COVID19- LICENSE TO DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE CULTURAL SECTOR?
Maka De Lameillieure
Digital Transformation | Researcher | Professor | Practitioner | L&D
Maka De Lameillieure (AMS), George Kharatishvili (GTU), Marianne Verkest (AMS)
We need a solution for the cultural sector right now! This industry has absolutely no time to lose. “Sound of Silence” was a cry for help of a sector on social media in Flanders and a call to the government to take responsibility, now!
We all hope that a solution can be found as soon as possible, so that from tomorrow onwards the sector can start a journey of digital transformation and can be prepared for the future, with or without crises.
1. What Does Digital Transformation Mean for the Cultural Sector?
The first movie going experiences consisted of a silent black&white film displayed on a white sheet in some smoke and alcohol vapor filled room accompanied by a piano. Most people loved it, some were hesitant. And this is how it stayed for quite some time, until sound was added. No more piano. Again, most people loved it, some were hesitant. Color was added and again most people loved it, some not so much. Over the years the world observed the addition of dedicated theaters, comfortable seats, wider screens, wider format films, air conditioning, Dolby-Digital, 3D, IMAX….. At one point it was popular to watch a movie while never getting out of the car. Now we are on the verge of another giant leap, which most people will welcome, while many will hesitate. But we’ll get back to this.
Over the past 100 years human ingenuity and an unquenchable thirst for progress has soared technology to inconceivable measure. We already live in a digital world where you now have to go on e-bay to find anything analog. Advanced technologies from just a couple of decades ago seem obsolete, ancient. However, hammers used by the Egyptians to build pyramids look strikingly similar to the one you most probably used to hang a picture recently. Yet, when you bought an iPhone X it was old by the time you left the Apple Store. It is most likely because a hammer is not digital. A hammer will always be just a hammer. On the other hand everything digital, is in its infancy and has a practically limitless capacity to grow.
Keeping this in mind one should ask a question – why are so many parts of our life not digital enough or not at all? Why is it that to see Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa from different angles, to see how light reflects off old paint as you get nearer or further away one must travel to the Louvre? Should I have an opportunity to see my favorite band I’ll have to endure long lines, sweaty people and sometimes cold rain? Want to marvel at new concept cars at the latest auto show? - Same thing. Let us not forget how the COVID19 pandemic hampers all our social activities and let’s also not forget that even today, right at this moment, there is sufficient technology to remedy this problem.
Perhaps the problem stems from a very human habit – fear and resentment of everything new. Staying on a digital subject, just 20 years ago some people saved phone numbers in a little hardcover phonebooks and dial them from their cellphones, every time. We have to come to terms with the simple reality – if we want to fully digitize our civilization we will need time and patience. We have to understand that the ‘digital seeds’ we plant today will yield results in 5, 10, 15 years. However, if not planted now or as soon as possible, nothing will be gained.
So what shows an immediate need for ‘digitization’? Firstly, let’s talk about stationary institutions such as museums, art galleries, exhibitions, libraries, etc. Even before the knockout punch was delivered by the COVID19 pandemic, it was becoming apparent that the established ‘modus operandi’ would not be sustainable in the future. The industry has been playing catch-up with the latest trends and ever-changing demand for a number of years now. FRESCO (1.1), for instance, the world’s first blockchain-based trust distribution network that allows art collectors, art dealers and organizations to display their collection strength as well as evaluating that of the others. At the Detroit Institute of Arts (1.1.1), visitors can get an X-ray view of the skeletal remains of a 2,000-year-old Egyptian mummy. At the Cleveland Museum of Art (1.1.1) , children and adults use the motion of their bodies to explore the great masterpieces of the past or create a self-portrait on a screen using watercolors or chalk. Digital tours, digital guides and a whole slew of web-based services have been introduced over the past two decades and these efforts have certainly put the industry on the right track (1.1.2).
