Art meets technology for profitable partnership

The NGV and Telstra have bonded over a shared interest in innovation to announce a creative partnership.
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Daniel von Sturmer, Tableaux plastique (Sequence 2), Image via NGV multimedia collection.

Under the title ‘How art connects us’, Telstra and the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) have announced a major three-year creative partnership to connect audiences and expand the digital possibilities of art.

Director of the NGV Tony Ellwood said Telstra’s support and technological expertise will ensure Gallery can remain creative, inclusive and relevant. ‘We seek to explore the bounds of what is possible, and to transform the way people engage with art and with the Gallery … no matter who, or where you are.

As a digital partner, Telstra will provide infrastructure, technology and financial support to help the NGV reach their ambitions and unlock the potential of digital technology and the arts. The sum of financial support and the specifics of the collaboration are still unknown.

Admitting that Telstra and the arts may not be an obvious partnership at first glance, Telstra Chief Financial Officer and Group Executive International, Andrew Penn announced that the partnership will ‘connect technology with art, business with passion and above all people with people.

‘The joint partnership has the shared goal of empowering both Australians and people across the globe to experience the beautiful world the visual arts can create with enhanced digital connection.’

A shared goal and passion can help ensure that an arts partnerships do not go off the rails. For the Telstra and NGV partnership, the goal of connection is what bridges art and technology, explained Penn.

‘For me, art is one of the greatest opportunities for people to connect because it is creative expression that brings people together to talk about wonderful things and wonderful experiences.’

‘That’s really what Telstra is about. In fact Telstra’s vision is to create a really brilliant connected future because I think in today’s world, connection is as important as it has ever been and of course technology plays a really crucial role in that,’ said Penn.

Through enabling better connection, technology can democratise access to art, culture and new ideas. Publisher and editor of Dumbo Feather magazine Berry Liberman said, ‘the connection between art and technology is about playfulness, it’s about openness and it’s about being available to new ideas. So art is a fundamental playground to new ideas.’

As an artist, finding support and sharing your work can be challenging, but the openness and connectedness technology provides new opportunities, added Penn. ‘Technology is increasingly playing a role in the expression of art today and breaking new boundaries.’

‘In the coming weeks, months and years, Telstra and the gallery will collaborate to come up with ways that we can bring people closer to the gallery and connect them to their own passion for the arts,’ said Penn.

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Madeleine Dore
About the Author
Madeleine Dore is a freelance writer and founder of Extraordinary Routines, an interview project exploring the intersection between creativity and imperfection. She is the previous Deputy Editor at ArtsHub. Follow her on Twitter at @RoutineCurator