Researcher

André Sier works artistically with code and electronic means, interactive, digital and conventional, where he combines videogames, installations, painting, sculpture, music, mathematics and computation into objects and experiences of imaginary arts, where he merges mythology, interfaces, generative interactive space-time continuums, arts & sciences artifacts, human and non-human interfaces. Awarded artist at The New Art Fest (2017), three times at Lisbon Maker Faire (2014, 15, 16), Bienal de Cerveira (2009) and Jovens Criadores (2006).

In the past 25 years has produced objects and serial interactive work that playfully unravel time and space relations, synthesized on electronic substrates, shown at over 27 individual national and international exhibitions, over 100 collective events and exhibitions.

André Sier is an electronic artist trained in sciences, arts, computation, with a degree in philosophy, lecturing in electronic arts, educator of digital and electronic arts, PhD candidate in Planetary Collegium at Plymouth University.

Has a digital portfolio at https://andre-sier.com and his studio site of code, games, machines at https://s373.net/x.

Toby Chanter  is a PhD candidate at the University of Plymouth working between i-DAT and the School of Humanities and Performing Arts.

Developing a multidisciplinary and experimental approach to immersive and interactive installation, his research interrogates the role of technology in the production of biomedical knowledge, and explores the associated sensory politics of medical education and art.

Physical spaces and digital layers are brought together with novel sensor technologies to create responsive and expressive environments. By using forms of physical and physiological interactivity that foreground embodiment and standpoint, his practice seeks to examine the entanglements of education and technology, art and knowledge.

www.sharethefall.com

Blue Grindrod is a speculative designer, multimedia artist and researcher whose work deals primarily with the aesthetics of the future human body and human cultural practices. Rooted in queer theory, mythos and post- and trans-humanist philosophy, their design ethos is one of play, of craft, of DIY biological speculation that aims to provoke and question what it means to inhabit a body.

Part-performance art, part-installation, part-biology experiment gone wrong, their practice makes use of aesthetic prosthetic adornments in order to showcase new ways of being that seek to remove the inside/outside, us/them paradigms that mark the human being, as well as exploring facets of behaviour central to the human experience. Working with biomedical processes, 3D design softwares and prosthetic sculpting tools, Blue builds bodies for an alternate universe in which biotechnologies rather than electromagnetic systems are the dominant form of technological progress. Strange, uncanny, disturbing, yet also playful and beautiful, their work crosses boundaries in order to challenge preconceived notions of what a body can be, or what a body should be.

Bethany Thomas is a young artist currently completing a Research Masters in i-DAT. Her practice focuses on portraiture and abstract expressionism. She often studies how life is perceived by individuals who cannot control their mind – aiming to portray mental illnesses. Everything in her work links back to control.

While her background is in painting and drawing, she has begun to produce digital and print works. Thomas has an interest in the history and philosophy of art – particularly influenced by the notion of original thought.

Thomas studies creativity through the lens of mythos, literary criticism, repetition and origin of thought. Her current research will examine the notion that human creativity emanates from a collective, structured and innate resource evidenced by storytelling. She is aiming to establish whether humans are, to some degree, pre-programmed and consequently whether human creativity is largely determined and predictable.

Website: https://bt3335.wixsite.com/artsite

Instagram: beththomasart

Email: Bethany.thomas@plymouth.ac.uk

Jie Yan (Jessica) is a PhD researcher in i-DAT on the CODEX International Postgraduate Research Network. Her research explores the relationship and interaction of vision, social media and health. It will start with the food images on Instagram to find out the impacts on food perception as well as the potential influences and implications of health situation.

Food images can influence health indirectly by impacts on eating behaviours, and an individuals’ health situation could be predicted by the food perception from vision, so it seems to be a link between vision and health. This research aims to investigate what parts of vision tend to play the key role in a food image linking to health, and the changes in this cycle because of the engagement of social media.

A series of design-based approaches will be used to investigate personal’s perception, attitudes and opinions of food images on Instagram in this qualitative research, in order to assist the comprehension of the link between vision and health as well as exploring new sorts of food representation.

Wearers of prosthetic limbs can choose to express their style through a choice of colours and finishes. The same choice is not available for women who wear external breast prostheses. My research seeks to establish how a reimagined breast form might be designed, involving the wearers themselves, and exploring how this impacts their wellbeing.

