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What is your current role and how long have you been working in it?
I am assistant curator of interactive resources. I find interactive ways to interpret art, providing understanding that takes place through doing, rather than just listening to a guide or reading a label. The things I create need to look after themselves. Some visitors use them in ways you expect and others in unpredicted ways and that’s always really exciting.
Can you give an example of when that happened?
In the Constable exhibition we have a screen that, when you stand in front of it, it reveals an x-ray of a painting which you can move your body to explore. Some people are doing what we want, some don’t engage with it, and others want to have fun by dancing and waving their arms. We’ve also discovered that it is affected by different colours people wear.
What would be a typical day for you?
I work part-time and usually there is one big project and a couple of smaller ones. I start from the art, artists or movement. Sometimes an idea demands use of technology and other times just a pencil and paper. Each day is different, but it can get hectic. I worked on the Constable show for eight months, two weeks ago it was absolutely crazy and now that it is up, it is a bit more relaxed.
What did you start of doing and how did you end up doing this job?
I left school without A Levels then had less than ideal jobs. When I was 25 I went to University to do computing. I was keen on computer games so I thought it could be interesting to make them. I did a degree and then went straight on to do an MA in Interaction Design at the Royal College of Art. That was where things got really interesting. I realised it was ideas that were important and that the technology should be subservient to them. After graduating this was the first job I applied for so I was lucky to get it and have been here for two years.
What are the best and worst things about the job?
Tate Britain saw there was scope for a role like mine and weren’t really sure what it would be. I am the first person in my job and have been able to define it is as I’ve gone along. One of the difficult things is that Tate Britain is a large organisation so there are a lot of meetings. With the weight of the institution things can move quite slowly.
Can you describe some of the creative aspects of your job?
I am one of the least art educated people in my department and didn’t even do art GCSE, so when we encounter a new project, I find it fascinating as I am discovering something for the first time. That allows me to be creative when coming up with ideas for projects. If I need art expertise then I chat to my colleagues, and if they need advice about people and computers then they come to me. Because I work a two and a half day week, I come in fresh and enthusiastic. The only downside is that it is hard to get things done by Friday afternoon. We have a mix of people who work different times, so it can be difficult getting people in the same room to agree upon things. In my free time I design creative things with my partner. What I do at Tate and in my own creative time can be quite similar.
Do you have any websites or resources for people who are interested in your job?
Design
Council article on Interaction Design
Doors of Perception
Fabrica
Royal College
of Art Interaction Design
MIT Media Lab
Interaction
Design Ivrea
Centre for HCI
Design
Interaction
Design Centre Middlesex
Westminster
AllofUs
Ideo
Casson Mann
Studio Irrgang
