Digibury: Project Conway and the great 'is it art?' debate

March Digibury was always going to be a bit different. We not only had the big reveal of Project Conway - our Game of Life/art collaboration with University of Kent’s TinkerSoc and School of Computing - we also had a panel debate with representatives from Canterbury Arts Festival, FutureDream, Really Useful Group and Workers of Art.

And it was fascinating stuff as the panel - with audience participation - debated the merging of art, technology and all things digital. They also debated if Project Conway itself was art. The outcome? Well, let's just say the opinions were mixed!

Oh, and we're going to be sharing a video of the presentations and discussion (taster here), so keep an eye out for that, but think it might be a format we'll explore further in other appropriate Digibury's.

Putting Project Conway into context...

We've been blogging about Project Conway for a few months but the main challenge we've had is to try to explain what Game of Life is all about. Fortunately we have Stephen Hawkings' Meaning of Life to help us... So take a look at this video if you want to get a better handle on what the blazes we're working with.

#1: The vision

Keeping it short and sweet, we kicked off the evening with this presentation. Sums up the 'the big plan' perfectly!

#2: The software

Once the 'plan' was shared, the University of Kent students - and main team behind Project Conway - took to the stage to outline the software build and exlpain the web interface.

#3: The installation

Daniel Knox from University of Kent TinkerSoc presented the final part about how the hardware for Project Conway was built. Little did any of us know how dramatic the process would be!

What next for Project Conway?

Well, we're still working with the students to put to bed the last touches before Deeson Online takes the project forward with The Beaney House of Art and knowledge, where final creation will ultimately be showcased.

The plan with The Beaney is pretty simple: Project Conway is installed, and we work with their outreach team in encouraging engagement with the wider community. Once that's all done, we'll also be invite the Beaney to share their experiences at a Digibury later in the year.

Been inspired? Got something to talk about? Submit your idea here and you too can be a Digibury speaker!

Next Digibury event: April 9 at The Gulbenkian.