HOME have appointed Dan Hett as Creative Technologist in a fellowship role created by the arts venue in partnership with Manchester Metropolitan University’s School of Digital Arts (SODA).
The role will provide an opportunity for Dan to evolve his own digital practice while also acting as a provocateur for HOME’s rethinking around the role of a contemporary arts centre in the context of the changing needs of the city and our audiences.
Dan said: “I am beyond excited to be accepted onto the HOME/SODA fellowship. HOME has been genuinely instrumental in my career as a fiercely independent Northern digital artist over much of the last decade, and of course like many within Manchester’s creative sector I’ve been watching SODA come together with keen interest.
“This fellowship is a first step in forming a meaningful bridge between these two brilliant entities, as well as the artists and audiences of the future – a rare and incredibly exciting opportunity, and I cannot wait to see how the next two years unfold. Watch this space!”
Dan is an award-winning writer, artist and games developer from Manchester, whose career has taken him through building creative technology and artwork for the likes of Havas, the BBC, Sky, Tate and the Open Data Institute, with his artwork touring as far afield as Karachi, Seattle and Buenos Aires.
He is also the creative director and founder of independent games studio PASSENGER, who recently released their first large-scale work Closed Hands – an interactive fiction project exploring radicalisation, extremism, and identity politics in the UK, which launched in March 2021 alongside digital partner HOME.
In 2021 Dan was awarded the prestigious New Media Writing Prize for his unflinching interactive story ‘c ya laterrrr’, and he is currently working on a games narrative-influenced science fiction novel, Arc Boundary. Dan has written extensively on technology and digital culture for The Guardian, The Observer, Rockpapershotgun and the BBC.
Professor Toby Heys, Head of SODA, said: “SODA is very excited about the appointment of Dan Hett as the new Creative Technologist working between HOME and SODA and we welcome the visionary thinking and doing that he will bring to the vibrant digital ecology in Manchester.”
Dave Moutrey, Director and CEO of HOME, said: “Dan’s work is innovative, creative and truly pushes the boundaries of art and fiction. I am looking forward to seeing what his fellowship brings and the ways that I am certain that he will challenge and inspire all of us at HOME.”