AN INSTALLATION WORK BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE ART PUBLIC of LONDON, ALFIE DENNEN AND PAULA LE DIEU
PROJECT SUMMARY
THE CANVAS
Bus-Tops is an installation of approximately 40 1.75m x 1.3m monochrome LED panels on the roofs of bus shelters across all London boroughs. The Bus-Tops installations will display work created by the public whether they be artists who identify as such or the broader art public. If they have a voice and something to say to people in London they qualify as a bus-tops artist. The installations are intended to delightfully and provocatively disrupt commuters’ experience of riding on buses. It will jolt us out of our commuter habit and inspire joy and wonder in the last place you’d expect it – on the roof of a bus shelter.
THE TOOLS
The installations will be creatively accessed via a web site and web based toolset either on a computer or on a mobile phone. The site and the toolset will provide all artists – young or old, first time or seasoned – with the means to create their bus-tops installation piece. This will include provision for text, graphics and short animations. Also included will be scheduling and bus-tops location tools to enable artists to create multi-location and/or multi-temporal installations.
THE WEBSITE
The website will also provide a virtual window onto the installations. Audiences will be able to view the installations in our virtual bus-tops viewer in real time or they can choose to catch up on installations they have missed. They can also choose to string together particular installations based on location, theme or artist.
Audiences can also help critique works to ensure that they reflect the values of the bus-tops project and reflect the diversity of participants.
THE API
A critical feature of the website is the provision of both content and toolsets via APIs. This allows those artists more comfortable working in bits and bytes to create new visualizations for a web audience as well as create new and exciting tools to maximize the creative potential of the canvas.
TEAM
We are delighted to have the key members of our team confirmed. We are particularly pleased to be working with the following artists:
TINKER.IT hardware artists
In their own words: Tinker.it! is an innovative design consultancy that helps its clients understand the creative potential of new technologies and apply it to interactive experiences through products, spaces and events that bridge the physical and the digital. What we do Through our expertise in the latest technologies, and their uses within creative contexts, we work hand in hand with the creative industries, artists and organisations in a variety of contexts. We help our clients build richer relationships with their audience through experiences that exist outside the traditional screen-based content and reach out into the real world.
We share our understanding of the latest technological developments in the areas of software and hardware and demonstrate the breath of potential applications in creative contexts. We support the development and implementation of ideas that are contextrelevant and make our clients stand out. This means getting involved in early on in the creative process, working with our clients during the prototyping stage to make great ideas come to life. More at http://www.tinker.it/en/Main/About In other words: a great fit for our project We already have a highly productive working relationship with the team at tinker.it as they have helped us do the initial feasibility and costing of the canvas. We are proud to have them as key collaborators on this project.
EMILE BENNETT graphic artist
In his own words: I am a talented and dedicated Digital Designer specialising in the creation of interactive resources for educational purposes - be it schools, charities, exhibitions or museums. With a background in teaching and contemporary arts, I have a strong understanding of how to communicate a complex idea in simple and manageable form, and the process involved in taking this solution from concept to reality. Equally comfortable editing film in Final Cut and creating motion graphics in After Effects as I am coding custom classes in Actionscript 3 or complex data visualisations in Processing, I work to my fullest potential when involved on multi-faceted projects with diverse and rich outputs.
I thrive on the challenge of solving new and unknown problems, and strive to make sure that the knowledge I gain from these experiences is passed on in some way to the end user in a positive and insightful manner. Hard working, passionate and professional, I am a positive asset to any cutting edge interactive team. In other words: another great fit Emile has been with us from the moment we found the right words to communicate this idea to other people. Emile helped us to create the visual elements used in our original pitch and has been instrumental in thinking about the visual feel for all our output. We are very excited to be working with Emile again having worked with him on previous projects.
