Media Sandbox June Newsletter
July 1, 2009
Posted by victoria in: Innovation | Add a commentJune was the last ‘official month’ of this years’ Media Sandbox scheme and we’re delighted by how much everyone has achieved in such a short amount of time. Since March, our six commissions have been researching the opportunities posed by multi-platform technologies and we’re thrilled to share their research…
Mark your diaries as next week, C6 and Steal From Work invite you to the Bristol launch of ‘Street Art Dealer’ - Thursday 9th July, 6pm. The team will launch an exciting exhibition, headlining works by Turner Prize nominee Tomoko Takahashi and James Powderly of Graffiti Research Lab; and showcase innovative uses of QR Code technology within the context of Art. Please join us - more info in our news feed.
Nomos Media and AntiVJ have really brought their software’s to life this month. Nomos’ ‘AudioEnable’ is now successfully running on a number of Windows Mobile devices and testing is so far so good; and after vigorous use of ‘Mapping Software 1.0’ at 'Nuits Sonores' festival in Lyon, France last month, research led AntiVJ to enhance functionality, allowing additional mapping of surface textures. This feature will advance the software’s augmented reality capabilities.
After legendary music producer Jools Holland helped to launch ‘Visual Voice Pro’ last month, HMC, Drake Music and bibic have begun distribution of the software to specialist centres and taken stock of what they’ve learnt from the process. Indie Mobile have also researched distribution this month. The team are planning to launch a summer campaign using ‘The Generator’ and are in talks with a number of exciting artists.
U-Soap Media have tested even more game scenarios for ‘Viral Spiral’ this month. They're now busy writing up the outcomes of their research, cutting some promo videos and making glossy presentation documents to pitch to TV companies. Read more on their captivating journal.
We’re thrilled with all this years’ projects and how much the teams have achieved. In its second year, Media Sandbox has again proved how important it is for creative people to have time and space for research and it doesn’t stop here. With events on the horizon in July and September, we’ll be back in touch soon.
Read the full newsletter, sign up for updates and learn how you can get involved here: Media Sandbox news feed.
Media Sandbox is managed by iShed working with South West Screen with support from South West Regional Development Agency and Watershed.
Street Art Dealer takes to the streets this July
July 1, 2009
Posted by victoria in: Innovation | Add a comment
Street Art Dealer kicks off its contribution to Bristol’s
art scene with a city wide exhibition showcasing QR code technology in
the arts. C6 and Steal From Work invite you to the Bristol launch on
9th July.
Launch night: Thursday 9th July, 6:00–9:30pm
Venue: 74 – 76 The Horsefair, Broadmead, Bristol
Exhibition dates: 9th – 30th July 2009
Link to official invite - http://tinyurl.com/streetartdealerinvite
C6 and Steal From Work launch an assault on the art market middle man,
taking street art out of the galleries and on to the streets with new
innovative QR code technology. Street Art Dealer is one of six
commissions by Media Sandbox which aims to bring a new dynamic into
public art, and with the help of renowned artists will bypass galleries
and allow a new type of mobile interaction.
This innovative use of QR code technology in the arts will be
showcased during an exhibition on the streets of Bristol which launches
on July 9th, where works from artists including Takahashi, Powderley,
Sebastian Lowsley-Williams and Zeus will be on display for all to see.
The exhibition will have an information hub in a disused shop in the
heart of Broadmead, Bristol where people will be shown the QR code
system and be able to access information on various pieces of art
before being let loose on the streets to discover what Bristol’s street
art scene has to offer. The six artists involved are particularly
interested in Broadmeads diversion and notions of the area diminishing
during the rise of capitalism. The installations will include arresting
pieces and interventions which will not only challenge the area but the
disenchanted public it engages.
On the launch night the hub will also host a shop front installation
featuring the eagerly anticipated project BEAM, by up and coming
artists Joseph Watts and Haywood Slucutt, who will be giving away free
prints to the first people using the QR codes to access information on
works. The launch will also see a demonstration of GRL's (Graffiti
Research Laboratory) Radical Fanatical cards, as part of the private
view evening’s fun.