I have a broad education across performing and visual arts. My professional life has been a blend of creativity, education and wellbeing, comprising events, projects and training since 2003. My professional experiences have helped me to structure my research and informed my research methodology of design workshops and group discussions.

My Masters research was inspired by the experiences of my friend and ex-colleague Sam’s mother and her disappointment at receiving a beige prosthesis that was both unappealing and uncomfortable. My previous training in applied colour psychology and my love of design inspired me to actively discover if the look of prosthetic breasts could be improved. I was confident this would have a positive effect on confidence and wellbeing levels if women could have more choice.

My university life has been an adventure. I’ve made great friends, learned about electronics, critical and speculative design, taught myself 3D modelling and experimented with 3D printing to create prototypes. Being able to meet with health and design practitioners for feedback on both my concepts and practice has been invaluable. Being part of an Art, Design & Architecture school, and the Arts & Humanities Faculty means I am mixing with people from a wide range of disciplines and am constantly getting new perspectives on my work. This has been helpful in shaping ideas around the cultural significance of my work.

As a part-time research student I have been able to re-adjust to academic life, acquire research skills and have time for exploring the commercial potential of my research. I recently co-founded a company, Boost Innovations Limited, and I am looking forward to testing my research and its reception in the marketplace. I am a finalist on the Design Council’s product development support and funding programme, Spark, and my work will be showcased at London’s Design Museum in June 2018. After graduating, I plan to continue to combine my passion for enhancing wellbeing through design and codesign to create products and experiences that make people feel better.

You can follow my research and business journeys on Twitter @braveresearch @wewearboost

Rosie Brave
ResM Digital Art & Technology
3D3 Studentship

https://www.designcouncil.org.uk/news-opinion/meet-spark-finalists-2018
https://www.facebook.com/events/257199331491141/  

Christiana is a transdisciplinary researcher, curator & artist; acting, performing & reflecting trans geographically. Her research with i-DAT explores curating ‘Hybrid Narrative Environments: a ‘beyond disciplinary’ approach for intermediating art and science discourse’ & her PhD is currently funded by the 3D3 Centre for Doctoral Training, Arts & Humanities Research Council (UK).

Following her studies on Art & Science (MA) at Central Saint Martins; she found herself working & curating for numerous innovative companies, networks, festivals, cultural organisations, NGO’s and social enterprises such as BOZAR Lab, Gluon, Ars Electronica Festival, Athens Science Festival, London Science Festival, Athens Digital Arts Festival, Green Project, Vinyl Factory, the Longplayer Trust, Business of Culture Ltd (consultancy), MARCEL Network, the Future Cinema & the LASER Talks for LEONARDO/ISAST.

Her artistic practice explores the interconnectedness and open-ended dialogue between art and science by combining scientific concepts, laws and theories from different disciplines with arts practice. Her work has been exhibited in a number of contexts and venues including the Performance Space, GV Art, Arcola Theatre, The New York Hall of Science (New York), Old Fire Station Gallery (Oxford), British Library, V&A Digital Futures and Haber Space at Central Booking (New York) amongst others. In 2013 she directed ‘Displacing Identity’; an interdisciplinary performance exploring the connection of architecture, psychoanalysis and dance in collaboration with Trinity Laban. In 2014 she received a commission by the Be Open Foundation; as an artist in residence at the ‘Nomad Lab’; a collaborative ‘Sounding Space’ project that was presented in the context of the BE OPEN Sound Portal, designed by Arup. With her former sound art collective ‘Random Order’; they have also conceived projects for the Architecture Triennale in Lisbon and ‘The Death Star Trilogy’, Star Wars production, Secret Cinema in London. Finally she has also succeeded residencies with Chisenhale Dance Space and collective Blast Theory.

Her multi-disciplinary academic record includes Art & Science (MA), Arts Management (MA), Financial Economics (BSc), Mathematical Sciences (FD) and Creative Writing & Practical Journalism (Dip) at Goldsmiths, University of London. She is a lifelong learner, always curious to acquire new knowledge & has attended several professional development courses on ‘Digital Curation’ at the UCL & ‘Innovative Curating, Curating New Media Art – Web based art & Curating Art & Science’ at the Node Center of Curatorial Studies in Berlin.

Professional membership: Museums Association

For further information please see www.christianakazakou.com & www.thevariationlab.com

Eleanor was previously the Formation Zone Programme Manager at the University of Plymouth but now the Enterprise & Innovation Education Coordinator Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation University of Queensland – UQ.