Cultural Digital newsletter #155
Cultural Digital
Hello
This week we have the ongoing rise of the machines, digital collections, and festivals.
Nvidia's new AI will take a sketch and turn it into a fancier image. The prototype software is called GauGAN (because Gauguin and generative adversarial networks - geddit?) and it uses an AI model called SPADE.
AI and machine learning
Rise Of The AI Artist. “I see it as a tool to create things more easily and faster—less time spent on tedious tasks is more time spent on creating or designing”.
Celebrating Johann Sebastian Bach. The Google Doodle from last week let you compose a simple tune and then "With the press of a button, the Doodle then uses machine learning to harmonize the custom melody into Bach’s signature music style".
Warner Music signs first ever record deal with an algorithm | Music. "Mood music app Endel, which creates bespoke soundscapes for users, is expected to produce 20 albums this year".
Collections
Have Social Media Become the New Archives of Digital Photography? "reflections about the development of social media and the possible consequences for collecting for archives and museums" from the Nordic Museum's Collecting Social Photography project.
The Met’s Object Page: Towards a New Synthesis of Scholarship and Storytelling."findings about the user expectations, preferences, and behaviors on the object page as well as a discussion of the benefits and challenges of the methods used to collect and analyze the data".
Internet giant Baidu to help Spanish museums go digital. I missed this from last year. Google v Baidu. Which side are you on?
Arty tech
Creative Lab is Manchester International Festival's artist development programme that will "explore how digital technologies can be pivotal in your artistic practice, with a focus on experimentation, intervention and performativity".
Dorkbot London will be back in April with some arty/tech fun.
Miscellaneous
Big Brand, Little Brand -- Guess Which One Gets CRM Wrong?. Top marks to Oxford Playhouse.
Edinburgh Fringe announces partnership with Kickstarter. "Kickstarter will offer a series of incentives to companies using the platform to crowdfund their show, including support for artists before and during the festival through online videos about fundraising and one-to-one coaching".
Shubert Organization and partners will bring a startup accelerator to Broadway. "each company will have the ability to run a pilot program for their product within Shubert theaters, including those with actively running shows, or using Shubert’s ticketing system or its marketing database".
'World's first virtual reality theatre platform' launches. "To date, LIVR has captured more than 100 productions and will add eight new shows to the platform every month".
Digital Things is Alec Ward's newsletter about digital things for the cultural sector.
Jobs
There are digital-related jobs available at NT Live, Substrakt, and the National Trust.
Muchas gracias.
Chris Unitt