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The PAAC
Extracts from a draft for the document. The New Media Section is towards the end. To be a high profile centre for the presentation and creation of contemporary arts, in particular visual and media arts, film and architecture. To encourage access to the arts for all sections of the community as both consumers and producers. To provide the means for greater public involvement in and understanding of the arts, and to stimulate critical debate. To provide an accessible and welcoming high quality environment for the arts. To establish Plymouth Arts & Architecture Centre as a focal point in the cultural life of the city and region, as well as nationally. To work with the community to further the development of the arts, locally and nationally. C. THE NEW CONCEPT - AN INTEGRATED CENTRE FOR ARTS & ARCHITECTURE The hybrid or the meeting of two media is a moment of truth and revelation from which new form is born. For the parallel between two media holds us on the frontiers between forms that snap us out of the Narcissus-narcosis. The moment of the meeting of media is a moment of freedom and release from the ordinary trance and numbness imposed by them on our senses. (McLuhan M, 1964)
6. THE VISION The new Centre will capture the excitement of the contemporary visual arts world, in which we have access to still and moving images through a variety of means, ranging from traditional media to digital cameras and the internet. The new Centre will focus on both production and presentation across this wide range of artistic practice, with a strong continuum between past and present. The desire to nurture creativity, support innovation, and to encourage imaginative and stimulating high quality work, is fundamental to all thinking, as is the commitment to providing an accessible and meaningful education programme. The new Centre wil be a meeting place for the work of artists, film-makers, photographers, designers, architects and makers. It will also be a fertile and sometimes provocative environment for public debate. This will be achieved in part through the presentation of innovative contemporary visual arts practice and 'cutting edge' cultural cinema. The juxtaposition of architecture with other arts activities will also promote the concept of the built environment as a form of art and enable the Centre to engage with those who create it. New media technologies will allow the Centre to encourage new fields of arts practice, whilst providing support for and a frisson between traditional arts and architectural activities, through the creative and innovative use of interactive media and telematic systems. In order to contain such a dynamic cultural fusion the building must be ingenious in its flexible handling of space and processes, functioning as a cultural catalyst in its own right. It should be an inspiration as well as a forum and represent the finest example of accessibility in design, public perception and social ideals. The integration of new media technologies into the structure and systems of the Centre will offer significant opportunities for redefining the role of the Arts and Architecture Centre as it enters the new millennium. As in all public buildings, it is the quality and personality of the space that is shared between different disparate activities that determines the character and success of the place and which visitors will hold in mind. The nature and character of any restaurant and cafe will play a significant role in establishing that quality and a central courtyard or foyer to the building should be the hub of all the happenings in the Centre. Thus the new Centre itself should fulfil this role for the city, its presence and activities creating a vibrant and inspiring meeting place to enrich Plymouth's cultural life. Its chosen art forms, with the dynamism of their presentation in the envisaged form and environment, will ensure that Plymouth is at the forefront of Contemporary Art and thinking about our built environment, well into the next century. 7.2 Architecture Centre benefits forum created for architectural debate and the dissemination of ideas concerning architecture, public art and the environment. Combined with the audio-visual theatre and exhibition spaces, the Architecture Centre will be able to facilitate small and medium sized conferences. opportunity created for promotion of innovation and excellence in design, planning and construction. Exhibitions will be possible (which will be the most visible part of the work and help to define its public image). These will include all the major proposals for the city, architectural competitions and designs, the work of leading designers and significant environmental programmes such as energy conservation and landscaping. previously unobtainable links will be developed with other cities in the UK, Europe and beyond, providing for cross-fertilisation of ideas. increased awareness and involvement of local people in planning and design. new media theatre created for virtual reality presentation of architectural concepts. venue established for permanent, temporary and touring exhibitions relating to development in Plymouth, including a 1:500 model of the city centre. This model will provide a focus for the Architecture Centre and will be constantly updated to show current development proposals in context. With historic models supported by laser displays, it will be popular with tourists starting out on walking tours, as well as being a tool for those engaged on shaping the city. The large model will be supported by a city region model and a virtual reality model. creation of a focus for networking between the various construction industry professions. provision of offices for RIBA South West Region, Devon Technical Aid Service and voluntary groups and a meeting place for the Plymouth Architectural Trust. provision of a citizens' advice centre for the built environment. provision of a specialist bookshop for architecture. courses for qualified built environment professionals will be hosted by the Architecture Centre supporting Continued Professional Development (CPD) activity in the region. provision of an architectural reference library. film programmes related to architecture provided. 