October 27, 2009
· Filed under 21st C cultural organisations, Art responds to climate change, Carbon offsetting, Environmental Sustainability, Sustainable ability, envirodigital communities · Tagged envirodigital, envirodigital communities, National Theatre Wales, theatre
Our client, the new National Theatre Wales, are launching their opening programme on 5th November 2009. It’ll be a big bang for a number of reasons: its Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes’ Night in the UK, so there will be fireworks. There will also be a new destination website to visit where you can find out what’s on and buy tickets Update: here it is, beautiful and built on drupal!
(the huge online community that we’ve grown organically over the past year will be just a click away, and is still growing in numbers, depth and activity daily).
The final big bang will be the style of the launch: rather than hiring an expensive venue to which the press and VIPs have to travel, NTW are instead webcasting the programme launch, hoping that journalists will NOT make the journey to Cardiff, but will watch the news unfold online and so help NTW achieve its environmentally sustainable aspirations. Don’t expect a fancy brochure either: the only paper NTW will print is a (very beautiful!) newspaper. And that will be available digitally too, so if you can’t pick it up in person, don’t expect to receive one in the post [eco choices, not post strike reasons 
)].
Read John McGrath’s blog about the launch for all the details, and HUGE congratulations to John and all the NTW team from Envirodigital – we’re so proud that you stuck to all your original aspirations, and thrilled that we could help you make them realities!
October 12, 2009
· Filed under 21st C cultural organisations, envirodigital communities · Tagged crowd in the cloud, envirodigital, envirodigital communities, nati, National Theatre Wales
So what? You might think – loads of organisations have 1000 members in their online social networks. But National Theatre Wales is an organisation that hasn’t yet announced its programme (5th Nov ‘09) and doesn’t begin showing work to audiences until next year. The community has grown organically, and we haven’t marketed it at any point, either. Every member has been personally welcomed by a member of the NTW team. It’ll be thrilling to see what happens once audiences start to engage with the network, as currently the make up of members could probably be defined as “fans and professionals”. The network has its own feel and personality right now: a place for colleagues to debate and develop work. We’re about to launch some research that will enable us to gather even more feedback from the network’s current members about how they feel and what they would like to experience more of.
The network however is likely to change! The destination website will launch publicly on 5th November: this site particularly to let people know what’s on and how to buy tickets, as well as pulling in content from the network. We will also be signposting people (audiences) back out to the community, and once they’re there, I think we’ll see a slight change in tone: audiences will be wanting to rate/rant/rave about the brilliant theatre they will have seen, and introduce us to their own creativity. What I hope is that the initial network listens and welcomes – what could be a more attractive proposition to a newbie!
September 10, 2009
· Filed under Uncategorized
On Friday 2nd October 2009 Manchester Camerata will give a performance on a European stage without incurring air miles, without CO2 emissions….without even leaving Manchester.
The orchestra will play a collaborative concert with Venetian ensemble ExNovo using the power of Manchester’s high-speed broadband network.
PROGRAMME
MICHELE DALL’ONGARO Green Piece (joint piece—world premiere)
OLIVER KNUSSEN Processionals (Manchester Camerata broadcast to Venice)
LUCA MOSCA Five Small Scherzos (ExNovo broadcast from Venice)
CHARLES IVES Unanswered Question (Manchester Camerata/trumpet in Venice)
A live synchronised performance by Manchester Camerata and the Venetian ensemble Ex Novo will be relayed to the 2009 World Forum on the Environment in Venice, via the internet. Manchester Camerata will perform their contribution live at 12.45pm GMT, linking in over the internet with Ex Novo, who will be playing simultaneously at Venice Conservatoire. The resulting performance will be broadcast live to leading experts on the environment, Nobel Laureates and Ministers in the Doge’s Palace, Venice.
You are invited to join us for this remarkable event which will simultaneously demonstrate the capabilities of Manchester’s broadband network, the power of music to address social issues and the Camerata’s status as a key player in cementing Manchester’s profile as a global city of music.
DATE Friday 2 October 2009
TIME 12:45pm
VENUE Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall, Manchester University
Tickets for this unique event are free. Email Rob Shaw, Head of Development, stating how many you require.
MDDA has been working with the Camerata to help make this unique event possible.
Thanks to Adrian Slatcher from MDDA for writing this piece.
