2. What is the Geeks-In-Residence programme?
• A unique opportunity worth up to £6k for digital talent to work with a Scottish cultural host organisation
on an open, explorative brief
• The purpose of the residencies is to connect high quality digital talent with forward-looking cultural
host organisations with so that the hosts can evolve the way they related to technology and
technologists. The residencies should therefore attract talent who are interested in being part of that
mission rather than those just looking for another piece of general work.
• Your residency will have four elements:
1. Exploring - working together with the host organisation to identify a project opportunity that best
uses your talents and matches an interest area of theirs
2. Making - creating a tangible prototype as an output of the residency
3. Coaching - developing your host’s understanding of development or design by sharing aspects of your
methods, your thinking, your networks and your world
4. Sharing - attending up to two events and telling your story through the SyncTank magazine
• The £6k fee is expected to cover a minimum of 15 days and includes travel, expenses & VAT
• The residencies last from appointment in May/June and must be completed by early December 2013.
Exact timings of your residency are are to be agreed between you and your host e.g. you can either do it
all together or spread out over a number of months.
• Please note that the term geek is simply used as a fun label - so you need not self-identify as a geek
but are happy to use the label for the purpose of this role
• You will also be assigned a handler from the core Sync team whose role is to support you and your host
to get the most out of your time together
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3. The skills & experience required for the role
Essential
• You are a software developer or UX/UI/technical designer
• You have a portfolio of interesting work
• You understand the purpose of the residency and want to help demonstrate how the arts can work
with digital tools & talent in new progressive ways
• You are a good communicator and are able to explain your ideas and your processes to a non-
technical audience
• You are able to spend at least part of the residency on-site with your host in Scotland
• You have availability during the period from June to November 2013
• You are used to hacking, prototyping, experimenting & trialling ideas
• You are a self-starter, collaborative, respond well to being trusted and can deal with ambiguity at
the start of a project process
• You are happy to work with a service designer on your project
Desired
• You have a history of speaking, blogging or writing about your areas of expertise/interest
• You have an active interest in at least one of theatre, dance, music or visual art
• You can offer a day-rate which offers your best value to the Host and to the Sync programme
Also note that
• You may apply as an independent freelancer, company or agency but you have to apply as a named
individual and be able to get permission from your company to carry out the role
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6. Host #1: The Arches
The iconic Glasgow performance venue
A venue for clubbing, live music and performance with a thriving bar and
cafe, the Arches hosts intelligent, ground-breaking productions and offering
emergent artists a supportive platform for risk-taking. The Arches is the
ideal place to explore the use of digital technology in our work and its
applications for the future - both in terms of audience engagement,
communication between artists and the exploration of new artistic forms and
practices.
Why do they want a geek-in-residence?
With so many different activities within the building and the potential for
crossover between them there is so much potential for innovative digital
projects. This is an ideal time to work with them since the Arches will have
wifi throughout the building from May for the first time and we start a major
refurbishment of key areas of the venue this summer which could be a good
opportunity to focus on improvements and innovations for our new
environment as well as open doors for new artistic techniques.
Residency champion
Jackie Wylie, Artistic Director
Primary location
www.arches.co.uk
Glasgow
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8. Host #2: Bodysurf Scotland
The rural dance organisation with national ambition
Bodysurf Scotland is based in the Findhorn EcoVillage Community in the
North East of Scotland, known throughout the world as a major international
centre of personal and spiritual transformation and sustainable living.
Bodysurf Scotland is passionate about contemporary dance,movement and
art and love sharing that passion through promoting and producing events
that make a positive difference in the world.
Why do they want a geek-in-residence?
They are used to hosting artists, intellectuals and innovators, though have
not yet hosted a ‘geek’. They would like to host a Geek-in-residence to
inspire us and take them places they haven’t considered or imagined before.
We have no specific or prescriptive ideas and are completely open to the
direction the collaboration will go but we are interested in how the residency
might engage with their wider artistic ambitions of supporting contemporary
dance practice, the challenges of being based in a rural location, potential
uses of their venue and importantly, the sustainability ethic of the company.
Residency champion
Karl Jay Lewin, Artistic Director
Primary location
www.bodysurfscotland.co.uk
Moray
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9. The Regent Bridge by Callum Innes was a commission for the 2012 festival
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10. Host #3: Edinburgh Art Festival
The UK’s largest annual festival of visual art in its 10th year
Taking place in August and delivered in partnership with Edinburgh’s leading
galleries, museums and artist run spaces, EAF presents contemporary
works in the context of important modern and historical artists. Each year,
the programme consists of new publicly sited commissioned artworks by
leading and emerging artists, over 45 major exhibitions and a month of
special events, tours and performances. We record over 250,000 attendances
each year.
Why do they want a geek-in-residence?
As a small but growing team they are continually looking for innovative ways
to improve: both the content of the programme and how it is developed and
delivered operationally with the network of partner galleries; and how they
communicate and develop new audiences. Each year commissioned artists
create works which invite the public or the city to participate in some way.
