SCIRIA News & Events

'The Personalised Surface. New Approaches to Digital printmaking'

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:55:00 -0600

Book Review in Printmaking Today Winter 2009 Issue

Papers presented at a Symposium at the V&A,3 Apr 2009. www.faderesearch.com/digitalsurface, 2009, 96 pp, Colour Illustrations throughout, Paperback, 240 x 190 mm + DVD, £10. ISBN 978 0 9558628 9 2

This informative book of papers presented at a symposium in April this year is full of delight. The papers offer a history of digital art in all its forms, the thought processes of its many accomplished practitioners, curators' perspectives on its acquisition and experts' views on its technical aspects. A DVD with additional research papers, case studies and interviews is also included.

Intaglio printmakers have long played with the surfaces of the plates they use, as well as enhancing the printed surface with multiple plate printing and chine colle. Digital printmakers get a similar buzz from the huge variety of approaches described here. I found Paul Coldwe11's conversation with Michael Craig-Martin particularly interesting and thought-provoking. There is an immense amount of detail and copious notes. My only gripe is that the images in both book and DVD are very small-luckily I've enjoyed seeing works by Paul Thirkell RE, Michael Craig-Martin, Charlotte Hodes, James Faure-Walker and, of course, Richard Hamilton many times.

Next time when looking at a digital print, I shall turn it on its edge and imagine the thought processes of the artist beneath the surface and enjoy the depth of the personalized surface above.

Gerry Baptist RE
Artist-printmaker

CAT 2010 Symposium

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:52:00 -0600

Ideas Before Their Time: Connecting the Past and Present in Computer Art

Wednesday 3rd February 2010
British Computer Society
First Floor, The Davidson Building
5 Southampton Street
London WC2E 7HA

Speakers include: Robin Baker, Maria Chatzichristodolou, Paul Coldwell, Stroud Cornock, Douglas Dodds, Fra ncesca Franco, Darko Fritz, David Garcia, Jeremy Gardiner, Sue Gollifer, Janis Jefferies, Isaac Kerlow, Nick Lambert, George Mallen, Bonnie Mitchell, Frieder Nake, Michael O'Rourke, Helen Plumb, Jane Prophet, Bruce Wands, Richard Wright

Ideas Before Their Time - Connecting the past and the present in Computer Art CAT Project Symposium
"There is a mine, a treasure trove, a hoard - I cannot emphasize this too strongly - of art ideas that emerged in the early decades of computers that still have not remotely been explored. We know how this happens. The next big thing comes along and the Zeitgeist has its demands: things get left behind ... "- Brian Reffin-Smith

The Symposium
Taking Brian Reffin-Smith's quote as an inspiration, we intend to explore the ideas that have arisen over the lifetime of "computer art" since the 1960s but have not been fully developed. Over the past four decades, computer artists have innovated in sign ificant ways but many of the concepts they explored were never taken to their conclusion. Primitive technologies and changing art practices consigned many of these ideas to obscurity. In the course of the CAT Project, and the CACHe Project that preceded it, some intrigu ing ideas came to light. We intend to re-examine those ideas in order to create a synergy with current practice, both in theoretical and practical terms. The areas we are examining are presented as f ive broad themes:

- Computer Art & Cybernetics
- Computer Art & Aesthetics
- Computer Art & Space
- Computer Art & Output
- Computer Art & Technocultures

A dedicated website with online booking is available at http://www.technocultures.org.uk/symposium.html

CAT Project Team: Nick Lambert, Jeremy Gardiner and Francesca Franco

Digital Futures

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:49:00 -0600

Two talks open to all UAL PhD and MA students

Venue: Small Lecture Theatre, Wilson Road, Camberwell College of Arts, SE5 8LU

Ten years ago we were talking about a wired world, not a wireless one. Some predicted that art as a whole would ‘go digital’. Few anticipated the extraordinary evolution of mobile phones and social networks. ‘Digital Art’ is becoming harder and harder to define, and mainstream art absorbs new technology - even ‘traditionalists’ use blogs. This series of talks looks at some adjustments we may need to make. With the decline of newspapers, what happens to the art critic’s column? Can we incorporate the power of computer graphics, the reach of the ‘wireless’ world, and make something that really counts as art? Or should we continue with ‘old media’ as if nothing has changed?