21. NEW MEDIA TECHNOLOGIES BRIEF 21.1 Introduction: This section looks at the requirements for the integration of new media technologies into the building in order to support administrative, exhibition and creative activities. The Centre will encourage new fields of arts practice, whilst providing support for traditional arts activities, through the creative and innovative use of interactive media and telematic systems. This integration of the new technologies will also have a significant impact on the educational and publishing activities of the Centre, allowing greater flexibility through the use of the internet for the commissioning and publishing of new works, the distribution of information and extended access for schools and the general public. The integration of new media will offer great opportunities for redefining the role of the Arts Centre as it enters the new millennium. 21.2 Models: In recent years there have been many attempts to integrate new media technologies into public institutions such as museums, libraries and arts centres. There is much to be learnt from the successes and the failures of such ventures, located in the UK, Europe and the USA. Models need to be identified and explored for their strengths and weaknesses, to identify pitfalls and failures, and to identify opportunities applicable to the PAAC. How they operate, the nature of their exhibitions, their funding sources and how they maximise access to themselves, must all be examined and targets set for the PAAC for its exhibition and educational programming. Existing organisations identified as possible models are: ICA, London. The Institute of Contemporary Art has recently acquired a digital media centre following considerable sponsorship by a computer manufacturer. The Lux Centre/LEA Gallery, London. The newly established Centre houses the London Electronic Arts Gallery. Camerawork, London. Established as a photographic gallery, with a social/political rationale, in the 1970s. Camerawork has been adventurous in engaging with new media technologies and has initiated many internet projects and new media exhibitions. ArtHouse, Dublin. ArtHouse has a new media policy and integrates a cybercafe along with limited public production facilities. Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria. An established organisation which houses the international new media competition. Ars Electronica has developed an international profile as a leading player in new media activity. ZKM Centre for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany. A purpose built new media centre for the initiation of new media projects. This is not a comprehensive list, but it indicates the degree to which new media practices and technologies have been introduced into arts organisations elsewhere and suggests the potential available for Plymouth. Any other similar centres suitable for comparison must be identified as part of the study. Many of the above have been established to deal almost exclusively with new media. As its main objective in this field, the Plymouth Centre for Arts and Architecture will be looking for ways to integrate new media with traditional arts activities, architecture and film and video, and not to be a 'media centre'. 21.3 INFRASTRUCTURE. 21.3.1 Networks the implications for networking of the building need to be explored. In order to function efficiently the building will need an internal network that will be able to accommodate the requirements of the administration, exhibition and public access services. The study must specify technical requirements. 21.3.2 Staffing technical support staff will be required for all areas of the organisation's new media activities. The study will need to identify support staff responsibilities, and general staff training needs, and consider whether the responsibilities of the technical support staff post should include providing for the training needs of other staff members and users. 21.4 EXHIBITION 21.4.1 New media gallery The Centre will house a new media gallery consisting of.................... for travelling exhibitions and permanent installations, as well as those delivered via the Internet, and will have works (What are the works? ) integrated into its structure through the use of interactive audio visual installations. Does this mean interactive and audio-visual installations will be integrated into its structure? It will need to be flexible enough to allow for large technological installations and smaller portable information based work). The permanent exhibition of archived and commissioned work will need to incorporate suitable interfaces such as touch screens, roller balls or air-mice. The ergonomics of such systems will greatly add to their accessibility and user friendliness. 