Summaries of Papers and Presentations

Welcome to the OZeCulture Conference 2001 - The Hon Peter McGauran, Minister for the Arts and the Centenary of Federation

>> Read Minister McGauran's welcome speech

Joining the Dots: MuseumTrails and Online Tourism - Paper by Lee Adendorff

Australian Museums and Galleries Online (AMOL) recently launched Art Trails through Victoria's Regional Galleries, the outcome of a project investigating online cultural tourism products for museums and galleries. The project adds layers to the traditional virtual brochure approach through virtual reality tours of galleries and interaction with collections and objects. This paper presents some of the project rationale and research as well as a walk through tour of Art Trails.

>> Read Lee Adendorff's paper     >> Go to Art Trails      >> Go to Australian Museums and Galleries Online

Getting to Know you? - paper by Will Berryman

Partnership between cultural institutions and information technology organisations.

>> Read Will Berryman's paper

There's no business like e-business - paper by Garry Brennan

In his talk Garry Brennan looks at the impact new technologies are having in other sectors of the economy, and suggests that these will have serious economic consequences for the cultural sector. He looks at the options for change in the cultural industries, and presents a case study of the Screen Commerce Australia project, which is trialling a shared services model, where a number of industry organisations share a standardised e-business environment.

>> Read Garry Brennans's paper

Sydney Opera House - Online Ticketing and New Technologies - paper by Kylie Bryden-Smith

>> View Kylie Bryden-Smith's presentation      >> in HTML format       >> in Powerpoint format      >> Go to the Sydney Opera House website

Charlie Chan and her Musical World - presentation by Charlie Chan

>> Go to charliechan.com.au/

Interactive online music demonstration - presentation by Sebastian Chan and Peter Mahony

Soundbyte.Org Soundhouse Music Network

Soundbyte.Org is an online web project developed by the Powerhouse Museum that offers community organisations and high schools access to streaming media services; trains teachers and students in electronic and computer music production; and is developing an innovative networked music sequencing tool for remote users to produce music collaboratively in realtime.

>> Go to soundbyte.org

Beyond Borders - the Digital Challenge - Paper by Jennifer Condon

The significant development of the Irish economy over the past ten years has been fuelled to a large extent by the development of our high-tech industry sectors. The success of the software industry, particularly Irish owned software companies shows how a small, island nation can compete successfully and effectively in the global marketplace.

Developments in technology, telecommunications and the Internet are continuing to break down borders and to transform the global business landscape. New industry sectors, such as Digital Media, are emerging based on digital technologies but differentiated on the basis of creativity, culture and innovation. The "knowledge" economy of the future will be based on these sectors.

Digital businesses will by definition be global players - small businesses in Ireland or Australia will face the same issues and same challenges, while retaining our own unique cultural perspectives. The challenge will be to find how we can work together, learn from each other, to maximise the potential of the Digital opportunity.

>> View Jennifer Condon's Powerpoint presentation        >> in HTML format       >> in Powerpoint format      >> Go to Enterprise Ireland website

Dinner Presentation - by Dr Terry Cutler

>> Read Dr Cutler's dinner presentation

What's Happening in the Computer Games Industry in Australia? - Paper by John De Margheriti

>> View John De Margheriti's Powerpoint presentation        >> in HTML format       >> in Powerpoint format

PictureAustralia - Paper by Danielle Freeman

PictureAustralia is a collaboration between many significant cultural agencies to provide a single web entry point to their digitised pictorial collections. It aims to become the pre-eminent first point of call for images of Australiana. PictureAustralia is free for use by all Australians, whether at work, at home, at school or engaged in research.

At present, around half a million images may be viewed via PictureAustralia from the collections of ten institutions, while many other agencies plan have indicated their interest in joining. The site won the Australian Financial Review Internet Award for in the Arts category in November 2000 after its launch in September, and has been enthusiastically embraced by users everywhere.

The session will cover the development of the PictureAustralia service, its place in the wider context of the National Library of Australia's strategic digitisation directions and a demonstration of how the service operates.

>>View Danielle Freeman's Powerpoint presentation       
>> in HTML format     >> in Powerpoint format Part 1 >> Part 2 >> Part 3       >> Go to PictureAustralia

The new venues - Paper by Ross Gibson

What is interaction and why is it assumed to be a good thing? What is the status of 'involvement' in interaction? How can our public spaces promote an understanding of communal involvement rather than individualistic 'thrashing'?

