Digital agency AnalogFolk and the National Institute for Experimental Arts (NIEA) have today announced a unique new partnership to foster innovation, creative thinking and new technology development.

The partnership is based on a strong collaborative approach, along with each organisation providing key input from its areas of speciality.

AnalogFolk will provide strategic, creative digital support to the NIEA, while the institute will provide AnalogFolk access to its innovation labs and cutting-edge research.

The NIEA is Australia’s leading institute for experimental collaboration in art, science and emerging technologies, and uses arts-led thinking to generation new insights into globally important issues.

They are developing world-first research in interaction innovation and experimental experiences leveraging robotics, artificial intelligence, VR, data visualisation and other leading-edge technologies.

Ben Hourahine, strategy partner at AnalogFolk, said the partnership was a practical embodiment of the agency’s mission to use digital to make the analog world better.

“Access to NIEA’s research and innovation labs will enable us to continue pushing boundaries around what is possible in creative innovation and digital technology,” he said.

“The partnership also provides us an opportunity to take our clients into the labs and access their world-class research thinking.”

Jill Bennett, founding director and professor of experimental arts at the NIEA, said: “AnalogFolk has a unique approach to creativity, innovation and digital technology which is very much aligned with ours, as we look to generate new insights resulting in real-world outcomes.

“We look forward to working with AnalogFolk through this partnership and harnessing their thinking on projects.”