing’ towards Southeast Asia. This complements China’s crucial economic and political implantation in the region, and contrasts with Japan’s perceived stagnation in terms of cultural investment. This paradoxical situation is shaping the contemporary race between the two countries to regain influence in the region.
Keywords: Cultural diplomacy; Cultural cooperation; Southeast Asia culture; China culture; Japan culture;
Presented at the SEAMEO Congress on Education, Science and Culture: Southeast Asia in Transition - Re-Thinking Education, Science and Culture for Regional Integration, Bangkok, October 2014
Training in Arts and Cultural Management is a relatively new discipline in Southeast Asia. Only u... more Training in Arts and Cultural Management is a relatively new discipline in Southeast Asia. Only until recently a handful of programmes were in operation, with limited visibility in the region and internationally. If given the chance, prospective arts and culture administrators, managers and professionals in the field would rather seek training programmes in Europe and the US than stay in the region. Some of those students would later come back to Southeast Asia to fill vacancies at local and national institutions. Many, however, still choose to stay abroad.
Economic growth, professionalisation of the cultural field, opening of new spaces and closer regional ties are contributing to a recent surge in arts management programmes in Southeast Asia. In addition, countries such as Singapore are trying to establish themselves as hubs for this type of arts education in the region. However, although the sector is becoming more visible, its international impact is still limited. Strategic coordination is modest, internal mobility scarce and the existing programmes can hardly cope with the pressing current needs of the vibrant regional cultural sector. The exodus of potential qualified arts managers continues, nowadays also to neighbouring countries such as Hong Kong and South Korea.
Through a comprehensive mapping of current arts management programmes in Southeast Asia and interviews with their representatives, the author will seek to analyse existing trends in the field. With the main objective of identifying knowledge and skill gaps in this field, the paper also aims to provide recommendations for culture and education regional leaders. Ultimately, the paper wants to provide support for current and future heads of arts and cultural management training programmes in the region, so that more integrated programmes are attained, more regional synergies forged and more intra-Southeast Asia mobility achieved.
After decades of political turmoil and instability, social revolutions, financial crises and secu... more After decades of political turmoil and instability, social revolutions, financial crises and security concerns, the last few years have seen optimistic transformations in Southeast Asia. The relative socio-political stability achieved in the region since the end of the 1990s was complemented with the consolidation of the regional commitments and the development of new tools for collaboration and dialogue. These significant transformations are also having an impact on the cultural field in Southeast Asia. Until the 1990s, only isolated initiatives were internationally noticeable from a region more concerned with consolidating its still precarious political and social stability than with experimenting with cultural and artistic products. However, financial and political stability has also brought to the region an increase in socio-cultural and artistic initiatives and connections and thus new opportunities as well for the performing arts sector.
The Philippines has equally undergone tremendous transformations. Ruled by Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship until 1986, it has since then endured several serious social uprisings and revolutions, reiterated episodes of political corruption, heavy cyclical financial crises and tragic natural disasters. Despite all this, the Philippines has in the last few years regained its confidence and has awakened international interest and investment due to its recovered political and social stability and dynamic economy. How the performing arts scene has evolved and how it is currently perceived in the country owes more than could be imagined to these economic, political, natural and social factors.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP, 1969) is the most representative and iconic performing arts institution in the Philippines. Through the analysis of its performing arts programmes, the recent history and evolution of the country unveils. Taking the CCP as a case study, this paper aims to present how in the Philippines performing arts are extremely sensitive to external economic, political, natural and social influences, perhaps much more than in many other countries in the region, and how over the years their development has been indissoluble from the surroundings. The study ultimately aims to present a set of conclusions that hope can contribute and support current policy makers and programmers in the formulation of strong and coherent strategies to better weather unexpected changes in the face of political, social and economic influences.