Any measure of success naturally comes with some measure of complications. For example, with digital transformation come new responsibilities for museum and art gallery staff as they now are required to create videos, organize complex photoshoots, maintain constant presence on social media, share updates etc. as you can read in Museum of the Future (1.2), Insights and reflections from 10 international museums. On the other hand, should the trend of a decreasing number of physical visitors vs. an increasing number of virtual visitors continue, some interesting advantages reveal themselves. Fewer numbers of people physically visiting these institutions translates into sometimes reduced expenses for security, cleaning and environmental controls (lighting, heating, air conditioning, ventilation). Not to mention the fact that fewer flashes from phones and cameras do less damage to artwork, especially light sensitive oil paintings (the debate on this issue still rages on, but for now most institutions keep the practice of forbidding photography) (1.3). In addition, let us consider that successful digital transformation of museums, art galleries and exhibitions will allow them to reach a much bigger audience than before. Also, an audience that cannot afford to travel or, as is currently the case, is prohibited from travelling to Paris or NY to see an exhibition or attend a concert.
The situation may be a little different for periodic cultural events, such as concerts, festivals, fairs and etc. Due to their schedule driven nature and constantly changing structure it is important to find customized solutions. As a matter of fact, significant effort has been made over the past 15 years in search for new models, which would ensure these forms of artistic expression will be available in an ever more digital world (1.4). It has become not so uncommon to see collaboration across multiple industries. In 2019, the American entertainment company Live Nation teamed with Citi (Citibank) and NextVR (a subsidiary of Apple Corp.) to broadcast a number of concerts in Virtual Reality. Not only that, but the participants can use a break in the concert to check on social media if they know other people in the audience. Using the camera’s 180-degree view, they can see their friends. They also include animation or augmented reality (1.5).
Live streaming has made it possible to satisfy at least two of our senses involved in such activities – sight and sound. Now it’s a matter of utilizing existing and developing new technologies to involve the rest of our senses (smell, touch, taste) to bring the digital experience as close to a real one as possible.
Overall, it appears sensible to conclude that the digital age is not a death sentence for true artistic expression.
2. Influence of COVID19 on Arts and Entertainment
We already knew for quite some time that we need to transform our businesses towards digital. But there was, in the opinion of many, no burning platform. Business was good, some even flourished and so a call from the digital transformation experts to digitize more and right away, were often ignored. Fortunately, not by everyone and those organizations are now our best cases of how it should be done.
The cultural sector is not an exception. The recent COVID19 pandemic was an immense eye-opener for the need to rethink the way we view and approach the cultural sector. The world has not seen such drastic effect on art and entertainment since the end of WWII. According to the United Nations report (2.1) close to 90 percent of all museums worldwide (85,000 institutions according to the International Council of Museums) have been closed at the peak of the pandemic with fears that about 13% will never reopen. According to FORBES (2.2) these closures translate to a loss of at least $33 million per day and jeopardizing 726,200 jobs in the United States alone. Similar studies (2.3) by the Network of European Museum Organizations (NEMO) 3 out of 5 museums reported losing an average of €20,300 a week due to closure and travel halt, with many museums reporting a considerable loss of income of 75-80%, with larger museums and the museums in touristic areas reporting weekly losses adding up to hundreds of thousands of Euros.
It is not just the museums that are in danger. Art galleries, exhibitions, festivals, concerts are all in trouble. In April of this year France feared one-third of its galleries may permanently close due to the COVID19 pandemic (2.4). Most still have not reopened and may never do. Hundreds of festivals and entire concert tours have been canceled worldwide (2.5), (2.6)
The numbers and forecast for Flanders are also dramatic. Ten thousand jobs in the cultural sector are under threat, the sector is losing 95% or about a billion euros in revenue today (2.7).
We all are happy that the Flemish government will free up 85 million euros for the cultural sector, but this a small drop in the ocean and moreover this kind of funding and financial support is restricted in time. This kindof financial burden is impossible to bear for months, let alone years. And because unfortunately there is very little hope that this measure will be improved or extended in the short term, the biggest question is: what can and must the cultural sector do.
3. What Are the Next Steps
Rest assured, not everything is so grim. As customary to our species we will find an opportunity in this and every other challenge and overcome them. There are many possible steps to be taken. With the number of sectors in our society depending on digital transformation for their survival, growing with geometrical progression (greatly facilitated by the COVID19 pandemic and its fallout) it will be extremely important to start this process right now and to work interdisciplinary with other industries, organizations, with trained professionals. And also, to train your own employees, because internal skills development will become extremely important due to a possible shortage of a sufficient number of trained professionals to cope with such growing demand.
