Happenstance Project launched

Happenstance aims to change the way arts organisations relate to technology. In 2012, we will host six technology residencies at three of the UK’s most vibrant arts organisations: Site Gallery in Sheffield, Lighthouse in Brighton and the newly announced Spike Island in Bristol. The project is being run with technology partner Caper and research partner of the University of Warwick.

The search is now on for some amazing technologists to apply for the residencies. Applicants have until 10am on Monday 30th January 2012 to get their applications in. Each residency will be an opportunity to think, make and prototype digital projects and products as part of a small creative team. We’re looking for people who are creative thinkers, don’t mind getting their hands dirty (!), can communicate well and share their processes and thinking and can work in an Agile way. Find out more of the new website >> http://happenstanceproject.com

We’ve been talking about ‘agile project management’ – a common practice in technology development teams but less so in the arts. Developing an agile approach to technology, and making digital products in the way we would usually make art, is one of the things we want to experiment with, so the process of making will be just as important as the things we make.  You’ll hear much more from us on this as we begin the activity but the basics –  making, talking, trying things out – the process has equal weighting to the finished product. You can follow the project as it progresses on our blog >>http://happenstanceproject.com

Social Interpretation: Every time you use a QR code a kitten dies

Scott Stratten’s UnMarketing Keynote at the NAMP conference. Found via Twitter, this is practically a stand-up comedy routine about QR Codes. Short, watchable and some truisms in there, too.

Jane Audas

Social Interpretation: Joining the Conversation: Visitors Co-creating Museum Content

Photo UCL, Grant Museum of Zoology / Matt Clayton

The QRator project running at UCL’s Grant Museum of Zoology is a collaborative project between the UCL Centre for Digital Humanities (UCLDH), UCL Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA), and UCL Museums and Collections,  to develop new kinds of content, co-curated by the public, museum curators, and academic researchers, to enhance museum interpretation, community engagement and establish new connections to museum content.

Social Interpretation: Paste up

'Join in online' panel in the Grayson Perry exhibition

I get that digital is often last in line in exhibition planning. Not quite an afterthought but used to flying by the seat of its pants in terms of scheduling. There are good reasons for this. Content comes late, graphic look and feel comes late, budget for digital is sometimes a bit, well, squeezed. I’m thinking of online as well as gallery digital here.

But when you are looking to make friends of the exhibition visitor in terms of social interaction, it helps to integrate the experience. What got me thinking about this more than I usually do, was a (luckily silent) chunter I had last week when visiting the Grayson Perry exhibition at the British Museum. It’s a great exhibition. And the BM is doing some lovely digital stuff in their temporary exhibitions at the moment. Not so seamlessly integrated you miss it. But delivering content enhanced by technology, rather than consumed by it.