This thesis analyses the evolution and current situation of the intergovernmental and institution... more This thesis analyses the evolution and current situation of the intergovernmental and institutional cultural cooperation in the geopolitical domain encompassing the ASEAN Plus Three (APT) process. Today this region comprises the ten Southeast Asian countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the three major economies in Northeast Asia: China, Japan and South Korea.
Throughout the last half century, cultural cooperation has been an active part of the political, economic and diplomatic processes in the APT region. It had an active role in ASEAN’s first steps in the 1970’s; it was part of the diplomatic reconnection between Northeast and Southeast Asia, when Japan, after decades of regional isolation, re-approached its Southeast Asian neighbours; it is also present in the race undertaken by China and Japan since the beginning of this century to gain influence in the region; ultimately, it is an active component of the several cooperation processes and forums underway in the region today.
This cultural cooperation appears to be interdisciplinary in nature and has historically fulfilled a variety of roles. It has provided instrumental support to the implementation of certain strategic economic initiatives. Also, it has played a prominent part in political endeavours that sought to promote the development and affirmation of regional identities. Finally, cultural cooperation has acted as a soft diplomacy tool to help build new alliances and channels for engagement, and to gain influence.
This thesis investigates these and other processes in which cultural cooperation has played notable roles. It examines whether the government-led discourses in support of multilateral cultural cooperation translate into concrete cultural actions and activities; and where they do, it scrutinises the types of initiatives undertaken. Lastly, it highlights a need for further analysis of the cultural milieu in the APT region, scarcely investigated, especially in its official and political aspects.
LINGUA COMICA: Graphic Novels from Asia and Europe (2009, co-editor), 2009
“Lingua Comica: Graphic Novels from Asia and Europe” is the result of the artistic collaborations... more “Lingua Comica: Graphic Novels from Asia and Europe” is the result of the artistic collaborations of participants from the 2nd Asia-Europe Comics Project held in London from September to October 2007. Using comics as their mother tongue, fourteen artists engaged each other through online and face-to-face meetings throughout a period of two months.
The project was organised by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) in collaboration with COMICA London International Comics Festival.
Uploads
ARTICLES by David Ocón
The chapter on Arts Marketing proposes a systematic approach to marketing in the arts sector supported by easy-to-implement tools and methodologies that can apply to a variety of arts organizations: theater, dance, visual arts, music, and community organizations. The chapter benefits from a range of features, including:
- Scenarios to help orient readers to common arts marketing problems
- Ethical dilemmas
- Study questions to enable students to review the skills learned
- Experiential exercises to gain experience and apply skills
- Emphasis on cross-cultural and transferrable skills
- Integration of international perspectives
- Suggested additional readings and website links
standstill instigated by COVID-19. The pandemic dramatically affected people’s mobility, including intensive lockdowns, border closures, and prohibition of local and international travel. These restrictions had dramatic implications for tourism, particularly for destinations that live from it and need it to survive. Locations, particularly with cultural heritage attractions such as monuments, historical buildings, archaeological sites, landscapes, urban ensembles, and sites known for their customs, folklore, oral and performing traditions, and religious manifestations, suffered the consequences. While digital leisure experiences cannot replace in-person visits, recent developments in digitalisation, such as 360-degree technology, virtual and augmented reality, and gaming, both ‘serious’—video games designed for educational objectives—and for pure entertainment, are increasingly impacting how we visit, interact with and consume cultural heritage. This chapter investigates the latest trends in digitalisation in its application to cultural heritage tourism in Asia, particularly in contexts of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, where in-person opportunities to engage with cultural heritage assets are significatively reduced. The chapter argues that, albeit initially largely unintentional, the push for these new technologies during the pandemic has generated more sustainable and equal access paths to cultural heritage assets, particularly for visitors with limited means or mobility.
within local communities, arts and culture festivals can perform various functions.
They can serve as showcases of artistic pride, signal openness towards cultural diversity,
support the local economy, contribute to reducing political tension and provide
grounds to consolidate international relationships. On occasion, such festivals function
as tools to support the vision of a multilateral co-operation institution, as is the
case of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Through a comprehensive
review of the arts and culture festivals curated in ASEAN, this article investigates
the festivals’ ulterior motivations. A range of economic, political, diplomatic, and
organisational logics explain the evolution of such festivals during the last fifty years.
