The Three Bells

In this new episode of Reflections from The Three Bells, Hilary Knight explores the fast-evolving immersive experience landscape, where big players scale up rapidly and independent creators strive to remain empowered to help shape its future. External references: Netflix House Set to Launch as Immersive Retail and Entertainment Destination ABBA Voyage, London The Sphere, Las Vegas + Correction: th...

Our host, Stephanie Fortunato speaks with Shey 'Rí Acu' Rivera Ríos, Artist – Writer – Cultural Worker from Providence, Rhode Island, by way of Borikén. Together, they delve into Shey’s visionary, interdisciplinary work at the intersection of art, civic engagement, and cultural advocacy. At the heart of their conversation: storytelling, identity, community, and resilience. External references:  Ab...

In this new episode of Reflections from The Three Bells , Adrian Ellis, shares key insights from AEA Consulting’s Cultural Infrastructure Index – now in its ninth edition. External references: AEA Consulting’s 2024 Cultural Infrastructure Index Contributor's bio: Adrian Ellis is the founder of AEA Consulting (1990) and the Global Cultural Districts Network (2013). He has worked in senior managemen...

Our host, Adrian Ellis, speaks with Rachel Moore, President & CEO of The Music Center in Los Angeles, about the organization’s evolving role as both a cultural and civic anchor – from its response to recent local challenges and its leadership in the newly designated Grand Avenue Cultural District, to its commitment to democratic values, inclusive programming, and long-term relevance. Guest bio...

In this new episode of Reflections from The Three Bells , Stephanie Fortunato explores the power of practicing radical joy as a guiding principle for cultural leadership in an increasingly divided and hostile era where empathy is too often mistaken for weakness... Contributor bio: Stephanie Fortunato is Director of Special Projects of the Global Cultural Districts Network. Her expertise sits at th...

Our host, Stephanie Fortunato, speaks to Nourhan Bassam, Founding Director of The Gendered City. They discuss the necessity to rethink how cities can be more socially inclusive, the role Cultural Districts can play in promoting that inclusivity, and the many inspiring initiatives Nourhan is championing to push feminist urbanism forward. External references:  The Gendered City The Gendered City, 20...

Mapping empathy… In this audio essay, Hilary Knight shares the many benefits of empathy in improving an organization’s workflow and enhancing visitor experience – and offers a framework to leverage it. External references:  Frans de Waal, Evolutionary Biologist Mario Mikulincer, Psychologist Phillip Shaver, Psychologist Seung Chan Lim (Slim) at TEDxWellesleyCollege: How Empathy Fuels the Creative...

Our host, Hilary Knight, interviews Anab Jain, Co-Founder and Creative Director of Superflux, to explore the studio’s innovative work of creating visceral experiences that encourage audiences to imagine theoretical futures, and the power of tapping into human emotion. References: Superflux: https://superflux.in/# Anab serves as Professor of Design Investigations at the dieAngewandte, University of...

In this second episode of Reflections from The Three Bells , our host, Adrian Ellis, shares his personal perspective on the evolving responsibilities of cultural institutions and their role in navigating an increasingly polarized world. External references:  When background becomes foreground editorial by Adrian Ellis, beginning at 28:35: https://www.thethreebells.net/episodes/s2e8 Stathis Kalyvas...

Our host, Stephanie Fortunato, speaks with Natasha Sharma, co-Curator of the Govandi Arts Festival, about how engagement with the arts and creative interventions can help displaced or overlooked communities reclaim space, agency, and narratives of belonging.

In this first episode of our new format, our host, Stephanie Fortunato, shares her latest reflections on the state of our world and our industry through a thoughtful audio essay: We must unleash radical thought… References Southern California wildfires: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_2025_Southern_California_wildfires The Linotype Daily: https://dwriletterpress.net/the-linotype-daily-1 The...

Our host, Adrian Ellis, sits down with Elaine Bedell, OBE, CEO of Southbank Centre to discuss what it means to lead Europe’s largest  centre for the arts. Guest bio Elaine Bedell has been CEO of Southbank Centre since 2017.  Southbank Centre is the largest arts centre in Europe and the UK’s 5th most visited attraction. Over 20 million people a year visit the 11-acre site, which houses 3 performing...

