Monday 23/01/2012:

14.00-16.00.

Location – IVT.

Combining creative and flexible interpretation of scientific data, with engagement and immersive technologies (Dome and XBox Kinect) for the development of educational applications.

i-DAT Research Workshops:

The i-DAT Research Workshops build on the heritage of a series of practice based production workshops, seminars and symposia. These include: Scale Electric, Far Away So Close, AHO+Bartlett=i-DAT, etc.

These workshops critically and playfully engage with themes, technologies and behaviours which form the symptoms manifest in the individual and collective practices of the i-DAT research community. These workshops are usually resource intensive so numbers may be limited. However, i-DAT will disseminate the research process and production work to a wider research/learning community and general public through documenta published through the i-DAT website and/or produced artefacts.

i-DAT Research Workshops will normally take place on a Thursday afternoon between 3 – 5. Locations will vary depending on the nature of the workshop, collaborations, and hosting organisations. Practice based Workshops may fall over several days (as with Far Away So Close and Scale Electric). For updates please refer to this page and the i-DAT News posts.

Smaller seminars will also be held to nurture and support research students undertaking the various stages of the MPhil/PhD cycle.

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‘A HERMIT’S MOVIE IV: IN TREES’
A performance by Barry Sykes.
Friday, 25 November 2011 at 18:00
Immersive Vision Theatre [http://goo.gl/VVDUM],
Plymouth University,
Plymouth, Devon, PL48AA.

Barry Sykes stages an updated version of his ambitious performance lecture written for and about The Immersive Vision Theatre, Plymouth University’s 1967 concrete planetarium, now repurposed by i-DAT to present state-of-the-art immersive visualisations.

The event is free, to book please go to: http://barrysykesatidat.eventbrite.com

Constantly surprising and entertaining, this sprawling multimedia monologue invokes astronomy, astrology, error, understanding, karaoke, Van Gogh, Versailles, An elm tree, and the mechanics of comedy and cinema. Originally written and performed whilst Sykes was artist in residence at Plymouth Arts Centre in 2010/11 he has been invited to present it again as a Constellation event alongside the British Art Show 7.

This event also offers an opportunity to gain access to the Immersive Vision Theatre’s 40 seat auditorium.

Supported and developed by i-DAT, Commissioned by Plymouth Arts Centre.

“Barry Sykes’s life as an artist has taken him down some offbeat, and perhaps not strictly legal, avenues. His artworks-cum-social experiments include impersonating a part-time police community support officer and replicating/ripping off work by such strange bedfellows as romantic minimalist Cerith Wyn Evans and painter Karel Appel. He’s even got his dad to realise work for him, as with a series of photos carried out according to his instructions. Trust, originality and morality rank among this trickster’s quarry, in projects that unpick what goes on behind the scenes in art.”

(Skye Sherwin, The Guardian, January 2011)

Biography

Barry Sykes (1976 Lives and works in London) has a diverse practice involving sculpture, drawing, photography, video and performance. Recent solo exhibitions include ‘I Am Not him And I Do Not Have Your Pen’ Late at Tate, Tate St Ives, 2011; ‘Recreate A Nervy Pistol (An Early Retrospective), Plymouth Arts Centre, 2011; ‘The Desperate Designer’, Gallop, London, 2009; ‘I Was Born On The Day Heidegger Died (But I Don’t Know Much About His Work)’, i-cabin, London, 2008. He has been in recent group shows at Tate Modern, London; ArtSway, New Forest; Project Space 11, Plymouth; UCL, London and Goldsmith’s College, London. He has recently delivered talks and performances at Tate St Ives, Tate Modern and Spike Island, Bristol and The University of the Arts. London.

http://www.barrysykes.info/

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16 November 2011

17.30 – 19.00

The Immersive Vision Theatre [http://goo.gl/VVDUM]

Plymouth University, Plymouth, Devon, PL48AA.

[PDF Invite]

[http://www.bio-os.org/projects/]

Booking is free, but essential. Please email; baga@plymouth.ac.uk

i-DAT is pleased to invite you to the Bio-OS ‘DataLab’ R&D showcase, a demonstration of prototype technologies that make data generated by the body (heart rate, breathing rate, body temperature and galvanic skin response) tangible – to nurture new arts practice and scientific research. Working in partnership with E-Health and Health Informatics at Plymouth University, the project was developed through a series of collaborative ‘DataLabs’ and artist commissions for: Katy Connor, Hannah Wood and Slingshot.

Collectively these artists embrace practices such as interactive art, ubiquitous technologies, data visualisation, transmedia story telling, social gaming and interaction design.

This is an opportunity for you to learn about the Bio-OS prototypes and their potential application from the project partners and commissioned artists.

http://x2.i-dat.org/datalab/

Who is this workshop for?

The Bio-OS ‘DataLab’ R&D showcase is for anyone with an interest in art and science collaborations, creative technologies and contemporary ideas around the human body. We believe that innovation emerges from a rich disciplinary mix and encourage participation from the general public, technologists, creative industries practitioners, artists, health and medical specialists and scientists.

