What is the most urgent need that you have?
Concerning the topic, I think one of the challenges from a policy point of view lies in the structural alliance between different policy domains and a way to translate them into working instruments for policy and practice. Overall I think there is also a challenge in the imbedding of new media-art in broader society; I think it might still lack understanding and acceptance which can undermine its sustainable development and potential impact.
What is the best/ interesting case or project on new media arts that you have just recently experienced?
I’ve recently been in contact with some projects, but mainly from a jury-perspective; the projects themselves are still ‘under construction’.
I would like to mention though the VACF project which has been one of the pioneer projects in the collaborative research institute IBBT. The Virtual Arts Centre of the Future was an ICT-research project which brought together university researchers, a cultural institution ‘de Vooruit’, an artist collective ‘Workspace Unlimited’ and companies. The aim of VACF is the development of three strongly integrated demonstrators: a web platform, a 3D environment and a decentralised collective Customer Relationship Management application (CRM).
The project was not only an interesting case from a research point of view but maybe even more as a possible statement (as in: culture is also a domain of interest and importance for collaborative ICT-research) and as learning process for all the parties involved.
In your opinion, is there a potential for change on and change through a policy level, i.e. has the status of policy as an accelerator/ a meaningful factor for practice changed?
I think policy can be a meaningful factor in the development of practice. Policy and practice need however to work in a dialogue and communicate in order to create that potential acceleration or change. But as I noticed in Flanders, policy developments (stated in documents such as the Flemish Innovation plan or the publication on E-culture) have led to new policy initiatives which will or can have an impact on the development of practice