>>Go to Cinemedia's Australian Centre for the Moving Image

Growing Old Gracefully - Paper and music presentation by Ian Gilmour

Overview of digital content
* Conventional video and audio tapes and discs
* Digital Betacam
* Digital Audio Tape
* Compact Discs, DVD
* Format obsolescence
New media
* Still image and graphics files
* Still images: bitmaps, tif, gif, jpeg
* CG: vectors, object-based, modelling
* Audio & moving image streams or files
* .mov, MPEG, aiff, wav, mp3
* Mixed media, projects: OMF, AAF
* Web pages, text
* Screenshows, kiosks, games
Strategies for Archives
* Hardware support
* Software support, emulation
* Migration and transcoding
Strategies for Artists
* What do you want to save?
* Standard, open, non-proprietary formats

>> View Ian Gilmour's Powerpoint presentation      >> in HTML format     >> in Powerpoint format     >> Listen to Ian Gilmour's music presentation

Partnerships and Relationships - paper by Carolyn Guerin

There are many synergies, and excellent examples of successful partnerships, between cultural organisations, individual artists and IT Organisations. Based on research and experiences of being on each side of the fence; within cultural organisation seeking sponsorship and establishing a variety of partnership arrangements with IT companies; and then working with an IT company establishing and delivering sponsorship and partnership arrangements, this session will investigate:
- What do we mean by the "IT Sector"
- Drivers behind partnerships the IT sector
- Well planned strategic partnerships: the planning and the benefits
- Cultural difference: things to keep in mind when approaching and working with IT companies.

>>Read Carolyn Guerin's paper

Impossible Knowledge - Museums and their Internet Audience - presentation by Tim Hart

>> View Tim Hart's presentation      >> in HTML format     >> in Powerpoint format  >> Go to Museum Victoria website

Sonic Landscapes - a collaborative Research and Development project between Lake Technology and Dr Nigel Helyer - presentation by Dr Nigel Helyer

>> View Dr Nigel Helyer's presentation      >> in HTML format

Collecting the virtual: acquiring digital media. What is the role of galleries/museums in the digital age? And what is its relationship to the 21st century economies of reproduction and distribution? - Paper by Beth Jackson

Our galleries and museums were founded upon 19th century economies of acquisition and collection. What is the role of galleries/museums in the digital age? And what is its relationship to the 21st century economies of reproduction and distribution?

Art that is made for the on-line environment (net.art), for broadcasting (film and video), or for the computer (CD-ROM, DVD, VCD, etc) are works consisting of digital information. As 'virtual artworks', they are free of the usual conservation problems associated with material objects. However they are reliant on certain softwares, hardwares and computer system environments in order to be viewed. As computer technologies are upgraded and modified, will we still be able to view these works? How can the museum enable this art to 'grow old gracefully', and save it from the relentless onslaught of digital obsolescence?

>>Read Beth Jackson's paper

OzAuthors & the digital advantage: securing a place in the knowledge economy - paper by Libby Jeffery

OzAuthors and the e-volution of books: from pbooks and ebooks to dbooks and eLearning.
The Digital Advantage: search, sample, secure, save.
Digital Rights Management: the key to selling cultural creations online.
Digital Australia: Australia's cultural future.

>> View Libby Jeffery's Powerpoint Presentation      >> in HTML format     >> in Powerpoint format      >>Read Libby Jeffery's paper      

Paper by Dr Vivien Johnson

Outline
* brief introduction to the Indigenous copyright campaign for the protection of Aboriginal art imageries from unauthorised reproduction
* Indigenous fears about copyright on the Internet and the maintenance of cultural responsibilities in cyberspace
* Aboriginal Art sites on the Internet: a student survey. What we found
* The House of Aboriginality project and Web site:fighting fire with fire
* the 'copyright detective' concept and online surveillance operation
* tour of the site and discussion of some current cases
* selling Indigenous art over the Net - finding new outlets and by-passing dealers : does it work?