TUUR VAN BALEN user engagement artist
In his own words: I am a designer and researcher eager to push the boundaries and methodologies of design in order to explore the rich interaction between people and technology. I have a special interest in invisible cities, synthetic biology and the 'Metro weird-feed'. My practice consists of three parts: with a background and MSc in Industrial Design Engineering and a MA in Design Interactions from the RCA, he works as a freelance designer in service design, interaction design and design engineering. Clients include Demos, Adidas, TED, Pervasive Interaction Lab at Open University and the Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation. My independent design work pushes the boundaries and methodologies of design to critically explore the relations and interactions between people and emerging technologies. Recent projects focus on synthetic biology, the relationship between place and technology and what it is that makes up a city. I am also a visiting tutor at the Design Interactions department at the Royal College of Art as well as visiting lecturer and critic at the Architectural Association, Imperial College and the University of Cambridge.
Tuur has been with the project from very early on and has already been invaluable in providing a disciplined framework for us to question the project and our artistic goals. Tuur brings with him an incredible wealth of experience in engagement design and an intimate understanding of the engineering challenges we face. We are thrilled to have him on board.
ALFIE DENNEN lead artist
In his own words: I am a creative director working with mainly internet connected technologies. I have a decided entrepreneurial streak, having founded and run a successful mobile blogging company, Moblog. I also have a deep and active interest in Locative Art, researching and practicing in this field. I create and execute ideas that explore business, activism and artistic aims through interesting and unusual applications of technology. I have a strong understanding of how on and off-line technologies join together for campaigns and projects, as well as a strong track record of taking complex briefs or ideas and executing them efficiently and cost-effectively. I am very project driven and deliver rigorous work with a strong focus on usability, user experience and innovation. In other words: co-creator Alfie is one half of the artist team that conceived the bus-tops project. Wouldn’t be here without him.
PAULA LE DIEU lead artist
In her own words: Paula Le Dieu is a new media executive and advisor. Paula has worked with the BBC, Guardian, Fairfax, Ofcom and Creative Commons as well as online content and activism communities such as iCommons and the international documentary community. Her experience spans advising on the future of public service media, building and managing creative teams of 50 plus, leading international communities of volunteers, creative and software product development and sitting on the executive board of the leading European Documentary Festival - Sheffield Doc/Fest...amongst other things. In other words: co-creator Paula is one half of the artist team that conceived the bus-tops project. Wouldn’t be here without her.
Full CVs at end of document
MANAGEMENT
The project falls into two phases – the “build” phase and the “run” phase. Please see the timeline for more detail on the Phases.
BUILD PHASE
The build phase has two key deliverables1. Canvas 2. Web experience
BUILD Throughout the entire build period (15 months) we have factored in a project manager that will be responsible for ensuring all elements are running to time, budget and requirements. This role will be filled by Alfie Dennen. PROCESS For all our creative work both Alfie and Paula adhere to User-centered Design methodologies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User-centered_design) and Agile Project Management processes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_Project_Management). This will be reflected in the way we develop all aspects of the bus-tops project. CANVAS More specifically - the Canvas build and installation will primarily be managed by tinker.it in collaboration with Paula Le Dieu and Alfie Dennen. Alfie will continue to manage the key relationships with street furniture companies, local authorities and Transport for London (TFL), while Paula Le Dieu will provide executive overview of project progress. Both Alfie and Paula will be providing creative overview. WEB The web build will primarily be managed by a technical project manager. Both Alfie and Paula will be providing creative and executive overview of this element of the project.
RUN PHASE
The run phase is characterized primarily by the need to engage and support the art public in their creativity. With this is mind we have factored in a Community Producer/Site Moderator throughout the run period. Both Alfie and Paula will be intimately involved in this phase as we work to ensure that the Art Public is empowered to engage with the project via events and workshops.
LOCALLY INSPIRED
Bus-tops is a project that is specifically inspired by London. Our primary creative references are the existing wonderful and idiosyncratic installations along some of London’s bus routes that are only viewable from London’s double decker buses. These installations include the potato art found on route 55 (Clerkenwell area in particular), the grass art found on route 243 and 55 and the rotting shoe being watched by commuters in west London.
