Developing DEC in Southend
Digital technology underpins nearly every aspect of our daily lives, and is a field in which the UK has a wealth of talent and expertise. The DEC project arises from the recognition that there are very few organisations working with digital technologies in the UK that bring together business, the arts, entrepreneurship, academic research and public entertainment. This mix of creative invention, the generation and transfer of knowledge, and its foundational link to business and commerce, makes the DEC the ideal regeneration project for the region.
Southend-on-Sea is a unique location to the east of London with a great enterprising culture and strong and developing sectors in Higher and Further Education, creative industries, business enterprise and health services. All of the DEC partners and collaborators recognise the huge opportunities that the DEC can open-up to the region. With Southend as the home of this innovation and enterprise nexus, the DEC will bring inestimable benefits to the many businesses, creative entrepreneurs, artists and students that work or live in the Borough and well beyond. The overall DEC project has been supported by Thames Gateway Regeneration funding in the recognition of both the concept and its location. Specific work of DEC Systems has been supported by the Technology Strategy Board. New exhibitions, collaborations and projects are developing apace, driving the DEC's growth as an emerging and important player in the world of creative technology.
The work of the DEC is overseen by the DEC Trust and carried out through particular projects, each falling within one or more of the three Divisions of the DEC: Commercial & Industrial, Research & Education, and Arts & Exhibitions. Although the project is in an early stage, its activities are managed by a small executive team through a partnership with Metal Culture. The DEC is sharing Metal's facilities at Chalkwell Hall to present a programme of events for 2010 and 2011. Updates on the DEC's projects will be given on this website regularly.
An initial model for the DEC has been Ars Electronic in Linz, which over the years has grown to have an international importance, yet remains embedded in the local commercial, artistic, educational and social life of the city. In the field of digital arts and technology, its annual Prix Ars Electronica is the biggest and most prestigious prize of its kind in the world. Ars Electronica is a Partner in the DEC project.
The DEC will eventually develop its own building, which will then provide a physical location in which the most advanced digital technology can be found, researched, explained, shared and enjoyed. It will be a commercial, academic, and educational resource, a place of public entertainment, a research centre, and an exhibition space of international importance.