The article concludes that arts and culture festivals have remained a compelling and
instrumental co-operation mechanism in ASEAN, but formats and approaches need
substantial revision.
heritage in young nations and cities where land availability is limited is a
challenging exercise. It often crosses the paths of history, religion, memory sharing,
development, and identity-building. It requires fluent communication
channels between civil society, local organisations and governments. Willingness
to cooperate from all the parties involved is essential; dialogue a must.
In land-scarce or densely populated Asian cities, expansion and growth is colliding
with the preservation of legacies, the past and memory. This paper examines
regional case studies from Hong Kong, Manila and Singapore, where preservation
of cultural patrimony, development and daily life follow conflicting paths. It sheds
light on the policies behind heritage-making, where the interaction with concepts
such as memory, identity, urban planning, progress, and nature, creates complex
situations and requires imaginative resolutions.
This paper seeks to examine the Cultural Capital patterns chosen in these Asian sub-regions in comparison with their European counterpart, as well as their motivations and reasons to exist. Ultimately, the paper investigates how much ASEAN and Northeast Asia are simply trying to replicate the European model, carve their own concepts, or create hybrid schemes.
.
Often neglected in comparison to security, political and economic factors, culture is frequently considered the “little brother” among the key actors playing towards achieving regionalism, the one with perhaps less strategic impact. Despite this, due to its informality, subtleness and direct implication with civil societies, it could also be argued that culture and the arts have in ASEAN and the EU been instrumental in the long road to achieving regionalism, and even in the push for development of regional identities. In this paper we will tempt to investigate differences and similitude in their regional approaches to the arts as tools for stimulating regional cooperation and a certain “we-ness” sentiment. We will do that through the analysis of their dissimilar strategies and agendas regarding Arts and Culture Festivals: whereas ASEAN mainly organises its own festivals, in the EU there is a strand inside the “Culture-Programme” to which independent festivals can apply if their events have enough “European character”. A bottom-up participative approach in Europe, straight planning in Southeast Asia – paradoxically, a more direct intervention by the less formalised organisation.
However, Japan’s image in Southeast Asia was heavily damaged after the occupation period; mistrust and suspicion were common among governments and citizens. After the country was back on its feet, Japan initiated a proactive policy of soft diplomacy in the region aimed at reactivating links, improving relations and cleaning up its deteriorated image. The Japan Foundation was created to undertake international cultural exchange, and an ASEAN Cultural Fund established by Japan for the promotion of cultural cooperation in the region. Many other cultural measures followed, all intended to reinforce the new diplomatic path Japan was undertaking.
This paper aims to reveal how in the last few decades, culture has been instrumental in the reconstruction of Japan’s reputation and in re-inventing its image vis-à-vis its Southeast Asian partners. It also argues that culture has contributed to reducing reservations and improving relations in support of Japan’s substantial economic interests in the region. At a time when the impulse for East Asian regionalism is gaining critical momentum, the paper also aims to bring into the spotlight China’s recent ‘cultural re-balancing’ towards Southeast Asia. This complements China’s crucial economic and political implantation in the region, and contrasts with Japan’s perceived stagnation in terms of cultural investment. This paradoxical situation is shaping the contemporary race between the two countries to regain influence in the region.
Keywords: Cultural diplomacy; Cultural cooperation; Southeast Asia culture; China culture; Japan culture;
Economic growth, professionalisation of the cultural field, opening of new spaces and closer regional ties are contributing to a recent surge in arts management programmes in Southeast Asia. In addition, countries such as Singapore are trying to establish themselves as hubs for this type of arts education in the region. However, although the sector is becoming more visible, its international impact is still limited. Strategic coordination is modest, internal mobility scarce and the existing programmes can hardly cope with the pressing current needs of the vibrant regional cultural sector. The exodus of potential qualified arts managers continues, nowadays also to neighbouring countries such as Hong Kong and South Korea.
