Culture is future » Innovation and digital

08.06.2012

Article - Hackers do also go into culture

After having developed a ‘free software culture’, hackers commit themselves to make culture more accessible in legal ways.

Do not mix up cracker and hacker

In the underground of the computing, the cracker (black hat) is the one who uses his skills for malicious actions or voluntary damage and who wrecks computers or companies with virus. He is not to be mistaken with the hacker, who tries to facilitate the access of more people to computing and software. The hacker works on the creation of programs, software or free applications put at everyone’s disposal (Firefox, GNU/Linux…) as well as on the improvement of networks’ security. He also defends a specific hacker ethos: free sharing.

The loyal hacker (white hat) enjoys collaborative environment. And meeting his peers: several hacker events foster a strong intellectual and computer emulation. Las Vegas, for example, hosts the DEFCON where several thousands of people exchange programs and take part in discussions about the development of computing.

“Culture hack”; a collective way to make culture more accessible

Nowadays, culture became a target for hacking. “Software hacking” gave way to “culture hacking”, with one aim: to make access to culture easier for the hackers’ personal pleasure, as well as for everyone’s pleasure, and this thanks to computers. These culture hacks collaborate very closely with organizations like Google to lead in only 24-36 hours to innovating projects related to culture.

The first culture hack took place in London, in January 2011, and gathered more than 70 computer developers and more than 100 people of cultural organizations and big institutions (data came from the BBC, the National Maritime Museum, the Welsh National Opera and the UK film Council). Its aim was to create exciting cultural/digital products. Since this event, other culture hacks took place in Leeds (November 2011), in Glasgow (April 2012), in Edinburgh (May 2012), and very recently, in June 2012, in Cambridge.

Culture hacks look for innovation in all possible ways

They look for it in music, for example. The Google Cultural Institute, Joshfire, the UNESCO and The International Jazz Day set up the “Music Hack Paris” in April 2012. A real musical “hackathon” took place during three days and two nights: developers, musicians, researchers, designers and other creative people worked in little groups on projects to revolutionize music. The best groups were chosen and presented to the UNESCO during The International Jazz Day, on the 27^th of April.

Rather encouraging results

Apps facilitate the consumption of cultural contents, reaching all cultural fields. For example, the application Funny loops enables to create samples of music with friends that can be controlled and enriched by several computers. Another example is the one of an instrument that enables the organization of the notes in a new way in the space, which is a easy to use method, according to its finder, the Dualo group. Kathleen A. Kavelec, deputy chief of mission at the US mission to UNESCO, tells that these are things or ways that jazz can really take advantage of. In the artistic field, another application offers the possibility to a phone holder to know what is in a museum when he walks in the street near to it. Its author, Chris Thorpe, believes that he found the solution for people who hesitate to visit museums, because of their fear of not having enough cultural knowledge. Making information more accessible and making the museum’s presentation easier could thus convince the more recalcitrant ones to enter these cultural spaces.

“This culture hack, gathering key actors of the digital and creative spheres ensure, according to Steve Crossan, Director of the Google Cultural Institute, possibilities of low risk experimentation and the emergence of new types of professional connections.”

Sources :

http://dualo.org/2012/04/music-hack-paris-unesco-international-jazz-day-156

http://www.musichackparis.org/

http://culturehackday.org.uk/

http://culturehackday.org.uk/previous-hacks/culture-hack-east-2012/

http://culturehackday.org.uk/previous-hacks/culture-hack-london-2011/

http://www.welcometosync.com/hacks/2011/

http://culturehacknorth.co.uk/

http://www.welcometosync.com/hack/

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/hacker2.htm

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/hacker-howto.html

http://newtechusa.net/agile/culture-hacking/