Events

On November 29 at 1:00 p.m., the Culture Factory (KUFA) invites you to a creative industries conference, the closing event of KUFA's 10th anniversary celebrations. The conference will be an interactive platform for sharing the achievements of the past decade and promoting networking among creators, entrepreneurs, and artists. The event will feature presentations on the intersection of contemporary technology, design philosophy, creativity, and innovation. The conference will be moderated by the director of KUFA, Dr.

The development of cultural and creative industries is based on the integration of contemporary trends into contexts that are relevant to society. The first decade of the Culture Factory's activities coincides with a radical technological breakthrough in addressing the challenges of creativity, business, green growth, and human productivity.

Who is it intended for?

For professionals in the cultural field and students of higher education institutions, creators, artists, business representatives, potential patrons, and partners who want to invest in the cultural and creative industries sector.

Why participate?

The closing conference invites participants to engage in active discussion on the fundamentals of culture and creative industries, analyzing the interaction between technological creativity and culture, the conceptual impact of circularity principles on the design of objects and ideas, and the transformative power of art in society. The role of regional and personal leadership in transformation processes will also be examined.

The event will bring together an audience from various fields of creativity, culture, technology, and business, and will also provide an opportunity to visit an innovation exhibition showcasing the latest circular creations, futuristic conceptual objects, and virtual reality objects.

Program:

1:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. | Opening speeches: Klaipėda City Mayor A. Vaitkus and KUFA Director R. Masalskienė.

2:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. | Max von Zedtwitz
"Visio futuri: The transformation of technology in the world of business, society, and creativity." (online)

2:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. | Dr. Rūta Valušytė – "Design Transformation: The Circularity of Ideas, Culture, and Objects."
Designer, professor at Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), head of the Design Center and D-Lab, member of the Lithuanian Design Council of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, chair of the committee of the international conference 4D-Designing Development, Developing Design, co-founder of DesignLibrary Kaunas.

In 2019, she defended her design dissertation cum laude at the Polytechnic University of Milan. With more than 15 years of professional experience (in retail, interior design, brand creation, and strategic design) and 10 years of academic experience, Rūta specializes in sustainability, circular economy, strategic design in business, and socio-technical transitions.

As co-founder of DesignLibrary Kaunas, she promotes local design culture. Rūta has also contributed to Kaunas's designation as the European Capital of Culture for 2022 and a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

2:45–3:00 p.m. | Lorenzo Piazzi – Transformative Design in Practice (introduction to the exhibition, presentation in English)
Cultural entrepreneur, strategy and communications designer, founder and director of Design Library (Milan, Tokyo, Kaunas), head of Kaunas University
of Technology D-Lab Cultural entrepreneur, one of the founders of DesignLibrary Network (Milan, Istanbul, Shanghai). Lecturer and mentor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design, Design Center, Kaunas University of Technology. Partner and creative director at direct and digital communication agencies based in Milan. Curator of conferences, exhibitions, and cultural events in Italy and abroad. Consultant on products, services, communication, and strategic design. Speaker at TEDx Bologna (2015). Participant in scientific research projects. Editor and designer of publications.

"SIAM 1838" in Milan taught the module "Design Thinking for Digital Transformation," a course on the Internet of Things for robots. (2018-2021) Member of the evaluation group for final projects in the bachelor's and master's degree programs in Design Engineering at KTU and the Milan Polytechnic Institute. (Since 2018) Lecturer of the following study modules: Bionics and Biomimicry in Design, Sustainable Development, Product Design, Prototype Development Methods. (Since 2017) Co-author of the following courses at the KTU Design Center: Bionics and Biomimicry in Design, Graphic Design, Product Design Creation, Prototyping Methods, Creative Design Workshops. (2016) Visiting professor at the Design Thinking workshop at Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou, China. (2014)

3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. | Coffee break and exhibition viewing: presentation of D-Lab creations (floral art and futuristic conceptual and virtual reality objects).

3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Dr. Inga Minelgaitė – "(Surviving) Projectification: Metamorphoses of Transformation."

Dr. Inga Minelgaitė is the Honorary Consul of Lithuania in Iceland, co-founder of Infinitus Labs, initiator of social projects, and professor at the University of Iceland. Inga is a visiting professor and board member/chair of several universities in Lithuania, Austria, and South Africa. She also works with triple-crown universities (1% of the best business schools in the world). Inga has more than fifteen years of management experience. She has consulted companies that are the largest in the world in their sector. Inga's main area of research is leadership. Inga is the co-author of the first book on organizational leadership in Iceland, Demystifying Leadership in Iceland: An Inquiry Into Cultural, Societal, and Entrepreneurial Uniqueness, which was nominated for the EURAM Book of the Year Award. Inga is a collaborator on the GLOBE study (the world's largest study of organizational leadership). The Lithuanian Project Management Association nominated Inga for the Expert of the Year 2023 award.

4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. | Dr. Xavier Pavie – "The Power of Art Transformation." (presentation in English)

Xavier Pavie is a philosopher, professor at ESSEC Business School, visiting professor of philosophy at the Catholic University of Paris, program director at the International College of Philosophy, and researcher at the Institute for Philosophical Research at Paris Nanterre University. Xavier Pavie is the founder of the iMagination Center and the author of some twenty works on philosophical spiritual exercises. He applies these exercises to the areas of lifestyle, responsibility, innovation, and imagination.

4:45 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Artistic accent, glass of wine

Conference moderator: Dr. Monika Petraitė

Prof. Dr. Monika Petraitė is an international expert in innovation and entrepreneurship research and policy development, leading the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Research Group at the KTU Faculty of Economics and Business. In her work, she focuses on the development and integration of creative and cultural industries into the overall innovation ecosystem, the application of creative and artistic methods in the training of future innovation leaders, and the transformation of organizations. In addition, she acts as an innovation mentor and inspirational speaker, seeking to promote leadership and entrepreneurship through TEDx talks, leadership forums, and other platforms and innovative competence development programs for practitioners.

Location: Culture Factory Cinema Hall

Date and time: November 29, conference duration: from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
We
invite you to register and participate in the conference!

Registration is closed.

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The conference is free of charge, but participation is only open to those who have registered and received confirmation from the organizers.

Photography will be allowed at the event.