Thursday, November 26, 5pm:

Matthew Collings

Matthew Collings is an art critic and artist who has written many books about art, including "Blimey!" and "This Is Modern Art". The latter was based on a TV series by the same name, which he wrote and presented for Channel 4 (it won a Bafta). Matthew's paintings are done in collaboration with his wife, the mosaicist, Emma Biggs. They are exhibited regularly at the Fine Art Society in London.

Thursday, December 3, 5 pm:

Martin Rieser

The Art of Mobility

Martin Rieser gives an overview of contemporary artists' work, including his own practice, using mobile phones and related media in public space, including the aesthetic and perceptual issues emerging around mapping and narrative in this new wireless world of augmented place and space. In 1989 he curated the Electronic Print exhibition at the Arnolfini, the first show of its kind in the UK.

These are RNUAL events following on from SCIRIA research, open to all PhD students. These events are funded by Roberts training money as part of the RNUAL programme. Co-ordinator is James Faure Walker, Reader at Camberwell.

Image: Matthew Collings/ Emma Biggs "Melchior" oil and collage 2008

SCIRIA AppliedMind Workshop Series - Networking physical objects, interacting with the Internet

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:45:00 -0600

Conducted by Leon Barker (SCIRIA PhD candidate)

5-6 November 2009, 10am-5pm
Camberwell College of Arts
MA Digital Arts Room
Wilson Road
London SE5 8LU

The workshop explores how physical objects can be made to be responsive to input from web users. Participants will be formally taught how to create interactive objects that are linked to the Internet. Using the knowledge acquired in these workshops participants will be able to create objects that can be affected by changes in online web content or can respond to web user input.

Course structure and content

The course consists of a lecture followed by a series of practical hands on exercises, and then concludes with a project and discussion. Participants will be given a formal understanding of how to interface physical objects with the Internet. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to discuss how this can be used in their own studio practice. The main components of the workshop will require participants to work in pairs designing scenarios where networking objects through the Internet could prove either useful and/or entertaining. Participants will present their ideas to the group and after a discussion the most interesting ideas will be built in larger groups under guidance of the tutor

Part 1: Networking objects
- Lecture "Mixed reality continuum"
- Designing physical networks
- Presentations and discussions

Part 2: Implementation - Using Arduino
- Connecting arduino to the internet
- Developing new scenarios

Points of Contact

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:42:00 -0500

Symposium at Camberwell College of Arts

To coincide with the exhibtion Points of Contact which will be shown in the Triangle Project Space at Chelsea College of Art & Design from 28 Sept to 3 October 2009 we will be staging a symposium in the Main Lecture Theatre in Wilson Road, Camberwell College of Arts on Wednesday the 30th September 2009 between 2 and 5pm. This symposium will feature a number of the artist included in the exhibition Points of Contact, Prof. Paul Coldwell, Dr. Tim O’Reilly, Jonathan Kearney and Maria Lucia Cattani. The speakers will discuss the work that they are exhibiting and place it within a context of their overall research interests. All welcome.

Venue:

Camberwell College of Arts
Main Lecture Theatre
Wilson Road
London SE5 8LU
Date and Time: Wednesday the 30th September 2009, 2-5pm

SCIRIA OpenMind Lecture Series - Architecture/Pure Data/Graphical Programming

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:32:00 -0500

Three presentations and discussion chaired by Barbara Rauch

Wed 17 June 2009 from 2pm
@ Camberwell College of Arts
MA Digital Arts Seminar Room Basement
Wilson Road
London SE5 8LU

You are invited to attend three presentations followed by discussion:

1. ‘Buildings that draw themselves (to a close)’ by Manuela Antoniu (Artist-Architect)
‘How would a building gesture, faced with its own demise? What traces, what kind of mark-making would enable it to outlast, if only for a moment longer, the demolition that would reduce it to so much inert matter?’

2. ‘Pure Data/Graphical Programming/Triggered Interaction’ by Edward Kelly (Composer, performer, engineer, developer of Pure Data software and teacher)
Edward Kelly is a British composer and software designer living and working in London, UK. His work encompasses live performance, live video composition, information feedback, electroacoustic composition and traditional notated music (http://www.sharktracks.co.uk).

