Page 277 - AC/E's Digital Culture Annual Report 2015

AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report 2015277For this purpose, it is interested in sharing information freely so that people become involved through the use of digital tools. The education department develops programmes for all age groups and types of audiences. The chief aim is to encourage discussion on the relation- ship between art and technology, and the media, by promoting do-it-yourself, sharing software with free licences and expecting audiences, both online and in situ, to take part and give their opinions.An example of the activities carried out at the Media Lab is Laura Chen’s intern project.162 Using technological tools made available to her by the Lab, she devised a creative tour inspired by the museum’s architecture, inventing a fantasy world in which artworks defy the laws of physics. She used images of pieces in the galleries of Greek and Roman art and images of the physical premises scanned in 3D to create a virtual-reality tour that can be enjoyed on the computer screen or by using the virtual reality Oculus Rift headset.In July 2012 the Science Museum in London, in association with Google, launched the Web Lab project.163 It was designed to allow anyone with an Internet connection to take part in the experiments at the museum. It consisted of five physical installations with which users could interact through the Internet: Universal Orches- tra, Data Tracer, Sketchbots, Teleporter and Lab Tag Explorer.164The project set out to experiment with the web technology used by Google and with the Science Museum’s own content, and made it possibleto collaborate with other users from anywherein the world in real time. For example, withthe Universal Orchestra installation, robotic instruments could be activated from the Web to compose music collectively.This innovative initiative has brought major benefits for both the public and the institution: it has not only made the museum better known but allowed anyone anywhere in the world to take part and experiment thanks to new technol- ogies; as a result, it has attracted new audiences to the museum as well as to science and tech- nological innovation. The Web Lab is currently closed but the source code has been put online for people to create their own Web Lab based on this experiment.The New Museum in New York has also joined in the trend for combining art and technology. Accordingly, in 2013 it set up its Incubator165 as a laboratory for art, design and technology.The Incubator is basically a coworking space designed to encourage collaboration and inno- vative ideas that stem from the combination of different disciplines by sharing resources and providing tools, as well as creating networks for exchanging knowledge. It also offers help and advice to museum professionals, programmes of lectures and courses and financial assistance through scholarships and grants from private organisations. The idea is to set up a creative community made up of artists, creators, tech- nical experts, engineers and entrepreneurs, also bringing audiences into the picture.The not-for-profit platform attests to the muse- um’s commitment to technology and support for new talent. To set it up financial support4. Labs