Through a comprehensive mapping of current arts management programmes in Southeast Asia and interviews with their representatives, the author will seek to analyse existing trends in the field. With the main objective of identifying knowledge and skill gaps in this field, the paper also aims to provide recommendations for culture and education regional leaders. Ultimately, the paper wants to provide support for current and future heads of arts and cultural management training programmes in the region, so that more integrated programmes are attained, more regional synergies forged and more intra-Southeast Asia mobility achieved.
The Philippines has equally undergone tremendous transformations. Ruled by Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship until 1986, it has since then endured several serious social uprisings and revolutions, reiterated episodes of political corruption, heavy cyclical financial crises and tragic natural disasters. Despite all this, the Philippines has in the last few years regained its confidence and has awakened international interest and investment due to its recovered political and social stability and dynamic economy. How the performing arts scene has evolved and how it is currently perceived in the country owes more than could be imagined to these economic, political, natural and social factors.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP, 1969) is the most representative and iconic performing arts institution in the Philippines. Through the analysis of its performing arts programmes, the recent history and evolution of the country unveils. Taking the CCP as a case study, this paper aims to present how in the Philippines performing arts are extremely sensitive to external economic, political, natural and social influences, perhaps much more than in many other countries in the region, and how over the years their development has been indissoluble from the surroundings. The study ultimately aims to present a set of conclusions that hope can contribute and support current policy makers and programmers in the formulation of strong and coherent strategies to better weather unexpected changes in the face of political, social and economic influences.
PhD. THESIS by David Ocón
Throughout the last half century, cultural cooperation has been an active part of the political, economic and diplomatic processes in the APT region. It had an active role in ASEAN’s first steps in the 1970’s; it was part of the diplomatic reconnection between Northeast and Southeast Asia, when Japan, after decades of regional isolation, re-approached its Southeast Asian neighbours; it is also present in the race undertaken by China and Japan since the beginning of this century to gain influence in the region; ultimately, it is an active component of the several cooperation processes and forums underway in the region today.
This cultural cooperation appears to be interdisciplinary in nature and has historically fulfilled a variety of roles. It has provided instrumental support to the implementation of certain strategic economic initiatives. Also, it has played a prominent part in political endeavours that sought to promote the development and affirmation of regional identities. Finally, cultural cooperation has acted as a soft diplomacy tool to help build new alliances and channels for engagement, and to gain influence.
This thesis investigates these and other processes in which cultural cooperation has played notable roles. It examines whether the government-led discourses in support of multilateral cultural cooperation translate into concrete cultural actions and activities; and where they do, it scrutinises the types of initiatives undertaken. Lastly, it highlights a need for further analysis of the cultural milieu in the APT region, scarcely investigated, especially in its official and political aspects.
BOOKS by David Ocón
The project was organised by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) in collaboration with COMICA London International Comics Festival.
The chapter on Arts Marketing proposes a systematic approach to marketing in the arts sector supported by easy-to-implement tools and methodologies that can apply to a variety of arts organizations: theater, dance, visual arts, music, and community organizations. The chapter benefits from a range of features, including:
- Scenarios to help orient readers to common arts marketing problems
- Ethical dilemmas
- Study questions to enable students to review the skills learned
- Experiential exercises to gain experience and apply skills
- Emphasis on cross-cultural and transferrable skills
- Integration of international perspectives
- Suggested additional readings and website links
standstill instigated by COVID-19. The pandemic dramatically affected people’s mobility, including intensive lockdowns, border closures, and prohibition of local and international travel. These restrictions had dramatic implications for tourism, particularly for destinations that live from it and need it to survive. Locations, particularly with cultural heritage attractions such as monuments, historical buildings, archaeological sites, landscapes, urban ensembles, and sites known for their customs, folklore, oral and performing traditions, and religious manifestations, suffered the consequences. While digital leisure experiences cannot replace in-person visits, recent developments in digitalisation, such as 360-degree technology, virtual and augmented reality, and gaming, both ‘serious’—video games designed for educational objectives—and for pure entertainment, are increasingly impacting how we visit, interact with and consume cultural heritage. This chapter investigates the latest trends in digitalisation in its application to cultural heritage tourism in Asia, particularly in contexts of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, where in-person opportunities to engage with cultural heritage assets are significatively reduced. The chapter argues that, albeit initially largely unintentional, the push for these new technologies during the pandemic has generated more sustainable and equal access paths to cultural heritage assets, particularly for visitors with limited means or mobility.
