I first met Leah Murray when we were participating BC Alliance For Arts + Culture’s Digital Ladders program last year. We hit it off quickly, both sharing a love of creating tech based art and passed the time on a skytrain commute sharing stories from our varied nerdoms.
When she invited me to participate in her Digital Doorways project I couldn’t resist! Artists of all types partnered with support technologists learning how to create new kinds of works – exactly the kind of empowering artistic collaboration I’m getting Banging Rocks involved in.
Over the course of two months we’d gather every couple of weeks to go through the various phases from ideation to completion of the artists’ visions, and help introduce them to useful tools and techniques along the way.
One of the things that thrills me most about this sort of work is sharing how easy it can be to learn the basics for digital, interactive and immersive projects. While there’s no end to the depths you can dive, so many people (artists particularly sometimes) are wary of digital works and have a sense that the learning curve is of necessity steep and stressful. But watching someone try something like iMovie for the first time and realize how easily they can bring a creation to life. And even when there are twists and turns and troubleshooting challenges, working through them with someone who doesn’t consider themselves “computer savvy” is amazing.
It’s also a great chance to jump out of the creative / technical grooves I’m in. As an example, I use the free OBS software with my boys to make youtuber-style gamer videos or to record prototype runthroughs for collaborators, but have only been using the basics. Working with photographer Linda Bickerton-Ross had me discovering all manner of OBS capabilities (and a few challenges) I hadn’t discovered before.
Those interested in what the artists created and in the Digital Doorways program can come by the exhibit at the Surrey Art Gallery on March 29th (details below)
Thanks to Leah and the amazing artists and technologists from the first cohort for such a great time.
If this appeals to you (be it as an artist or potential tech mentor) send an email to Leah at vp@artscan.ca to get on the announcement list and find out about when the second cohort will start!
