Author: michaelkissick

THE PRACTICE OF NEW MEDIA ART ISEA2020 Panel

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THE PRACTICE OF NEW MEDIA ART ISEA2020 Panel

PANEL SESSION 2 // THE PRACTICE OF NEW MEDIA ART: SENTIENCE, PER-CEPTION, COGNITION, AND CONSCIOUSNESS?

The practice of New Media Art: The roundtable will examine how new media art practice reframes our contemporary understandings of perception, cognition, and consciousness through a myriad of approaches. Innovation, accident, and crisis defined the perceptible qualities of new media artworks; invention, serendipity, and speculation catalyzed and altered the past, present, and futures of new media art practice. These practices – both individual and collective – frequently overlap with other aspects of art theory, curation, and exhibition. Perpetual increases in transistor density of integrated circuits drove artists working with digital technologies to revise their practices at an unprecedented rate.
The roundtable speakers are participants in the development of the forthcoming Encyclopedia of New Media Art, volume 2 focusing on artists and practice. The provocations posed by the artists is to make sense from personal perspectives of what has driven their practice and its context within the evolution of Media Art. What were and are the achievements, failures, expectations, demands and dreams for art under the title of New Media Art. Each speaker will give a short presentation to identify key areas of focus that will stimulate the roundtable discussions.

Dane Watkins

michaelkissick i-DAT

Dane Watkins 18/10/1965-07/05/2022.

Dane was a Lecturer in Illustration: Interactive Narrative and had over a decade’s experience of a research based, context-responsive practice that examines how conventional drawing and animation practices can be developed and shown in digital environments such as the web, computer driven installation, hand held devices and pervasive media.

Dane was working on a practice-based PhD that explores the survey as artistic practice and how communication technologies and database management systems can be used as a material by artists as well as project evaluators within the field of cultural production at Falmouth University.

Drawing curious creatures from organic and mechanical parts and attempting to capture them inside micro-controllers with binary outputs structure my exploration of the extensions of a data driven society whilst teaching interactive narrative and undertaking research into the value of playfulness in data collection.

 

Gianni Corino SWCTN Data Fellow

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Gianni Corino SWCTN Data Fellow

 

We are please to announce that i-DAT’s Gianni Corino has been awarded a South West Creative Technology Data Fellowship….

 

DATA 2020-21

Data and how it’s used consistently influences our choices and opinions, raising questions about data governance, responsibility and ethics. Data has the potential to offer insights into how ‘things’ work, behave and develop. But with so much data now available to us, the integration of data and how it is governed via Smart City platforms and the Internet of Things is becoming crucial. Developing creative approaches and responses to data generation, and to its capture, management, retrieval and security are therefore at the foreground of this growing interdisciplinary field.

 

Fulldome Workshop

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Fulldome Workshop

 

Introduction to Fulldome (6 Dec)

Friday 6th December, 11am-5pm at Kaleider Studios

‘The thing’s hollow – it goes on forever – and – oh my God – it’s full of stars!’ (Clarke 1968).

Mike Phillips and Luke Christison, from i-DAT.org, will be delivering an introductory Fulldome workshop at Kaleider.

Fulldome immersive environments provide access to a shared Virtual Reality – no sticky head mounted displays or tethered isolation!

 

 

 

Fulldome’s spherical perspective has had its horizons expanded in recent years by the development of more agile and cheaper digital technologies, hi-rez 360 cameras and game engine authoring software. Now liberated from the sciedutainment world of planetariums this democratised space is a digital playground for creative practitioners, from artists and designers to VJ’s and hackers.

The workshop will focus on the use of cheap 360 cameras and free Game Engine software to construct simple Fulldome environments in a 3-meter inflatable dome in the Kaleider studio.

 

Hardware and software:

This introductory session will provide limited hands on editing opportunities in Unity 3D. Please bring your own laptop (if you have one) pre-loaded with:

Unity 3D https://unity.com/ (only minimal familiarity is necessary, but it would be useful if you have viewed the beginners Unity 3D tutorials such as: https://learn.unity.com/project/karting-template).

