Elevating the audience curiosity through storytelling and digital experiences
Interview with Anthony Bastic AM,
Founder & CEO, AGB Events
As Corinne ESTRADA, CEO of Communicating the Arts, discusses with Anthony Bastic AM, Founder and CEO of AGB Events, we learn how strong narratives are essential in creating digital exhibitions.
Anthony, you have been in the event industry for 15 years and have seen how digital experiences have taken shape in the cultural space. What are your thoughts on these two worlds coming together?
I think that the two worlds are merging for several reasons. Especially coming out of Covid, people want to be together, they want to enjoy experiences in the same environment and same space as other people. This tells me that there’s a sense of community that is re-establishing itself and what we need to do as designers of these cultural experiences is to look a little bit more deeply as to what people want to learn, hear, see, and feel. People want to learn, and they are really interested in hearing other people’s stories. There is a curiosity level that is always present, but I think that through Covid, we have been able to come out of a time where we can now look out towards the world again and be present together.
Do you think that the audience attending these public events are the same than the one attending cultural exhibitions in art galleries and museums?
I think yes and no, it really depends on what the topic is, what the sort of experiences and the age group that the experience’s aimed at. An important thing to think about is the cost of things. Everywhere in the world the cost of living is rising. Therefore, cultural institutions and designers of cultural experiences need to be aware of these changes of costs and the pressure some people are feeling now. We need to be thinking about how to design experiences that everybody can experience. I believe that everybody should have access to a cultural life and the barrier should not be financial. Everyone should have the same opportunities of accessing culture because that is what keeps our curiosity level.
Parrtjima – A Festival in Light
In the world of digital experiences, there are big organisations such as Moment Factory or Tokyo Lab which create immersive experiences, and other that create curated shows. How do you see the trend going?
I come from the belief that if there is no narrative, people won’t be interested. If I don’t understand the storyline, or if there is no storyline, then why do I bother going to this experience. AGB curated experiences are deeply rooted in narratives. There are designed with the wealth of knowledge that exists in cultural institutions, from their curators, the keepers of this knowledge. As an ‘experience designer’, when I am working with a cultural institution to create an exhibition, I want to collaborate with curators, and this is how we are going to make the experience richer.
There has been a big dilemma between experiential design and what curators are doing. As curators want to keep their objects, there is a clash between the permanent collection and digital. How do you get the curators to work on the digital shows?
We must think about the audience first because they will be the ones consuming the storyline. Audiences are more technologically savvy these days than 10, 15, 20 years ago. Cultural institutions really need to be embracing digital storytelling because that is how they will connect with a wider younger audience and keep the curiosity level high to continue to grow their relevance and fulfil their role as a cultural institution.
Parrtjima – A Festival in Light
AGB Events has created the artistic content of the Parrtjima Light Festival in Alice Springs. What did you learn from this experience working with the Indigenous community?
It was probably one of the most enriching experiences that me and my team were able to have. We were working with the oldest continuous culture on earth, hearing stories from the Arrernte people, and ensuring that these ancient stories remained relevant today. We had to combine and enhance these ancient storylines with the newest technology to create an experience for a new generation. It was incredibly empowering to watch and experience expression and feedback from a younger audience as they were learning about these ancient stories. It was an exceptional opportunity to be able to share Arrernte stories through modern technology.
You also had the opportunity to work on international projects and be involved in Expo 2020 in Dubai. What did you learn from working with the Middle East?
I wanted to put myself in contact with the Emirates. It is important when you are going to another culture to learn and let yourself be guided by that culture. AGB Events was fortunate enough to come at the very beginning of the creative discussions of how the Emirates were going to be presenting this World Expo. We were guided by the local Emirates to develop the creative strategy which brought to light their stories and then convey them in a modern context. We learned that all cultures are similar in that everybody wants to hear their own stories being told. It is up to us to really listen and present something that the wider community can enjoy, understand and be curious about.
Al Wasl Plaza Expo 2020 Dubai
AGB Events created the digital show ‘Beauty Rich and Rare’, a universal exhibition about Australian biodiversity in the 18th century which went to the Smithsonian in Washington DC. How do you see the topics about biodiversity and climate change addressed by cultural institutions?
We must be part of the discussion of climate change. It is important that as art practitioners and creative designers, we can give voice to the importance of biodiversity. ‘Beauty Rich and Rare’ is looking at the voyage of Captain Cook through the eyes of Joseph Banks who was a botanist. The message I was trying to convey was that these plants first seen by Europeans through this journey were incredibly important and were a game changer at the time. It was a catalyst that started the first botanical garden in the UK through Kew Gardens. I wanted to show that plants are as important if not more important now, as it was when first discovered by Europeans.
Beauty Rich and Rare exhibition designed by AGB Events
Can you see the Australian voice be universal?
We live on one of the most biodiverse land on earth. 80% of the land mass is inhabited or untouched. We can be a voice in the climate discussions, and we should be through our presentation of art and exhibitions.
Further on your passion for biodiversity and history, you set up an exhibition about the untold story of Josephine’s Garden. How do you see these messages going to France as an Australian story? How will you address the topic to the French audience?
This a shared story between France and Australia. French through their curiosity were looking at the world in a different way than the Britain Empire who were colonisers as well. When they came to Australia, they were mostly interested in the scientific aspects (collecting rare plants and animals to take them to France). This was an interesting story to me and I thought essential to help people understand the links between Australia and France have been existence since that time and still are today.
How do you see the future of AGB as an Australian voice helping art institutions around the world?
Our work inspires and engages more people to participate in cultural experiences. AGB is a transformative force in connecting individuals and communities to stories, culture, and history through reimagined storytelling, light and digital artistry. Our works are narrative led and bringing to life the stories behind the art and the artefacts is what we are passionate about.