Introduction…
The Scale Electric workshop (19 & 20/07/2010) couples the power of the Atomic Force Microscope to touch the infinitesimally small with the potential of the Full Dome environment to immerse participants in visualisations of the incomprehensibly big.
Throughout the last Century we were reintroduced to the idea of an invisible world. The development of sensing technologies allowed us to sense things in the world that we were unaware of (or maybe things we had just forgotten about?). The Scale Electric - the invisible ‘hertzian’ landscape was made accessible through instruments that could measure, record and broadcast our fears and desires. These instruments endow us with powers that in previous centuries would have been deemed ‘occult’ or ‘magic’.
Our Twenty Fist Century magic instruments mark a dramatic shift from the hegemony of the eye to a reliance on technologies that do our seeing for us - things so big, small or invisible that it takes a leap of faith to believe they are really there. Our view of the ‘real world’ is increasingly understood through images made of data, things that are measured and felt rather than seen. What we know and what we see is not the same thing - if you see what I mean?
Our ability to shift scales, from the smallest thing to the largest thing has been described as the ‘transcalar imaginary. The workshop will enable participants to touch the nano level and then immerse themselves within it through visualisations and sonifications.
Context:
Scale Electric extends a series of collaborative projects orbiting i-DAT’s research agenda. It builds on:
practical workshops to explore the application of novel and innovative technologies to creative practice (http://www.i-dat.org/2006-slidingscale/, http://www.i-dat.org/far-away-so-close/, http://www.i-dat.org/ahobartletti-dat/, etc)
projects with the Immersive Vision Theatre (a 40 seat 9m Full Dome digital projection system) a transdisciplinary instrument for the manifestation of material, immaterial and imaginary worlds - modelling, visualization, sonification and simulation.
research projects such as Arch-OS and Ecoid’s which stream real time data to facilitate insights into complex temporal architectural and ecological systems (http://www.arch-os.com/)
and more recently nano technology projects in collaboration with the Wolfson Nanotechnology Laboratory and John Curtin Gallery, Perth, WA - Art in the age of nanotechnology, 5/02 – 30/04/2010 (http://johncurtingallery.curtin.edu.au/)
Output generated by this workshop will contribute to the Ubiquity Journal Published in 2011 by Intellect. (http://ubiquityjournal.net/, http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/index/).
Scale Electric explores some of the ‘transcalar” (http://www.elumenati.com/products/TInarrative.html) conundrums that are increasingly intruding into our daily consciousness.
Schedule…
Monday 19/07/2010
10.00-10.15: Introductions, Briefing: Location - Babbage 213
10.15-10.30: Presentation 1: Prof Mike Phillips.
10.35-10.50: Presentation 2: Dr Chris Speed.
10.55-11.10: Presentation 3: Prof Genhua Pan.
11.15-11.30: Presentation 4: Pete Carss.
12.00-12.30: Tour of the AFM & IVT
12.30-13.30: Lunch
13.30-14.30: Production Planning: Location - Babbage 213
14.30-17.30: AFM Scanning: Location - The Wolfson Nanotechnology Laboratory,
Tuesday 20/07/2010
10.00-10.30: Briefing: Location Babbage 213
10.30-12.30: Project development AFM & IVT
12.30-13.30: Lunch
13.30-15.30: Project development AFM & IVT
15.30-17.30: IVT Manifestations
Process…
A: Experiencing Atoms:
The first practical session will utilise the AFM in the Wolfson Nanotechnology Laboratory to produce data and images. The materials themselves will be defined during the morning session. Participants will be asked to propose matter and associated narratives for examination.
B: Modelling Experience
Software templates will allow the interpretation and visualisation of the data gathered by the AFM. These visualisations will be hacked, tweaked and ultimately experienced within the Immersive Vision Theatre.
Project Team…
Pete Carss (http://www.i-dat.org/pete-carrs/)
Prof Genhua Pan (http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/staff/gpan)
Prof Mike Phillips (http://www.i-dat.org/mike-phillips/)
Dr Chris Speed (http://fields.eca.ac.uk/?page_id=65)
Supported by…
The Institute of Digital Art & Technology: [http://www.i-dat.org/]
Manifest Research Group
The Wolfson Nanotechnology Laboratory
The Centre for Media Art & Design Research
Ubiquity Journal
Welcome to FULLDOME UK 2010. A celebration of the FullDome experience, we present a day of screenings, presentations, discussions and perhaps some realtime performance. The event takes place at the Immersive Vision Theatre (IVT) based at the University of Plymouth on Saturday 10th July 2010 and runs from mid-day until late evening.
The event is free, but numbers are limited so please let us know your interest via email or by using the online form. We will be updating this site with more information on a regular basis, with more details of the screenings and guest speakers coming shortly – go to:
1.30: Sunday 24 February 2008. The Immersive Vision Theatre and i-DAT present the ‘Dome Fugue v1.0′. This is a specially commissioned sonic experience to celebrate the re-birth of the William Day Planetarium as a transdisciplinary instrument for the manifestation of material, immaterial and imaginary worlds. This pre-launch rendering of the ‘Dome Fugue v1.0′ will be performed in the Full Dome using its cutting edge spatialised sound system and accompanied by immersive generative visualisations. ‘Dome Fugue v1.0′ has been composited by i-DAT, researchers in the Nascent Art & Technology Research Group and The Immersive Vision Theatre ‘Domies’. The piece lasts 23 minutes 56.0409053 seconds, a scaled down sidereal period (a single rotation of the Earth relative to the stars). The Dome has seating for 35 people. The newly developed Immersive Vision Theatre was brought to life by the Experiential Learning CETL (Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) under the direction of Dr Ruth Weaver. The future management of the Dome lies with the Centre for Creative Design and Technology, a cross faculty (Arts & Technology) initiative and a transdisciplinary catalyst for innovation to influence the evolution of new creative design practices and strategies.
Dome Fugue v1.0 is part of ‘Voices III’ the Peninsula Arts Contemporary Music Festival 2008. Friday 22 - Sunday 24 February 2008. http://cmr.soc.plymouth.ac.uk/event.htm
