The Arts Council (ACE) and NESTA are going to provide funding so that arts organisations can:
"use digital technologies to engage audiences in new ways and create opportunities for new business models."
Which is fine as far as it goes, but whether that money is put to use creating valuable outcomes is all down to the interpretation of those phrases "engage audiences"* and "new business models".
It is important that there is space for rich, creative, non-mainstream and challenging interpretations, because that is where new things come from. And that they can come from non-mainstream organisations.
There is chance to vote for some attempts to open up that space, by me and other people, closing today.
I don't claim that any of these are the final word, but they are about opening up, not closing down, the relationship between the arts and technology.
If we recognise these spaces, we'll recognise others.And that is where the "art" will be hiding.
"Creating welcoming, participatory spaces using just enough appropriate technology, analogue and digital."
Vote here
"The mixed reality of cities, public space, mobile technology and imagination as an "arts venue" for stories and play."
Vote here
"shifting engagement: how digital technologies invite audience co-creation of the art work"
Vote here
"Discussion about what "digital" really means in terms of the arts. Goverment and large organisations think "digital" means Youtube video of their publicity. An app to view opera publicity on your smartphone isn't digital art, is it?"
Vote here
*I don't think it's valuable to talk about audience engagement. Online ticketing is audience engagement. We should be talking about participation.
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