Interview with Manoj Phatak of ArtRatio
Can you tell me a bit about your experience working at the junction between objects preservation science and engineering/information technology? Frustrations? Joys? Insights?
I only started learning about preservation science in 2010 after a pivotal interview I conducted with Dr. Graham Martin, who was Head of Science at the V&A Museum in London at that time. He mentioned that 'there must be a balance' between the exhibition and conservation of objects, which got me thinking about how we could use technology to determine that balance point. This led directly to the European patent we were granted in March 2021 for an algorithm which does just that. Patents are so very expensive though, especially for small companies, but without this IP protection, larger companies have nothing stopping them from taking your great idea and running with it, leaving the inventor in the cold.
Can you describe a moment in your role as CEO of ArtRatio when you struggled to make a decision? And how was the struggle resolved?
A key one which stands out was whether to risk taking a 250kg steel and glass table up 3 flights of stairs by hand, as we had planned, or to risk rolling the table over on its side and taking it up in the lift. This was a financial risk of course but more importantly a personnel risk, since our team's health was at stake. After assessing the options, I decided to take the table in the lift, knowing that all components in the table were secured so any damage to the table would be minimal. Luck prevailed for us on that occasion. Sometimes we all need a bit of luck.
I would imagine that with your electronics engineering background, you could have gone in any number of directions with your career. What propelled you towards the art world?
I did in fact start off in the semiconductor industry in 1986, then onto telecoms, automotive, finance and even eGovernment, but when I saw the new functional materials (such as smart glass) which allow us to manipulate light electrically, I realised that the one class of object that could stand to benefit most were art and cultural objects. Now, I am really more of a history buff than an art buff, so with each project I delve into the story behind each object we display and I really enjoy learning about where it came from, when it was created and the reason for its significance. It is humbling to come into direct contact with objects such as the original map of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo, which is displayed in an ArtRatio smartglass frame at the Royal Engineers Museum in the UK. This is the actual map that was used in the battle in which Napoleon was finally defeated.
Can you describe a formative moment in your life when you noticed a link between beauty and mathematics?
Mathematics has an inherent beauty in it since it is often symmetrical and balanced. A formative moment in my life would probably stem from discovering the equations that govern the physics of electrical devices, something I learned while I was a sponsored student engineer at Ferranti Semiconductors during 1986-1990. At that time, I was really more interested in physics than engineering, and that passion stands true, even until today. Mathematics is beautiful since it often predicts future behaviour.
If you could choose one object to put in one of your display cases that would stand in your living room for the remainder of your days here on earth, what would the object be and why?
Not sure if I would ever have the resources to buy this object, but it would probably be the early writings and sketches by Leonardi da Vinci in the form of the Codex Leicester manuscript, which currently sits in the collection of Bill Gates. Since Da Vinci was an artist, a scientist and a philosopher, I believe all schools of thought can learn volumes from this work (pun intended). This manuscript does not discriminate between art, science and mathematics, but really treats them as simply different facets of the same body of reasoning about our world.
And what features and design would you choose for the display case and why?
To protect it, I would of course use smart glass to reduce damage from light exposure and the ArtRatio Operating System to measure the effect of our algorithm in reducing conservation risk and preserving the cultural and financial value of this unique historical item.
About Manoj Phatak
Manoj Phatak is the founder & CEO of ArtRatio, a boutique manufacturer of patented smartglass vitrines which display art and luxury collections sustainably, by allowing more natural light into the building facade and without jeopardising the items on display.
Similar to financial securities, the ratios that we discover about collections through our cloud-based IoT platform help our customers to decide when to exhibit, conserve, loan, sell or store the objects, based on their risk of damage, visibility, popularity and potential change in value.
Manoj is a Guest Lecturer on the 'MA Art Logistics' programme at Sotheby's Institute of Art in London, offering thought leadership content on green & sustainable display of art & luxury collections, risk management for art insurance and innovation in the ArtTech sector.
A Chartered Engineer at the UK Engineering Council since 2004, Manoj holds degrees in Electronics Engineering from Southampton University and in Software Engineering from Oxford University