LONDON
London is a vast super-city with distinctive neighbourhoods and villages some of which are daytrips apart from each other. We rely on an incredibly complex public transport system to connect us. However, that complexity and vastness often means we don’t venture off our buses and trains until we reach our destinations…we rarely stop to look and ponder who lives in those neighbourhoods we pass every day. Bus-tops is inspired by a desire to provide a canvas for Londoners to talk to each other and to express what is special about their London.
AUDIENCE
TARGET AUDIENCE
We have multiple “audiences” in mind, although we think of all of them as artists. First and foremost we want to reach Londoners that have something to say to their fellow city dwellers – their expression may be poetry, prose, graphical or animated. These may be established artists or this may be the first time they have created a piece of (public) art. Our next key audience is those that engage with works created by the Art Public. People who will see the work either from their vantage point on the top deck of a London bus or via the website. We feel it is key to have both viewing experiences to ensure that the project is as accessible as possible. Finally, we seek to engage those artists that work in bits. We will work to attract a committed community of developers that will be inspired by the access they have to the art public works and the toolset via APIs.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
We have a number of strategies for ensuring that we maximize the engagement from communities and that we have many participant artists reflecting the diversity of London. Our first advantage is that we have our own promotion vehicle care of the canvases situated across London that we can use to promote and illustrate the potential of the project. This is further supported by our aim to “run” the project for 15 months. This gives us the opportunity to build up community awareness and engagement over the entire period. This last point is critical based on our
experience of building and running creative communities such as moblog.net and icommons.org We will focus on community engagement from the very earliest stages of the project (indeed we have already started with http://bus-tops.com/?p=35 ). Prior to launching the run phase we will have already worked with other artists to create initial works for the canvas that will inspire and engage broader participation and community awareness. More specifically, we have factored in a number of community events and workshops in which we will work with community groups, youth centres, schools and local authority programmes to provide them with the confidence to engage with the project. We also have a great track record building awareness and interest using web and offline publicity and community engagement tools and will be deploying all our resources and experience to ensure that Londoners know about, talk about and participate in the project.
LEGACY
We believe our greatest legacy is to introduce the world to the
Art Public.
Bus-tops aims to leave the best of all legacies behind – to empower and inspire a new understanding of public art that embraces and celebrates the Art Public’s capacity to create. We strongly believe that public art should do everything we expect of great art but that it can do so through a myriad of points of views rather than that of a single auteur. Similarly, we believe that the art public is also a new audience of art, one that looks for artistic expressions that touch on their world, their stories and their inspirations.
We believe our legacy will be to introduce
Londoners to
Londoners. We are particularly excited about the role bus-tops can
play in introducing Londoners to Londoners. We believe that a very important legacy we leave behind will be the light we cast on previously unexplored neighbourhoods, unknown artists and the sheer diversity of expression that makes up London in the early 21st century We believe our legacy will be to provoke a new discussion about
public spaces. We also believe that bus-tops will provoke
discussions about our public spaces and how we use them. When we considered this project we wanted to find, define and claim a new public space for the art public’s canvas. We think that bus-tops will be the beginning of a new demand from the Art Public for public spaces and canvases that give them an expressive surface in their communities. We believe that working with proprietary spaces, organizations and companies in new kinds of partnerships opens a new opportunity to find these new expressive surfaces for the art public. We believe our legacy will be to develop and make available the tools, works and community to anyone, for free under the values and licences of
open software. Bus-tops will have a virtual legacy – all the content
will continue to exist on the website and if a community of the art public are interested we will hand over the reins of the website to a community of users. Furthermore, all the tools, including the website infrastructure, community management, scheduling and creative tools, hardware and software controllers will be developed in keeping with the values and licenses of the open source software movement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source_software). This allows for anyone to create a project that allows for art public works to be created, scheduled, community moderated and deployed to the web and networked canvases.
Of course, we will have an installed base of LED boards across London that can be kept in place and maintained if support can be found. We will be working on soliciting interest in supporting the project ongoing either through grants or sponsorship however we believe our key legacies to be those already outlined. With all of this we are confident that we meet the “after the games” goals of: 1. a new awareness of the cultural activity that goes on in the UK; 2. new opportunities and projects to be involved in; and 3. new cultural partnerships in the UK and around the world.
