Nomination for What's On Readers' Award

Tigress, an outdoor performance event IOCT member Sophy Smith worked on as composer/musical director with Motionhouse Dance Theatre is up for a What’s On Readers’ Award!

Motionhouse’s characteristic athletic and energetic style was used to create a thrilling spectacle with more than 200 participants from Tamworth, supported by local drumming groups and choirs: a true community piece!  The show was a modern retelling of the story of one of the greatest female figures in English history, the formidable Saxon warrior queen Æthelflæda. Combining breath-taking dance and acrobatics with a searing original score, this outdoor large-scale performance took place against the dramatic backdrop of Tamworth Castle as part of the I Am Tamworth festival in 2015.

Please vote for Tigress! We’re delighted that this wonderful outdoor extravaganza performed by Tamworth communities alongside the Motionhouse team is in the running alongside Birmingham Royal Ballet, Matthew Bourne, Rambert Dance Company, Scottish Dance Theatre, Rosie Kay Dance and Vincent Dance Theatre!
 

You can help us to win by voting online here (You could win £1000 in the process!): http://whatsonlive.co.uk/whats-on-readers-awards

Like your Vinyl?  Swot up with A (Brief) History of Turntablism!

IOCT member Sophy Smith has written an online article about the history of turntablism for The Vinyl Factory, published today...

A Brief History of Turntablism

Creative Technologies Masters

The 2015-6 Creative Technologies postgraduate students are now in their second semester and beginning to formalise their project ideas following an exciting first semester.  Let them introduce themselves...

Richard Cook

I come from a Fine Art background in portraits and portrait painting where I combine spray paint with traditional portraiture in a gallery setting. My last exhibition was at the Bargehouse, Southbank in London 2015. I have experience in the commercial art industry through running my own small company specialising in bespoke murals for domestic and business clients. Through my Creative Technologies postgrad I am currently focussing on how to use 3D software and how to market products and experiences.

http://www.floatart.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/FloatArt-Catalogue-SMALLEST.pdf 

Joshua Jones

I graduated with a first in Video Game Technology at DMU - video games have been a large part of my life and I have been making my own content for them since 2002, with some of my work being published in the UK’s largest PC gaming magazine, PC Gamer. Since graduating I have focused more on becoming a full stack web developer. My first professional project was to design and develop an ecommerce website for a company.  I'm currently developing my portfolio to include a range of exciting web-based work.

Madhu Mani

I come from a computing background and have worked in interactive TV, Video on Demand and content management systems, including the BBC’s red button.  I have worked as senior Java developer, predominantly using Opensource technologies.  I am also a visual artist, creating drawings and illustrations. Having lived in Britain for many years I was born and raised in India and my artistic work reflects on a world left behind to adopt to a new world, within the framework of memories and thoughts.  Through Creative technologies, I am hoping to combine my passion for art with my background in technology.

 

 

Anna Toal

After obtaining my first degree in Music at Bretton Hall College,Yorkshire, I then obtained a distinction in a Diploma in Knitwear Design at Loughborough College of Art and Design. Sponsored by The Prince's Trust, I successfully ran my own Knitwear company before going into Teaching. Having had career breaks to raise three children, I find myself a digital immigrant in an unfamiliar technological world. I am interested to explore how my life's experiences, love of art, and admiration (yet slight fear) of technology, can be brought together.


Jason Boomer

I discovered machinima while at college, and my desire to pursue this led to me studying BSc Computer Games Technology at Portsmouth University. During this time, I began hosting gaming events, eventually leading to the foundation of SideFest Ltd, my event organising business.  With a newly formed company, I decided to develop a programme of diverse and engaging events with a strong community and social responsibility focus, and in early 2015 I debuted Creat-A-Con, an event which aimed to engage members of the public with new and emerging technology.

During the planning of this event, I became a S.T.E.M. Ambassador with STEMnet, promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics to young people, an objective with which Creat-A-Con is perfectly aligned. This event, sponsored by DMU Square Mile, had over 500 attendees from a range of schools and clubs in the Leicester area, and plans are underway to bring this event to a geographically and demographically broader audience.

With over a decade of experience in gaming and technology events, I was invited to participate on the MA/MSc Creative Technologies at De Montfort University, which has enabled me to focus on machinima, and on top of introducing new events through SideFest, I aim to establish an organisation to further develop machinima as an art form.

During and following college and university, I have held a number of work placements at various games companies, including Lionhead Studios, Muckyfoot Productions, BossaStudios, and 22 Cans, and in 2016 I will be pursuing a placement with Kalypso Media Digital.To date, SideFest has been supported by O2 Think Big, National Lottery, Legacy Trust, DMU Square Mile, Kalypso Media Digital, Cyber Candy Ltd, Insert Coin Clothing, Somewhereto_, and more. 

Contact info;
Jason.Boomer@SideFest.co.uk
http://Twitter.com/Side_Fest
http://Facebook.com/SideFest

Website coming soon.

