Fast forward from the 60s, from the art happenings that have influenced how we expect to interact with culture and what IT is, inviting the unexpected, in informal or unusual places, the random, or apparently random. Fast forward to flashmobs, to augmented reality, to the potentially brilliant combination of artistic minds & social technology. These feel to me like monumentally exciting times for creativity and technology to find new forms, to be serious, playful, expressive and communicative through the myriad social channels we plunder, act out in and banter on day by day.
But some of this, seems harder to connect with & make real. In Yorkshire are we yet to find a mutual playground for artists and technology producers where the opportunities can seem less like a linguistic blurr and more like a big juicy green field, where the rules have not yet been defined, and the potential for creativetech delights can be encouraged?
Where is this leading….smartphone apps are big news, right? But is this another goldrush to just ‘have an app’ or could we be on the cusp of something more interesting? I think the latter, but aren’t apps just for organisations who have lots of budget? And what about those users who are not using smartphones yet – for the publicly funded and democratically minded, are your eyes still on the many who are mobile rather than the smaller bunch who are smartphone users?
Mobile technology as a tool for creativity and culture – cultural stuff that already exists and the new forms that *could* *will* (and have begun to) emerge has excited me for a long time because of its wide availability that cuts across society and reaches more of the population than the internet (still), coupled with MASSES of latent creative potential. Smart phone use is growing fast, and as affordable options appear, more and more and more people will have access to the interwebnets, to apps – amongst other things.
Gaming, mobile and not, has shifted the role of the audience, and is where its been most fully realised that many people don’t always want to sit back and passively consume. Some – many – want to play, modify what they’re playing, share it, do it in public, eat drink chew it back at you, & there’s a world of amazing games that I would recommend non-gamers to try (like Flower) but that’s a different post. I’m not trying to suggest that galleries or theatres, libraries, museums..should plonk an x-box in the corner and bring on the gamers (or that they would want to do that). Not at all! But rather that the appetite to be creatively involved in the action, or to get involved through the now mainstream tools and channels, like phones, that are familiar technology for a truly diverse audience, represents a fascinating challenge. I digress…
I’m (slowly) exploring how apps are being used in creative ways, and as a starting point, how Yorkshire’s arts organisations are approaching their potential. Is it affordable? Are there ways that the independent, smaller, one-wo-man-bands and collectives can explore collaborations with the creative techs who know the territory & knead the code into something real. Do you think there’s an opportunity here without funding or permission for people to get together and talk, play, understand the challenges, make new creative forms ‘appen? Developers, artists, directors, performers – what say you?
So, with this all in mind, @culturevultures suggested a chat with Kev Charlton of Fuse 8, the developers who have brought the new Art in Yorkshire App to life on behalf of Axis, to provide an interpretative tool (artist’s biogs, film & audio clips, secret unlockable stuff, details of galleries and shows on the move) for the Art in Yorkshire scheme (supported by Tate).
The app, free to use, is available here http://art.yorkshire.com/get-the-app Let us know what you think #hometourists? Billed as an iphone app, I’m glad to hear its more things to more people according to Kev Charlton…looking forward to seeing how this takes off:-
How long has the process taken to get to this point and what have been the biggest technical & design challenges?
The app is now live in the app store after an amazingly quick approval from Apple!If my memory serves me correctly we were appointed to work on the app and microsite just after Christmas. There have been numerous challenges along the way, but one of the biggest was the issue of connectivity for the app, as at some of the venues this is very poor or none existent. We wanted to create something that involved a level of interaction at the exhibitions, so had to create a solution that was usable with limited connection and that people were likely to use within these types of spaces.
How did Art in Yorkshire come to be a iphone app – rather than a mobile website ?
This was specified as part of the brief we were working to, and again enables people to view the majority of the app content without any connectivity.
What does the app offer the user?
The app provides a wealth of information about the exhibitions, artists and venues that are involved in the programme, along with listings, biographies, videos and audio content. We also created ‘Appinion’, which enables users to have their say about the exhibitions. 6 digit codes are going to be displayed at the venues, which can then be used by those who have actually experienced the work to leave comments and debate the work on show.
Was there a debate – iphone versus android?
Yeah, as mentioned this was specified by the client before we were involved. We were keen however to develop functionality that could be utilised on both platforms, therefore the Appinion functionality pulls through a web form into the app (the 6 digit code is just the end of a URL that will also be displayed at the exhibitions). The beauty of this is that anyone with a smartphone can have their say, and can even write down the code and leave comments when they get home to an internet connection.
What could a layperson expect to pay in the region of to develop a basic app? And beyond developing the app, are there other costs to consider?
This depends very much on the scope of the project and any functionality. An important part of the AIY app was the CMS integration, so the client can update content, add images/videos, add news alerts, change dates etc. Other apps can involve all sorts of varying interactive content, games etc which can all add significant cost onto a project. What we were keen to develop was a framework we could reuse for other similar programs or events based initiatives in the future. A lot of the groundwork has been done, and it means we potentially have more flexibility to add further layers of interaction on top for future apps.
Are apps the future for organisations and for smartphone users?
