Exchange experience and practice in how digital technology is affecting the art world, and upskilling artists with regard to digital technology

Art Meets Digital Technology is a unique project bringing  different organisations together to  share experiences and practice in new digital technologies that impact on the world of artists, exploring new digital  technology tools and their usage, and pathways for upskilling artists.  

Digital technology is at the core of significant change in many areas of our lives also in the creative sector made up of concrete and tangible pieces of art. Contemporary art is influenced by the rapid development in digital technology and by the progression in the introduction of new, more attractive and tougher materials that artists can work with. New forms such as net art, digital installation art, and virtual reality, swiftly has risen and became recognised artistic practices. Therefore the artists have to manage and work with these enormous variety of techniques, and they need to hone their skills and understand these techniques well in order to maximise the capabilities they offer.

While film, television, music, museum and gaming sectors have been fundamentally altered by the penetration of digital technology, there is a lack of expertise among artists related to the use of digital technologies and of understanding of how to apply it innovatively to support and sustain their activities. The fact that over 70% of European citizens engage in communication in a digital context can no longer be overlooked by the artists in order to reach their audiences. The audience turn to digital platforms to search for information, communicate, share, contribute to joint projects, shop or enjoy entertainment activities. So artists need to consider how to expand their action-sphere, sustain their work to achieve greater impact and audience by using digital technologies and the digital media, to disseminate and share the artworks with the community.

Artists also as being entrepreneurs need to know who their audience is and where to get the resources – money, knowledge, partnership to generate sustainable revenues. E-commerce, fundraising, advertising, sponsoring, and branding are explored as potential revenue models. To be able to benefit from those models and sustain their work, artists need knowledge about the conception and structuring of the online presence, digital customer approach, and social media marketing channels. Modern creative industries of entertainment and advertising make large use of digital technologies, especially in the field of visual effects. Digital art includes new art experiences when it comes to exhibitions, plays, ballet and opera; virtual reality has become the main tool used to shape those experiences. Websites that helps to publish and share 3D and virtual reality (VR) content online, computer graphic techniques have become mediums that are now enabling artists to revolutionise traditional art forms. It is, essentially, a new tool that will serve a variety of artistic needs to push the barriers of creation and imagination. We, consortium partners want to exchange experience and practice how digital technology is affecting the art world, artists, circuses, varieté/vaudeville, theatres; discuss about tools of digital technology and their usage, necessary setting ups and pathways to upskill artists, acrobats, dancers, painters, set designers, musical artists, mime artists, players, and so on. We initiate a working group activity and adopt the identified themes to partner organisations/local/national art scene and create a practice-based itinerary. We discuss and explore the different perspectives as digital technology being a tool

– for the creative work

– to sustain revenue models for financing and sustainability for artists’ business models

– and which ‘new’ skills are necessary to understand the techniques well in order to maximise the capabilities of artists. At the end a summary and conclusions will be presented.

– A short term learning activity will be a tangible experience for how to use VR, options to integrate VR, to learn through exploration. Project meetings, workshops in Vilnius, Athens, Dublin and Berlin, website, social media postings will help for information, awareness-raising about the project and its partners and activities.

Impacts:

1. Awareness-raising and animating a discussion about the project topic by involving relevant stakeholders
2. Getting sound information and possible practices about digital technology affecting artists and digital formats audiences using VR as a tool for artists for their performances, entertainment and advertisement

Necessary investments, knowledge for using VR:

– revenue models for financing like fundraising, crowd funding, digital branding, partnerships as well as instruments for the conception and structuring of the online presence, digital customer approach, social media marketing channels

– identifying skills and competencies artists need to cope with digital technology

– Shaping new partnerships, collaborations, synergies

– Diagnosing challenges, opportunities, limitations

This project is kindly funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. The partners are: DIE ETAGE, Schule für die, Darstellenden Künste e.V., Germany (lead partner); Smashing Times, Dublin, Ireland; SOROS INTERNATIONAL HOUSE, Lithuania; and K MILIOS and SIA OE, Greece.