The final panel session of the week looks at digital technology and how it's changing the culture and creative sector.
The final panel of the event examined how digital technology is changing the way culture is produced, distributed and consumed. The speakers and participants discussed issues of content and what the digital turn is implying to artists, how the shift is allowing new opportunities in reaching audiences, and how new business and intellectual property frameworks are emerging through open culture and open hardware.
The speakers in this third panel were Frank Kresin, Research Director at WAAG Society (Netherlands), Rohan Gunatillake from Festival Labs in the UK, Gokhan Karakus from Emedya (Turkey) and Vasif Kortun from SALT (our hosts in Istanbul).
From Open Data to Open Culture
Frank Kresin introduced the fast-paced and deconstructive world of open data, sharing and hacking culture - and how this can be used as a innovation process for changing the world that we live in. The concept of open -something that we are increasingly asked to be through our creative practice- is often used without critique or discussion. Similarly, it is often a term that conflicts with our more traditional cultural values - i.e. the protection of intellectual property, the awareness of sharing ideas amongst stakeholders (not public) and the restrictive feeling of ownership, through funding patterns and the 'purchasing' of culture. Importantly, Kresin summarises the new 'politics of production' in the digital space as follows: 'if you can't open it, then don't own it' - a radical statement that highlights the democratic nature of digital technology. If we are to embrace the new technology, it won't only be for our own benefits; it will also (and more fundamentally) allow us to help empower others to do the same.
The open movement, therefore, can be seen as a response to existing limits in access and literacy. Frank begins examining the open source movement, where software for digital production is edited, reshaped, distributed and maintained by the users (and not by a top-down propriety institution). It does this by making the blueprints for the software accessible and editable. The model has been replicated in several contexts, and we are now seeing collaborations between journalists, academics, artists and developers to find, produce and spread solutions in a scalable ways.
Rohan Gunatillake brought the discussion back into the practical world with a presentation of his work at Festival Labs, Edinburgh. His world revolves around the 12 individual organisations which make up the Edinburgh Festivals programme. By acting as a bridge between developers and cultural and artistic organisations, Rohan's work provides the space and the social context to use digital technology in a way that enhances the festivals' offer and reach.
De-branding and the language of knowledge
Vasif Kortun, the director of SALT, spoke about the considerations of introducing a cultural space that challenges the traditional broadcasting models of the past. The organization has no brand - that is, apart from a font used in their literature and building signage, SALT is a deliberate non-logo space. This makes their approach to digital tools such as social media a challenging, but explorative one, where they work differently to ensure that the spaces remain user-friendly, and the agendas aren't dictated from the top-down. Could it be that SALT is an actual open-source space?
The presentations concluded with Gokhan, who spoke about the need to move between skillsets and occupational roles, and about the difficulties in defining artists, academics, and developers from a non-western knowledge process point of view. For him, it's key to focus on skills rather than roles, which demands smarter and more fluid networks that can help identify available skills to work in collaboration. Knowledge is there, but we need to learn how to identify and access it because the traditional systems get hold of it for themselves.
Pablo Rossello The group at the 11th International Istanbul Biennial, later that day.
Final thoughts
Third urgent needs were identified in this ongoing transformation of culture by digital technology: firstly, the need to acquire a new skillset that enables us to deal and navigate the increasing bombardment of information; and secondly, the need to trust our networks to help guide us through this process, where digital is not something peripheral but intrinsic to culture. Finally, and given this change also implies new opportunities, we need to think differently and become aware of, critique and reflect on the central processes that we often become trapped with.
by Jennifer Jones
Presentations
Click here to download Frank Kresin's presentation.
