Published 5 August 2019
 

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) has announced that the 5th edition of the Digital Directions symposium will be held in Canberra on 14 and 15 November, headlined by world video game expert Jon-Paul Dyson (The Strong Museum of Play) as keynote speaker.

Digital Directions brings together people who care about Australia’s cultural heritage in the digital age.  Australian and international keynote speakers join the brightest minds in the GLEAM (Galleries, Libraries, Educators, Archives & Museums) sector to share the latest insights, ideas and solutions as we jointly embrace digital innovation and its potential for the future of our collections.

Jan Müller, CEO of the NFSA, said: ‘We are excited to present the 5th edition of Digital Directions as the NFSA strengthens its role as the national leader in collecting, preserving and sharing multimedia and new media content. As technology advances at a rapid rate it is vital that our sector adapts so that we continue to build a collection that is relevant and representative. This is an opportunity for our sector’s greatest minds to come together and share their ideas and experiences and to learn from our industry leaders.’

Mr Dyson,  Director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG) and Vice President for Exhibits at The Strong Museum of Play, said: ‘Video games are the most important medium of the 21st-century, and yet their long-term survival is uncertain because of the many challenges inherent in their preservation.

‘I'm very excited to meet with my Australian colleagues at this year's Digital Directions symposium and share some of the lessons we have learned and strategies we have developed in preserving hundreds of thousands of video game related objects at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York’.

Also speaking at Digital Directions 2019:

• Bill Peck, Chief Technology Officer at Twist Bioscience, the San Francisco’s synthetic biology company which is pioneering the use of synthetic DNA tools for data storage, among other fields.
• Claire Evans and Ana Tiquia from Grumpy Sailor, the Sydney-based creative studio pushing the boundaries of storytelling and technology.
• Creative technologist and visual communicator Elisa Lee, whose real-time data visualisation work can be seen at the State libraries of Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales.

Further sessions and speakers will be announced in the lead up to Digital Directions.

Digital Directions is presented in partnership with AARNet, ABC, AIATSIS, Australian National University National Archives of Australia, National Library of Australia, National Museum of Australia.

Tickets are now available: https://www.nfsa.gov.au/digitaldirections. Participants will also have exclusive after-hours access to Game Masters: The Exhibition at the NFSA, featuring the world’s greatest designers, characters and 100+ playable games.

For interviews and more information, please contact Publicity Coordinator Jemma Walsh, (02) 6248 2248, jemma.walsh@nfsa.gov.au.   

DIGITAL DIRECTIONS 2019

When: 14 and 15 November 2019
Where: National Film and Sound Archive of Australia, Canberra
Tickets: https://www.nfsa.gov.au/digitaldirections

Full registration: $425

Student/Concession: $245