Page 7 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report 2016

Focus 2016: impact on artistic creationAs stated at the beginning of this introduction, just as the Focus section of the rst year’s report examined the impact of the Internet on the world of the performing arts (theatre, opera, dance, ballet, etc.), and the second edition analysed the use of new technologies in the museum world, in this third edition the Focus thoroughly analyses the use of new technologies at cultural festivals.In this section readers will nd a broad description of all kinds of new technologies employed at more than 50 festivals, both in Spain and abroad. Literary, music, performing arts or multi-genre festivals can o er insights into how to apply these technologies in day- to-day tasks or at speci c times. These ideas can provide practical tools for festivals, artistic events or even online action and enhance visitor experience and communications. For example, beacons can be used indoors to detect Bluetooth-enabled devices within their range and also creatively to develop a new type of music composition. They can also improve our understanding of how cultural spaces are used, by analysing how people move around crowded festivals, such as the creativity and advertising fair Cannes Lions International Festival, the yearly SXSW in Austin, Coachella Music and Bonnaroo Festival. They have all devised highly original ways of using them – for example to help friends who have become separated at these macro-events nd each other.There are no instruction manuals or route maps explaining how to use all aspects of the tools or even which tools are best for each festival, but there are speci c examples to go on. In a sense, this opens up a whole eld for discovering new paths; we all have the means and capability to experiment and be creative with these new tools, mercilessly – but intelligently and pragmatically– combining old formulas and methods such aspublic relations and face-to-face with the latest wearables. For, as we are seeing throughout the post-digital wave, the revolution does not consist in going in for the newest of the new but rather incorporating it, like parts of a mechanism, into others that might well be analogue.We hope that the publication of this new edition of the Focus of the AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report succeeds in o ering managers of cultural festivals a calmer and fuller overview of the developments in the new digital world, the challenges we face, and the many opportunities they bring.ConclusionLooking ahead to the future – for this report sets out not only to provide information on what is being done today but also to predict as far as possible what will be done in the coming years – this brief overview of digital technologies applied to culture in 2015 also points to the consolidation of many ideas related to concepts that have lain dormant for several years, suchas arti cial intelligence, machine learningand cognitive computing. Though it will be quite some time before we have machines as intelligent as humans, and it will take longer still for humanoids and robots to be as creative as humans... or maybe not.In conclusion, 2016 looks set to be one of the most exciting technological moments of thepast two decades in which the new digital acceleration technologies are going to havea particular impact on the cultural sector. Expectations are high and savvy digital disruptors have their digital knives well sharpened and ready to carve out a share of the market for themselves in all sectors, including culture.The new digital technology stimulates our dream of achieving a shared goal or smart culture project that is explored in this edition and todayAC/E DIGITAL CULTURE ANNUAL REPORT 20167Smart Culture: Impact of the Internet on Artistic Creation