The tenth in our new series, Bytes, where Ash and Katie usually discuss 3 (or 4) things from the latest Digital Works Newsletter but in this episode are looking back at the first Digital Works Conference.

Ash and Katie identify a few themes and takesaways that are applicable to all cultural organisations, regardless of size:

• Prioritising questions, imagination, and people over technology and assumptions
• Building stronger, more direct relationships with your audience 
• How inclusion and accessibility benefits everyone
• And last but not least that there is lots to learn from other sectors

A conversation with Adam Stoneman, founder of Ireland's Muse-Tech Working Group.

Adam's career is a testament to the possibilities that can arise when cultural institutions embrace technology to democratise and enhance the museum experience.

Last year the Muse-Tech Working Group, a cohort of Irish museum professionals, published Museum Technology: A Critical Primer.

This document engaged with the implications for the cultural sector of emerging technologies such as biometrics, web3, and XR. Through dialogue with civil rights experts and academics, they produced the critical primer to try and start sector-wide conversations to ensure technology serves the cultural sector authentically and ethically.

We explored topics including digital literacy, power imbalances and skepticism towards tech corporations, and the push for open-source initiatives.

You can download the Primer document for free here.

The nineth in our new series, Bytes, where Ash and Katie discuss 3 (or 4) things from the latest Digital Works Newsletter.

In this episode we'll be discussing some of the links in the newsletter that went out on April 15th.

We talk about:

• Deloitte's 2024 Digital Media report
• Aaron Cope's blog post on how the SFO Museum is navigating the Fediverse
• We look at the news that The New York Times are measuring user attention and engagement metrics in new ways
• And last but not least we look at AI meets social history with 'Synthetic Memories', a project aiming to fill the visual void in underrepresented communities' pasts. 

You can sign up for the newsletter at thedigital.works.

A conversation with Dr Brett Ashley Crawford and Paul Hansen. Their new book (Raising the Curtain. Technology Success Stories from Performing Arts Leaders and Artists) looks at how performing arts organisations and artists are successfully using technology in a variety of different contexts.

We talked about how the pandemic became a catalyst for innovation, we look at examples of organisations that have embedded technology across all their work. We discussed how digital transformation is not just about adopting new tools, but rather a revolution in connecting with audiences and empowering artists.

Brett and Paul share lots of specific, tangible examples of organisations that have successfully adopted new, more digitally-enabled ways of working across a huge diversity of areas. They also share their insights and observations about the common traits of organisations that enjoy the most success with adopting and executing these new ways of thinking and working.

You can find more info about the book, and order a copy, on the Wiley website.

Dr Brett Ashley Crawford is an Associate Teaching Professor of Arts Management at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy and is the Faculty Chair of the Masters of Arts and Entertainment Management Programmes.

Paul Hansen is a marketing, creative and PR consultant, primarily working with the performing arts. As marketing director for Dance Kaleidoscope, a medium-sized company in Indianapolis, Paul navigated the challenges of using technology in new ways for nearly 12 years. 

Raising the Curtain was published by Wiley in March 2024.

I chatted with Hilary Knight, Seb Chan, and Aled John to hear a bit more about what they'll be talking about at this month's Digital Works Conference as well as what they're looking forward to.

We looked at the potential of informal networking, discussing how tea break chats can lead to new ideas and fortify the cultural community. The lessons that the Financial Times' strategic pivot to digital could hold for the cultural sector, and the value of international collaboration and discussion.

In this episode Ash chats to Michal Čudrnák Head of Digital Collections & Services at the Slovak National Gallery.

We talk about the history of the gallery, and how the Digital team has grown and evolved over recent years. We talk about the interesting and somewhat unique role that the Slovak National Gallery plays in supporting the wider Slovak cultural sector with digital tools and expertise. We look at the role of digital in supporting in-person attendance, and how designing for this context is very different from 'fully remote' experiences. 

Michal explains of the different ways that his team works with other organisations, on collaborative projects with the cultural sector in Slovakia and further afield, and we explore some examples of public-private relationships that they are exploring.

You can see some of the work that Michal and his team have delivered:

• The SNG website: https://sng.sk/
• The Atlas product: https://atlas.sng.sk/
• The Web Umenia (Web of Art) product: https://www.webumenia.sk/

The seventh in our new series, Bytes, where Ash and Katie discuss 3 things from the latest Digital Works Newsletter.

In this episode we'll be discussing some of the links in the newsletter that went out on February 26th.

We talk about:

• The launch of OpenAI's new text-to-video product, Sora. The apparent meltdown that ChatGPT had last week, and the BBC's AI Principles
• We also talk about YouTube CEO Neal Mohan's predictions for 2024
• And last but not least we'll look at an article in Engadget about the Browser Company's new product, titled "Who makes money when AI reads the internet for us?"

I realise that's more than three things, but broadly it's AI news, YouTube predictions, and considerations about how the web is monetised.

You can sign up for the newsletter at thedigital.works.

A great conversation about immersive experiences with VIVE Arts' Head of Programme, Samantha King.

We talked about a LOT including: the conditions required for new ways of thinking and working to take root; the importance of sharing knowledge and collaboration; the operational and financial realities of creating immersive work.

We returned to a long-running topic, namely how useful the word 'digital' actually is. Sam pointed to the importance of leadership buy-in (or at least an active curiosity about what might be possible). We looked at the importance of having people who are able to interpret between traditional cultural practitioners and technologists (something that I've discussed on previous podcast episodes with Annette Mees, and Eva Liparova)

And, helpfully, Sam cited a number of specific institutions and projects that might be useful reference points as inspiration.

Related links:

• VIVE Arts website
• VIVE Arts and Musée d'Orsay collaboration
• Digital Works Podcast Episode 023 with Annette Mees about creating an opera in hyper-reality
• Digital Works Podcast Episode 018 with Eva Liparova about working with remote creative teams, and the translation required between creative technologists and traditional cultural practitioners

The sixth in our new series, Bytes, where Ash and Katie discuss 3 things from the latest Digital Works Newsletter.

In this episode we'll be discussing some of the links in the newsletter that went out on January 29th.

We talk about:

• Hugh Wallace asking 'is it time to shake up your social media', the Association of Cultural Enterprises leaving X, and X being flooded with offensive AI fakes of Taylor Swift (the AI assistant in our podcast platform wanted to title this episode "Explore the ethical battlefield of digital platforms" which I think neatly sums up the tone of our discussion!).
• The work the National Gallery is doing on social media (particularly on Threads and Tiktok) and why it's working.
• A great long read about the failed collaboration between immersive theatre company, Punchdrunk, and games company, Niantic.

You can sign up for the newsletter at thedigital.works.

We catch up with Sydney Opera House's Head of Screen, Stuart Buchanan. 

We talk about Stuart's new job title, how digital teams are structured at SOH, and the unhelpfully vague nature of the word 'digital'. 

Stuart shares how digital artistic programmes have enabled the Sydney Opera House to work with new artists, in new ways. 

The issues and challenges around rights, and reaching agreements with artists (and the value of having a track record that you can point to in these conversations).

We discuss the many experimental strands to the work of Stuart's team, and the potential uses of generative AI in that context.

And lots more!