Intention

As part of the European project Digital Tools for Creative Collaboration, ourcollaborative.tools serves as an online platform summarizing the research of Random(Lab) on collaborative practices in art and design using digital tools. This publication features a curation of artistic projects, thought-provoking articles, a glossary, and a bibliography.

We believe that the tools crafted by artists and designers---from creative tools (preferably free) to tool-works, along with the drafting of new licenses or participation guidelines---constitute a collective work. Thus, all the projects gathered within ourcollaborative.tools share the common goal of shaping digital frameworks to foster collaborations---with peers, experts from other disciplines, a classroom, local residents, non-human beings, and so on---on both small and large scales.

Goals

Our goal extends beyond merely archiving projects. We also aim to document collective practices and examine how artists and designers utilize, combine, and even modify existing tools, as well as develop new ones that align with their unique working methods, so that these tools can be adapted to align with their specific working methods and not the other way around. To achieve this, we will curate a collection of articles and a mediagraphy that provide a critical perspective on digital collaboration and the creation of situated tools for artistic purposes.

The platform is intended for use by designers and artists, whether they are students or professionals, who are interested in topics such as collaboration, cooperation, contribution, participation, the creative process, free software (FOSS), computer development, and visual arts.

Content

A catalogue of projects, each presented in the form of an outline;

A collection of articles in which the authors explore the subject of creative

A collaboration regarding their professional experience;

A list of notions paired with quotes, forming a glossary for collaboration;

A bibliography to expand theoretical and critical content;

An inventory of the authors' cataloged articles and projects.

Navigation

What we aim to do with ourcollaborative.tools is to create a rich and dynamic database for exploration. The platform is designed in a way that each part is interconnected with others, allowing you to follow your own way.

When you arrive on the homepage, we offer a selection of related content from each article. You can then navigate through the data using filters, clickable tags, or the search tool.

Prolongements

ourcollaborative.tools was designed not only as a publication but also as an educational tool to serve as a base for other projects. We plan to continue working on it within our courses as well as through workshops.

Symbolically, it aims to engage a community of creators who are motivated by the idea of creative collaboration. We would be delighted to hear from you if you would like to reach out to us or contribute to the project.

Development

The platform is built with the Django framework, a setting well-suited for content-rich platforms that can easily be adapted for future adjustments. The entire platform is constructed exclusively using open-source software, including the interface design created with Inkscape, as well as the development itself. The complete source code is freely available here

Contributions

We would like to thank : Sarah Garcin, An Mertens, ooooo, Désorceler la finance, Julie Blanc, Nolwenn Maudet.

Partners

This platform has been made by the Random(lab) of ESADSE within the context of a European project called Digital Tools for Creative Collaboration. DTCC has been led by ESADSE with EKA, HfG and BEDA as partners from June 2021 to June 2023. It is co-funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Commission.

Credits

Graphic design: Benjamin Dumond

Web development: Jérémie Nuel

Editorial coordination and conception: Jérémie Nuel and Cléa Di Fabio

Proofreading and translation: Ayris Taban

Typefaces: Petit Frère and Ready Active from Plain Form

Hosting: OVH, 2 rue Kellermann 59 100 Roubaix, France

Thanks to: David-Olivier Lartigaud, Damien Baïs, Inge Eller, Maria Moreira, Sarah Garcin, An Mertens and ESAC Cambrai for the workshop we conducted there during the OpenOpen event.

To contact us, you can send an email at: randomlab(at)esadse.fr

All the content of this project is under CC4r licence, except for the projects and articles which have their own licences, as well as the source code, which is under GPLv3 license (and BSDv3 for Django).