Invited speakers
Prof. Dr Anne Bamford OBE
Director, Global Institute for Creative Thinking
Professor, University of New England
Strategic Director of Education, Culture, and Skills for the City of London
Biography
An educational futurist and passionate arts educator, Professor Dr Anne Bamford OBE is Director of the International Research Agency and President of the Education Inspiring Peace Laboratory and was the former Strategic Education, Skills and Culture Director for the City of London. Anne has been recognised nationally and internationally for her research in the arts, fusion skills, emerging literacies, and visual communication. She is an expert in the international dimension of education and skills and talent development and through her research, she has pursued issues of creativity, technology, innovation, social impact and equity and diversity.
Abstract
In a rapidly evolving world, creative thinking is no longer a luxury but a necessity. The arts have long been recognised as a catalyst for fostering this essential skill, blending imagination, innovation, and critical reflection to address complex global challenges. This engaging keynote will explore the pivotal role of the arts in cultivating creative thinking through interdisciplinary projects and innovative education. Beginning with an introduction to the groundbreaking OECD-UNESCO initiative on creative thinking, the session will highlight how this global framework sets the stage for reimagining arts education. Drawing on the transformative initiatives of the Global Institute of Creative Thinking (GIoCT), we will examine practical strategies and inspiring case studies that demonstrate the power of the arts to spark collaboration, innovation, and social impact. Designed for Hungarian art and design educators, artists, designers, and their trainers, this keynote will provide actionable insights and a vision for integrating creative thinking into arts education. Together, we will reimagine how the arts can shape a more creative, inclusive, and resilient future. Join us as we celebrate the profound intersection of artistry and innovation, empowering educators and practitioners to lead the charge in fostering a new generation of creative thinkers.
Hanna Pohjola
DAssociate Professor, University of Eastern Finland
Research collaborator with Canadian UQAM University (L’Université du Québec, Montréal)
Biography
Hanna Pohjola is an Associate Professor (Title of a Docent in Interdisciplinary Research on Health and Well-being), Doctor of Arts (Dance), Master of Arts (Dance Pedagogy), Master of Health Sciences (Exercise Medicine) and Physiotherapist. Currently, she works on a four-year grant from the Kone Foundation, as a University Researcher in Social Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland and as a research collaborator with Canadian UQAM University (L’Université du Québec, Montréal) on a project to explore the dance rehabilitation of stroke. In addition, Hanna is frequently collaborating with the Biosignal Analysis and Medical Imaging Research Group of the University of Eastern Finland and the HUMEA Laboratory, which provides facilities to analyze the biomechanics of movement, but also combines art and science in new and innovative ways such as examining the use of human body movements in the synthesis of voice (The SonicMove project of the University of Eastern Finland, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Aalto University).
Interdisciplinarity and art are central to her background in education, work and research, through which to reach a broader and holistic vision of well-being. Her main research topics are, for example, arts-based participatory research, dance biomechanics, identity, disability, illness narratives, and neurological rehabilitation.
Title: Socially engaged performative dancing in life fractures
Abstract
Multiple studies conducted in neurological rehabilitation show that dance is a promising form of adjunct therapy that integrates biopsychosocial health and well-being in a unique way. However, the performative aspects on dancing are so far less researched. For example, the experience of dancing in front of others as differently abled body, the psychosocial process of leaving one’s comfort zone towards the unknown with others and the key components for choreographing a performance for people with different neurological disorders are a few aspects that need to be further addressed to.
This keynote will provide insights on dance as a performative entity, and as an artistic experience in different life fractures such as depression, Parkinson’s Disease, stroke and MS. Importantly, dancing seem to enable an environment where the dancers are not limited or confined and therefore may prosper and thrive on self-development, personal growth and resilience. Thus, the keynote illuminates how socially engaged and performative dancing further enhances social psychological aspects such as identity negotiation, sense of belonging, agency and self-efficacy while increasing social capital and strengthening ability to imagine desired futures. Moreover, the keynote invites all the participants to share their own previous and current experiences on dancing and its performative aspects to deepen the collective understanding of the phenomena.
