IdeasMart was open for four weeks throughout March 2004. It sought to facilitate debate and a sharing of ideas by asking two questions: What's a meaningful and engaging web experience? And how do you decide what's good and bad artwork online, and will others agree with your view?

This was before the era of Web 2.0 with its user centred design and emphasis on collaboration that we now take for granted and which resulted in the likes of YouTube, Twitter etc. At the time of IdeasMart there were little or no options for building online communities who could share the experiences of good or bad content, discuss the ideas behind the content and recommend work to others.

For each week a new theme was introduced: Design and the Digital Aesthetic; Web-based Environments; The Audience and Context; and Beyond the Computer Screen. Each topic had 'featured products' of creative online work, with some initial provocations provided by a range of contributors including artists, filmmakers and designers to kick of the debate. The site had a variety of options for giving feedback and the ethos was to encourage interactivity and participation through comments, virtual buying and voting.

IdeasMart’s objectives were to encourage debate and build a sense of community online amongst artists, filmmakers and audiences. It was an innovative project and is a definite precursor to today’s personalisation theories and emphasis on collaborative working.

Featured artists included: Squidsoup, Stanza, Simon Poulter and Mongrel.

Related Links:
Come Closer by Squidsoup
Ghosts by Squidsoup
Squidsoup Website
The Emergent City by Stanza
Soundtoys by Stanza
Stanza Website
I Can Read You by Simon Poulter
Afterworld by Simon Poulter
Simon Poulter Website
Invisible Geographies by Mongrel
Mongrel Website

Ended in March 2004

---