Technologies For Participation – Seminar Notes from Arts Participation Incubator
Last week I took part in a seminar held at MONA in Hobart titled “Technologies For Participation”. Staged and curated by Deakin University, the seminar was part of a program branded the “Arts Participation Incubator”, which aims to look at “next generation thinking in the cultural sector”. Over the course of the day, “Technologies For Participation” investigated various ways in which technology has been built into art projects, and the manner in which arts and cultural organisations respond to our desire to express our reactions.
Mobile Photography – just because we can, does it mean that we should?

img: Jack White at the Horden Pavilion, Sydney via jackwhiteiii.com
Late last month, comScore reported that traffic to Instagram was outstripping visits to Twitter on mobiles – 7.3m daily active users on the photo-sharing service, compared to 6.9m for Twitter. This may in part by due to currency – Instagram is still buoyed by its initial growth spurt, whereas Twitter has somewhat levelled out.
I have a slightly more prosaic view – although it’s perhaps a little on the optimistic side. In a period of recently amplified Twitter hate, trolling, bating and back-stabbing, Instagram offers something of a respite – a picturesque oasis of calm, if you will – which many of us may find more instantly gratifying than trying to seek out inspiring gems in the Twitter haystack.
Jody Zellen’s – tiny art apps for iPhone
Jody Zellen creates miniature art experiences for iPhone – short, playful and highly tapworthy adventures in mobile art, with a light hint of gaming thrown into the mix. With the exception of ‘Art Swipe’, which was created for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, they exist as their own entities, not tied to a specific institution or organisation – interactive art for the sake of interactive art.
Family Portraits recreated via Skype
Here’s a simple idea, beautifully executed – if you can’t get everyone in the same room for a family portrait, hook up your projector and jump onto Skype. Et voila – instant group shot, featuring persons from all around the globe.
John Clang’s Being Together project captures portraits of fragmented Singaporean families reunited via Skype – not only co-existing in different places, but more often that not, also co-existing across different time zones.
Your Life Is A Transmedia Experience
During recent presentations on digital strategy and storytelling, I often reference this quote from Jenka Gurfinkel, a self-described “writer, digital strategist, experience designer, and culture catalyst”.
“With every status update and photo upload and location check-in and “like” we click, we are producing an endless stream of new “entry points” into our personal narratives … In the digital age, transmedia isn’t simply the default for how we experience entertainment, it is how we experience the story of our lives.”
Digital Break Down – Interview in The Big Idea
This week I’m in New Zealand, talking at Creative New Zealand’s 21st Century Arts Conference in Wellington. I was interviewed by NZ web site, The Big Idea, about my work at The Nest and on my presentation topic of digital strategy and digital storytelling.
Ten Australian arts organisations to follow on Pinterest
If you’ve yet to get your head around Pinterest, now is the time. According to a recent report from Media Bistro, Pinterest is now the third most popular social network in the world, after the usual suspects of Facebook and Twitter, rising 145% since January – and in some cases, referrals from Pinterest are now equal to, or higher than, that of Twitter.
Deepening engagement – Audience Atlas New Zealand Report
I’m heading to New Zealand this week to speak at the 21st Century Arts Conference in Wellington, run by Creative NZ. Much of the event is focused on their recent Audience Atlas New Zealand Report, which has resonance for all arts practitioners – providing detailed insights into local audiences, and how levels of engagement with the arts map to Creative NZ’s Cultural Segments initiative.
A Complete Guide to Digital Strategy in 58 Minutes and 15 Seconds
I recently presented at the Australia Council For The Arts‘ annual Marketing Summit, and thanks to the efforts of the Council’s documentation team, you now watch the full presentation online.
Social Media Planning – What Etsy Can Teach Us About Content Strategy
Yestreday I sat on a panel at the first (and hopefully not the last) Etsy Success Sydney event, part of the annual Vivid Festival in Sydney. In preparation for the event, I scouted around Etsy’s own blogs (there are three), and was delighted to find a gem of a post tucked away under the rather innocuous heading of “From Etsy’s Merchandising Desk: June 2012”.
This post is true gold, not just for Etsy’s community of creative entrepreneurs, but for anyone interested in improving their social media planning and content strategy.