VALUES
We didn’t start with the values of the Cultural Olympiad when we conceived the bus-tops project. We started with a set of values that include inclusiveness, community, participation, democratization of mass expression and openness. We are delighted to find that these values closely mirror the values of the Cultural Olympiad. Our project has at its heart the notion that London is best expressed by Londoners,
all Londoners. They can best tell the world about their
city and their experiences both leading up to and during the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. London will be celebrated in all its diversity and richness by a myriad of artist’s voices. The bus-tops.com website invites artists and audiences from around the world to join in the celebrations and critically to join in the creative conversation with specific, very targeted locations in neighbourhoods – Taman Melawati (KL, Malaysia) can create a work specifically
for the people around stop 23 located in Harlesden, London, UK where some of her family live. And Harlesden can talk to the world via the bus-tops virtual canvases on bus-tops.com We have very intentionally chosen mediums, locations and aesthetic values with young people in mind. The simplicity of the canvas aesthetic (monochrome), the tools for creation and the optimization of the real world viewing experience for the top deck of a bus is tailor made for
young artists and audiences.
We will also be focusing our community engagement events and workshops to those that work with young people as well as focusing our publicity and marketing efforts to younger audiences. We are particularly excited about
the legacy we believe we create with
this project. The introduction of a new community of artists called the art public is key as is our focus in introducing Londoners to Londoners and the world; provoking new discussions about public spaces as we consider urban regeneration and what it means to be a Londoner in the participatory age; and the creation of tools that empower the art public to not just create their own works but their own platforms and canvases.
THEMES
While we believe we have something to contribute in keeping with all the themes of the Cultural Olympiad we have chosen to adopt 3 that we feel we exemplify in particular:
*encourage audience participation *create unique collaborations and innovations between communities and cultural sectors *support the learning, skills and personal development of young people through links to our education programme
RISKS
We have a number of key risks for the project. We have carefully considered them (and recognize that as with any innovation project there will be some we just won’t have thought of until we are knee deep in them hence our contingencies built into the budget and schedule).
They are: LED board design and development exceeds expected costs in order to meet requirements. Mitigation: we remain flexible in terms of the number of sites. We have a plan that optimizes the experience for 40 sites but we can accommodate up to 64 or as low as 33 while retaining the impact and spread across London. LED boards require extensive maintenance during run phase Mitigation: we have set aside both a contingency for additional LED boards as well as a maintenance fund. We fail to secure access to the shelters we want Mitigation: We have already established good working relationships with two of the key street furniture companies (Clear Channel and JCDeCaux) and a couple of key boroughs as well as good contacts and open dialogue with TFL. All of them are excited and being exceptionally co-operative and generous in their support. We prioritise these relationships and count them amongst our key assets and will look after them as such.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
We have been asked to specifically address a number of issues: Consideration of the environmental impact of the project We are working together with our hardware artists tinker.it to ensure that we limit
the environmental impact of our project as much as possible. We have focused our attentions on LED technology because of its low power requirements and the robustness in terms of lifespan. We have also limited the size and resolution of the LED boards for both environmental and aesthetic reasons that will also ensure that our power consumption is minimised. Finally, we were attracted to tinker.it because of the work they do with arduino hardware – a hardware controller system that emphasizes low power consumption and potential re-usability of hardware modules. Information about the reach or scale of the scheme We would be happy to go into more detail about this during our presentation but I hope that we have addressed this in the bulk of our paper so far. Information about potential collaborators, and the commissioning process ensuring quality of content As well as the support outlined above, we aim to bring a number of our collaborators with us into our presentation (virtually) both to show one of our commissioning routes and the quality of content. We would also like to discuss our moderation plans with you as they include a sophisticated Art Public critiquing of work as part of the quality control process. Exploration of the feasibility of the project through dialogue with TFL and other relevant agencies as required, and written confirmation that the project can be realized. We had hoped to provide letters of support at the time of this submission; however the great London Summer holiday exodus conspired against us. We are confident that our relationships with the key stakeholders we have identified will translate into letters of support well before our presentation to you.