3. Andy Stiff (Course Leader MA Digital Arts Camberwell)
Andy’s presentation will connect the presentations above.

SCIRIA AppliedMind Workshop Series - Networking physical objects, interacting with the Internet

Tue, 12 May 2009 06:54:00 -0500

Conducted by Leon Barker PhD

13-14 May 2009, 10am-5pm
Camberwell College of Arts
MA Digital Arts Room
Wilson Road
London SE5 8LU

Course structure and content

Part 1: Networking objects
- Lecture "Mixed reality continuum"
- Designing physical networks
- Presentations and discussions

Part 2: Implementation - Using Arduino
- Connecting arduino to the internet
- Developing new scenarios

SCIRIA Visit at Autonomatic Research Cluster @ Falmouth University College

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:57:00 -0500

SCIRIA Researchers present their work

1st April 2009 @ Falmouth University College (Tremough Campus)

Presenters:

Dr Barbara Rauch (SCIRIA Director)
Richard Osborne (SCIRIA Associate)
Tim Pickup (SCIRIA PhD Candidate)
Jem Mackay (SCIRIA PhD Candidate)

SCIRIA OpenMind Lecture Series - Games Art

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:46:00 -0500

By Corrado Morgana

Wed 3rd June 2009 from 2pm
@ Camberwell College of Arts
Seminar Room Basement
Wilson Road
London SE5 8LU

Games Art does exactly what it says on the tin, art that uses, abuses and misuses the materials and language of games, whether real world, electronic or both. The imagery, the aesthetics, the systems, the software and engines of games can be appropriated or the language of games approximated for creative commentary. It is just this re-use that excites and stimulates.

Digital games are important not only because of their cultural ubiquity or their sales figures but for what they can offer as a space for creative practice. Games are significant for what they embody; human computer interface, notions of agency, sociality, visualisation, cybernetics, representation, embodiment, activism, narrative and play. These and a whole host of other issues are significant not only to the game designer but also present in the work of the artist that thinks games. Re-appropriated for activism, activation, commentary and critique within games and culture, artists have responded vigorously.

Media arts has always been involved with playful practice but only recently has it engaged with videogames directly. This presentation will look at the work of online media arts organisation Furtherfield.org’s gallery arm HTTP and its work with games art for the past 4 years. An ongoing process that has, in collaboration with The London Games Festival Fringe, attempted to bring together artists, gamers, hackers, theorists, curators, activists, thinkers and doers all of kinds.

Corrado Morgana is a Media artist, electronic musician (retired) and researcher. He is currently a part time research student at University of the Arts London. He has recently co-curated 'Zero Gamer' and also 'Game-Play', a national touring exhibition which explores playful interaction and goal-oriented gaming through media arts practice. He has also been involved in various large scale collaborative projects. These include Node.London a practical framework for media arts whose March 2006 season presented over 140 media arts events within London and also Open Congress at Tate which mapped free, libre and open source strategies onto general cultural production. He has produced video work, collaborative online projects and performed live electronica at various international venues, has dabbled in virtual reality research and has taught extensively about online practice. He has worked in a variety of digital guises from web developer to computer salesman. Most importantly he is an incorrigible gamer.

http://gamecritical.net
http://furtherfield.org
http://blog.game-play.org.uk/
http://www.http.uk.net/zerogamer/
http://www.furtherfield.org/gamesart_networking.php
http://www.londongamesfringe.com/

Informal Evening Talk with Julio Costa, candidate at the PhD program in Computer for Education at UF

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:51:00 -0600

Thursday 26th Feb 2009 from 5pm – after John Tchalenko's Matisse lecture – will be an informal evening talk with Julio Costa, candidate at the PhD program in Computer for Education at UFRGS (www.pgie.ufrgs.br)

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Julio has a BA, Occupational Therapy, and an MA in Social Psychology.

He is a teacher and art instructor for art & technology for the Aprendi project. (www.ufrgs.br/aprendi)

He has also worked with films (& shortfilms) as director and producer.

On Thursday he will talk about the two projects aprendi and VJEdu. The first concerns the virtual pedagogical art museum in the south of Brazil, where they use the concept of curator of art for students. There are also many other opportunities in this. The VJEdu is a hypermediatic project that uses video, sound, picture and verbal database as an educational performance to present in an big screen as movie theatre.

He will present Powerpoint slides and invite to discussion.

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Thu 26th February 2009
5pm
@ Camberwell College of Arts
Seminar Room Basement
Wilson Road
London SE5 8LU