Dataton WATCHOUT multi-image production and presentation software is now managing the display of content in the stunning Ruskin Digital Gallery which opened in May 2011 at the Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge Campus, U.K.

“The gallery has been installed with Dataton WATCHOUT throughout, enabling content to seamlessly flow from screen to screen via a dedicated fibre- and copper-based AV LAN which was commissioned by Snelling Business Systems. Artists’ works are displayed on various projected and HD displays,” said Toby Wise, managing director at Snelling Business Systems.

The Ruskin Digital Gallery was created to be the first of its kind in the United Kingdom, with artwork in the gallery displayed in digital format, on state-of-the-art high-definition displays, as well as allowing traditional hanging, generating maximum flexibility for the area.

“This is a hugely valuable facility for Anglia Ruskin University, the city of Cambridge and the U.K.,” said Chris Owen, head of the Cambridge School of Art. ”Whether students are studying fine art, photography, animation or film production, the opportunity to exhibit digital artwork is of paramount importance in the contemporary art world. This exhibition space is already attracting interest from a wide range of international artists, and we are confident it will soon become a major attraction in the cultural life not just of Cambridge but the whole region.”

“The very nature of WATCHOUT means that the staff at Cambridge can enjoy the ease-of-use control interface for managing content and displays of a constantly changing array of art pieces,” said Fredrik Svahnberg, marketing and communications manager at Dataton, Linköping, Sweden. “We’re delighted to be involved in bringing artists’ work to life with WATCHOUT veteran, Snelling Business Systems.”

“The Digital Gallery provides us with a transformative medium on several levels,” said Andy Salmon, deputy dean, Partnerships and Enterprise, Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences. “The stunning technology allows us to show work that was previously by comparison poorly accessible. Moreover, as the space is designed to function as a live unit, it enables us to choreograph the digital visual arts in ways previously unavailable. This enables cross-over and cross platform activity between different disciplines previously unimaginable, not only breaking down the barriers between artistic disciplines, but between arts and science and business. Similarly, the Gallery’s design and facility has not lost connection with the traditions of art galleries. It is still a visual arts space, fashioned to allow all the potentials of the new to exist simultaneously alongside the static media of painting, sculpture, graphics, illustration. In summary, these synergies mean we have something of enormous value to students, researchers, collaborative enterprises and businesses. The Gallery is a game changer of international potential.”

The project has been shortlisted in the Education Project of the Year category in the 2011 AV Awards. Winners of categories will be announced at official ceremony taking place at the Hilton Park Lane on 30 September 2011.

Source: Dataton