In one of the strangest media partnerships in recent memory, Vice and Intel have launched 'The Creators Project', a multi-year showcase featuring more than 80 top creators - "the world’s leading and most relevant innovators in music, art, film, design and architecture ... including Interpol, Spike Jonze, Mark Ronson and Ma Yansong."

(Wait, didn't VICE and CNN announce a partnership a few months ago? Okay, that's way weirder. Anyway, back to the story...)

The Creators Project is "a multi-year program aimed at identifying leading artists and enabling them to showcase their works and visions through interactive media". In addition to the more well established creative pioneers, The Creative Project promises to help showcase the next generation of innovators working in indie film, futuristic architecture, avant-garde electronica and fashion (notables include Brazil’s Muti Randolph, China’s Peng Lei, the U.K.’s United Visual Artists, and the U.S.’ Radical Friend).

According to the creator of The Creators Project, Mark Ronson (that comes out a little awkward, doesn't it): "All too often our most talented artists struggle to showcase their work. This project is designed to empower this next generation of artists by leveling the playing field. The fact that The Creators Project is driven by collaborations between artists across the spectrum of creativity is amazing. I came from being a DJ first, which is kind of the role of master curator, so I'm driven on watching people work together."

The common denominator here is the marriage of creativity and technology, which, I suppose, sheds light on the logic behind the brand partnership. A winner for Vice, which for all its creativity seems happier when given a mandate, and an absolute victory for Intel, a company hungry for legit pop culture alignment.

The project will consist of multi-disciplinary collaborative projects, a video driven website, and The Creators Conference series; five huge international events intended to bring thousands of people together for live concerts, art exhibits, film screenings and panel discussions. New York City hosts the first Creators Conference with an all-day extravaganza at Milk Studios on June 26. The eight-floor art gallery and performance space will host exhibits by Takeshi Murata, Karl Sadler, Mark Essen and Radical Friend, and performances by Mark Ronson, Interpol, Gang Gang Dance, N.A.S.A, Sleigh Bells and Salem. The series will then move to London, Sao Paulo, Seoul, and concludes in Beijing with a three- day finale where participating artists and exhibits will be flown in from the across the globe. 

The project's website (www.TheCreatorsProject.com) is billed as an "interactive portal and anthology", which is pretty flowery but essentially accurate. It will house a selection of eighty-four original videos and feature work and interviews from some of the creative standouts, acting as a "nerve center for the entire initiative [that] will live-stream interviews, performances, exhibits and panel discussions from the Creators Conferences, allowing millions of viewers from across the globe to virtually participate." 

If Vice's VBS.TV (the mag's stellar video news docu-thingie) is any indicator, expect great things from The Creators Project. As Vice co-founder Shane Smith puts it: “I recommend wearing comfortable shoes this summer because together [Vice and Intel] we are about to wipe humanity’s socks completely out of existence.”

For more info, go to TheCreatorsProject.com or follow things social and such at facebook.com/thecreatorsproject or twitter.com/creatorsproject.