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Digital Directions 2020
Culture + Creative Industries + Media
6 Online Sessions: 26–27 November
- Adapt to rapid change
- Expand horizons
- Prepare for the future
The NFSA exists at the intersection between culture, creative industries and the media. Three sectors that have been buffeted by the winds of change, as well as tectonic shifts to the digital landscape. That was true before the cataclysm of 2020, where 'pivot' follows 'pandemic' in the frequency of use in a year that truly resets the game. And even beyond COVID-19 we find ourselves in a cultural watershed of truly epic proportions, as deep fakes enter consumer-grade entertainment (Avengers Assemble!) and 'Digital Dexterity' leaps from buzzword to business necessity.
Since 2015 the NFSA has hosted symposia exploring issues and opportunities facing digital cultural collections. In 2020 this event is going online. The Digital Directions Virtual Conference is a boutique offering of six sessions over two days, bringing practical case studies of digital transformation and adaptation in the cultural economy.
Why Attend Digital Directions?
From the increasingly vital skills of media literacy, to capturing the world under COVID and the capabilities of synthetic DNA, the Digital Directions Virtual Conference is for global cultural, creative and media communities who seek to:
- Adapt to rapid change
- Expand horizons
- Prepare for the future
Culture is more important now than ever to connect communities, communicate beyond echo chambers and to provide vital perspectives on our challenging present.
Join us at the Digital Directions Virtual Conference and be part of the world's cultural, creative and media-literate future.
Registration fees
Join us for this boutique virtual conference, 26–27 November:
Full-fee paying
6 sessions: $100 + booking fee
Individual sessions: $20 + booking fee
50% student discount available
6 sessions: $50 + booking fee
Individual sessions: $10 + booking fee
Register with your .edu email to receive our student rate – limited tickets on offer so first come, first served.
Program
THURSDAY 26 NOVEMBER
Session 1: 10:00am AEDT
Improving discoverability of culture, anytime, anywhere: a conversation with Barbara Moore, CEO, Biennale of Sydney
How can cultural institutions face our new reality with agility, optimism, and strategic use of technology? Join Barbara Moore, CEO, Biennale of Sydney as she shares her insights on adaptation, elasticity and the power of creativity to rewrite the rule book.
Session 2: 1:00pm AEDT
DNA Storage: Science or Science Fiction?
The NFSA shares a world-first: storing video on synthetic DNA for archival purposes. Humans will soon produce more data than we can store, and managing data is expensive and resource-intensive. NFSA CEO Jan Muller and science journalist Bianca Nogrady will delve into this innovative, sustainable, long-term technology – 3.5 billion years in the making.
Session 3: 3:00pm AEDT
Connecting Stories, Language, and Culture Across the Country
People. Place. Language. indigiTUBE is the online media platform by and for First Nations people, preserving language and culture for future generations. Jaja Dare amd Adam Dixon-Galea will be discussing digital diversity and inclusion, the rise of streaming and content consumption, as well as community engagement and cultural preservation. This session is an important window into the world of First Nations music, art and media.
Session 4: 6:00pm AEDT
Media Literacy in the Machine-learning Era
Is seeing still believing? In 2020, deepfakes have gone mainstream, from a TV ad to a social media parlour game. These are benign examples that bely an alarming technological arms race occurring in the world of AI, one that includes the personal intrusion of technology and the amplification of sexual violence. Join this session to hear experts discuss the impact of machine-learning technology on our ability to critically assess media online, what problems and opportunities digital technology provides to help us identify this manipulation and what education tools are available to support digital media literacy.
FRIDAY 27 NOVEMBER
Session 5: 10:00am AEDT
Metadata Matters: Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and the Road Ahead
What do The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, PBS, VideoFashion and the Boston Celtics all have in common? They are harnessing the power of machine learning and AI to create intelligent metadata, to work faster and unlock the full value of their collections.
Session 6: 1:00pm AEDT
In/flux: Responsively Collecting Crises and Events in a Digital World
This year has been defined by unprecedented change and action. Join a panel of GLAM experts as they explore how responsively collecting experiences in an increasingly digital world means working with – and in – a state of collection in/flux. Speakers will include Craig Middleton, Libby Cass and Vick Gwyn.
Speakers
Barbara Moore: Session 1
Barbara Moore is Chief Executive Officer of the Biennale of Sydney, a not-for-profit organisation that presents the most dynamic contemporary art from around the globe at world-class venues across Sydney, with free admission for all to enjoy. Barbara is the youngest female CEO of any major arts organisation in Australia, and the youngest CEO in the history of the Biennale, commencing when she was 36.
