Monday, 20 March 2017

The collision of Technology and Art in Downtown Kitchener

As Kitchener continues to develop as a technology hub in Canada, we are seeing the emergence of new styles of technological growth. In the case of Make it Kitchener, which is an initiative designed to enhance and develop business growth in Kitchener, we can see the interconnectedness of businesses in the Downtown core. A new growth opportunity has emerged with a 10,000 square foot complex that contains fifteen tenants and fifty employees. This massive corporate setting is occupied by a combination of technology and arts companies.


This not so common combination may represent a new source of urban development in Kitchener's downtown core. "Graffiti upon entrance, individuals of opposite industries chatting in the hallways and makeshift paper signage taped to the doors lets you know there are creatives afoot, and ready to flourish." (Make it Kitchener) This creative setting could be the next boom for Kitchener, and it would be cool to see a variety of industries commingling to produce what could be a booming business area in Downtown Kitchener. 

Article here: http://www.makeitkitchener.ca/makers/details/~26-Arts-and-technology-collide-at-44-Gaukel
  
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4 comments:

  1. Unknown21 March 2017 at 12:51

    This is very interesting setting and encourages cross-company partnerships that could lead to more or different innovation. I guess it depends on the companies that exist within this space and what industries they represent, but I think it could lead to some very interesting opportunities. If different industries reside in the space it could lead to cross industry innovation which has lead to some creative things in the past.

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  2. Unknown21 March 2017 at 17:42

    I've found that Make It Kitchener is a pretty good example of what Richard Florida talks about when he says that we are moving towards a more creative economy. It's important for our economy to embrace diversity, and creative talent is extremely important considering it is potentially endless. According to him, the change to a creative economy is unavoidable, so we must embrace it in order to create an economic advantage for our cities - and it seems that Make It Kitchener is trying to do exactly that. The merge of business/tech and art could create endless opportunities that could be really interesting to see. It could also, though, lead to some inequalities as Florida points out - especially for those who specialize in certain types of labour that are no longer as important. Either way though, if we work hard to educate those in our cities on ways to harness their talent this could be really cool.

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  3. Unknown22 March 2017 at 09:36

    I find this concept to be revolutionary and I can definitely see there being many innovative ideas come out of this. Like Stuart noted, it is important for other industries and realms to reside in this space since it has had success in the past. I think that art and technology share many similarities and reflect different creative components that can be beneficial to each.

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  4. Will Sutter27 March 2017 at 11:08

    To exemplify Reem's point of creating a diverse talent pool in Kitchener, Laurier LaunchPad is actually incubating an art venture called Jess & Mel. The company combines "the art of painting and photography to create unique and contrasting mixed media pieces by painting directly onto photo canvases".

    The company showcased and sold their work at Nuit Blance last year in Toronto. Founders and Laurier students Jessica Kalman and Melissa Falconer are examples of the type of creative talent that we can infuse into our innovation ecosystem if we invest in the types of spaces and programs like 'Make it Kitchener'.

    You can read more about the company here:
    https://www.wlu.ca/news/news-releases/2016/sept/laurier-toronto-showcases-live-painting-experience-by-waterloo-startup-coinciding-with-nuit-blanche.html

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