Art on the street has hit the headlines with works by well-known
artists commanding large figures at auction. This demand has given
birth to an industry in resale and as a result dealers and galleries
have become increasingly interested in the profits to be made.
Resulting in large percentages and rises in prices - excluding an
interested public from buying the art they see everyday and in some
cases being unable to see the art at all.
To address this issue Street Art Dealer is taking the original
concept of ‘street art’ and combining it with the innovative QR code
technology to create a tool which allows an increasingly tech savvy
public to use their mobile phones to own, interact and locate art in
their community. The project aims to promote engagement with the
meaning of street art in the context of the environment alongside
creating a dialogue and interaction between artists and their local
communities - bridging the gap between both parties.
To find out more about Media Sandbox, visit: www.mediasandbox.co.uk
BBC Learning Unplugged Pervasive Media Lab
June 29, 2009
Posted by Clare in: Innovation | Add a comment
On Friday we ran a pervasive media lab, produced by James Richards of BBC Learning, The Pervasive Media Studio and Ed Mitchell.
The aim of this event was to build new relationships, project ideas and understanding between BBC staff and creatives working in pervasive media.
It was an opportunity to share and collaborate on specific ideas for projects in the context of BBC Learning Development and to discuss and understand the commissioning process of the team. During the day there was time set aside to work on potential new idea proposals and by the end of the day, three of these ideas were selected for further refinement (Arkive, Hide&Seek's Garden of Bees and Aardman/Delib's National Panic Simulator).
The 65 participants were drawn from leading creatives working with mobile and wireless media from across the UK and BBC staff and commissioners including Myles Runham, Head of Interactive for BBC Learning, George Auckland, BBC Head of Innovation and Lucio Mesquita, BBC Head of Regional & Local Programmes.
Ed Mitchell's innovation lab format went down brilliantly with one BBC exec saying it was one of the most productive meetings he had ever been to. Hopefully we will be staging more similar events in the future. In the meantime, see the photos from the day here and here.
Media Playgrounds at Glastonbury
June 29, 2009
Posted by Clare in: Innovation | Add a comment
The Village Screen at this year's Glastonbury Festival was a unique collaboration led by the Region’s 2012 Creative Programmer, Glastonbury Festival, Team South West and Relays (Legacy Trust UK programme) and including the UK’s network of Creative Programmers, screen agencies and the BBC Big Screen Live Sites team, featuring Pervasive Media Studio Resident Tarim with his Instant Graffiti which was developed as a Media Sandbox 2008 commissioned project.
Tarim creates Media Playgrounds- installations which people can both play with and build new and different places to play in. Designed around a system called PTTP (Power To The People) that gives people the ability to play using many
sorts of gadgets; mobile phones, laptops, WiImotes and public access kiosks as well as the ability to create new games which work with existing playgrounds. Current areas of development include Instant Graffiti, an Etch-a-Sketch style projection on to both buildings and screens which people can draw with using a mobile connection or create new single-player and multi-player experiences.
For more information on Tarim's Media Playgrounds click here.
How To Botch A Relationship
June 12, 2009
Posted by Clare in: Innovation | 1 comment so farListening to Jon Drori on How To Botch A Relationship at bTWEEN. An extremely enjoyable presentation on how to reinforce prejudice and kill collaboration. His top tips for really messing up:
How to really mess up a relationship with a commissioner:
- Avoid understanding decision makers
- Always ask for money straight away
- Only engage at the very top level. Never form relationships across organisations
- Always use buzz words and jargon
- Never use evidence. Don’t try and match your ideas with their aims.
- Don’t ask for anything specific and never use reason
- Put in as much detail as you can to all pitches and documents
- Avoid challenge but get lippy. Shame them into funding you
How to both a relationship with people pitching to you:
- Develop a handy one size all procurement process (if possible get a large consultancy to design your process for you)
- Make sure tenders come as a nice surprise. Don’t give any notice
- Make them jump through hoops – they will feel more rewarded and valued when they get the work
- Call distant meetings at very short notice - this helps the transport industry and small agencies value the rest on the train.
Most importantly: make sure you patronise, lecture and confuse your partners. Ignore what they really want and make sure you do not understand their needs.