About i-DAT’s DataLabs

i-DAT’s Collaborative DataLab is an initiative which aims to foster an open and collaborative environment which brings together artists, researchers and scientists to develop ‘provocative prototypes’ that lead to new practice, knowledge and resources for the arts and society as a whole. This initiative will enable artists to engage with these new digital opportunities and processes, to foster the creation of new work and engage with new audiences. These activities build dynamic links between academic research and artistic practice to foster transdisciplinary and new cultural forms.

The project is made possible through funding from Arts Council England, i-DAT and Plymouth University.

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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

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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:

http://www.fulldome.org.uk/

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Aggregator v1.0 builds on a suite of creative ‘tools’ or ‘operating systems’ that dynamically manifest ‘data’ as an abstract and invisible material, forming a mirror image of our world and reflecting, in sharp contrast and high resolution, our biological, ecological and social activities.

Aggregator v1.0 generates an audio/visual immersive experience of data feeds from web 2.0 platforms, news feeds, networks, buildings, and satellites all orchestrated through subtle audience interaction.

Aggregator v1.0 is a evolving generative performane and the audience is able drop in and out during the session.

Aggregator v1.0 coding and composition by Pete Carss.

Aggregators: Pete Carss and Mike Phillips.

Aggregator v1.0 is a component of the Peninsula Arts Contemporary Music Festival 2010

Date: Saturday 27 February.

Venue: Immersive Vision Theatre.

Time: 12:00pm – 4:00pm.

Admission: FREE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDyk9rj6QGo

Live coding application – Fluxus (care of Dave Griffiths):

http://www.pawfal.org/fluxus/

Audio feeds:

PALAOA Audio Observatory (microphone under ice)

http://icecast.awi.de:8000/PALAOA.MP3

Air Traffic Control:

http://mso.liveatc.net:80/khnd1

http://aus.liveatc.net:80/sbbr_acc

Calm noises:

http://www.whitenoise247.com/Sounds/CalmSeaWaves.wav

http://www.whitenoise247.com/Sounds/river_full.wav

Natural Radio:

http://mp3.nasa-us.speedera.net:8000/mp3.nasa-us/florida1

http://67.207.143.181:80/vlf1

http://67.207.143.181:80/vlf3

http://67.207.143.181:80/vlf9

http://67.207.143.181:80/vlf15

http://194.116.73.37:8000/pontese124.m3u

http://icecast.nis.nasa.gov:8000/florida1

http://picasso.astro.ufl.edu:8000/icy_1

Radio Astronomy:

http://28.72.128.252:8000/radast

Fluxus sample code:

;(require fluxus-016/drflux)

(require fluxus-017/planetarium)

;(set-dome-mode! #t)

(smoothing-bias 2)

(clear)

;(clear-colour 0)

;(blur 0.1)

;(fog (vector 0.1 0.1 0.1) 0.2 0.01 0.1)

(ortho)

(define dome (dome-build 10 180 2048))

; buffersize and samplerate need to match jack’s

(start-audio  “MPlayer” 1024 48000)

(define (render count)

(cond

((not (zero? count))

(translate (vector 0.1 0.1 (* 10 (gh 4))))

(scale (vector 2 2 1))

(rotate (vector (gh 4) (gh 5) (gh 6) ))

(colour (vector (* 0.5 (gh 4)) 0.2 (* 0.5 (gh 10))

0.3))

(opacity 0.3)

(draw-torus)

(render (- count 1)))))

;(with-state

;(rotate (vector 0 -25 0))

;(render (- count 1))

;(draw-cube)

;set the view of the camera

(dome-setup-main-camera 1400 1050)

(every-frame

(with-pixels-renderer (dome-pixels)

(with-state

;(rotate (vector 0 0  (* 90  (cos(/ (time) 10)))))

(translate (vector 0 0 -100)) ; move it into view

(render 10)))

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Arch-OS – VILLAGE SCREEN @ The Glastonbury Festival Big Screens

Aqeel Akbar, Immersive Media Assistant at the Immersive Vision Theatre was selected to join the team of seven artists working on site at the festival. The dynamic visualisations shown on the screen included the Quartz Composer real time Arch-OS data visualization developed in the i-DAT/AHO/Bartlett workshop.

“The Village Screen project 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’s Live Sites team, brings the Village Screen to Glastonbury for the first time this year. The screens will be used to showcase the work of some of the best new filmmaking talent, digital artists, VJs and games developers from the region and the UK.

The 25m2 screens (there are two of them, back- to- back) will broadcast a mix of short films, archive footage, gaming sessions, classic pop and highlights of the BBC’s coverage of the Festival from 10.00am to 3.00am every day.

Village Screen was coordinated by Richard Crowe, London 2012 Creative Programmer.

e: richard.crowe@london2012.com

www.london2012.com/culture

www.artscouncil.org.uk

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Two reports produced by i-DAT following the completion of the Research Informed Teaching projects in April 2009.

