Happenstance

I managed Caper’s project Happenstance in 2012, which aimed to change the way arts organisations use technology. Caper was an agency that inspired disruptive thinking and digital innovation across the cultural, creative, technology and not-for-profit sectors.

As part of the Nesta, Arts Council England and AHRC ‘Digital R&D for Arts and Culture Fund’, we created six creative technologist residencies at three of the UK’s most vibrant and exciting arts organisations: Site Gallery in Sheffield, Lighthouse in Brighton and Spike Island in Bristol. They blogged and shared their experiences here.

The residents identified systems and tools to improve and open up the arts organisations, and to engage the staff in knowledge exchange and use technology more creatively. Rather than major software builds, residents created interactions that were playful, innovative and elegant solutions to the challenges and opportunities the arts organisations face.

The Happenstance model is about altering the way the arts interact with technology – creating a new organisational paradigm, increased digital capacity, and innovative and exciting digital products.

Read an article on The Guardian Culture Professionals Network, talking about how Happenstance aims to make arts organisations ‘digital by default’.