Tickets: Pay what you decide

This event forms part of the South West Creative Technology Network Talent Development programme. All events within this programme are run on a pay what you decide basis. This means that it is you, not us, who makes the call about how much the event will cost you. Will it be £5? £25? £50? What is the experience worth to you?

Crucially, it also means that if you’d love to come but investing in skills development at the moment just isn’t possible, you can come along for free.

Once we’ve covered our costs, your payment will go straight back into the scheme, allowing us to programme more talent development work for people like you. We are determined to ensure that anyone can access skills development, and so we are asking you, our audience, to pay it forward if you can.

Please bear in mind that for every £5 you donate, around £1 will go towards booking fees and VAT.

Introduction to Fulldome (6 Dec)

 

DESIGN RESEARCH – DATA TA-DA!

michaelkissick News, Research Sessions
DESIGN RESEARCH – DATA TA-DA!

DATA TA-DA!

Design Research Workshop delivered in collaboration with the Message and Design Knowledge Research Groups.

Date: Wednesday 20 November

Time: 15.00 – 18.00

Location: i-DAT Room 201 Roland Levinsky Building

The DATA TA-DA! Workshop is aimed at supporting research engagement with the overlapping DATA concerns of the Impact Lab (www.impactlab.org.uk/)and the South West Creative Technology Network (www.swctn.org.uk/data/).

The SWCTN Data Fellowship call deadline is the 9th December and the workshop i support applications and engagement with the project. It also aims to build more relationships with the Impact Lab and the Sustainable Earth Institute.

SWCTN DATA CALL: The SAS Institute (2016) predicted that between 2015 and 2020, big data analytics and the Internet of Things would produce a combined value of £322 billion to the UK economy. Those who create, collect, collate, hold, trade and preserve data are now in a very powerful position. The creative industries and creative technologies are central to this new world, and how they respond to it’s challenges and opportunities are crucial to this call. Data and how it’s used consistently influences our choices and opinions, raising questions about data governance, responsibility and ethics.

 

Data has the potential to offer insights into how ‘things’ work, behave and develop. But with so much data now available to us, the integration of data and how it is governed via Smart City platforms and the Internet of Things is becoming crucial. Developing creative approaches and responses to data generation, and to its capture, management, retrieval and security are therefore at the foreground of this growing interdisciplinary field

Environmental Futures Defined as the problems and opportunities arising from human activity or global trends where digital technology, big data, other disciplines and cross functional and cross institutional working can provide a viable solution.

 

Environmental Futures encompasses environmental sciences and covers atmospheric, terrestrial, freshwater and marine, pollution control and mitigation, meteorological sciences, climate change, ecology and environmental monitoring, impacts on ecosystems goods and services.

By its nature and as implied in the word ‘futures’, some of the problems requiring a solution are not yet known or fully understood. The nature of the problems may extend into a wide variety of sectors. This is expected and encouraged.

The aim of this workshop is to:

  • provide support for SWCTN fellowship and Impact Lab applications and partnerships.
  • enlighten participants to contemporary issues and practicalities of Data.
  • provide a playful and accessible hands-on experience of data harvesting, processing and systems
  • enable insights to how these processes can inform individual research practices
  • discuss issues around ethics, IP within collaborative academic/industrial research
  • provide a platform for discussion around academic/industrial knowledge exchange

Schedule
15:00: Introduction: Mike Phillips/ Victoria Squire / Pete Davis.
15:30: Dr Lauren Ansell [Impact Lab] Using Social Media Data
15:45: DATA TA-DA! Workshop. Data harvesting with Joel Hodges [i-DAT/Impact Lab] 16:30: Pizza & more fiddling
17:00: More Data and applications, partnership and project surgery.
18:00: Game over

Impact Lab: Immersive Data Visualisation Workshop

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Impact Lab: Immersive Data Visualisation Workshop

EVENTBRITE BOOKING: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/impact-lab-immersive-data-visualisation-workshop-tickets-63041079566

Date And Time: Fri, 19 July 2019 / 10:00 – 13:30 BST

Location: Immersive Vision Theatre (IVT), University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK

Impact Lab: Immersive Data Visualisation Workshop

Building Experiences for Businesses

  • Date and time: Friday 19 July 2019, 10:00 – 13:30
  • Location: Immersive Vision Theatre, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA

Join Luke Christison and Mike Phillips for this half-day workshop to learn more about how immersive vision can help support your business. No prerequisites for this workshop are required.

