This
afternoon I started out to bring together some information on the site for use
as an Auslan interpretation of the site - to be used for a "Smart
Auslan" gallery tour.
The
app will be a permeant (but living) publication that tells the history of the site
and the building, and how it has undergone regeneration from a Powerhouse to an
arts centre - rather than being available as an Auslan interpretation of every
exhibition. Pretty much people will be able to pick up a smartphone at
reception with a smart Auslan app; they will photograph QR codes at different
points around the site, connecting them to Auslan discussions of the point, as
well as some relevant video interviews and photographs.
So
far this has been a really enlightening and surprisingly apt approach - to
explain the history and use of the centre through physical points of the site.
Some of the sites to be marked with a QR code are things like public artworks:
a big "Koori Floor" that is the ground of the main gallery space, or
outdoor sculptures around the building.
I'm
especially liking the room to talk about little or anecdotal details, like the
spray-painted crosses on steal beams marked for removal in the early stages of
rebuilding. Or the funny 'watch for falling nests' signs that lead onto
discussion of plants and animals in the surrounding environment, the huge
"hoppers" that help explain the whole process of coal-fired
electricity production that was carried out in the former Powerstation (and my
personal urge to rant on the ills of our outdated attachment to coal power).
Thinking
about what makes a tour specifically for the Deaf community, and not just a
tour that's been translated into Auslan... I'm hoping the centre will be able
to get a consultant or representative from the Deaf community, as I really know
very little of Deaf culture or ways of life for hearing impaired people - and I
want there to be at least something that specifically relates to the history or
culture of hearing impaired people in the area. The most I've got is some
wiki-essentialisms of hearing impaired people being into social media and new
technology. Perhaps true for some, but not much to work with beyond the
reassurance that an app and smart phone technology is the way to go...
Gladly
going down to Melbourne in coming weeks so will be able to check out the
National Sports Museum's Smart Auslan tour - I think it's the only museum in
Australia (so far) that has used this app.
This sounds great. So amazing to see how technology changes the way we can interact at the gallery. I just returned from a visit to MONA and their use of the ipod "O" device was brilliant. I need to get my head around QR codes...
ReplyDeleteIt gives me i have learn about new technology!! even i am young, I hate new technology, I like old style.
ReplyDeleteThanks
This sounds like such an awesome experience. Technology is the key to accessing new audiences and helping those audiences to access art in a more fulfilling way. Clearly the audio tours that are so prevalent do nothing to assist hearing impaired communities. I think we should all be learning about how to develop apps to support our arts practice and institutions.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you Elio. Send technology to damnation! (we are so archaic, but I love the old style too). Oh for the world before the internet. I was so content in my ignorant bliss!
ReplyDeleteEddie, what is Auslan?
I guess the worst of new technology is when it's used for the sake of showing off or being 'innovative' - and not using it for what it can add to the experience...
ReplyDeleteOops didn't exPlain that one! Auslan is Australian sign language for people who are deaf or hearing impaired. I think it was designed by a hearing child of two deaf people, which is pretty cool (ie. That Deaf culture that includes hearing people)
Also it's a diminishing language as less people are born with hearing impairments, and more get cochlear implants... So I guess thats part of why people really value and push for Auslan to be used - as opposed to just text
Thanks for bringing this to our attention! I think it's important to always bear in mind the gallery experience for people with impairents of one form or another. I have found myself on a couple of occasions confronted by the fact that certain members of the community have not been able to access some of the exhibitions staged by both of the galleries I interned at...a bit of foward thinking can go a long way even if a bit arduous at times!
ReplyDelete