within local communities, arts and culture festivals can perform various functions.
They can serve as showcases of artistic pride, signal openness towards cultural diversity,
support the local economy, contribute to reducing political tension and provide
grounds to consolidate international relationships. On occasion, such festivals function
as tools to support the vision of a multilateral co-operation institution, as is the
case of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Through a comprehensive
review of the arts and culture festivals curated in ASEAN, this article investigates
the festivals’ ulterior motivations. A range of economic, political, diplomatic, and
organisational logics explain the evolution of such festivals during the last fifty years.
The article concludes that arts and culture festivals have remained a compelling and
instrumental co-operation mechanism in ASEAN, but formats and approaches need
substantial revision.
heritage in young nations and cities where land availability is limited is a
challenging exercise. It often crosses the paths of history, religion, memory sharing,
development, and identity-building. It requires fluent communication
channels between civil society, local organisations and governments. Willingness
to cooperate from all the parties involved is essential; dialogue a must.
In land-scarce or densely populated Asian cities, expansion and growth is colliding
with the preservation of legacies, the past and memory. This paper examines
regional case studies from Hong Kong, Manila and Singapore, where preservation
of cultural patrimony, development and daily life follow conflicting paths. It sheds
light on the policies behind heritage-making, where the interaction with concepts
such as memory, identity, urban planning, progress, and nature, creates complex
situations and requires imaginative resolutions.
This paper seeks to examine the Cultural Capital patterns chosen in these Asian sub-regions in comparison with their European counterpart, as well as their motivations and reasons to exist. Ultimately, the paper investigates how much ASEAN and Northeast Asia are simply trying to replicate the European model, carve their own concepts, or create hybrid schemes.
.
Often neglected in comparison to security, political and economic factors, culture is frequently considered the “little brother” among the key actors playing towards achieving regionalism, the one with perhaps less strategic impact. Despite this, due to its informality, subtleness and direct implication with civil societies, it could also be argued that culture and the arts have in ASEAN and the EU been instrumental in the long road to achieving regionalism, and even in the push for development of regional identities. In this paper we will tempt to investigate differences and similitude in their regional approaches to the arts as tools for stimulating regional cooperation and a certain “we-ness” sentiment. We will do that through the analysis of their dissimilar strategies and agendas regarding Arts and Culture Festivals: whereas ASEAN mainly organises its own festivals, in the EU there is a strand inside the “Culture-Programme” to which independent festivals can apply if their events have enough “European character”. A bottom-up participative approach in Europe, straight planning in Southeast Asia – paradoxically, a more direct intervention by the less formalised organisation.
However, Japan’s image in Southeast Asia was heavily damaged after the occupation period; mistrust and suspicion were common among governments and citizens. After the country was back on its feet, Japan initiated a proactive policy of soft diplomacy in the region aimed at reactivating links, improving relations and cleaning up its deteriorated image. The Japan Foundation was created to undertake international cultural exchange, and an ASEAN Cultural Fund established by Japan for the promotion of cultural cooperation in the region. Many other cultural measures followed, all intended to reinforce the new diplomatic path Japan was undertaking.
