In ‘The Murmuring of the Artistic Multitude’ art sociologist Pascal Gielen defends and explores the idea and limits of the hypothesis that an increasingly globalised art scene is the ideal production model for economic exploitation. The work ethics of the art world – with its ever-present, dynamic, flexible working hours, thematic approach, short term (or no) contracts, and, its unlimited, energetic freedom – has been capitalised within the cultural industry and subsequently converted into a standard production model. Knitting seamlessly into discussions around creative cities, Gielen’s thesis also searches for new alternatives within this system that will preserve the art world’s particular dynamic and freedom.