Windows on the world - the importance of portals - Paper by Neville King

Desart Inc represents the 40 remote community Art Centres of Central Australia. Desart acts as an advocacy body providing industry information, advice and direct practical assistance to Aboriginal art centres in the region. Desart has applied to Networking the Nation to construct an E-commerce portal to represent these Art Centres. Each community art centre will be represented as a unique entity to the world yet the backend of this system will be driven from a cultural database remotely administered at the community level. This presentation talks about the infrastructure requirements, business and legal considerations including copyright and structural ownership of such a model including the promotion of existing marketing relationships.

>> View Neville King's Powerpoint presentation      >> in HTML format     >> in Powerpoint format

Games Industry in Australia - Paper by Adam Lancman

Current:
* Australian industry size in world context - is currently small compared to USA and Europe.
* The Global game development industry is in a state of transition due to the introduction of new platforms.
* Has competitive advantage with USA and Europe.
* Victorian government assistance in growing the industry such as MMV involvement in AGDC, the Victorian Government Gameplan Initiative and the formation of specialist groups such as the information technology advisory group.
* The creation of the GDAA.
* Growth in industry relevant courses.

Future:
* Flow on affect of growth in global games industry - worldwide shortage of skilled developers.
* Increased innovation within industry.
* Australia to be the strategic hub of activity for games development in the Australasian region.
* Changes in delivery platforms requires more art to be created. More art jobs in the future.
* Pressure to control costs makes Australian artists very competitive.

Infogrames Melbourne House - Development - how we have changed:
* More artists on staff than ever before.
* Larger team sizes, bigger budgets, CD and DVD platforms .
* Increased activity with Asia.
* Increased interest from Europe and USA for development/art assets.
* IMH has a pivotal role in expansion of the Australian games industry.

>> Read Adam Lancman's paper

CyberDreaming - presentation by Brett Leavy

The Digital Challenge - The eBusiness capacity of the cultural sector - Kim Machan

>> View Kim Machan's Powerpoint presentation      >> in HTML format     >> in Powerpoint format      >> Go to MAAP website

Interactive online music demonstration - presentation by Peter Mahony and Seb Chan

Soundbyte.Org Soundhouse Music Network

Soundbyte.Org is an online web project developed by the Powerhouse Museum that offers community organisations and high schools access to streaming media services; trains teachers and students in electronic and computer music production; and is developing an innovative networked music sequencing tool for remote users to produce music collaboratively in realtime.

>> Go to soundbyte.org     

Micro-investment: Building community ownership of the arts - paper by Grant Malcolm

>> Read Grant Malcolm's paper     >> Go to Theatre Australia website

Preserving [Im]material Reality - paper by Jon McCormack

>> View Jon McCormack's presentation      >> in HTML format     >> in Powerpoint format      >> Go to Jon McCormack's website

The new venues - Presentation by John McCormick

Collaborative Cataloguing of Moving Images - paper by Simon Pockley

>> Read Simon Pockley's paper

Homegrown - Australian Content: New Imperatives and Opportunities in the Global Electronic Marketplace - paper by John Rimmer

Previous attempts to build digital content creation as a viable economic activity have been limited by a failure to understand key economic and commercial dynamics of both the creative industries on the one hand, and the digital economy on the other.

Attempts to develop this sector in other countries have also foundered on similar misunderstandings.

Issues such as the role of independent contractors, project-related temporary organisations and the key role played by market intermediaries in the creative industries generally need to be better understood before sensible suggestions about investment strategy and marketing and distribution can be developed.

Convergence of information, communications and broadcasting technologies, industry restructuring in the light of this convergence and the impact of distributed computing models and high-speed optical communications networks will continue to change the outlook for Australian digital content creators. We are only a few years into a long cycle of dramatic industry structural adjustment.

Australia has a significant comparative advantage in the quality, innovativeness and cost of creative work. But a sustained investment in research and development will be required if this potential is to turn into a genuine economic opportunity.

>> View John Rimmer's presentation       >> in HTML format     >> in Powerpoint format

Exposure v exploitation - paper by Vanessa Rouse

Marketing needs of small, marginalised arts organisations.
Financial limitations requiring the aforementioned to leverage off investment in productions to produce marketing materials.
Balancing needs of artists and companies.
Intellectual Property Rights reflecting philosophical base of organisation.
How Arena managed PAML / How the PAML experience has affected management practice at Next Wave.

Online Databases - Screenarts and Screentour - paper by Vicki Sowry

Each of the databases was developed in response to an identified need and were realised through partnerships comprising representatives from the government, art & technology, film and experimental arts sectors.

