Talking about all the different things that 'digital' means in the arts, culture and heritage sectors. Tales of success and failure, interrogating the shiny new things and looking at what works (or not) and why, Interviews with digital folks working across the sector and beyond, in-house, consultants, funders, and more.
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Tim Woodall (Faber & Faber) on what the arts can learn from publishing (and vice-versa), the reality that your audience is not “everyone” (and that’s fine), and the value of brand-building
A conversation with Tim Woodall, the former Director of Marketing at The Philharmonia, and the current Head of Direct to Consumer Marketing at independent publishing house, Faber and Faber. It was interesting to hear Tim's reflections on what the publishing world could learn from the arts, and vice-versa, the value of clear priorities, the lessons he learned through developing and launching a new…
This is how we built...a platform for teaching music
Aurora Classroom , from the Aurora Orchestra , began as an idea to convert a live children’s storytelling concert into a classroom resource during the pandemic. In this conversation with Aurora Orchestra's Learning Director, Rebecca Barnett we hear how over the last five years it has grown into a comprehensive creative learning platform, showcasing Aurora’s resources for primary, secondary and…
This is how we built...an interactive longbow exhibit
Ben Templeton is a writer, creative director and facilitator in the field of games and playful technology. For almost 20 years Ben has helped organisations around the world create fun ways of bringing audiences together to interact with art, culture and science. The Robin Hood Experience at Nottingham Castle is a series of immersive arcade games in four renovated coach arches. Supported by…
Paula Bray (State Library Victoria) on the power of experimentation, the importance of advocacy and generosity, recognising that some things take time, and the value of clear and joined-up strategy
A great conversation with Paula Bray. Paula is Chief Digital Officer at State Library Victoria in Melbourne. Over the last twenty years Paula has held digital leadership roles at organisations including the State Library of NSW, Powerhouse Museum, Art Gallery of NSW and the Australian National Maritime Museum. Innovation and experimentation runs through much of Paula's work, which is one of the…
Brandon Powers on dance, technology, immersive experiences, reframing the role of the audience, working with engineers, and the importance of translation
A chat with New York-based creative director and choreographer, Brandon Powers. Brandon works with technology to create experiences across physical and virtual spaces. We talked about his early experiences with technology, inter-disciplinary teams, the various ways that technology and virtual spaces can enhance and extend experiences for both artists and audiences, rethinking audience agency in…
Neil Williams (BFI) on transforming organisations through digital, comparisons between the civil service and the cultural sector, working in the open, and intentionally not empire-building
A conversation recorded in-person (hurray!) with the BFI's Exec Director of Technology and Digital Transformation, Neil Williams. Neil writes a regular 'fortnight notes' post on his blog, which you can find here neilojwilliams.net
Tash Willcocks (TPX Impact) on navigating uncertainty, intellectual humility, leadership in turbulent times, why zebras don't get ulcers, the importance of structure in enabling agility, how to actually build psychological safety and more
A wide-ranging chat with Tash Willcocks (Head of Learning Design at TPX Impact) on organisational culture, leadership, and how to deal with change and uncertainty. Tash mentioned a whole load of ideas, articles, books, and thinkers - a few of which I've linked to below: Tash's Medium lives here: https://medium.com/@tash-willcocks This is the first post I read from Tash, which touches on Kotters…
Emma Keith (National Theatre) on NT Live, remote audiences, experimentation, learning, thinking about value, leadership, and the importance of pilots
A great chat with the National Theatre's outgoing Managing Director - Digital, Emma Keith. We talked about how digital practice has developed at the NT and how that differs from other performing arts organisations. The history of the NT Live programme, and the importance of pilots and testing ideas. The hidden value of digital infrastructure, remote audiences, thinking about outcomes rather than…
Beks Leary (National Gallery) on the challenges & opportunities of working in larger vs smaller teams, different ways of thinking about audiences, and the value of building meaningful relationships with creators
A chat with Beks Leary, Senior Social Media and Content Lead at the National Gallery in London. We talked about Beks's career, which has encompassed working at a diverse range of organisations including the Bush Theatre, BBC, and National Theatre before Beks's current role at the National Gallery. Beks explained the opportunities and challenges that come with working in smaller vs larger…
Mike Keating (Art Fund) on the collaborative development of AI policy, balancing the priorities of being both a membership and sector support organisation, and the impact of COVID on Art Fund's digital transformation
A conversation with Art Fund's Associate Director of Digital Experience, Mike Keating. Most of our chat focused on Mike's relatively recent work in developing Art Fund's first AI policy. The collaborative, open, and pragmatic approach that Mike and colleagues took to this work feels like a useful model that other cultural organisations could borrow from. We also talk about the benefits and…