TIMELINE
Please see accompanying spreadsheet – third worksheet labeled Schedule.
SUSTAINABILITY
We believe the project complies with all sustainability and partnership requirements.
COMPLIANCE
Please see earlier sections on risk and special considerations.
ACCESSIBILITY
Accessibility has been a key consideration from the earliest stages of the project. While the bus-tops canvas experience is optimized for those able to reach the upper deck of London buses, the web experience will be optimized to ensure that accessible tools can provide the same delightful experience plus additional functionality that allows audiences to construct their own “route” through the Art Public works.
MAINTENANCE
We have already factored in maintenance requirements for the run of the project. The working assumption is that the hardware on the bus shelters will be removed at the end of the “run” phase.
SPECIFICATION
Subject to prototype development.
BUDGET
Please see attached spreadsheet for detail. Summary below. Initial cashflow projections available on request.
BUDGET SUMMARY 2 2A 2B 2C 3 3A 3B 3C 3D 3E 1 1A 1B BUILD WEBSITE and MOBILE CANVAS (bus shelter hardware) ARTIST ENGAGEMENT RUN WEBSITE and MOBILE CANVAS (bus shelter hardware) ARTIST ENGAGEMENT ARTIST SUPPORT HOSTING AND NETWORK SUPPORT PRODUCTION PRODUCTION TEAM ADMINISTRATION SUBTOTAL 1C CONTINGENCY & FEES TOTAL £85,000.00 £499,150.00 £36,500.00 £12,500.00 £414,150.00 £37,050.00 £30,800.00 £30,000.00 £40,000.00 £11,700.00 £79,000.00 £134,000.00 £2,600.00
CVs
Alfie Dennen
Summary
I am a creative director working with mainly internet connected technologies. I have a decided entrepreneurial streak, having founded and run a successful mobile blogging company, Moblog. I also have a deep and active interest in Locative Art, researching and practicing in this field. I create and execute ideas that explore business, activism and artistic aims through interesting and unusual applications of technology. I have a strong understanding of how on and off-line technologies join together for campaigns and projects, as well as a strong track record of taking complex briefs or ideas and executing them efficiently and cost-effectively. I am very project driven and deliver rigorous work with a strong focus on usability, user experience and innovation.
Recent note-worthy roles and accomplishments
Currently I am on a retainer consultancy with Splendid Communications, restructuring and defining their digital department as their PR business moves from a ‘Classic’ mode to an increasingly on-line one. Working with Channel 4 I created the online/mobile community http://bigartmob.com celebrating UK Public Art which ran in parallel to the TV Show ‘The Big Art Project’. This build went on to win numerous awards including the Media Guardian Innovation Award, Royal Television Society ‘On the move’ award and received 3 BAFTA nominations. 2 ‘Webby’ Award nominations in 2009 for my Britglyph project, winning the Webby in the ‘Experimentation and Innovation’ category
Specialities
Creative direction | Mentoring | Strategy | Consulting | Project Management Community management | Product management | Internet technologies
Paula Le Dieu
Currently: Director of Digital BFI London, United Kingdom Public Profile http://www.linkedin.com/in/paulaledieu
Summary
Paula Le Dieu is a new media executive and advisor. Paula has worked with the BBC, Guardian, Fairfax, Ofcom and Creative Commons as well as online content and activism communities such as iCommons and the international documentary community. Her experience spans advising on the future of public service media, building and managing creative teams of 50 plus, leading international communities of volunteers, creative and software product development and sitting on the executive board of the leading European Documentary Festival - Sheffield Doc/Fest...amongst other things.
