Do you want to contribute to the way the cultural sector shares calendar data and event registrations with the public in the future? Are you a software developer, creative coder or do you have ideas on how a common cultural calendar could look like? Or are you a cultural institution that wants to make its events more accessible and reach a larger audience? Then take part in the Innovatielabs Hackathon Open Culture Data in the Skybar of the Microlab with a panoramic view of Eindhoven. During the hackathon we will think up new formats to get video registrations and calendar data to the public in a smart way. Together we build new applications of open standards to announce, archive and distribute live events.
The Hackaton takes place on Thursday 27 & Friday 28 October from 10:00 to 18:00 in the Skybar of the Microlab in Eindhoven. The Hackaton will be concluded with a final public presentation on 28 October from 18:00 to 20:00.
Deadline open call: 16 September
What is the problem?
Due to the corona measures, the cultural field has had to improvise a lot in order to keep serving the public and keep its head above water. The number of live streams and registrations of debates, performances and concerts has grown considerably. In order to continue to do this and to make this offer accessible in a sustainable way, many organisations lack knowledge and expertise. There is no consensus on which standard to use for archiving event data, which makes it difficult to store and retrieve productions sustainably. This hackathon investigates these disadvantages and works on a sustainable way to make digital offerings easily accessible for a large audience.
What is the hackathon exactly?
At a hackathon, small groups work on a creative solution to a problem. You are going to 'hack' a problem. Because the problem we are working on is data-driven, the solution must also be digital. However, this does not mean that during the hackathon you only have to sit behind your laptop. The partners of this project are NPO, Beeld & Geluid, Waag, PublicSpaces, InScience, Tetem, Pakhuis de Zwijger, Dutch Composers Now and VPRO. They have collected calendar dates and registrations to work with during this weekend. During the hackathon you go through a creative process in which you look at the needs of users, cultural institutions and programme makers. You build a prototype and ultimately deliver a solution for the chosen problem. For example, you might work on a new kind of out-of-doors agenda on specific topics such as artificial intelligence or experimental jazz, an innovative way of discovering public events or a livestream guide as an alternative to an evening of linear TV viewing. You and your team can also come up with your own ideas about what you want to get out of the Open Culture Data.
Why a hackathon?
The main goal of the hackathon is to innovate quickly and smartly based on different perspectives. We are looking for a creative and out-of-the-box solution to ensure that a sustainable way of collecting and finding agenda and registration data. The hackathon is an interesting way to do this because different people from the industry are working together on a number of solutions.
What's in it for you?
Besides the chance to think about event calendars of the future, the hackathon is a learning experience. Guided by experienced coaches from the cultural sector, you will work with a group of enthusiasts to think of innovative solutions to an interesting problem. It is also great for your network because you will meet many like-minded people who work in exciting places in the Dutch cultural field. The hackathon can also be an opportunity for you as an entrepreneur to start something based on the open culture data or for you as an employee of a cultural organisation to find new audiences with your current programming. Finally, you will spend two days at one of the most beautiful locations in Eindhoven, with delicious lunch, dinner and drinks, and you will get the chance to present your plan to the general public at the Dutch Design Week on Friday evening.
Sign up before 16 September. Want to know more first? Contact Paulien Dresscher (paulien[@]publicspaces.net), Max Tiel (mtiel[@]beeldengeluid.nl) or Keye Wester (keye[@]waag.org).
The selection for participation will be made in the first week of October at the latest.