I have written frequently about technology and innovation in the arts over the years and as of last week this topic has become my full time job. I joined Arts Council England (ACE) as its first Director, Arts Technology and Innovation. In this role, I’ll have the pleasure of working with arts organisations to help embed digital transformation and promote the development of new types of … Continue reading New Horizons: Arts Technology and Innovation
I am pleased to be speaking at the Munch Museum’s international seminar on 30 November 2018. The goal of this seminar is to address challenges and develop solutions which enable cultural institutions to thrive and compete in the digital world.
Continue reading “30 November: Why Do We Fail Digitally at the Munch Museum”
The Frankfurt Book Fair is commonly referred to as the biggest book fair in the world. While I don’t know if that’s actually true, I can confirm it is BIG. Clearly the publishing industry is trying to spread its wings and explore the interconnections between literature, other forms of culture and creativity and digital technology. To that end, the Fair hosted The Arts+ Future of Culture Festival which is dedicated exploring and supporting the future of the creative and cultural industries. The Arts+ asks questions such as: “How is our living environment and communication changing as history is being written increasingly in data and pixels – that is, not just by people, but by creative artificial intelligence?” and “How is our understanding of culture and creativity, of human beings themselves as well as their legacy changing? What will be our (intellectual) legacy to the generations to come? Who will cultivate and curate it – and how?”
Continue reading “The Arts+ Future of Culture Festival: Highlights & Reflections”
I joined V&A Director Tristram Hunt and Tate Modern Director Francis Morris on a panel discussing the future of museums at the RA’s Festival of Ideas Continue reading Festival of Ideas: 8 September 2018
I am pleased to be taking part in The Arts + innovation summit in Frankfurt, Germany this year. The summit will examine the question: How can the cultural and create sectors bridge the innovation gap? I will be part of the panel discussing innovation in cultural heritage. Click here for more information. Continue reading THE ARTS+ INNOVATION SUMMIT: 10 October 2018
Mind you, I only had one day to look around. Here’s what caught my eye: (1) Joey Yaque, (2) Ai Weiwei, (3) Robert Longo, (4) Thomas Saraceno, (5) Michael Rakowitz, (6) Sanford Biggers, (7) Olfur Eliasson, (8) Tony Oursler, (9) Robert Longo, (10) Titus Kasher, (11) Rathin Barman, (12) Oliver Lanc. Continue reading The Best of Art Basel 2018
I visited the two main sites of the Berlin Biennale 10 this weekend: KW Institute of Contemporary Art and Academie der Kunst. The first artist I encountered was Firelei Baez and her work does not disappoint: she overlays historic maps, architectural drawing and statistical charts with vibrant images which uncover issues of colonialism, forced migration, and trauma. For me the most powerful and memorable work in … Continue reading A First Look at the Berlin Biennale 2018
ArtLab is the inspiring and powerful, cross sectorial, independent Italian platform, dedicated to innovating practices and policies in and through arts and culture, by the structured dialogue among the key stakeholders of the cultural and creative ecosystem, in an international perspective. I was pleased to participate in the Arts+ Innovation Summit workshop on cultural heritage and innovation as well as the panel discussions entitled ‘Think … Continue reading Artlab18: 24th-25th May 2018
The following commentary originally appeared in ICOM UK weekly news The tragic events of Charlottesville, instigated by the planned removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, highlights the important role we as museums and heritage professionals play in preserving, interpreting and displaying public history. Myself and Edmund Connolly, Head of Communications for ICOM UK, thought it might be useful to highlight some … Continue reading Continuing the Conversation: Statues, Monuments and Difficult Histories