IOCT Practice Based Research Talk Series 2016 - Jorge Ramos

Jorge Ramos (ZU-UK) - 27th JAN 2016, Interact Labs, Phoenix Square 6-8pm

Jorge Ramos (ZU-UK) talks about his work with creative technologies and how he deals with experimentation and research in his practice.  

Jorge Lopes Ramos works as joint AD/CEO of ZU-UK (London, since 2010), GAS Station (London, since 2015) and as Senior Lecturer at University of East London (since 2009). Jorge has recently completed a PhD by practice on Immersive Theatre.  His artistic work has won awards and nominations in the fields of interactive theatre, hybrid art and artform innovation.  His most acclaimed project, Hotel Medea, was the highest rated event by both public and press, becoming the standout hit of Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2011, presented also at LIFT2010 and Hayward Gallery in 2012. With ZU-UK, Jorge programmed live and digital festivals, created a telematic exhibition for the Olympics 2012, the World Cup 2014, Olympic Park in 2015 and coached emerging artists in over 10 countries since 2006. Jorge is currently developing an international network of creative LABS, including TAG Montreal, RedBull Station São Paulo and Festivals In Transition (13 European Festivals).

https://www.facebook.com/iamzuuk/

https://twitter.com/iamzuuk

https://www.youtube.com/user/zecoraura

This talk is aimed at researchers, research students and undergraduates considering postgraduate study, so please forward to anyone you think might be interested in attending.  Tickets are free but must be pre-booked here;

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ioct-practice-based-research-talk-jorge-ramos-zecora-una-tickets-20725897718

Practice Based Research Seminar Day

Practice Based Research Seminar Day

Weds 20th Jan, 9am-3pm

Innovation Centre, De Montfort University

On Weds 20th Jan 2016, the IOCT will be running the second of four Seminar Days for doctoral students undertaking Practice Based Research. The programme has been designed by a diverse group of practitioners from across disciplines in sciences, arts and technologies and will give a comprehensive overview of different approaches to combining theory and practice. 

As well as offering the opportunity to meet other practice based researchers, the day will include the covering ethics for human participants in research (delivered by Tracy Harwood) and the relationship between practice and theory (delivered by Kerry Franksen).
  

Tracy Harwood

Kerry Franksen

There will also be student papers from current practice-based PhD students.

For further details and to book a place, click here

CAS/CADE Conference 2013: Codes of Engagement

8th – 9th April 2013 Watershed, Bristol

Organisers: Mark Palmer, Sue Gollifer and Nick Lambert
Partnership with Digital Cultures Research Centre UWE

 

 


The IOCT made a strong showing at the combined Computer Arts Society/Computing in Art and Design Education symposium at the Watershed in Bristol in April with papers by Ernest Edmonds, Francesca Franco, Sean Clark and also  Anthony Rowe of Squidsoup-who collaborated with IOCT on their Ocean of Light piece. There were exhibitions by Professor Martin Rieser showing the work for the Phoenix Digital Arts Commission Exodus and also Jackie Calderwood's work with Alzheimers' patients Living Voices. Other speakers included  veteran computer artist and educator Brian Reffin Smith   Pervasive Media artists  Duncan Speakman and Tine Bech and physicist David Glowacki using quantum field calculations to enhance interactive dance displays. Frieder Nake was unable to attend but supplied a video. 

Marking the 18th anniversary of the first Computers in Art and Design Education conference , where those born in 1995 have just become students. Many who then sensed the opportunities and need to make computers an integral part of Art and Design Education might feel that this is now a given. The symposium interrogated the question whether the integration of computers in Art and Design Education has  only been the prelude to a greater set of challenges?

It asked how  the landscape might change when we begin to teach pupils who’ve been taught how to code in schools? As computing moves off the desktop towards the ubiquitous and the physical and into what should be the natural domain of the arts, is the sector prepared? Can it cope with the demands of electronics alongside coding? Can it innovate and be creative if it doesn’t? With creative technology now being one of the highest recruiting areas within Computing Departments are new approaches demanded? 



    

De Montfort wins Green Gown award for Greenview App

We're delighted to announce that we won the Green ICT category in the EAUC Green Gown Awards last night. It was a fantastic evening and we were thrilled to share it with many familiar faces from the last few years alongside our colleagues from DMU's Square Mile Project that also won in the Social Responsibility category and the International Social Responsibility category. Particularly poignant for me as the event was held in the beautiful Great Hall at the University of Birmingham.

There were  key people without whom which this project would never have happened. Firstly - our sponsors/funders, JISC - Rob Bristow at the Greening ICT group at JISC has supported us tirelessly and without JISC funding this project, and its predecessor, DUALL. could never have happened. Second, the team behind the Greenview app from IOCT and IESD - Richard Bull, Dave Everitt, Gareth Howell, Graeme Stuart and Martin Rieser. Thirdly, the sustainability team at DMU are amazing - Karl Letten and Paul Fleming in particular. Finally, the IESD and the Faculty of Technology at DMU have been incredibly supportive of our, at times, slightly unorthodox ideas about energy visualisation.

Oh, and last but not least, thank you to to the EAUC for the award. We're very grateful.