Having a digital-savvy voice in the EAF team will allow development of these
artworks in order to make public participation as accessible and deep as
possible through supporting individual artists.
Residency champion
Sorcha Carey, Director
www.edinburghartfestival.com/
Primary location
Edinburgh
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11. A scene11
from the National Theatre of Scotland’s Ignition, Shetland, March 2013
12. Host #4: National Theatre of Scotland
The iconic Glasgow performance venue
The National Theatre of Scotland has no building of our own, which gives
them the freedom to go where their audiences, and artists, take them. In the
last twelve months, for example, NTS has taken theatre to a church in Fife,
an office block in Belfast, a swimming pool in Glasgow, a nightclub in Falkirk,
schools in rural Scotland by bike and streamed live online. NTS is still a very
young organization, and flexible enough to know that we still need to be
challenged in the right ways by the right people.
Why they want a geek-in-residence?
NTS are particularly interested in developing a creative working relationship
with someone who will help us to energise their artistic activity in the digital
sphere. To co-evolve a new way of thinking about how they make theatre, not
merely to enhance what they already do, but to take our whole approach in
new directions. NTS are looking for someone to lead them, and the artists we
support, in a conversation about what’s possible, to stimulate their
imaginations and effect change in the way they use technology to tell stories
in theatre.
Residency champion
Caroline Newall, Director of Artistic Development
Primary location www.arches.co.uk
Glasgow
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13. 13 An image from their 2012 prouction of Peter Pan
14. Host #5: Visible Fictions
Making brilliant theatre for young people
Visible Fictions is a renowned touring theatre company with over 21 years’
experience. They are storytellers, collaborators, creators and innovators,
constantly seeking news ways to develop and present work both in the UK
and abroad. Working across both the creative and administrative teams, a
residency with Visible Fictions will give the Geek the opportunity to be an
integral part of this exciting company and a vital contributor in the creative
process of a new touring work.
Why they want a geek-in-residence?
They want to use technology in a show but don’t know how. They want to
create a performance which uses the latest technology in a clever and
creative way to bring the audience into a virtual world and produce a truly
unique experience. We feel having a geek would give us the time to develop
ideas and inform us of the possibilities. We need someone to bridge the gap
between our ambitious ideas and what is possible, to shape, build and create
a ground-breaking arts experience.
Residency champion
Dougie Irvine, Artistic Director
Primary location
Glasgow www.visiblefictions.co.uk/
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16. Apply at welcometosync.com/geeks by Mon May 6th 12pm
You will be asked the following questions
• Name
• Contact details
• Location
• Whether you are an independent freelancer or work through a company
• Please concisely describe what kind of developer or designer you are
• Please show us any key examples of work which you think are relevant to this role
• Please tell us about your approach or methodologies that best describe your development or design
process
• Do you have any experience of working in the cultural sector?
• This is not a typical piece of client work. What pitfalls do you imagine coming across if you were to
be chosen?
• Which hosts would you like to apply to work with and why? (You can choose one, many or apply to
all)
• Can you name a piece of art or cultural experience in the last year that meant something to you?
What was it and what was it about it?
• Do you have time in w/c May 13th for a quick chat?
• What is the best value daily rate that you can charge for this project?
• Are there any periods from June to December 2013 that you know you definitely cannot work?
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17. Next steps
This is the process once applications close
• Applications close May 6th
• Assessment and shortlisting by Sync producer team
• Shortlisted applicants either interviewed by Skype or additional information requested
• Five geeks confirmed and matched to hosts by May 31st
• Initial introduction to hosts in early June
• Kick-off meeting date tbc
• All residencies to have been completed by December 1st 2013
Please note that selection is at the discretion of the Sync producer team.
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18. Key information for applicants
This slide repeat some information but it is important you understand the following before applying:
This is not for you if
• If you have a full time job with only spare evenings and weekends
• If you will find it difficult to come to Scotland for events and on-site time
• If you see this merely as a way of making some more money
• If you don’t have any availability June through December this year
This is for you if
• You are able to communicate with and support people less digitally literate than you
• You are able to generate and test project ideas quickly
• You are interested in the new possibilities of where the arts meets digital technologies
• You are open to learning from the host’s world and how they operate
• You have a history and/or interest in experimenting, prototyping or hacking
Please also note that this is likely to be a very popular opportunity and we expect many more
applications than we have capacity for. The absolute worst thing about running programmes like this
is not being able to make room for everyone and so the Sync team appreciate a) your patience while
we review all the applications and make our choice and b) your willingness to take that risk.
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20. Sync is a two-year programme for the
cultural sector in Scotland – helping cultural
organisations develop more interesting and
progressive relationships with technology and
technologists.
Sync consists of the landmark Culture Hack
Scotland event, this Geeks-in-Residence
programme, SyncTank the future-facing online
magazine and the Sync Sessions events.
Sync is supported by Creative Scotland.
Find out more at www.welcometosync.com.
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