Engagement in contemporary art, military history and MIT

March 19th, 2007

Last week I was in the states. Hanging out with friends in Louisville, and then speaking at the Comparative Media Studies Program @ MIT.

In Louisville, I spent some time talking to the Contemporary Art Centre at the Speed Museum, University of Kentucky about an engagement marketing project. Which could be very exciting.

The conversation was directed towards redefining how one attracts, engages participation and co-creation with contemporary art. As we discussed, without context, there can be no meaning.

So, perhaps this might be the first true contemporary engagment markeitng project in the US. Utilising billboards, mobile devices, the internet and a curated space.

Then, I had another fascinating meeting with a military museum in Louisville. Our discussion, engaging mass niche communities of interest, in this instance around military history.

Here, I observed during our conversation, the possibilities and opportunities to collapse geography and time by using digital platforms, and by curating the collection of the museum into broader and more contemporary issues.

Curation, is a word that really appeals to me, great curation brings with it a window to the world which otherwise one might not get to use.

Again, I could see how curating audio archives, podcasts, webinars, the public and academics, contemporary culture and the business world into unique combinations, would enable the museum to become a living breathing institution that could reach out way beyond the borders of the Louisville and the US to a wider more interested audience.

Finally I got to speak at MIT – which was great fun. And I enjoyed the company of Henry Jenkins and his incredibly bright and friendly students. A podcast of the event will be available.

Bookmarks: