This weekend my colleague Gavin and I decided it would be useful (and fun!) to head along to Culture Hack Scotland, a 24 hour hackday organised by the Edinburgh Festivals Innovation Lab and themed around both the festivals and the wider Scottish cultural scene.
The Edinburgh Festivals Innovation Lab is a new(ish) initiative which has emerged from Edinburgh Festivals, the organisation that is jointly funded by all 12 of the official Edinburgh Festivals to enable them to work together throughout the year, promote initiatives and festival content etc. The idea for the Innovation Lab apparently emerged out of discussions with all of the festivals about their use or interest in digital technology: there were lots of ideas and potential for projects but they didn’t necessarily have the time or skills to take these forward. Last year the Lab hired their inaugal geek-in-residence Ben Werdmuller (he of Elgg fame) and the Culture Hack Day was a significant outcome of the work he has been doing over the last few months. Continue reading »