Digital Transformation is prone to sector specific challenges. The biggest one for the cultural sector is the creation of digital and virtual experiences that at the very least accurately mimic reality. Having said that, shouldn’t we strive for something even better, a CDE 2.0 (Cultural Digital Experience) so to speak, considering that the virtual world has no restrictions other than those put forth by the limitations of current technologies?
To create such an ‘upgraded’ digital experience is not an easy task since it’s a rather complex undertaking. As an organization you have to deal with the core experience (art, music …), with service experience, social experience, emotions, involvement, etc. Your complete value chain will be involved in this transformation process.
I. Service experience is the one that can be created with a short-term perspective. Digital ticketing, payment, i.e. are the processes that most cultural organizations have already implemented, and if this is not the case, they really should do it ASAP. Other experiences are another story. Let’s come back to that later.
II. I. Considerably more important is having a clear and accurate understanding what the experience you wish to ‘digitize’ means to the audience today, in a real, analog world if I may. Do you know what the links are between an organization’s design intentions (intended experience) and the actual experience of customers (realized experience) (3.1)?
If you already know this, then you already took the first hurdle. If not or if you have some doubts, you can use these very practical tools to gain insights into your target audience:
- Persona - in order to understand their needs, experiences and even dreams of your target group.
- Customer Journey map - in order to make an overview of how your current users experience your services.
- Service Blueprint - to plan what your future services will look like.
You can download these and other very meaningful tools that are part of the Business design & innovation toolbook for free via the Antwerp Management School website (3.2).
III. Another critical subject is the data. There is no digital transformation without data. You need trustworthy data, captured and stored in a reliable way. Otherwise, it is not possible to have a profound insight into the world of your target group, their emotions, wishes, etc., rendering you unable to accurately and convincingly mimic real-world experiences. Therefore, it is not enough to just send a questionnaire to your customers. You have to make an effort to collect every possible bit of data and in addition to qualitative surveys and conversations with your target group you also have to use technologies in order to capture the data, see below.
IV. Digital transformation can only be successful by combining different technologies, proven as well as emerging ones. Implementing only one technology, AI for example, does not create a digital experience that adequately imitates a real-world experience. The strength lies in the combination of technologies.
You need technologies to:
- Capture data and information: IoT, smart sensors, social media, …
- Store the data: cloud platforms, decentral technologies (blockchain), …
- Data processing: analytics and advanced algorithms, machine learning, AI, ...
- Data visualization – Digital channels, chatbot, AR/VR.
But back to the first challenge. As we have previously mentioned, core and social experiences in the cultural sector are difficult to translate into a digital world, but it is not impossible. Significant progress has been achieved in recent years. A new type of concert experience as live VR concerts (see examples above) are already a fact. The gaming industry and artists work together to create a new way of experiencing music. A virtual concert by Travis Scott on Fortnite in April 2020 is a nice example. Even if you are not a Fortnite player (as none of the authors are) and even if this first event, which lasted about 10 minutes, was more an animated short film than a concert and even if according to Rollingstone it felt like marketing (3.3)… even if all of this is the case, still it was a big step forward advancing the virtual world into our daily lives and subsequently it opens new possibilities for the cultural sector.
This is only the beginning. By combining VR and augmented reality we can mix the real and the virtual worlds. Holograms and our avatars. In Sensorium you can send your personalized avatar to a concert or other events and interact with the world’s greatest artists and contribute to the show (3.4). Imagine that we combine this mixed reality with an analog world, for example with chairs that are controlled by sensors, and then we not only mimic the real-world experience, but also involve companies in the value chain to innovate with the cultural sector.
An ultimate goal can be a creation of a virtual world where the audience is not a passive audience anymore, but an active participant. Can you remember Holodeck in Star Trek? The creators of the show had a brilliant idea, a ‘smart’ virtual reality system that combines transporter, replicator and holographic systems. In an otherwise empty room, special programs can create both ‘solid’ props and characters as well as a holographic background to evoke any vista, any scenario and any personality — all based on whatever real or fictional parameters are programmed. Imagine you can sit in a car together with James Bond and participate in his adventures. How cool is that? Not only to sit in a cinema but be an active part of the movie. From silent, black and white cinema to the ultimate experience of being a part of the script and not only to see, but eventually even to touch the artifacts is a very promising step.
