Learning Package 5 - Virtual Arts and Culture

Photo credit: Retrieved from www.pexels.com/photo/empty-hallway-3527701/

Technological advances have enabled us to access art and culture from across the world in unprecedented ways. Today, we can visit a museum virtually in the middle of the night without crossing the thresholds of our doors. With COVID-19 and the closure of arts and cultural spaces, such digital options have become even more diverse and ubiquitous. This has prompted a re-think about how digital modes can become one of the primary ways of accessing art and culture.

In Singapore, theatre companies such as Wild Rice, Pangdemonium, and the Necessary Stage have made their shows available online, while cultural institutions like the National Library, the National Gallery and the National Museum of Singapore have created virtual experiences that are accessible from home.¹

We cannot expect these digital platforms to substitute the physical experiences of performances or visiting exhibitions and shows. There is something irreplaceable about the immediacy of a live theatrical production, the atmosphere created by the cadences of a live symphonic orchestra, or the feeling of being drawn into the physical enormity of a Pollock painting, because such experiences cannot be fully replicated on our computer screens or smartphones.

However, digital platforms can afford new ways of representing and appreciating art, and encourage the creation of works specifically for the digital medium. Further, a work’s distribution and longevity can be extended when it is made available online.

Explore the resources below to find out more about virtual arts and culture. Look out for our next instalment where we will explore sports and fitness in the new normal.

Videos & Podcasts

1. Viewing art in the digital age

Viewing art in the digital age (Part I) Viewing art in the digital age (Part I). (2019, January 11). UNTITLED, ART. Podcast. Retrieved 2020, May 11.

Viewing art in the digital age (Part II) Viewing art in the digital age (Part I). (2019, January 11). UNTITLED, ART. Podcast. Retrieved 2020, May 11.

2. Cultural policies in the digital age

Cultural policies in the digital age. (2018, April 12). UNESCO. Retrieved 2020, May 11.

3. Visiting museums online

Source: Visiting museums online. (2020, April 12). CBS Sunday Morning. Retrieved 2020, May 16.

4. LIVE EPISODE:…with live performance in the digital age

LIVE EPISODE:…with live performance in the digital age. (2019, February 15). What on Earth is Going On? Retrieved 2020, May 11.

5. Art in the age of Instagram

Source: Art in the age of Instagram. (2016, March 2). TEDx. Retrieved 2020, May 11.

Websites

1. 'Beginning of a new era': How culture went virtual in the face of crisis

Feinstein, L. (2020, April 8). ‘Beginning of a new era’: How culture went virtual in the face of crisis. The Guardian. Retrieved 2020, May 5.

2. COVID-19 sparks questions about arts in the digital age

Toh, W.L. (2020, April 27). COVID-19 sparks questions about arts in the digital age. The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020, May 8.

3. Even during COVID-19, art ‘brings us closer together than ever’ – UN cultural agency

Culture and Education (2020, April 15). Even during COVID-19, art ‘brings us closer together than ever’ – UN cultural agency. United Nations. Retrieved 2020, May 16.

4. National Library Exhibitions

Exhibitions, National Library. Singapore (2020, May 18). National Library Exhibitions. National Library Board. Retrieved 2020, May 18.

5. What’s next for art in the digital age: A conversation to be continued

Kozlowski, L. (2014). What’s next for art in the digital age: A conversation to be continued. Forbes. Retrieved 2020, May 11.

6. New frontiers: Art in the digital age

Hallett, R. (2018). New frontiers: Art in the digital age. Raconteur. Retrieved 2020, May 11.

7. Digital technology and engagement in the arts

National Arts Council (2019, December). Arts & Culture Research Newsletter. National Arts Council Singapore. Retrieved 2020, May 8.

eBooks

1. The digital plenitude: The decline of elite culture and the rise of new media

Bolter, J.D. (2019). The digital plenitude: The decline of elite culture and the rise of new media. USA: The MIT Press. Retrieved from OverDrive. (myLibrary ID is required to access this eBook.)

2. Museums in the digital age: Changing meanings of place, community, and culture

Bautista, S.S. (2013). Museums in the digital age: Changing meanings of place, community, and culture. UK: AltaMira Press. Retrieved from OverDrive. (myLibrary ID is required to access this eBook.)

3. Make it the same: Poetry in the age of global media

Edmond, J. (2020). Make it the same: Poetry in the age of global media. USA: Columbia University Press. Retrieved from OverDrive. (myLibrary ID is required to access this eBook.)

4. Theatre and the digital

Blake, B. (2014). Theatre and the digital. UK: Macmillan Education. Retrieved from OverDrive. (myLibrary ID is required to access this eBook.)

Journal Articles

1. From arts marketing to audience enrichment: How digital engagement can deepen and democratize artistic exchange with audiences

Walmsley, B. (2016). From arts marketing to audience enrichment: How digital engagement can deepen and democratize artistic exchange with audiences. Poetics, 58, (pp. 66-78). Retrieved 2020, May 8.

2. Digital geographies of public art: New global politics

Zebracki, M., & Luger, J. (2019). Digital geographies of public art: New global politics. Progress in Human Geography, 43(5), 890–909. Retrieved 2020, May 8 via NLB’s eResources website (myLibrary ID is required to access this article.)

3. Exploring the potentials and challenges of virtual distribution of contemporary art

Blume, J. (2017). Exploring the potentials and challenges of virtual distribution of contemporary art. In Frömming U., Köhn S., Fox S., & Terry M. (Eds.). Digital environments: Ethnographic perspectives across global online and offline spaces , (pp. 97-116). Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag. Retrieved 2020, May 8 via NLB’s eResources website (myLibrary ID is required to access this article.)

4. Let’s get virtual: Examination of best practices to provide public access to digital versions of three-dimensional objects

Johnson, T. M. (2016). Let’s get virtual: Examination of best practices to provide public access to digital versions of three-dimensional objects. Information Technology & Libraries, 35(2), 39–55. Retrieved 2020, May 8 via NLB’s eResources website (myLibrary ID is required to access this article.)

5. Online role-playing games and the definition of theatre

Nellhaus, T. (2017). Online role-playing games and the definition of theatre. New Theatre Quarterly, 33(4), 345–359. Retrieved 2020, May 8 via NLB’s eResources website (myLibrary ID is required to access this article.)

Chinese and Tamil resources

1. 肺炎疫情：虚拟科技突破艺术时空限制

吕嘉鸿 。（2020年 3月 17日）。肺炎疫情：虚拟科技突破艺术时空限制。BBC英伦网。 Retrieved 2020, May 4.

With the outbreak of COVID-19 worldwide, major art exhibitions have been cancelled and galleries and museums closed. This has prompted the use of modern technology to continue art and cultural activities virtually.

2. 文化产业拥抱数字化转型

周范。（2020年 3月 17日）。文化产业拥抱数字化转型。新华网。 Retrieved 2020, May 4.

Many cultural activities have gone digital as a result of COVID-19. While some experiences cannot be replicated online, the writer contemplates if this presents new opportunities for the cultural industry.

3. கலை அனுபவம்....புதிய தொழில்நுட்பங்கள் வழி

கலை அனுபவம்….புதிய தொழில்நுட்பங்கள் வழி (2019). Tamil Seithi News & Current Affairs. Retrieved 2020, April 28.

The Stamford Arts Centre, which re-opened in 2019, provides a different art experience with its virtual reality and augmented reality technologies.

Disclaimer/ Rights statement
The information in this resource guide is valid as of May 2020 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history on the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
All Rights Reserved. National Library Board Singapore 2020.

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