A city, and an argument about it. York made me, and I've no intention of leaving it — which is also a position about where ambitious creative work can happen, and who gets to make it. These are pieces about the place: its UNESCO designation, its future, and the case for building things here rather than somewhere that's supposed to matter more.
Why is a significant VFX studio choosing to build its future in York rather than London? This talk, given at York's first Reignite event, makes the case that the city's UNESCO City of Media Arts status — paired with a vision for inclusive creative-education pathways from preschool to industry — could position it as the UK's leading human-centred alternative to the capital, just as AI begins to hollow out work built on efficiency alone.
Last night's Reignite 3 event left me more excited about York than I can remember being. Part celebration of the city's creative resurgence under its UNESCO City of Media Arts status, part personal history stretching back to a thumb-sized souvenir book in childhood, this is a warm reflection on why a city built for gathering feels uniquely full of possibility in an age of AI.