technospaces: the edge

in the forward to the fantastic book, technospaces: inside the new media, editor sally munt writes about the dynamic nature of culture, that is both binary and complex. And in it, she highlights the unanswered questions about what the future holds for culture in the so-called Information Age:

"what will be the new strategies, tactics or dispositions [in this Age]? What will happen to identity after Postmodern? Will cyberlife ensure further fratured forms of consciousness and social atomism?"

most of the 'spaces' discussed in the book are that of the public realm: online/institutional and traditional public spaces and the ways in which technology, or technological systems are changing/influencing dynamics in these areas.

I would be interested to see what the contributers to the book thought of the SLQ's new venture The Edge: Digital Culture Centre and whether it answers any of those questions.

It is a quasi-programmed public space, within a public institution, that is specifically geared towards investigating, researching and sharing new and traditional kinds of experiences within the culture of (digital) technology.



When i went to Brisbane last month, i happened to time it perfectly so I could attend the opening of the new space/program (note the forward slash. no rocket ships). i had previously applied (unsuccessfully) to the resident program, but was still very keen to check out the space, see for myself what kind of possibilities it held and to show my support in a way. plus i got to attend a low-key, but very exciting workshop on Fruity Loops.

My excitement, as it stands to date, is at the potential of The Edge.

The launch seemed like fun - a bit of music stuff, a few peeps sitting around, obligatory twitter hashtags (including a very cool twitter blimp) and some live streaming. The next day was super quiet - a lot of people still trying to figure out exactly what the crux of the space is about; mandatory technical difficulties (some matter with projectors and labelling - see, technology is really all about the labels) and a lot of touch screens.

I registered for an Edge Account and I've got myself a little project planned (even from Melbourne), but i can imagine that if I was in Brisbane, this is a space that would quickly ramp up in my usage. As far as I can tell, it's like the awesomest library/AV department you've ever seen, with a cafe, on the river. I'm not quite sure what some of the meeting spaces will be used for exactly, but if i was a film-maker, or musician, i think they'd be great project spaces to work in for development.

Given the size of the auditorium, i was kinda amused it wasn't fitted with surround sound, especially given the depth of amazing sound artists in Brisbane, who could probably benefit from a space that was geared more towards a particular array. But the availability of the space and its focus on multi-ness will be interesting to keep tabs on.



It is early days yet and i have no doubt that the esteemed David Cranswick (ex-d/Lux Media Arts) and his team will crank this into something amazing - their workshops alone are enviable. Although i can't wait until their blog is a little more social and a little less bulletin board. ahem. :)

Watch this space peeps.