Ben Templeton is the founder of Thought Den, that helps organisations use technology to bring diverse audiences together for deeper, more playful engagement with arts, culture and science. We talked with him, to find out more about him and his work.
How did you get started in the field of games and playful technology?
I played my way into it! On a university open day I saw all the shiny Apple computers, the TV studio, the audio equipment and instantly knew I had to play with it all.
The course was really varied — animation, video, graphic design, web design, games — so it felt natural to take those skills and set up a small design studio after graduating.
We were lucky with the timing because Bristol was the epicentre of creative technology in 2008. The vibrant Pervasive Media Studio community was so supportive.
We made websites to pay the bills — very painful — but gradually landed more game-based work for brands like Jack Daniel’s before specialising in arts and culture. Our studio philosophy is “playful learning” and education has always been a through-line in our work . Play is the most natural way of learning.
What main lessons did you take from your work with many international organizations?
I think it comes down to facilitation, which is a way of structuring how you communicate and collaborate.
Thought Den facilitates production work with clients — whether educational animations or motion-tracked installations — and we also host up to 150 students in three-day creative bootcamps.
The job in both cases is to coordinate varied perspectives and skillsets into a coherent direction. And the lesson, apart from embracing failure, is learning to listen, synthesise and then communicate a clear way forwards.
What’s the best way to get artists and engineers to speak the same language?
I’d love to know the answer! Every artist and engineer is different.
Visual thinking is the quickest way to flush out issues and discover the stuff that really matters. I sketch quickly but spend hours, sometimes days, crafting diagrams and schematics. Diagrams can’t solve every problem. There is a lot of value in just writing everything down, as a person would speak it, even if that document is then archived. The process of writing makes you better understand what you want to achieve.
What one project do you find defines your work best?
It’s probably still the Magic Tate Ball (2012). This app is inspired by Mattel’s “Magic Eight Ball” – we got their permission! Shake your phone and it uses the time, date, gps location, weather and ambient noise around you to choose an artwork from Tate’s archive that is most relevant for that unique moment.
The aim was to connect a casual audience to different artworks. It’s simple. It’s playful. It’s quirky. It’s data-driven. And behind the scenes are hundreds of relationships and snippet of content all mapped and written by hand. The human element is really important.
Is storytelling the biggest tool of a creative person?
There is no question in my mind that stories are powerful. Society, economy, history – it’s all stories.
I’ve always struggled with storytelling in the traditional sense — narrative arcs, jeopardy, resolution. I have more success at a macro scale, thinking about how to pack as much story, or flavour, into a single sentence; generating concepts that have a particular vibe; finding dynamics within content that people will find interesting for 5 minutes.
Thought Den’s games are often more mechanic-driven than story-driven. I have huge respect for storytellers working in longer formats like feature films or expansive game worlds.
What main characteristics must a professional working in Digital and Culture have?
If only one thing, it would be a love of learning, from exploring new techniques to diving into specialist subject matter and, inviting experts to share their perspectives.
We also talk a lot about care. You can’t pay people to care. They either care about their work, or they don’t. Our Art Director Benedict Webb is a great example of someone that cares very deeply — he sweats over every tiny detail and it’s brilliant.
How do you feel about the role of artificial intelligence in the art world?
At the moment, AI doesn’t interest me a huge amount. There are huge issues around intellectual property and stricter regulation is required to protect content creators. There are also environmental impacts: AI searches use far more energy and water than regular web searches.
AI is an interesting new tool for artists to work with, and I’ve enjoyed using it, but I find the output derivative and lacking originality. Part of the magic of art is the human experience and emotion behind it. The most touching moments are when we feel that connection with other lived experiences.
What is your typical day like?
I’m most productive in the morning so I’ll either write or try to ‘swallow a frog’ – tackling an unappealing task that keeps getting put off. We’ll do project stand ups at 10am via conference call. When we had a studio space in Bristol, a different member of the team would cook breakfast for everyone once a month.
The post-lunch slump is always tricky. We used to do 20 minutes of football inside the studio, which became known as “Dangerball” for obvious reasons, but now that we’re a distributed team, I spend that time catching up on newsletters, or endlessly playing a game to debug it.
Thought Den is very flexible. Bene works from Cornwall, largely to his own schedule. Working with US clients means I can sometimes be running workshops until 11pm. The general agreement is that we work hard but it doesn’t have to be 9 to 5. I’m a sprinter in my work, rather than a marathon runner. Breaks are important!
What are you passionate about outside of your daily work?
The natural environment is the single most important thing of all and thankfully we’ve been able to fold more of it into our work through projects about climate change. Personally, I need to be outdoors, using my body, as much as possible, rain or shine. Cycling, climbing, walking, kayaking.
I love gorging on ideas. It might be a new concept for water purification, a clever campaign message or just a new approach to button design. I’ll never stop learning, whether it’s forest management, film-making or information architecture.
What are your hopes for the future of the art world?
One of my favourite events is Frieze Sculpture. Every autumn a central London park is packed with sculptures big and small from artists around the world. And it’s free! The world needs more of this.
Another example is the Migration Museum’s really successful temporary home in a shopping mall, making all those stories accessible to people that might not otherwise go to a museum.
I’d like to see cultural organisations looking forwards, rather than being repositories for objects and artefacts that reflect history. Art is more than just expression. It can also be a projection, helping imagine healthier, happier futures.
About Thought Den & Ben Templeton
Thought Den helps organisations use technology to bring diverse audiences together for deeper, more playful engagement with arts, culture and science.
Founded in 2008, the studio has bases in Bristol and London. The small team offers consultancy, design direction and production for playful experiences. Whether mobile game, motion graphics or immersive experience, a philosophy of “playful learning” underpins all the studio’s work.
Company founder Ben Templeton is an award-winning creative director and facilitator. He has been the driving figure on innovative, international projects for organisations including LEGO, the BBC, Ta
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