NEoN’s second public debate to examine ‘Digital Museums’

Sept. 23, 2010 - PRLog -- International digital arts festival NEoN’s second public debate event will discuss the issue of ‘Digital Museums’ on Tuesday 28th September 2010 at the D’Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum, University of Dundee, in the city.

The debate will be directed by a panel of experts including Rachel Bhandari of the Museums and Galleries Scotland, Richard Brinklow of the McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum, Sarah Cowie of East Lothian Museums, Matthew Jarron of the University of Dundee Museums Services and Ger Malcolm of the Hunterian Museum and Art Gallery in Glasgow. The panel will seek to examine and encourage public debate of the impact of digital media on museums’ services and curatorial concepts.

"Museums are often seen as stuffy establishments but many are now embracing advances in digital technology to reach out to new audiences. This debate will look at some current examples of the use of new technologies and ask what they mean for the future of museums,” explained Jarron.

While museums remain committed to protecting and sustaining the material culture of the past, there exists a real incentive in today’s climate to engage with new audiences and to keep abreast of developments in technology to interpret and make accessible their collections.

‘Are we doing enough to respond to the incredibly rapidly changing environment of access to information?’ Asked the then President of the Museums Association and Director of the National Gallery, Charles Saumarez Smith, as he addressed the Museums Association’s conference in October 2005 on the topic of the digital media and maximizing museums’ potential. Fast forward to 2010, and in the light of funding uncertainties, the topic of maximising a museum’s potential through digital media and audience interaction still prompts discussion, and the debate is perhaps more apt now more than ever.

The NEoN public debate event taking place on Tuesday 28th September, 6pm – 8 pm, will explore the issues involved (both practical and ethical) using a variety of case studies to examine the question ‘will new technology change our museums forever?

Booking for the debate is not essential and seating will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

For further information please visit http://www.northeastofnorth.com/events/, contact 01382 384310 or museum@dundee.ac.uk

Visit http://www.northeastofnorth.com/ for general NEoN information, join the community at http://northeastofnorth.ning.com/ or follow NEoN on twitter @weareneon.


ENDS

Contacts

Helen Reid
Revolver PR
E: helen@revolver-pr.co.uk
T: 0845 130 8992

Donna Holford- Lovell
NEoN
E: d.holford-lovell@abertay.ac.uk



Notes to editors:

North East of North (NEoN) is an international digital arts festival featuring moving image, performance, music and technology driven arts. The over arching curatorial theme for 2010 is Character: evaluating the abstracted or physical agent in a work of art; investigation of the fictional or psychological systems; observation of the unit of information, symbol, sound or written language. Through this focused dimension NEoN intends to explore the notion of collaboration between visual art, information communication, media production and gaming that will expand digital development and knowledge. (www.northeastofnorth.com)

NEoN was created by Interactive Tayside (www.interactivetayside.com).
Interactive Tayside is a partnership between public, private and academic sectors to develop and promote Tayside's digital media industry.

NEoN is sponsored by: Angus & Dundee City Council, Event Scotland, National Lottery Awards for All, The Japan Foundation, Creative City Challenge, Scottish Enterprise & the North Sea Screen Partnership

Partners include: Interactive Tayside, Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre (DCA), Dundee City Council, The University of Abertay, Dundee College, Hungry Boy, Revolver PR, Red Pepper Events, Simultaneita & Insight Innovations

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