At the moment there is a lot of exciting work being done in the world of mobile due to advancements in code and browser support. Some great mobile specific sites are being made, as well as more and more responsive web designs that adapt website layouts to the users device. It is however about choosing the right method of development for the brief. Developing native apps is more expensive, but they certainly open up more creative possibilities.
What are the main differences between what an app is capable of doing via iphone, and android?
For the most part they are very similar, but use different programming languages for development. The issue then is that clients have the expense of developing for both platforms. For those with big budgets, then it’s wise to consider both, but others just have to weigh up their audience and make a decision on which will ultimately provide more exposure. At the moment I still think an iPhone app is much more marketable.
Are there differences in the type of user for iphone and android – that might influence a decision about which platform to develop on?
This is definitely becoming harder and harder to distinguish. There is however plenty of research online that can help with identifying the right option for your audience.
What are the biggest issues for anyone interested in developing an app?
There are lots to things to think about, the platform choice, user interface guidelines etc, but the most important thing is having a solid idea that is either useful or will stand out creatively. App development isn’t particularly cheap, so it’s massively important that there is an audience for any app. The app store is fairly saturated now, and it’s hard to get noticed unless you’re creating something exceptional, or you set aside enough budget to promote it.
What questions should a prospective app-client ask the developers?
One question I would recommend is asking “Should we actually be developing an app?”, as a lot of companies seem to be developing apps just for the sake of it. I think any agency worth their salt will liaise with their client to understand their needs first, and then suggest the best way to achieve their goal. If that does turn out to be creating an app, the agency is responsible for guiding the client through the process, and explain issues/options associated with app development.
Which apps do you enjoy using?
Probably my recent favourite is the Inception app. It uses augmented sound to create audio dream sequences based on your location and the atmosphere around you. It’s not the sort of app you use day in day out, but it uses the iPhone’s capabilities in an extremely creative way.
The ones I use most often are generally social apps such as Instagram, Tweetdeck, Facebook etc, but like many others I tend to get addicted to games. One that has engaged me at the moment is Disc Drivin’, which is a really simple multi-player turn based game. The beauty being that you can play with others, but at a time that suits you (it uses push notifications to inform you when it’s your turn). I think this is a mechanic that games will start to use much more in the future.
Generally, the apps that excite me are ones that use the device creatively, purely to give me ideas for future projects!
So dear reader….any thoughts?
P.S. I’m aware that there are some brilliant mobile-based arts and creative projects in Yorkshire that I haven’t referenced above. Please post up if you are developing a creative app or mobile-related project, app-tivity (sorry) or game…we’d love to hear about them & the challenges involved in developing them.
Thanks for this article Fran, it’s great to read Kev’s thoughts on the app and the whole process. Here at Axis we have really enjoyed working with Fuse 8 to realise the Art in Yorkshire – Supported by Tate website and app.
I have been working as Digital Content Co-ordinator on this project and have some other thoughts to add to Kev’s, in terms of developing an app that is specific to art.
The publicly-funded art world doesn’t have much cash to splash so working on an innovative project like this has been both exciting and challenging. It was the first time any of the 19 venue partners in the Art in Yorkshire programme had worked on an app and it was a first for us at Axis too. The Art in Yorkshire – Supported by Tate programme has been led by York Museums Trust and they raised the funds for this digital element of the programme.
Axis, along with Moira Innes from Leeds Met Gallery and Studio Theatre, ran a workshop seminar with all the venue partners before writing the brief, to establish what the venues might expect from the app and what would benefit them. This was funded by Artimelt, a scheme which has enabled a number of people working in the arts to increase their digital skills. The initial idea for the app came from Marc Fabri (Axis) and Moira’s meeting at the Artimelt Academy.
So many amazing ideas were generated at the seminar it was impossible to include them all. We presented the ideas to Fuse 8 and they refined them into something that could work within our budget and other restrictions such as connectivity.
The crucial thing that Moira and Marc wanted to achieve was to make sure that the app framework was constructed in such a way that it could be populated by different branding and content in the future, thereby being a cost-effective and attainable option for smaller arts organisations and events that have a limited budget.
The biggest challenge for us has been negotiating the content. What should we include? What should we leave out? And the most difficult – what can we get copyright clearance to use!
The issue of copyright has run throughout the development – from writing the brief to submitting to Apple. Everything we included had to be copyright cleared and in some cases this involved working with up to 5 different people or agencies to clear one image!
The costs for developing are variable, but with this framework Axis can offer arts organisations the opportunity to have an app at the fraction of the cost of developing from scratch.
I think for me the biggest surprise was that content is not king with apps. Yes it is very important, and it is crucial to make sure that the content is what your user wants to find, but if the navigation is wrong, or the functionality doesn’t work, you might as well not bother!
However, with an art app you are unlikely to have a big budget so you are not going to be smashing major technological barriers any time soon, so Kev’s point about having a solid idea is absolutely spot-on.
You need to ask some searching questions: Why do you want an app? Will it benefit your audience? How can you use it so that it maximises what you already have in terms of digital content (website, social media etc.)?
And how will you tell them about it!? There is no point making an app if no-one knows it is there! And this is a challenge as it involves getting to grips with social media, the press, and making sure any (or all) venues involved in your project are behind the App and encourage their visitors to use it.
Quite a lot to think about it, but exciting and challenging nonetheless!