This paper aims to reveal how in the last few decades, culture has been instrumental in the reconstruction of Japan’s reputation and in re-inventing its image vis-à-vis its Southeast Asian partners. It also argues that culture has contributed to reducing reservations and improving relations in support of Japan’s substantial economic interests in the region. At a time when the impulse for East Asian regionalism is gaining critical momentum, the paper also aims to bring into the spotlight China’s recent ‘cultural re-balancing’ towards Southeast Asia. This complements China’s crucial economic and political implantation in the region, and contrasts with Japan’s perceived stagnation in terms of cultural investment. This paradoxical situation is shaping the contemporary race between the two countries to regain influence in the region.
Keywords: Cultural diplomacy; Cultural cooperation; Southeast Asia culture; China culture; Japan culture;
Economic growth, professionalisation of the cultural field, opening of new spaces and closer regional ties are contributing to a recent surge in arts management programmes in Southeast Asia. In addition, countries such as Singapore are trying to establish themselves as hubs for this type of arts education in the region. However, although the sector is becoming more visible, its international impact is still limited. Strategic coordination is modest, internal mobility scarce and the existing programmes can hardly cope with the pressing current needs of the vibrant regional cultural sector. The exodus of potential qualified arts managers continues, nowadays also to neighbouring countries such as Hong Kong and South Korea.
Through a comprehensive mapping of current arts management programmes in Southeast Asia and interviews with their representatives, the author will seek to analyse existing trends in the field. With the main objective of identifying knowledge and skill gaps in this field, the paper also aims to provide recommendations for culture and education regional leaders. Ultimately, the paper wants to provide support for current and future heads of arts and cultural management training programmes in the region, so that more integrated programmes are attained, more regional synergies forged and more intra-Southeast Asia mobility achieved.
The Philippines has equally undergone tremendous transformations. Ruled by Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship until 1986, it has since then endured several serious social uprisings and revolutions, reiterated episodes of political corruption, heavy cyclical financial crises and tragic natural disasters. Despite all this, the Philippines has in the last few years regained its confidence and has awakened international interest and investment due to its recovered political and social stability and dynamic economy. How the performing arts scene has evolved and how it is currently perceived in the country owes more than could be imagined to these economic, political, natural and social factors.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP, 1969) is the most representative and iconic performing arts institution in the Philippines. Through the analysis of its performing arts programmes, the recent history and evolution of the country unveils. Taking the CCP as a case study, this paper aims to present how in the Philippines performing arts are extremely sensitive to external economic, political, natural and social influences, perhaps much more than in many other countries in the region, and how over the years their development has been indissoluble from the surroundings. The study ultimately aims to present a set of conclusions that hope can contribute and support current policy makers and programmers in the formulation of strong and coherent strategies to better weather unexpected changes in the face of political, social and economic influences.
Throughout the last half century, cultural cooperation has been an active part of the political, economic and diplomatic processes in the APT region. It had an active role in ASEAN’s first steps in the 1970’s; it was part of the diplomatic reconnection between Northeast and Southeast Asia, when Japan, after decades of regional isolation, re-approached its Southeast Asian neighbours; it is also present in the race undertaken by China and Japan since the beginning of this century to gain influence in the region; ultimately, it is an active component of the several cooperation processes and forums underway in the region today.
This cultural cooperation appears to be interdisciplinary in nature and has historically fulfilled a variety of roles. It has provided instrumental support to the implementation of certain strategic economic initiatives. Also, it has played a prominent part in political endeavours that sought to promote the development and affirmation of regional identities. Finally, cultural cooperation has acted as a soft diplomacy tool to help build new alliances and channels for engagement, and to gain influence.
This thesis investigates these and other processes in which cultural cooperation has played notable roles. It examines whether the government-led discourses in support of multilateral cultural cooperation translate into concrete cultural actions and activities; and where they do, it scrutinises the types of initiatives undertaken. Lastly, it highlights a need for further analysis of the cultural milieu in the APT region, scarcely investigated, especially in its official and political aspects.
The project was organised by the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) in collaboration with COMICA London International Comics Festival.