Screenarts
Screenarts provides a single entry point to the broad range of Australian screen-based work produced for the online environment. In addition, the site operates as an archive for conferences (and the papers presented therein) which contribute to informed and critical debate about Australian online artistic practice.

The database was developed by the Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT) in association with the Adelaide-based Media Resource Centre and Sydney's dLux Media Arts, with financial support provided by the Australian Film Commission.

As Australia's peak networking and advocacy body for artists working with technology, ANAT advocates, supports and promotes an arts practice located in the nexus between art, technology and science, both nationally and internationally. Since its inception in 1985, ANAT has been at the forefront of the movement to position artists as active participants in the 'information age'; the Screenarts site is an excellent example of a project which goes towards realising this objective.

Screenarts went live in 1997. By 2000, the site was attracting almost a quarter of a million visits per annum. A closer review of the user statistics indicate the popularity of the site amongst Australian users as well as an ever-increasing percentage of visitors to Screenarts from countries other than Australia, evidence the site is now established as an international research tool.

Screentour
Screentour is a relatively new online resource used by programmers and curators in the development, realisation and promotion of screen-based touring programs. The database is administered by the Media Resource Centre (Adelaide) and was funded by the Australian Film Commission.

As a planning resource for the independent screen-based exhibition sector, the database is not intended for use by the general public. It has been developed as a single-purpose resource which is limited in size and with very little in the way of bells and whistles, given the number of users working outside of major centres and also those working with older hardware and limited bandwidth.

The database's size has primarily been minimised through an automated monthly culling of out-of-date records. The database also has an automated email function which sends a message to registered users each month informing them of the number of new records which have been added to the database in the intervening period.

>>Read Vicki Sowry's paper

Australian Interactive Multimedia Industry Association - presentation by Lynne Spender

>>Go to Australian Interactive Multimedia Industry Association website

Melbourne Museum - Immersion Cinema Experience - presentation by David Stonier

>>Go to Melbourne Museum website

Beyond the museums' walls - A critical analysis of emerging approaches to museum web-based education - Paper by Kevin Sumption

In this paper Kevin explores why and how museums are using the Internet for educational outreach and the diversity of emerging on-line education resources. His paper reviews current research into "Active learning" methodologies and examines how a new set of education typologies is emerging. These new typologies utilise current instructional teaching and learning theory and practice, and point the way forward to a brave new world of education outreach.

>> View Kevin Sumption's presentation      >> in HTML format     >> in Powerpoint format

A critical analysis of change management strategies for cultural portal development - a case study of Australian Museums On Line - Paper by Kevin Sumption

>> View Kevin Sumption's presentation       >> in HTML format     >> in Powerpoint format     >> Go to Australian Museums and Galleries Online (AMOL)

A Moving Target - Paper by Marjolein Towler

The museum replica ship Duyfken is currently on her way to the Netherlands retracing the 17 Century voyages of her VOC (Dutch East India Company) predecessor. In those days the ship's Master kept a log of their whereabouts that was available to others only after the long journey.

The Master's log is still being written, but now it is emailed daily via satellite to the web master who uploads it via an HTML Content Management Console to the database on the server which then displays it in a pre-designed template on http://www.duyfken.com/. Welcome to the 21st Century.

Digital technology has allowed Duyfken to be an exhibit regardless of where she is physically.

>> View Marjolein Towler's Audience Technology Matrix (PDF)     >> Go to Duyfken 1606 Replica Home     

Digital Archiving & Delivery at ScreenSound Australia - paper by Michael Tuite

A background on who ScreenSound is and what it does, looking at digitisation, why ScreenSound is adopting a digital agenda and how it is going to implement its digital strategy.

>> Read Michael Tuite's paper       >> View Michael Tuite's presentation      >> in HTML format     >> in Powerpoint format      

The high costs of Net hype and how to avoid them - paper by David Walker

>> View David Walker's presentation      >> in HTML format     >> in Powerpoint format

Managing Intellectual Property in Digital (or digitised) Material held by Cultural and Educational Institutions - paper by Robin Wright

A discussion of the practical issues in managing intellectual property in digital (or digitised) material within a cultural or educational institution.

>> Read Robin Wright's paper      >> View Robin Wright's presentation       >> in HTML format     >> in Powerpoint format