Taking the lead: Do arts and culture need a digital suffragette movement?

Rough Trade always hosts great events and last Wednesday I attended the Taking the lead: Do arts and culture need a digital suffragette movement? talk set up by Collider. The talk was made up of a panel of 4, the first woman was Tobi Ofedein (who may I add looked very stylish!!) she is known for her UK based lifestyle website ‘Black Ballad’ that explores the conversations that Black British women have and she has worked for companies such as Buzzfeed, Elle and Vice Magazine. The other panellists were Rachel Anderson who is the co-founder of Idle Woman, Kaylea Mitchem who created the Fan Club Nottingham and Kajal Nisha Patel, the artist who looks at cultural conflict and the formation of new identity.

 I’m going to share some of the main concerns/ideas that came up when discussing the digital age and briefly explain them:

The first question that Tobi asked was ‘What techniques did you use in order to gain ownership in an industry like Arts and Culture?’

 Kaylea - ‘I made a tight focus on art and music and I identified a lack of focus on events in the area. Our ethos has always been to create platforms for women to take ownership.’

 Kajal – ‘My technique has been storytelling, there was a lack of women to look up to and I wanted to be that woman.’

  

What were the challenges that you faced?

 Rachel – ‘We reached the edge of all the women that we know, how do we reach to meet more women. There are some gaps and skills that women don’t fit into. We have come across some offence and ridiculing.’

 Kaylea – ‘For our company the main issue is finding venues, all our events are free entry at Rough Trade which is amazing for our consumers and one of the reasons we hold it here. There are so many venues that don’t have disabled access and this is disgraceful.’

How has the digital age helped with your project/s?

Kajal – It helps with brand identity, gives an impression that your organised = able to see how much work goes into it. Also it makes your company structured, people have confidence when there is structure.’

 Kaylea – ‘I’d say it really helps with networking, we use social media to interact. We also create zines and these are sourced online.

How do we change power structures?

Rachel – ‘For me there is a trickle down structure. I used to work for the youth and then I realised that the Arts were getting all of the money so I transferred and hijacked resources to give to the people that needed them the most. We have to rescue ourselves! There are the power holders who will not give up their positions. But you have to lose something in order for others to have more. The struggle is what other people think, we need to diversify the gate keepers who determine art.’

The next question was ‘Do you think the digital age is positive or negative?’ and this went out to the panel and the audience. Here are some of the comments that came out of that conversation:

Tobi Ofedein - ‘I got shut down in journalism when wanting to talk about race. The digital age has given me power in a positive way, my own platform to discuss what I want and when I want’

Kaylea – ‘I would agree, I think the digital age is a positive because it keeps you in the loop with the community and it is important to lift each other up. The internet is also a great tool for the anonymous, voices are heard.’

Comments from audience members:

‘Good or not, it’s here and not going anywhere!! We need to take the opportunities that we have’

‘In the digital world voices are amplified, this is worse because there is more access for trolls’

‘It’s hard to create one strong message to everyone e.g. trans women, disabled women, straight women, race, religion etc. A holistic solution is too much to think about = almost impossible.’

 ‘We share one common thread – abuse, how do we keep safe? Misogyny is a hate crime.’

‘We need to address the history of inequality to get equality.'

 What I learnt from this talk:

The definition of intersectionality, this is when feminists wear more than one hat for example a feminist who focuses on race and class. This is important to know because the word came up a lot in the discussion.

 I feel there are both negatives and positives to the digital age!

Positives:

- It’s easy to network, interact and create a fan base

- Quick way of promoting to a large audience

- Freedom to speak about what you like

- Allows everyone to have a voice

Negatives:

- Everyone is doing this now, how can you stand out?

- Trolls/abuse

- Things can come across differently online

- Hard to be exclusive/private = other companies could copy your strategies

But outweighing the positives and negatives, as an Fashion Communication and Promotion student, I believe that the digital age provides us with many benefits and we should take advantage of this while we can!

Photo credit - Chloe Ferdinand