At Open Sessions, speakers share their career-defining moments and advice for getting started in a creative field. It is also an opportunity to make new connections and meet like-minded people.


How is culture created, how does it thrive, and how do we document it?

At Open Session #9 guest speaker, Emma Warren (author) explained how an old chocolate factory in London can help us understand the ways in which citizen-generated space can create a culture – and can help us come alive, too. Emma was joined in conversation by Matt Weston, director at utopian regeneration group Spacemakers, and Bobby Brown who is an artist manager in the music industry and heavily involved with Brighton’s community arts scene.

Emma Warren

Emma Warren will be explaining the DIY origins of her books ‘Make Some Space: Tuning into Total Refreshment Centre’ and ‘Steam Down: How Things Begin’, and of her practice in general, from her time as a founding contributor of fan-made dance music magazine Jockey Slut in the mid 1990s.

Emma Warren has been documenting culture for decades. Her work has appeared in national and international publications and her documentaries have been broadcast on BBC Radio. She worked as a mentor on youth-run publication LIVE Magazine for six years. She currently has a monthly show on Worldwide FM. Her book Make Some Space came out on her own Sweet Machine publishing imprint in April to critical acclaim. She published Steam Down: How Things Begin with Rough Trade Books as part of their pamphlet series.

Matt Weston

Matt is a director at Spacemakers, a utopian regeneration group based in Brighton, London and Stockholm. He has ten years’ experience working in the built environment, and his work has been exhibited at the V&A and the Barbican. He recently took on the job of strategy lead for the world’s largest council housing estate (the Becontree, in Dagenham), and is working with Turner Prize winners, Assemble, on a project to regenerate New England House, in Brighton.



Bobby Brown

Bobby started his career by creating Tésty, a streetwear brand that would soon bring him to work with music artists Rizzle Kicks and Hobbie Stuart. This became a pathway towards managing singer/songwriter Eli ingram who would later sign to Island Records and collaborate with Chase & Status and Jordan Rakei. Bobby continues to work in the music industry as an artist manager, managing Karl Benjamin (recently signed to Atlantic Records) and rap dup Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn. He is heavily involved in the local community arts scenes and is a trustee for local charity, Audio Active.

Formally Viral, now Lighthouse Young Creatives, is a project for 16-25 year olds who want to work in the creative and digital industries, but who don’t have the opportunities, facilities and connections they need. The project is for young people from diverse backgrounds, including those not in work or training.

Over six months the young people receive production training, business development, mentoring, showcasing opportunities and peer-to-peer support. The project focuses on a range of disciplines including music, film, photography and design.

Viral Open Sessions are presented by Lighthouse with support from Re-Imagine Europe, co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union and are part of the Viral programme.