And the timing for digital transformation cannot be better. With numerous social media platforms and widely available internet access it is now possible to instantly share new ideas with the world and for the world to take notice. Some of the most interesting ideas are coming out of places you would not expect. The Republic of Georgia for example, not really in the avant-garde of VR technologies, yet a fascinating concept was shared with me recently.
They call it ‘movie going experience 2.0’. It’s a working title, but the ideas are breathtaking. Imagine that instead of sitting on a leather couch with cup holders for your popcorn and a soft drink you are seated in a special chair (with cup holders for your popcorn and a soft drink) that moves, shakes and imitates sudden acceleration and deceleration depending on what is happening in the film you are watching. It’s windy? - a fan blows to your face. Raining? - a light mist falls on your face. You are watching the film with your VR/AR headset and did I mention – it’s a 360-degree film. Here is the best part, you won’t just watch the film, you will get to choose a specific character in the film and see the set through the point of view of that character. Experience the story through their eyes, their part in it. Bored with the character, just switch to another one. So each viewer will see the film differently. Actors, directors and the whole film industry will have to make some adjustments, but we are rather sure a lot of people would love to see these films.
Does implementing new technologies in the cultural sector mean that everything will be digital? Certainly not. We will endure long lines, even sweaty people to see a piece of art or listen to our favorite singer. But maybe we have to think twice before taking a transatlantic flight to such a concert. Not only because of COVID, but because of the environment, because of global warming and because of the future of our children. Let us look for alternatives. A lot of technologies are already available to deliver unforgettable experiences. Now it’s a matter of starting with digital transformation. Don’t wait for anyone to give you a license to digital transformation, you already have one. Step up and be a leader in digital transformation. Like the future leaders who are participating in the ‘Leadership for Digital Transformation’ program that Antwerp Management School developed for CultuurConnect in Flanders.
References
Catching up with technology
(1.1) https://fresco.work/fresco-museum
(1.1.2) https://news.artnet.com/market/talking-galleries-2018-takeaways-1207862
(1.2) Museum of the future https://cultureactioneurope.org/download/?filename=/files/2017/04/Museum-of-the-future.compressed-1.pdf
(1.3) Does flash photography damage art? https://gizmodo.com/does-flash-photography-really-damage-art-the-persisten-5928378
(1.4) Big Data for Music Festivals
https://digital.hbs.edu/platform-digit/submission/big-data-for-music-festivals/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisakocay/2020/04/08/dgtl-music-festival-digital/#1acbc2df78d6
(1.5) Live concerts take the virtual out of virtual reality https://www.wired.com/brandlab/2017/07/live-concerts-take-virtual-virtual-reality/
(2.1) Covid-19 crisis closes 90 percent of museums globally, UNESCO plans for reopening. https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/05/1064362
(2.2) Forbes.Covid-19 Pandemic Could Shutter A Third of All U.S. Museums. https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2020/07/22/covid-19-pandemic-could-shutter-a-third-of-all-us-museums/#b9ed7f01d040
(2.3) NEMO survey on museums and COVID-19 https://www.ne-mo.org/advocacy/our-advocacy-work/museums-during-covid-19.html
(2.4) One-third of France’s galleries may permanently close due to covid-19 pandemic. https://www.artforum.com/news/one-third-of-french-galleries-may-permanently-close-due-to-covid-19-pandemic-82713
Major musical event cancelations.
(2.5) https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/touring/9323647/concerts-canceled-coronavirus-list
(2.6) https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/covid-19-concert-cancellation-tracking/
(2.7) Job losses in Flanders https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2020/08/04/muzieksector-schrijft-open-brief-na-ontslagronde-ab-als-we-nog/
(3.1) (Ponsignon, F., Durrieu, F. and Bouzdine-Chameeva, T. (2017), "Customer experience design: a case study in the cultural sector", Journal of Service Management, Vol. 28 No. 4, pp. 763-787. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-01-2017-0016
(3.2) Business design & innovation toolbook https://offer.antwerpmanagementschool.be/en/download-business-design-innovation-toolbook-3?hsCtaTracking=783fd4bd-4a80-4b0f-80ef-91885716fd4f%7C176a5b5c-4267-4689-8488-bcd9b8743c01
(3.3) Live VR convert in Fortnite https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/travis-scott-fortnite-concert-989209/
(3.4) Sensorium live events https://sensoriumgalaxy.com