21.4.2 Virtual Reality There must be a Virtual Reality gallery for the Architecture Centre, allowing visitors to access a virtual 3D model of the city, complete with a flythru of the city, augmented by various forms of visual information. This will be installed alongside the traditional 3D model work, extending and complementing traditional architectural practices. 21.5 Production and Publishing: Apart from the enriching contribution it will make to visual art and architecture display, new media technology will be beneficial in aiding public access and in helping explain all activities. In order to fully realise this, new means for information distribution must be exploited. This could take the form of an 'in house' publishing facility for paper based (DTP) and World Wide Web publishing, with the aim of including 'push' services for local digital TV and networking. It will not be desirable to have a print shop located on the premises. The Centre will have production facilities for origination and design, and the final printing will be done by local printers. A limited facility already exists in the existing Centre for the design of the monthly brochure. This will need to be upgraded to allow for internet use. The nature of the services and the content delivered will need careful examination, providing plenty of opportunity for the education officer to initiate collaborative ventures with Schools, Colleges, Universities and commercial organisations across the region, as well as collaborations with arts organisations on a national and international level. 21.6 The Internet It will be possible to 'travel' round any exhibition, access files available for public use held at the Centre, use the TSW Film Archive via the Centre, transfer information to and hold dialogues with outside bodies, collaborate with other galleries in presenting work, involve schools and others with their own internet access in educational activity, allow the exhibition of outside work, all by means of the Internet. Demand for this service must be quantified in the study and recommendations made for the best form of provision. 21.6.1 Server or Internet provider Use of an in-house Internet server, or access to a provider, will be necessary to make all activities available via the Internet and World Wide Web. Public access services for schools and the general public will require server support. Initially this may be supplied by a service provider, to whom payment is made. However, in the long term it may be advisable to integrate server provision for the Internet in the Centre itself - the disadvantages and/or benefits of so doing to be established by the study. 21.6.2 Service implications Constant maintenance will be required to maintain a high standard of internet provision. 21.6.3 Potential The potential a reliable and authoritative Arts internet service has for encouraging access to exhibitions and information in the Centre via the World Wide Web, is large (e.g...........). This is a great opportunity to make available the Arts Centre's activities to other arts providers and integrate events from elsewhere. It will be a part of this study to examine this potential and to recommend the best way of achieving it. The existing Arts Centre is already active in exploring these issues through its relationship with the University of Plymouth Interactive Media Group and this relationship itself also must be assessed to analyse the benefits and potential for further collaboration. 21.7 Digital Archive: Archiving and storage of digital exhibitions and digital images of art work commissioned by and exhibited at the Centre will be possible and allow great scope for innovation.There are opportunities for collaborations with the TSW Film Archive which has been exploring ideas of a digital audio-visual database of its films. These films can then be made available on-line, making the Centre a research facility for those interested in the social records in the archive. 21.8 Access In order to allow access to the Centre's resources, terminals must be available for controlled public use. These may be part of a Cyber Cafe or in a resource room, or both. The study must recommend best provision. Plymouth Arts Centre has a history of initiating video and photographic projects for the local community. This experience will help form an access policy and provision which could embrace limited production facilities for artists placements, commissioned works, and workshop facilities. 21.9 Building design Due consideration to the implications of including new media technologies into the structure of the building must be made from the outset. The requirements for efficient networking, lighting (screen reflection), acoustics and the ergonomics of computer installations will need to be carefully considered. The relationship of the new media gallery to the cinema, for instance, has great potential for sophisticated projection and live demonstrations of computer based projects, and the best way of achieving this must be defined. It will be essential for new media installations to be included within the structure of the building, for either audio-visual or interactive spaces, and not patched on at a later stage. The potential generated by their inclusion within the fabric of the building, as well as the processes themselves, will contribute to the dynamism of the project. |