The Barbican has launched an innovative search tool allowing people to investigate its arts programme based on their feelings.

The ‘sentiment search tool’ is the work of digital production company The Project Factory, which earlier this year won a competition, laid on by IC tomorrow, to animate the Barbican’s programme and allow audiences to discover art and events in a personal, non-linear way.

Ryan Nelson at the Barbican said: “As a cross-arts venue with an extensive and often overwhelming programme of events, the Barbican is constantly searching for new ways to enhance audience interaction and to encourage guests to try something new.

“This tool by the Project Factory will provide audiences with a quick, fun and easy way to explore and think about unfamiliar events in a way that may be more meaningful to them.”

The system is a microsite allowing people to search by descriptions of themes and emotions closely associated with an event or exhibition. Normally, search matches genres or categories to content.

Each event is tagged with keywords helping audiences to choose a mood. It also engages social media users and asked them to give new descriptions based on their experiences of art and exhibitions.

Matt Sansam, programme manager at IC tomorrow, said: “The search tool is a great example of how industry partnerships can open a lot of the right doors for start-ups and enable them to take their ideas and technology to the next level.”