Elisabeth Callot: Session 1
Elisabeth Callot has been a Program Manager at the Google Arts & Culture Lab since 2015. The Lab, located in Paris, is a place where tech and creative communities come together to share ideas and discover new ways to experience art and culture. The Google Arts & Culture team work on making art and culture accessible and engaging for everyone.
Elisabeth graduated with two Master’s degrees, one in international marketing and one in cinema studies at La Sorbonne.
Jan Müller: Session 2 and Session 4
Jan Müller is the CEO of the NFSA. Before that he was CEO of the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, and Chair of the Europeana Foundation. He is also currently chair of the Australian Media Literacy Association. Jan is the project owner for the NFSA's DNA project which culminated in a unique collaboration with the Olympic Federation for Cultural Heritage and a live projection on the Sydney Opera house in September 2020.
Bianca Nogrady: Session 2
Bianca Nogrady is a freelance science journalist and author, whose work has appeared in outlets including Nature, The Atlantic, Wired UK, The Guardian, Australian Geographic, Scientific American, the ABC and BBC. She is the author of The End: The Human Experience Of Death, editor of the 2015 and 2019 Best Australian Science Writing anthologies and co-author of The Sixth Wave: How To Succeed In A Resource-Limited World. She is also the founding president of the Science Journalists Association of Australia.
Jaja Dare: Session 3
Jaja is a Wiradjuri woman and multidisciplinary manager with an aptitude for innovation. Before joining First Nations Media Australia (formerly the Indigenous Remote Communications Association), Jaja was the Label Operations Manager for the CAAMA Music Record Label. She managed the recording of artists and the national marketing campaigns for album releases. Jaja won the National Indigenous Music Award for designing the Album Cover Art of the Year for CAAMA’s premier artist Gawurra.
Asher Flynn: Session 4
Dr Asher Flynn is an Associate Professor of Criminology at Monash University. She is a leading international researcher in policy and prevention concerning gendered and sexual violence, AI and technology-facilitated abuse. Asher has published 6 books and around 50 articles and chapters on these topics.
Jason Potts: Session 4
Jason Potts is Professor of Economics and Director of the Blockchain Innovation Hub at RMIT University. His research is on the economics of innovation and technological change and economics of creative industries. He is currently also a Chief Investigator on the new ARC Centre of Excellence in Automated Decision-Making and Society.
Ellie Rennie: Session 4
Ellie Rennie is a Professor and ARC Future Fellow at RMIT University, working across the RMIT Blockchain Innovation Hub and the Digital Ethnography Research Centre. Her current research is investigating the social outcomes of blockchain technology.
Annabel Astbury: Session 4
Annabel Astbury is Head, Digital Education at the ABC and is working with a great team to deliver ABC Splash. She used to be a classroom teacher and has worked closely with students, teachers, government and cultural institutions over the past years promoting history education and learning with ‘digital’ technologies in her role as Executive Director at the History Teachers’ Association of Victoria.
Craig Middleton: Session 6
Craig Middleton is a curator at the National Museum of Australia and a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University.
His book Queering the Museum, co-authored with Nikki Sullivan, was published by Routledge in November 2019.
Libby Cass: Session 6
Libby Cass is the Director, Curatorial and Collection Research having joined the National Library of Australia in 2016, following 10 years of work in the Pacific. Libby is passionate about metadata, contemporary collecting, connecting communities with collections and collaborating with others to maximise the national impact of cultural collections.
Vick Gwyn: Session 6
Vick Gwyn is the Curator, Creative Liaison at the NFSA. Her curatorial practice is centred around inclusivity and diversity and grounded in her experience in museum policy, Indigenous repatriation programming and audience-centred gallery development.
FAQs
What happens after I register?
Thanks for booking! Upon registration you will immediately receive a confirmation email, then prior to your session(s) you will receive emails with links to log in to the virtual conference.
Do I need to watch the sessions live?
For your opportunity to take part in Q&As, we would recommend you tune in to the live sessions. Session recordings will also be available for playback for three days.
What is your cancellation and refund policy?
Refunds will be available up to one day prior to your booked session. Please contact events [at] nfsa.gov.au.
Where can I direct questions or issues about registration?
Please email us at events [at] nfsa.gov.au.
Do you offer student discounts?
We do! Register with your .edu email address and you can receive a 50% discount: that’s $10 per session or a full pass for $50!
More to Explore
An iconic moment which has metaphorically become part of Australia’s DNA – Cathy Freeman's historic Olympic victory from 20 years ago – is now stored on actual DNA, thanks to a new NFSA data storage pilot project.
The NFSA is always open online, with our collection available to be explored 24/7.