At the end of 2019 I recorded the inaugural episode of Substrakt's Digital Works Podcast series and it was released in February 2020. Substrakt is an arts focused digital agency and the interview was run by Ash, the managing director.
Why me?
There's lots of fantastic people in the art world so why me? I was on a long list of people they wanted to get onto the podcast and as I was leaving the Royal Academy of Arts at the end of 2019 time was short so by necessity I was the first recording. Ash felt my experience as a relative newcomer/outsider to the arts world would be interesting. He also shared a list of who else they planned to interview - was happy to be part of a range of voices from a variety of institutions.
Recording logistics
Ash had all the kit for the podcast we just needed a space. Manged to bag a hard to get meeting room at the RA, we struggled to attach the kit to the curved edges of the desk and half way through one of the microphones wasn't recording properly. If I recall correctly we huddled together around one microphone, our long lanky legs knocking together under the table. Not a situation suited to today's socially distanced new world!
The Recording
My first podcast - it's that weird balance between a casual chat and a prepared talk. Love giving talks and work hard to get the pace and delivery right but a casual chat is different - had to ensure I didn't speak too quick and to try and cover all the key points despite the more rambling nature of the medium. Overall I think it worked out well - in particular I wanted to get across that whatever the RA has achieved digitally it's been because of the strength of the team and the support from some key people. I stand by most of what I said although anything recorded in 2019 and released in early 2020 looks a little dated given the current covid concerns. Let's see if my prediction that I'll be back in the arts sector in ten years time comes true.
Thanks
Huge thanks first to the team at the RA who have delivered some amazing projects and gave me something to talk about. Secondly thanks to Substrakt for putting together this collection of podcasts and in addition the work they have done with the RA. Finally a huge thanks to Ash - from my start in the sector he has been incredibly friendly and generous with his time. We didn't think Substrakt would work with us as we had a tech team but glad we got to work on the Young Artists Summer Show together. Ash has been a fantastic friend too and have enjoyed catching up at all the art events as well as sharing our love and frustrations with running.
Hope you enjoy the podcast and happy to answer any questions or thoughts you might have about it.