UK and China celebrate young talents behind digital creativity

An exhibition celebrating UK-China digital creativity opened at London's historic Royal Mint Court on Sept 6.

Organized by the Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, The Future to See Future: UK-China Youth Digital Creation and Cultural Exchange Exhibition aims to showcase the digital creativity of young talents and promote cultural exchange and co-creation between China and the United Kingdom.

The exhibition, which will end Sept 17, is a partner event of the London Design Festival.

It features more than 30 works that explore the future, presenting perspectives and innovative expressions across a range of fields, including human interactions with nature, environmental protection, arts, education, music, and the age of artificial intelligence. All creators are young talents aged under 30, mostly from Generation Z, and have their own digital creative art institutions and technology companies.

Liu Weidong, vice-president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, delivered a speech at the launch ceremony, stating: "The Future to See Future project will continue to hold themed co-creation activities, international exhibitions, academic-industry discussions, and talent exchanges in London and Shanghai.

Liu said the goal is to create a lasting platform for idea sharing, international co-creation, and cultural exchange between the two cities through digital creativity.

Trevor Hoey, vice-chancellor of Brunel University London, speaking on behalf of all partners, highlighted the university's ongoing efforts in advancing UK-China collaboration in the creative industries through research initiatives.

He noted that Brunel University has engaged in several collaborative projects with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in recent years, and he expressed the university's enthusiasm for participating in the exhibition, to showcase teaching achievements, foster innovation in education, and strengthen connections between academia, the public, and industry.

Li Liyan, minister counselor for cultural affairs at China's embassy in the UK, said in his speech that China and the UK are both countries with a great wealth of history and cultural heritage. Digital creativity bridges arts and technology, and more importantly, brings together the younger generation of the two countries.

He said he looks forward to seeing more opportunities like this, where friendship in the digital age is forged and innovative ideas exchanged.

The exhibition's curator, Pearl Wang Haoqing, highlighted key features of the exhibition and the digital creators, including the diffusion and application of AI generation technologies, the deep integration of technology with culture and emotion, and the increased investment in preliminary research and future transformations of scientific achievements.

The features are expected to have a significant impact on digital creative education at universities in both countries, she said.

Professor William Dutton, founding director of the Oxford Internet Institute, said that both the internet and AI will provide greater creative opportunities for individuals working alone and in collaborations locally and globally.

Guests from a wide range of academic institutions, cultural agencies, and the borough of Tower Hamlets attended the event, including representatives from Brunel Design School, the National Centre for Computer Animation, the Tate, UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the World Cultural City Forum.

Together, they witnessed the launch of the UK-China youth cultural exchange and co-creation platform under The Future to See Future initiative.