Shadowplay: Event Report
February 22, 2008
Posted by Emma in: Ideas | Robots | Add a commentWhat makes a robot lifelike? How do we respond to humanoid technology? What do machines tell us about ourselves?
These were all questions discussed in Shadowplay, today's Creative Technology Network event, lead by freelance Science writer Piers Bizony, and AIB Senior Lecturer, Andrew King.
Shadowplay is a concept for a hybrid puppet/robot performance which will dramatically refine our emotional reactions to machines. Past personifications of robots fall into stereotypes - menacing, emotionless or simply toys - but Shadowplay aims to push the boundaries of aesthetics and audience engagement by introducing complex technology and some psychological trickery.
Taking inspiration from theatre works such as War Horse and large scale public events such as The Sultan's Elephant, Shadowplay will research to what extent stagecraft can fool and human imagination will compensate for endowing an 'intelligent', yet inanimate, object with life.
Today's CTN event brought together a diverse group from academics, students, puppeteers, performance choreographers and technicians, from which a core team has been assembled to take the project forward. The project is in its early stages, so if you feel you have expertise and experience you would like to offer, please get in touch with us and we can put you in contact with the project.
Watershed at the heart of Creative Britiain
February 22, 2008
Posted by Clare in: Watershed | Innovation | Technology | Add a commentThe Government today published Creative Britain: New Talents for the New Economy, its Creative Economy action plan in which the future development of, and investment in, Britain’s creative industries is debated. Amongst the many examples of excellence cited was the work of Watershed.
Led by the Department for Media, Culture and Sport, in partnership with The Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform and the Department for Innovation, University and Skill, Creative Britain explores how organisations like Watershed are playing a vital developmental role in the wider creative economy – an economy which contributes £60 billion to the UK economy, employs 1.1 million people and which is growing at twice the rate of the economy as a whole.
The plan highlights several initiatives that have developed from partnerships Watershed has forged to embrace the wider creative and technology communities including MeiGeist, SE3D and the ground-breaking Pervasive Media Studio.
Download the plan: Creative Britain - New Talents for the Economy PDF (1.2mb)
Interviewees needed
February 19, 2008
Posted by Emma in: Technology | Bristol | pervasive | Add a commentPlot London are looking for interviewees for their Media Sandbox project Happy Towns this weekend – Saturday 23rd to Monday 25th February.
They're looking for a range of people at different stages of their lives with diverse attitudes to technology - you might embrace new technologies or be a sceptic…
• A man who is head of the family
• A woman who is head of the family
• An infant school child or a junior school
• Teenagers in pre-exam study time
• Someone who owns their own business
• A grandfather or a grandmother
• A student
• An unmarried young couple just starting out
• A couple with a new baby
If you are Bristol based, come under any of the above categories and are willing to be interviewed for about an hour and half, please drop Gill an email or give her a call on 07966 209 615
Research from your interview will inform Plot as to how they can design things that will make what you are doing now either better, or easier in the future and what people do to make themselves happy.
Alistair Darling opens the Pervasive Media Studio
February 14, 2008
Posted by Clare in: Watershed | Innovation | Bristol | pervasive | 1 comment so far
Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling today opened the Pervasive Media Studio, which brings together the computing, communications and creative industries within a dynamic, cutting-edge work space to explore how new technologies could be used and what experiences could be created by this growing pervasive media environment. The Studio itself offers project development space, a wide variety of events and seminars for businesses and a creative learning programme for education and community groups.
The Studio is collaboration HP Labs and Watershed and will be managed by iShed, with University of West England and the University of Bristol as well as the South West's creative and technology industries. The project is also backed by the South West Regional Development Agency.