August 25, 2009
· Filed under 21st C cultural organisations, Environmental Sustainability · Tagged envirodigital, Environmental Sustainability, Visual arts
VAGA & engage are running Climate Change and the Visual Arts event, as part of the
Edinburgh Art Festival, looking at how visual arts organisations can address the issue of global warming both as ‘institutions’ and working with artists. Click here for more info.
August 12, 2009
· Filed under Art responds to climate change, Environmental Sustainability, Sustainable ability, new technologies · Tagged creativity, digital culture, Sustainable ability
Andy Hobsbawm of dothegreenthing talks to my project AmbITion’s film crew about why cultural organisations should engage with the environmental sustainability agenda – I agree, what do you think? Watch it here!
July 12, 2009
· Filed under Sustainable ability, Uncategorized · Tagged Building Britian's Future, ecotowns, green revolution
Gordon Brown writes in The Observer today that “Britian’s green revolution will power economic recovery”. Announcing that 2 ecotowns have been given the go ahead, and that more green initiatives will be revealed this week by the government, its an exciting time. Two weeks ago, the government launched Building Britian’s Future, which sets out a plan for economic recovery, and visions a digital, low-carbon, high-technology age. Envirodigital believes that digital changes can help the cultural sector become greener, so its good to have the backing of the government
Brown makes the following statement as his committment:
“The science says we have to take radical action, the economics says we should, and morally we must”.
I never thought I’d be saying “Good on you Gordon”: but am thrilled to be able to do so.
July 7, 2009
· Filed under 21st C cultural organisations, envirodigital communities · Tagged envirodigital, envirodigital communities, Sustainable ability
Lyn Gardner in the Guardian blog today talks about how online audiences (the crowd in the cloud) are crucial to the future of theatre’s sustainable ability. Lyn also namechecks Envirodigital – I talked about how the internet’s communities of audiences/customers/fans is an opportunity for theatres and other live art forms to begin the consideration of how to make the cultural sector more environmentally sustainable. An organisation’s crowd in the cloud can be their envirodigital community – check my slides here.
July 4, 2009
· Filed under 21st C cultural organisations, Environmental Sustainability, envirodigital communities · Tagged envirodigital communities, Sustainable ability
BBC technology journalist Bill Thompson has written a great article “Giving Life a Shape” on how the arts can help us all think in new ways about digital. See more on Hannah Rudman’s ConsultRudman blog on the arts and digital, but also note that Bill Thompson picks out Envirodigital’s calls (my slides here) for cultural sector digital developments to be environmentally sustainable:
“[The arts] are helping us to explore the latest chapter in the ongoing conversation between human psychology and the capabilities of modern technology, something which will matter more and more as the network becomes pervasive and digital devices penetrate every area of our lives.
The point was made clear to me at Shift Happens, a conference on the ways arts organisations are using new technologies that took place this week at York Theatre Royal.
Over a day and a half the audience, mostly made up of practitioners, was treated to a fascinating selection of arts-based technology, or technology-based arts, from the interactive animations of the always-engaging Sancho Plan through calls to ensure that tech-based arts are environmentally sustainable from Envirodigital…”
Says Marcus Romer, producer of the Shift Happens conference about greening the event:
“We were a paperless event. I know for some of you expecting printed lists and forms, we did disappoint you on that score I am afraid!
This network site is in place of a delegate list, but we will make that available as an online viewing document here. we have also posted as an Issuu viewable PDF the 150 page twitter feed document from the two days. It makes a fascinating and absorbing flick through
The Issuu publication of the programme, the online nature of all communication, plus the checking in and welcome was all done online and on our laptops. we did print one copy of the programme out and place that for all to see in the entrance.
We also asked delegates to bring their own badges from their workplace, or make one with our recycled and returnable badge holders in the foyer. All of this was to encourage introductions, and people to ask where and what was next on the list. Also the lack of a corporate lanyard and badge, people retained their ense of individuality and personalisation about themselves, or the organisation they were representing. I found two people recycling their Thinking Digital Conference badges like myself.
Another almost subliminal offer was the tap water, and no plastic bottles. I am going to drop a video in called tears of a Cloud by Dothegreenthing which is excellent, and was a major driver for us at Pilot to ensure there was no bottled water.
The cups were made from plant material and were made from recycled materials and were 100% compostible and bio-degradable into organic matter.
These are some of the ‘Shifts’ we wanted to make as part of our sustainable policy and for us to make the conference tackle these issues right at the core, and on the edges of the event…”
If you want to join the discussion about sustainable ability and envirodigital communities in the cultural sector, join the Shift Happens envirodigital group!.
