Top sports journalists and art experts join forces for Carnegie Conversations

Cultural commentator and former chief sports writer for the Guardian, Richard Williams, was in conversation with: journalist, author and playwright, Anthony Clavane; Jon Wakeman of East Street Arts and project partner of L’Entorse; and Doug Sandle, the instigator of Fields of Vision, a project about how to make best use of interrelations between sport and the arts. Richard was also previously the chief sports writer of the Independent, assistant editor of the Times, editor of Time Out and Melody Maker and head of artists and repertoire at Island Records.

The panel discussed their own work and cast an eye to the future in light of the Fields of Vision manifesto which was available on the night.

Fields of Vision has been examining the benefits that can be derived from sport and arts working together in terms of aesthetics, participation, health and the economy.

Speaking before the event, Professor Jonathan Long, of Leeds Beckett’s Carnegie School of Sport, said: “We want to challenge people not to see ‘sport’ and ‘art’ in separate boxes, but to think about the exciting, magical things that could happen by bringing them together.  We hope others will share and endorse the Fields of Vision manifesto.”

The manifesto can be view here.

Professor Long and Professor Franco Bianchini are leading a national research network funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) that is examining the potential economic, social and cultural benefits of integrating sport and the arts more effectively.  The Carnegie Conversation saw the launch of the project’s common arts-sports manifesto.

The Carnegie Conversation series is in its fifth year and has welcomed a range of inspirational speakers including Baroness Sue Campbell CBE, Stuart Lancaster, Steve Cram MBE, Howard Webb MBE and Dr Steve Peters.