Think Piece, Birmingham City University, November 2012 Navigating The Digital Labyrinth Data-‐visualisation, info-‐visualisation, data mining, geo location, gesture recognition, Arduino, Nanode, motion tracking, projection mapping, coding, gaming and the list goes on... It seems that Moor’s Law of exponential technological growth is increasingly evident in the world around us. How can we remain abreast of such rapid change and seize new opportunities; and how can arts organisations be part of the ecology? Like many organisations, Sampad recognises the need to continually reassess what it does to remain relevant and to keep up with the pace of change. We try to remain open to new ideas and expect the unexpected. We rely on our artists and creative practitioners to help us deliver our programmes and where we can, we support them in their learning. For example, during a recent project called Exchange Lab (http://www.sampad.org.uk/learning/professional-‐ development/artist-‐development/sampad-‐exchange-‐lab-‐2011/), we sent arts practitioners to Medialab Prado, Madrid (http://medialab-‐prado.es/) on an international workshop and conference on data-‐visualisation, resulting in increased knowledge among the participants through collaborative problem solving. Such workshops bring people together from a range of disciplines be it design, art, programming and coding, to mathematics, teaching, and the sciences and can lead to the prototyping of new products, artworks or services. Witnessing the success of such models indicates to us that we cannot achieve our goals by working in isolation. This recognition has encouraged us to work more closely with a number of actors focussed upon driving innovation, research, and cross collaboration. For example Birmingham City University is leading on a thematic Cross Innovation project (http://www.cross-‐innovation.eu/) in eleven European cities, to research and promote collaborative and user driven innovation with the aim of influencing policy. In addition, the University of Birmingham is pressing forward its Digital Heritage Demonstrator (http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/facilities/hclh/demonstrator/index.aspx) project exploring the use of digital technology with the Cultural and Heritage 1
sector. These organisations, along with a number of others working locally and nationally, are championing innovation and working to connect disparate sectors for mutual benefit. In response we are taking a deliberate and proactive approach to raising our own awareness and establishing cross sector partnerships. Put simply, by asking the question: how can we do this better?, we aim to re-‐imagine our current practices in the context of new and emerging digital technologies. What does this have to do with South Asian arts? Sampad is now working in more unexpected ways than before with some of its project work, while maintaining the focus upon community need. For us it is important to keep track of habits and trends and to test new ideas with the communities we serve, to meet or exceed their demands, surprise and inspire. This was evident with the recent performances of Mandala (http://www.sampad.org.uk/special-‐projects/mandala/watch-‐mandala/) as part of the London 2012 Festival that incorporated performing arts and reactive 3D architectural project mapping. We continue to explore new, and hopefully more effective solutions to deliver community activities. For example we are currently looking at the use of data-‐visualisation and augmented reality as part of a community heritage project, a progressive approach for us. Industries are engaging with digital technology at varying rates, but we are all part of a wider, complex ecology. The arts are no exception to this, with the potential to disrupt the way we work and create. Should the arts and digital world cross-‐pollinate, growth in new forms, ideas and products may start to emerge. We believe this can be achieved by working openly in partnership with specialists, artists, communities and policymakers to find solutions so that new ideas can seed and flourish. Admittedly at times it can be a tricky balance to strike, and entering the seemingly labyrinth-‐like world of the digital specialists from an arts perspective can present a considerable learning curve. On one hand, there is a desire to discover more about technology, but on the other hand we can find the complexities of ‘digital’ tricky to interpret or even recognise the relevance of it to the arts. This is equally true if described in reverse. However, from my point of view, it is not entirely necessary to fully understand what a coder actually does, or how an Arduino kit functions. Such knowledge, after all, is held within the capable hands of those that know. Nor do I think it necessary that a coder need 2
to fully be acquainted with the nuances of say, bharatanatyam dance, and the emotional, spiritual, and/or intellectual connection between art and audience – though I too would find this a struggle to explain! Of course there are always certain anticipated outcomes required at the start of a project, but the reality of working across specialisms means that flexibility needs to be built in to allow for the unexpected outcomes. For example, the recognition of the knowledge gaps to address the visions and mechanisms of future projects, and increased understanding of the ways other disciplines work. I know it’s a cliché, but the process is as important as the outcome, and working and learning alongside specialists helps to cross-‐fertilize knowledge to the extent of enabling the new. In that sense, so long as we understand the process we never fail; there is nothing to fear, and a lot to gain. Clayton Shaw, Operations Manager, Sampad South Asian Arts Revised for Cross Innovation. First published by: Creative Times, on 15 November 2012
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