I once remarked to the director of the British Museum, that along with art galleries, museums were ‘hospitals for the mind’. An oasis for curiosity, learning and inner peace no matter your age. I still hold that view.
On occasion, I would wander down to London’s borough of Kensington, to the V&A, the National Gallery to contemplate Turner for a period or the exhibitions at the Royal Academy. It was delightful.
Sadly, these cultural arenas have become victim, like so much else, to Covid-19 restrictions. But work continues behind the scenes.
Technicians and their colleagues are constantly honing the use of AV and all it has to offer. From the Science Museum in Kensington, Tate, National Gallery and the Royal Academy to Think Tank in Birmingham and beyond. The use of AV in these environments has become highly impactful. With the advent of high resolution screens, projectors, LED walls and virtual environments driven by gaming software like unreal engine.
To take the British Museum as an example, for some time I was the head of AV at this iconic Bloomsbury landmark, it was
a venue that, at first, used technology sparingly in exhibitions. Was its inclusion fit for purpose, could it add something? There was a rigorous process we followed that included curators, designers, exhibition specialists etc.
In the 80’s I helped install early animation displays - plasma - for the Parthenon Sculpture gallery because curators thought they would help communicate their story.
Now my successors there continuously push the envelope with shows like Troy: Myth and Reality or Manga, inventive
use of AV that has added to the journey and communicated the ‘story’ better. This narrative drive is essential.
I have since seen excellent use of the virtual at Tate Modern for example, this in the Modigliani special exhibition where with a VR headset allowed an interactive 360 view of a studio in Paris where Modigliani did his last work (the Ochre Atelier, 2018).
It complemented the ‘story’.
I’ve also climbed part of Everest with Shackleton at the Royal Geographical Institute. I fell off. But it fitted the subject perfectly - and proved I was no mountaineer!
Also, the day to day working of museum staff has changed exponentially due to technology. Especially during these lockdown times. Zoom anyone? This has now driven a whole new tranche of endeavour for the AV technician team. I speak to the reawakening of events programmes, which museums rely on for the engagement of visitors, friend’s activities and to drive vital internal income.
As we know funding via DCMS for these institutions is very tight and competition harsh. So, virtual and hybrid event delivery comes into play. It has started already. And there is no doubt in my mind our UC world and the mixed working model of office vs home will become a huge motor driving AV technicians and their roles, many of whom will need to be present ‘on site’ a lot of the time, all my experience confirms it.
This is due to the fact that although Zoom and other platforms are becoming prevalent, things like the following happen when you’re working to a tight schedule:
“oh, could you just set up a conference meeting for me at 3”
“what day?”
“today” (gulp, re-juggle schedule).
I exaggerate for point of emphasis of course, but someone will have to be on the ground to handle these things, be hands
on. Whether it’s in museum exhibitions, or the online delivery of content, for live events. The application of all this technology will have the AV technician and team at its core.
The AV Cultural Forum has the following as its strapline: ‘People, not Boxes’ because in the end it’s the people who’ll deliver these things. The technical team. AV bods. Pure and simple.
“Technology. Useful instrument, bad conductor” (sic). Discuss.