Eligibility

  • Those working with The Environment Futures and Big Data Impact Lab project
  • Devon-based Small to Medium Sized Enterprises.

If you would like to register for this workshop but don’t meet the criteria, please email impactlab@plymouth.ac.uk.

Programme

10:00 – 10:30 Welcome, registration and refreshments

10:30 – 11:30 Immersive Vision Theatre demonstration

11:30 – 12:30 Immersive experience discussion

12:30 – 13:30 Unity Gamification workshop

FAQs

Where is the Immersive Vision Theatre?

The Immersive Vision Theatre is based on the main University of Plymouth campus in Plymouth City Centre. A map of the campus can be found on the website. The Immersive Vision Theatre is located in square F3.

What are my transport options for getting to and from the event?

The University of Plymouth is right at the heart of Plymouth, just across the street from the city’s extensive shopping district and surrounded by great culture, heritage and entertainment.

You can explore all of the main routes into the city, including information about travelling by car, train, ferry, coach, bike and air are available on the University of Plymouth travel page.

What are my parking options?

There are plenty of car parks in the city centre within walking distance of the University. A full list and car park maps is available from Plymouth City Council. The nearest are Mayflower House Court, Mayflower Street East and Regent Street. Park and Ride is also a good option for getting into the city centre if you’re travelling by car. Services run Monday to Saturday from three locations around the city.

 

DESIGN RESEARCH – [REF300 #1]

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DESIGN RESEARCH – [REF300 #1]

Miniature Pataphysical Laboratory Niel Spiller. 2004.

300:

Design Research Workshop delivered in collaboration with the Message and Design Knowledge Research Groups.

Date: Monday 17 June 2019

Time: 10:00-16:00

Location: Design Lab / 3D Design Studio [TBC], 2nd floor Roland Levinsky Building.

The 300 Workshop will focus on the 300 word descriptors used to support individual research outputs. Many of you will have submitted 300 words using this template. Others may be interested in better understanding how to articulate their research activity for grant applications and in preparation for the next REF.

For staff aiming at the REF, please submit your 300 words (in whatever state) to mike.phillips@plymouth.ac.uk by Wednesday 12 June so that they can be forwarded to Prof Spiller.

If you haven’t yet completed the template don’t worry but have a go prior to the workshop so we have something to talk about.

These 300 words should provide evidence of originality, rigour and significance for each research output, a supporting portfolio and the activity and its context. For those submitting practice based research the 300 word statement will be critical for the assessors.

  • Originality: an intellectual advance or an important and innovative contribution to understanding and knowledge.: substantive empirical findings/ new arguments, interpretations or insights / imaginative scope / assembling of information in an innovative way / development of new theoretical frameworks and conceptual models / innovative methodologies and/or new forms of expression.
  • Rigour; peer review, what were  the processes engaged in ; accuracy and depth of scholarship;  awareness of and appropriate engagement with other relevant work: intellectual coherence / methodological precision and analytical power / accuracy and depth of scholarship / awareness of and appropriate engagement with other relevant work
  • Significance: how does the work contribute to the wider field; how is it likely to enhance knowledge, thinking, understanding and/or practice in its field. What is the contribution towards culture, public and economic policy?: The enhancement of: knowledge / thinking / understanding /and-or practice

https://www.ref.ac.uk/

The workshop will be delivered by Professor Neil Spiller in collaboration with the leads of Message [Victoria Squire] / Design Knowledge [Pete Davis] / i-DAT [Mike Phillips].

