It began with a lively and emphatic brainstorming session in October 2023, and progressed quickly into highly interactive and educational weekly sessions. Digitalized Possibilities: Seeing Beyond The Imaginarium is an intensive programme in which a cohort of five arts-based women creatives are nurtured under the guidance of Kenneth Gaffley of Ken Obi Studio and Zizo Bongekile Manona of Inkcubeko Nezobugcisa. Empowered with additional insights from guest mentors, we unpacked our upcoming baseline research report, delved into business training and portfolio development, and discussed the open and honest feedback shared during our many critique sessions as we mapped our way towards the final digital art project – a collection of digital self-portraits.

 Each intensive weekly session had a technical training focus where we experimented with a variety of contemporary design software in order to make sure that each person could find their rhythm and design with a sense of ease and comfort. As the weeks progressed into months, each session brought us closer to the culmination of the digital arts training component. Preparatory work had already begun on the online exhibit. We held in-depth conversations and shared personal influences and artistic styles, with each member of the cohort going into detail about their individual themes and how they fit into the broader context of self representation and the digital identities we had aimed to create.

 The digital artworks now on show in the online exhibit for Digitalized Possibilities: Seeing Beyond The Imaginarium, were produced by Nosisa Ngqoyiyana, Mihle Mbonxothi, Sandisiwe Ngqoyiyana, Ziphelele Mthimkhulu, and Sinazo Pantshwa during the digital arts training component. The online showcase will be live until 5 July 2024.

 As part of our first school activation for the project, we visited West Bank High on 22 February 2024, to engage its students about the Digitalized Possibilities programme as well as their future ambitions. We were delighted to be greeted with warmth and curiosity.

 This interactive and engaging session began with a brief introduction to the Digitalized Possibilities programme, from its initial concept through all the work that made it the programme it is today, and into a vision of what it one day aspires to be. Physical copies of our digital artworks were on full display, along with live demonstrations from the online showcase.

 After an informative and engaging session with our team, time was spent sharing personal anecdotes, and exciting interventions being proposed for the programme.Acting principal Danielle Brikkels commented that it was great to see“talent recognised and put to great use”.

Inkcubeko Nezobugcisa presents “The Impact of Digital Arts on South Africa’s Cultural and Creative Industries”, a baseline research report from Digitalized Possibilities

What has made the Digitalized Possibilities: Seeing Beyond The Imaginarium programme so momentous? The answer lies in the scope of its interdisciplinary nature. One can credit its combination of a baseline research report, digital arts training, school activation, and, of course, the online exhibit of digital artworks created by our cohort of arts-based women creatives. The programme’s sheer ability to raise broader awareness about digital arts using these creative approaches is quite innovative.

 Furthermore, the complementary nature of the programme meant that the components could intersect at various stages but that each component had its own milestones. Most importantly, all had digital arts as a motivation, allowing the components to integrate seamlessly.

 The baseline research report is titled “The Impact of Digital Arts on South Africa’s Cultural and Creative industries”. From the onset, we were aware of the presiding challenges faced by many artists when it comes to accessing information, and so accessibility became one of the programme’s core objectives, as did social inclusion, cultural engagement, and the use of digital arts as a tool to address gender equality, through not only the opportunity to work and collaborate with women creatives via the digital self-portrait capstone project but the opportunity to train them as well, all achieved through Digitalized Possibilities. With the release of the baseline research report, we aim to inform and educate the many South Africans – artists and enthusiasts alike – who aren’t always privy to consolidated resources on digital arts.

 The overarching theme of the research report revolves around “equity, diversity, and inclusion”, and it spotlights the underrepresentation of previously disadvantaged groups. Naturally, we wanted it to be bilingual. Our hope is that for the report’s future evolution, subject to further capital investment, it will be adapted and translated into many other South African languages.

 We would love for the baseline research report to reach a large audience and impact a broad spectrum of South African creatives and art enthusiasts, both in urban and rural settings. Our goal is for Digitalized Possibilities to become one of our flagship programmes, and thus we are continuously striving towards ensuring its growth and sustainability.

 The Digitalized Possibilities: Seeing Beyond The Imaginarium baseline research report was made possible by the PESP-4 grant supported by Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC). The organization also wishes to acknowledge researcher Sinethemba Vitshima, copyeditor Lauren Smith and the team working on the translated isiXhosa edition: translator and editor Lunga Mampana, proofreader Masixole Njumbuxa, and project manager Zizo Bongekile Manona. Finally, we would like to thank the amazing artists who gave their time to participate in our survey. Thank you.