INTHEBLACK April 2022 - Magazine - Page 21
STORY CHRIS SHEEDY
PHOTOGRAPHY MATTHEW SCOTT
THE ART OF
EXPERIENCE
I N B R I N G I N G TO G E T H E R A RT A N D T E C H N O L O G Y, A M I E S C R U TO N C PA A N D H E R
C O L L E AG U ES AT A RT P RO C ES S O RS A R E C R E AT I N G E X P E R I E N C ES W E H U M A N S
D ES P E R AT E LY C R AV E. I N T H E WA K E O F T H E PA N D E M I C, T H O S E E X P E R I E N C ES
CA N’T C O M E S O O N E N O U G H.
AT A
GLANCE
Amie Scruton CPA is chief
financial officer at Art
Processors, responsible
for driving the
organisation’s planning
and forecasting, risks
and opportunities.
Art Processors is a global
experiential design and
technology company
working mainly with
cultural institutions.
While the business uses
digital solutions to
transform client
operations, it has
also been through
its own finance-led
transformation.
L
iving through the lockdowns and restrictions
of a pandemic has taught us about what it
means to be human, says Amie Scruton CPA,
CFO of Art Processors.
We desire knowledge and learning, connection and
closeness. We long for stimulation, collaboration and
creativity. These are all vital aspects of what it is that
attracts us to art, and following on from the worst
effects of the pandemic, they are increasingly being
driven and enhanced by digital solutions.
“That attraction we feel to art, that is exactly
what being human is,” Scruton says. “The curiosity
and inspiration that you get from somebody else’s
inspiration and creation are what it means to be
human.”
Scruton has been deeply involved in the art world for
over a decade, becoming the company accountant for
Hobart’s globally acclaimed Museum of Old and New
Art (Mona) in 2011. Over the past three years, she has
been at the financial helm of a business that has played
a significant role in making Mona so engaging.
Art Processors is a global experiential design and
technology company. “In layman’s terms, that means
we’re born of both worlds – the visitor experience and
the technology that enhances it,” she explains.
“This exploration and unification have the end result
of enhancing a visitor’s experience, particularly in
cultural institutions. That’s the market that we know.
It doesn’t mean we won’t eventually move into other
markets, but we’re very invested in the cultural and
arts sector.”
At Mona, as at the numerous other galleries and
exhibitions Art Processors has on its global client list,
Scruton’s colleagues have been responsible for making
the experience exactly that – an experience.
Before opening Mona, owner David Walsh decided
to democratise the experience by removing all wall
labels within his cavernous, architecturally astounding
gallery. He wanted no scholarly rhetoric and no
shuffling around in a queue, reading information stuck
next to each artwork. He wanted raw excitement.
To create this experience, a personalised, interactive
experience known as “The O” was developed,
described on the Art Processors website as “an
accessible and user-friendly mobile experience for iOS
and Android that provides location-based content for
a variety of learning styles and interests. It provides
the ability to ‘love’ and ‘hate’ artworks, virtual exhibit
queues, augmented reality capabilities, and ‘save tour’
functionality for off-site engagement.”
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au April 2022 21