Collab Digital Fellowship
On Tuesday 29 June 2021, the Growing Data Foundation was announced as the winner of the inaugural 2021 Collab Digital Cultural Fellowship by the Chief Executive of the Department of Premier and Cabinet, Nick Reade. GDF was selected for its submitted project, Data Stories in a Climate of Change. The Fellowship attracted national and international attention, but the judging panel unanimously recommended the Growing Data Foundation as the winner.
Data Stories in a Climate of Change
Data Stories in a Climate of Change aims to develop a ‘proof of value’ digital exemplar for the creation of rich data stories reflecting on the cultural, historical, scientific, environmental and economic changes to the River Murray over time.
The Growing Data Foundation will achieve this by drawing extensively on the rich digital (and other) collections of ‘artefacts’ held by each of the participating Collab cultural institutions and, using a range of digital tools, technologies and publicly accessible data sources, bring these artefacts to life in real-time.
Artefacts drawn upon may include:
- Paintings, diaries and oral histories
- Physical objects, books and newspaper articles
- Photographs, music and poetry
Digital tools and technologies may include environmental sensors, data ingestion and display tools, and physical assets such as public fountains and sculptures that change properties according to real-time data.
Other data sources that may be accessed include geospatial data and government datasets — for example the Atlas of Living Australia, Bureau of Meteorology, CSIRO data, and State Flora Catalogues.
In developing the digital exemplar, the Growing Data Foundation will also explore possible collaborations between the Collab cultural institutions and other organisations with a keen interest in using data to inform their own renewal and sustainability projects, and who have their own sources of cultural artefacts that can help build the stories of River Murray ecosystem change.
About the Fellowship
The Collab Digital Cultural Fellowship is a joint initiative of the State Library of South Australia, the South Australian Museum, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the History Trust of South Australia and the Botanic Gardens of South Australia.
The Fellowship establishes an opportunity for creative technologists, digital artists and digital humanists to develop innovative new ways for audiences to discover and experience South Australia’s stories through the North Terrace Cultural Precinct’s significant digital collection holdings.
The 2021 Collab Digital Cultural Fellowship comprised:
- A $10,000 honorarium
- Access to collections and staff — including collection specialists, curators, scientists and educators — across the North Terrace Cultural Precinct
- Access to office space, high-speed internet and cloud data storage via the Collab
- Access to precinct-wide events, activities and behind-the-scenes experiences for the duration of the Fellowship
The Growing Data Foundation team is extremely excited about working collaboratively with South Australia’s finest cultural institutions to deliver a digital exemplar that is world-class, unique and of tremendous value to all South Australian communities.