1: Development of multi-disciplinary content for the Immersive Vision Theatre:
A: Final Report Enquiry-Based Teaching RiT.pdf
B: Appendix-A-C.pdf
C: AppendixD1-AHO+BARTLETT=i-DAT.pdf
D: AppendicD2-OutIn.pdf

2: Development of a Cross-Faculty Centre for Creative Design and Technology:
A: Final Report CCDT RiT.pdf
B: AppendixA-B.pdf
C: AppendixC-D.pdf
D: AppendixE1-SlidingScales.pdf
E: AppendixE2-RFID.pdf
F: AppendixE3-outin.pdf
G: AppendixE4-AHO+BARTLETT=i-DAT.pdf

1: Development of multi-disciplinary content for the Immersive Vision Theatre.

Introduction:
The original RiT bid was for a project in the area of ‘Enquiry-Based Teaching’ intended to impact upon the first year experience of BEng students. In the event, this proved difficult to implement against the background of the strategic review of the University and the development of a new Teaching and Learning strategy. Accordingly the money was used in another fast developing area of enquiry-based learning relevant to a number of disciplines, including engineering, namely the effective use of immersive content. This project was intended to capitalise on the Immersive Vision Theatre and to interface with the Centre for Creative Design and Technology, hence ensuring synergies and impact. The intent was to develop content for the newly outfitted Full Dome environment. The conversion of the William Day Planetarium from the traditional horizontal dome, circular seating and central Zeiss projector to a digital Immersive Vision Theatre was made possible through funding gained by the Experiential Learning CETL (Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning) coordinated by Dr Ruth Weaver. The ambition for the Immersive Vision Theatre (IVT) is to create a transdisciplinary instrument for the manifestation of material, immaterial and imaginary worlds, relevant to many disciplines.

The ‘Full Dome’ architecture now houses a powerful high-resolution projector fitted with a ‘fish eye’ lens to wrap data, models, video and images around its inner surface. A second, even higher resolution ultra-high contrast projector focuses an intensely detailed ‘central’ (to the viewer) section of the dome. The 10-speaker spatialised audio system enables the modelling of acoustic environments as well as playback through virtual speakers, i.e. more speakers than physically exist. The IVT is being used for a range of activities, from cross-disciplinary teaching to cutting edge research in modelling and visualisation.

2: Development of a Cross-Faculty Centre for Creative Design and Technology.

Introduction:
Design, innovation and creativity are hallmarks of a significant part of the provision in Arts and Technology. Equally, creative technologies are very successfully being used to unlock transformative uses of visualisation, modelling and simulation which reach from undergraduate and postgraduate education through to research and into industrial and business practice. Particularly successful exemplars of this are seen in i-DAT (Institute for Digital Arts & Technology) and in INNOVATE (Centre for Creative Industries).

The area of creative design and technology has many strands existent in the two Faculties of Arts and Technology, ranging from genetic and mimetic algorithms in engineering through a substantial body of 3D design and modelling in both Faculties, to creative arts of many types. This duplication of concepts and, often technology, exists in two different (but potentially closely linked) domains with different interpretive views of design processes. A massive opportunity exists for synergy between parts of these activities in a transformational trans-disciplinary way. Part of the excitement of this potential lies in the burgeoning career options in the area of creative design and technology and part in the transformational advances in ways of modelling, visualising and rendering in virtual reality that are offered in a synergetic collaborative partnership.

It will be possible to develop an exciting new strand of degree programmes, perhaps commencing with a Masters programme (taken as either an MA or MSc) with international draw to embed leading research concepts. This can extend down to include the existing new developments such as DSGN143 (Integrated Systems Design) in UG taught programmes. The really novel part of this proposal is that as well as embedding the various forms of discipline research within the teaching of UG and PG programmes, there is an associated development of new transformational research areas and a synergy from the body of research and research methods in two different disciplines. Virtually by definition, the developments in research informed teaching will be cutting edge in themselves.

The project was received funding for 3 years in the form of 50% support for a new lecturer position to lead integration in this area. The Faculties of Arts and Technology would each commit 25% of the cost, and guaranteed permanent employment for a successful appointee. The person would have a joint appointment in both Faculties to ensure that this activity remains straddling the interface, even though it is certain that some of the developments will be more heavily weighted towards one Faculty or the other.

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“From a circle to a sphere”

Artist Talk: Marc Fournel

Tuesday 25 November 2008, 5.30pm – 6.30pm

Immersive Vision Theatre University of Plymouth

Cost: Free

i-DAT has been awarded a Canada Council for the Arts ‘Grants to New Media and Audio Artists: New Media Residencies’ for the sound and installation artist Marc Fournel. This new award will enable Marc to develop a project incorporating Arch-OS and the Immersive Vision Theatre (IVT).

In this talk, Marc, will present some of his video installations and latest art work using local positioning systems. He will also present his current research being developed through his residency, with a specific focus on working with the Arch-OS system and the IVT.

This will further be an opportunity to experience the IVT’s unique immersive system, whilst re-rendering the universe on the fly through ‘UniView’ (http://www.scalingtheuniverse.com), a computer graphics platform bringing information data- bases to life in a 3D environment, much like an immersive computer game.

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