Artist’s Studio Unlocked: Go behind the scenes and explore an artist’s workplace

We are used to making programmes about artists, living and dead. We even have a whole strand, What Do Artists Do All Day?, which follows artists working in their studio.

But Artist’s Studio Unlocked allows users to have ‘access all areas’ to a creative studio - and for the first time, the user is in the driving seat. The user chooses which part of the studio they want to explore, and how long they want to stay in a particular area.

This journey began when a team from BBC Arts pitched the idea to an expert panel at a series of events run by Connected Studio – the BBC’s online innovation team.

The germ of the idea was a feature that I used to write when I was a journalist, called 'In Residence'. The feature was about getting into the home of a pop star, and allowing them to talk through their most precious objects. I always thought this was a fascinating approach - and so the BBC Arts team and I worked this up into an idea that would work for a visual artist.

Connected Studio teamed us up with digital agency, The Swarm. We finessed the idea with them – and then, we were given the greenlight to make the project.

At this stage we approached Polly Morgan, an artist who uses taxidermy to create her works. Visiting her studio, we could see that she would be perfect for Artist’s Studio Unlocked, as it is stuffed with bizarre and fun objects (a fridge full of dead crows?).

Polly’s work is ethical (she only uses animals that have died non-preventable deaths), witty and profound. Just the kind of artist whose studio you would love to poke around!

Director Colette Camden took on the task of making the project. Filming over just two days, Colette created a wonderful series of short films about Polly and her studio. Then, working closely with The Swarm, she devised ways of turning these films into interactive content. It was a new way of working for Colette, which she really loved.

We in BBC Arts are very proud of the project – we hope it gets you closer to the action than ever before. We would love to make more of this type of project, maybe as an accompaniment to a television programme. We hope you enjoy it.