Speakers: Alex Book, co-founder, Arcade

Alex Book is a Co-Founder at Arcade, the Creative Reality Company. Amongst many other immersive projects in the arts & culture sector, Arcade designed and developed The Keeper of Paintings and the Palette of Perception, which launched at The National Gallery in early 2022. Its goal was to explore the potential of immersive experiences in engaging children aged 7-11 and their families with the Gallery’s iconic collection and, as it enters its second year, the results are resoundingly positive.

But the Keeper of Paintings is not alone. Dozens, hundreds, perhaps thousands of Keepers exist in the liminal World of Keepers, each tasked with curating and protecting the cultural artefacts that exist within their sphere of expertise. The Keeper of Castles, the Keeper of Flowers, the Keeper of Sculptures, the Keeper of Oceans, the Keeper of Pyramids, the Keeper of Fossils, the Keeper of Coins, the Keeper of Planets and so, so many more – all waiting to meet your young visitors and take them on an adventure they will never forget.

Using The Keeper of Paintings and the Palette of Perception as the key reference, Alex will explore the impact of Keeper-driven immersive experiences on child engagement, and reflect on the lessons Arcade learnt on how to communicate with and engage this critical audience. Perhaps more importantly, he will also give a sneak peek of how cultural institutions of all shapes and sizes will soon be able to bring their own Keeper to life, giving children and families new reasons to visit – and even generating a new source of revenue along the way.