Our host Stephanie Fortunato sits down with Rana Amirtahmasebi and Jason Schupbach, co-editors of The Routledge Handbook of Urban Cultural Planning, to be released in December 2024.   The Handbook is the first survey of the latest and greatest thinking in urban cultural planning in 10 years, exploring approaches to bringing more cultural vibrancy and engagement in sustainable urban development. Th...

Our host, Adrian Ellis speaks to Ore Disu, Director of The Institute, Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) on the mission and vision of MOWAA and how the institution is thinking about culture, museum praxis and the very idea of “The Museum” differently and within the African context. External references: MOWAA website: https://wearemowaa.org/ Museum of West African Art Announces the Opening of the M...

Our host, Hilary Knight speaks to Rob Cawston, Director of Digital and Service Transformation, National Library of Scotland on how the NLS is taking an ethical stance on the use of AI and how this work is tied to its mission and values. External References: National Library of Scotland: https://www.nls.uk/ National Library of Scotland AI Statement: https://data.nls.uk/projects/ai-statement/ Nation...

Our host, Stephanie Fortunato speaks to Adriane Jefferson, Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of New Haven. They discuss cultural equity planning at a city level, the fundamental shifts it has facilitated for New Haven, as well as the challenges and opportunities of creating a living and actionable plan to create a more equitable and more culturally diverse ecosystem, written for and by the...

Our host, Adrian Ellis, speaks to His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chair, Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, on the ambitious plans to position Abu Dhabi as a major tourism and cultural destination – particularly through the Saadiyat Island Cultural District, home to Louvre Abu Dhabi and a host of other world-class cultural institutions set to open their doors in the coming y...

Summary Our host, Hilary Knight, speaks to Tasha James on the important role digital repatriation plays in enabling the maintenance and revitalization of Indigenous cultures, and the considerations critical to this work.   Tasha, a Wiradjuri woman who grew up in Central West New South Wales, Australia, is an Indigenous audiovisual archive specialist and is currently ABC Archives Indigenous Collect...

Our host Adrian Ellis speaks to Marjan Faraidooni, Chief of Education & Culture and Chief of HR at Expo City Dubai about how Expo City transformed itself from a major event venue into a vibrant cultural ecosystem unto itself. References: Expo City Dubai: https://www.expocitydubai.com/ Expo 2020 Dubai Museum opening: https://blooloop.com/museum/news/expo-2020-dubai-museum-opening/ Exposition Un...

Our host Stephanie Fortunato speaks with Luisa Bravo, founder and president of City Space Architecture. They discuss principles for designing inclusively and creating moments for sharing and togetherness, and how it takes a village to create successful public spaces – including the importance of working with collaborators that might not agree with you. References City Space Architecture: https://w...

Our host Adrian Ellis speaks with Shain Shapiro, one of the world’s leading music policy thinkers and advocates, founder of Sound Diplomacy, director of the Center for Music Ecosystems, and author of This Must be the Place: How Music Can Make Your City Better. They discuss the role of music in the urban ecosystem, what a city’s music strategy can be, and the ‘edge’ music has as an urban policy too...

Our host, Hilary Knight, speaks with Jason Bruges, Founder and Artistic Director of Jason Bruges Studio, who create site-specific artworks and dynamic immersive experiences. They discuss the task of animating architecture, taking inspiration from nature and natural systems and devising opportunities for co-creating and community building in public spaces. Jason Bruges Bio Jason Bruges Studio has b...

In her swan song as a host for The Three Bells, Criena Gehrke (Executive Director, Queensland Theatre) speaks with two leading figures in Calgary’s arts and culture scene, Alex Sarian (President & CEO, Arts Commons) and Nicholas R. Bell (President & CEO, Glenbow Museum). The dynamic conversation covers plenty of ground: from the magic and warmth of Calgary’s cultural scene to the personal...

Summary In the first episode of our 2024 season, our host Stephanie Fortunato speaks with Tairone Bastien, curator of 'A Feral Commons', a global public art co-commission project that examines the often unrecognized co-dependence and open-ended collaborations between human and non-human beings. The project is led by Alserkal Advisory in collaboration with GCDN and with support from UAP – and featu...

In the final episode of the 2023 season, our host, Stephanie Fortunato, speaks with Basil Jones and Adrian Kohler, founders of Handspring Puppet Company, whose monumental works include War Horse and Little Amal . They discuss the role of puppetry in storytelling, building new audiences, activism and bridging connections between communities.  The Three Bells podcast is produced by AEA Consulting fo...