Specialities:
content and social networks, traditional media in a networked world, open content models, interactive storytelling, product conception and development, new business models for networked media, media archives
Experience:
Director of Digital BFI at British Film Institute Non-Profit ; Motion Pictures and Film industry September 2009 – Present (1 month) Executive Producer and Advisor: Networked Media Freelance Internet industry August 2008 – September 2009 (1 year 2 months) Director of Open Media at Magic Lantern Productions Privately Held ; 11-50 employees ; Online Media industry March 2006 – July 2008 (2 years 5 months) The Head of Open Media role at Magic Lantern combines the theory and practice of networked media. I have been involved in helping set key strategy for the BBC, Channel 4 and Guardian newspapers as they transform themselves
into networked businesses. I was a thought leader in Ofcom's PSP proposal. I have also developed and executed projects ranging from Witness' media toolkit through to the creative development on a major new online project for the BBC. Executive Director at iCommons Internet industry April 2005 – February 2006 ( 11 months) As the founding Executive Director of iCommons, it was my role to harness the extraordinary international success of Creative Commons. Working with 70 countries and more than 500 volunteers (many of them legal professionals), I shaped the purpose and structure of iCommons. It now serves as an umbrella organisation that links the myriad of different cultural, legal and technical communities that are inspired by creative commons and open culture practice around the world. Product Director: Creative Archive at BBC Public Company ; BBC ; Broadcast Media industry June 2003 – April 2005 (1 year 11 months) For more work history please see http://www.linkedin.com/in/paulaledieu
Education
University of Iowa Journalism 1996 – 1997 Deakin University journalism and science 1995 – 1997
Additional Information
I am on the DocFest Exec Board I am on the OKFN Exec Board I am on the ORG advisory board
Emile Bennet
Statement
I am a talented and dedicated Digital Designer specialising in the creation of interactive resources for educational purposes - be it schools, charities, exhibitions or museums. With a background in teaching and contemporary arts, I have a strong understanding of how to communicate a complex idea in simple and managable form, and the process involved in taking this solution from concept to reality. Equally comfortable editing film in Final Cut and creating motion graphics in After Effects as I am coding custom classes in Actionscript 3 or complex data visualisations in Processing, I work to my fullest potential when involved on multi-faceted projects with diverse and rich outputs. I thrive on the challenge of solving new and unknown problems, and strive to make sure that the knowledge I gain from these experiences is passed on in some way to the end user in a positive and insightful manner. Hard working, passionate and professional, I am a positive asset to any cutting edge interactive team.
Clients
COMIC RELIEF NATIONAL THEATRE DISNEY ONE GIANT LEAP CHELSEA SCHOOL OF ARTS ARTS DC SHOES SONY ERICSSON BBC EDUCATION MTV JAPAN DARTINGTON COLLEGE OF POLAR WATCHES
Skills
FLASH ILLUSTRATOR FINAL CUT PRO CINEMA 4D ACTIONSCRIPT 2/3 IN-DESIGN LOGIC AUDIO DVD STUDIO PRO PHOTOSHOP JOOMLA AFTER EFFECTS PROCESSING
Tuur Van Balen
Statement
I am a designer and researcher eager to push the boundaries and methodologies of design in order to explore the rich interaction between people and technology. I have a special interest in invisible cities, synthetic biology and the 'Metro weird-feed'. My practice consists of three parts: with a background and MSc in Industrial Design Engineering and a MA in Design Interactions from the RCA, he works as a freelance designer in service design, interaction design and design engineering. Clients include Demos, Adidas, TED, Pervasive Interaction Lab at Open University and the Centre for Synthetic Biology and Innovation. My independent design work pushes the boundaries and methodologies of design to critically explore the relations and interactions between people and emerging technologies. Recent projects focus on synthetic biology, the relationship between place and technology and what it is that makes up a city. I am also a visiting tutor at the Design Interactions department at the Royal College of Art as well as visiting lecturer and critic at the Architectural Association, Imperial College and the University of Cambridge.
Education
MA Design Interactions - Royal College of Art - London MSc. Industrial Design Engineering - Delft University of Technology - The Netherlands
Skills
Design research, scenario development, concept development, design engineering, interaction design, and service design.