Neil Spiller is Hawksmoor Chair of Architecture and Landscape and Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Greenwich, London prior to this he was Dean of the School of Architecture, Design and Construction and Professor of Architecture and Digital Theory at Greenwich University. Before this he was Vice-Dean and Graduate Director of Design at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London.

He guest edited his first AD, Architects in Cyberspace in 1995 (with Martin Pearce) followed in 1996 by Integrating Architecture (1996), Architects in Cyberspace II (1998), Young Blood (2000), Reflexive Architecture (2002), Protocell Architecture with Rachel Armstrong (2010) and Drawing Architecture (2013). Neil’s numerous books include Cyberreader: Critical Writings of the Digital Era (2002), Digital Dreams – The Architecture of the New Alchemic Technologies (1998) and Visionary Architecture – Blueprints of the Modern Imagination (2006). He is on the AD editorial Board. His architectural design work has been published and exhibited on many occasions worldwide. Since 1998, he has produced the epic COMMUNICATING VESSELS project.

Neil is also known as the founding director of the AVATAR (Advanced Virtual and Technological Architectural Research) Group (2004); now based at the University of Greenwich. This group has its own PhD and Masters programmes and conducts research into advanced technologies in architectural representation but more importantly into the impact of advanced technologies such as virtuality and biotechnology on 21st century design. Neil and the AVATAR Group are recognised internationally for their paradigm shifting contribution to architectural discourse, research / experiment and teaching.

The twenty-first century is upon us and the status quo cannot survive. New ways of seeing, doing, practising, and exercising our ethical concerns in relation to architecture are crucial to the continued longevity of the architectural profession. This starts with how we imagine our architectures and how we communicate to others.

http://www.neilspiller.com/about/

The aim of this workshop is to:

  • enlighten participants to the REF Research Output requirements.
  • understand where your research fits within the broader HE/Design community.
  • provide a holistic understanding of our research in terms of originality, rigour and significance.
  • clarify and better describe ‘Originality’ in your research.
  • Clarify and better describe ‘Rigour’ in your research.
  • Clarify and better describe ‘Significance’ in your research.
  • Built a communal understanding of why these activities are important to build research resilience.

Schedule [TBC]:

10:00: Introduction: Mike Phillips/ Victoria Squire / Pete Davis.
10:15: Presentation. Neil Spiller.
11:00: Coffee
11:30: Dismantling 300 words. Example 300 word documents will be critiqued.
[With Neil Spiller and Mike Phillips].
12:30: Lunch
13:30: Break out workshop: Collective dismantling of 300 words.
[With Neil Spiller / Mike Phillips/ Victoria Squire / Pete Davis].
14:30: Updates and presentations. Feedback from the tables and individuals and surgeries.
15:00: Coffee:
15:30: Summary.
16:00: end

Vicktor Brelsford

michaelkissick i-DAT, Research Associate

Vicktor is Research Assistant on the Impact Lab IVT for Data Harvesting, Networking & Visualisation. He brings a wealth of knowledge and skills in VR/AR, networked data visualisation and IoT.

He is also Managing Director of One Polygon, a company fuelled by passion in bringing the very best in Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Design and 3D Modelling to Marine, Aerospace, Construction, E-Learning, Research and Commerce. One Polygon has an international reach and has developed innovative techniques in networked VR asset management for digital workflows across content/hardware platforms.

Alejandro Veliz Reyes SWCTN Automation Fellow

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Alejandro Veliz Reyes SWCTN Automation Fellow

 

We are please to announce that i-DAT’s Alejandro Veliz Reyes has been awarded a South West Creative Technology Automation Fellowship….

 

AUTOMATION 2019-20

Automation is changing the way we live. It is increasingly important within the creative industries as well as manufacturing, retail, financial services, and healthcare, to name just a few sectors. Automation could be seen as the ‘quiet’ revolution – working in the background to assist in creative processes, gradually transforming agriculture through robotics, or re-imagining how we search the internet.

We are looking for people to explore the frontiers of automation technology and its applications, to ask: What already exists? What’s new and what’s good in automation? Where are the gaps in the market? What are the challenges? What opportunities are out there? What are the possibilities?