If you were asked about the value of art, you might be first drawn to the extraordinary sums of money dished out at auction houses around the world for a Picasso or a Monet. But alongside being a key driver of economic growth in the UK, art acts a far more nuanced societal good.
Art can be inherently abstract and so the benefits of a thriving artistic industry may appear similarly unquantifiable however the benefits of a thriving artistic sector may be anything but. Creative industries bring remarkable employment and economic benefits to the UK, representing 6% of the British economy and employing 1.8 million people. More difficult to quantify but no less important is the societal good of creative industries.
“Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.”
German playwright, Bertolt Brecht, once commented that “Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it.” This is an era beset by rising right-wing nationalism And whether in the UK, Austria or Italy, hard right groups preach that national cultures are under threat, that the romantic dream of the EU is dead and that harder borders are an existential necessity.
Whether it be a British theatre group in Milan, a German ballerina troop in Manchester or a multinational music festival in Paris, art has the power to symbolise benefits of a connected world and the flaws of nationalism. Art can transcend language and national borders and has historically played a significant role both in exposing people to new ideas and cultures, What musicians, actors, dancers represent to their audiences that really matters. Exposure to new ideas captures the imagination of theatregoers and concertgoers.
Take last summer’s Hungarian music festival Sziget which like all music festivals around the world epitomises the benefits of a globalised and interlinked world. Alongside British and American counterparts were acts from Italy, Belgium and Australia. In total over 100 nationalities were represented at the Budapest festival. The artistic scene, much like the sporting one, is a place where negative connotations of importing talent does not apply.
"The artistic scene, much like the sporting one, is a place where negative connotations of importing talent does not apply."
Our creative industries are also those that most push boundaries and societal norms in the interests of increasing tolerance and understanding of the diversity of human experience. In this area, art in Britain has been at the forefront of influencing public perception through representation. From the first gay kiss on Eastenders in 1989 watched by 17 million people to the BBC production of Empire Road, the first British television series to be created, written, acted and directed predominantly by black people. The sit-com provided representation for the growing multiculturalism of 1978 Britain and included a cast of African-Carribeans, East Indians and South Asian’s living side by side on a Birmingham street.
For young people art is an incredibly positive influence, A study by Dr Bill McDonnell found that attending theatre workshops improved attendance at school and attainment for young academically underperforming students. Whilst Northampton University found that visiting art galleries had a greatly positive effect on children's self belief, motivation, empathy and critical thinking.
However, since Brexit there has been a marked rise in bureaucracy for performers stemming from the removal of freedom of movement and new customs checks on their equipment. Where once UK artists could perform with ease within the EU, from Amsterdam to Zagreb, today Britain’s touring musicians, theatre performers and dancers are losing invaluable opportunities abroad. A study by the Independent Society of Musicians found that 47.4% of musicians have had fewer working opportunities in the EU than before Brexit, whilst 39% had to turn down opportunities due to visa and other administrative costs.
"47.4% of musicians have had fewer working opportunities in the EU than before Brexit"
However, there are things this government can do to clean up the mess left by their predecessors. The UK Trade and Business Commission (UKTBC), in partnership with Best for Britain, outlined 114 recommendations for mending the UK-EU relationship. One of these recommendations centres on agreeing to a Visa Waiver Scheme for Touring Artists (VWSTA) with the EU for touring British talent. A VWSTA with the EU would enable more cultural exchange between both partners and fight against the narrative of nationalism. Similarly, a youth mobility scheme (another recommendation from the UKTBC) would enable young people from all over Europe and the UK to travel and learn about the values of different cultures and their compatibility with their own culture. Instead of viewing culture as a zero-sum game we should instead view it as an additive process.
A visa waiver for touring artists is a policy that Labour argued for in opposition and the party made a commitment in their manifesto to help touring artists by removing Brexit barriers. Popular with the public, 58% agree that the Government should do more to help touring musicians post-Brexit. As the allure of right-wing populism becomes increasingly attractive for young Europeans it is ever more important to offer them the kind of opportunities and experience which can alter the way in which they view the world and their own relationship to it.
"Culture moves, culture is malleable, and culture evolves."
French novelist André Malraux, once eloquently described culture as “The sum of all the forms of art, of love, and of thought, which, in the course of centuries, have enabled man to be less enslaved.” For too long in Europe, political narratives have focused on a false notion that ‘culture’ is under attack. But culture moves, culture is malleable, and culture evolves.” By empowering our creative industries and the positive cultural influence they bring we can help shape it for the better.