Dissemination

This section outlines some of the commercial propositions that have been addressed through public delivery of the project, whilst also discussing some of the newly formed relations with industry partners and practitioners through this form of dissemination.

A presentation by proposal at the ‘Interesting Sounds’ event at The Arnolfini gallery provided the opportunity to present the project as a current work in progress in order to discuss the future development and current draw backs of the work. The presentation took the form of a live performance/demonstration and a talk that transparently outlined some of the key areas of interest in the project, firstly, from a research standpoint and secondly as a commercially viable product. However, the main aim of the presentation was to put forward the current technological problems in a hope that a partnership could be formed with an avid coder.Following the presentation, through conducting e-mail conversations, a number of people working in Max/MSP created patches for the project, which attempted to solve the presented problems, but, as of yet they remains unresolved.

Click the thumbnail to view the details of the event – >

To view the presentation press play bellow – v

The experience was highly valuable in creating contacts and in heightening an awareness about the project and its affiliated online presence. The feedback from the presentation was energetically positive, with many people investing further interest in the project. Subsequently many of the audience attended the second Dialogue event that followed a week later, demonstrating that promotion at key events like these is highly focused and successful.

Whilst the delivery of this presentation was important in terms of forming new relations with other practitioners and researchers, a more long term strategy was required in terms of project support and technological development. Research was then conducted into local organizations/studios that could offer the support and infrastructure for further collaborative research and development with technological backing.

The Pervasive Media Studio came across as the most applicable organization to contact regarding the project due to their focused research areas and strong links with technology companies such as HP Labs

A meeting was set up with Victoria Tillotson, the project manager at iShed (A Division of The Watershed) at The Pervasive media Studio provided the opportunity to demonstrate the project and discuss the studios research objectives in relation to some of the initial research carried out. This meeting also provided the opportunity to disseminate the work to some of the residents at the studio and to enquire about support from the organization.

Whilst at the studio, Clare Reddington, The director of iShed and the pervasive Media Studio, suggested that an artists residency could be applicable to the project and requested and application to be submitted.

This is the working practice of the studio as well as an outline for applications taken from the PM Studio Website:

“Creating the opportunities for open, cross-disciplinary innovation is always complex and often high risk. The Pervasive Media Studio offers a ‘safe space’ for collaboration between creative talent, technology companies and content commissioners to identify and explore new opportunities, create new ideas and deliver innovation to the market.
We welcome applications to join the Pervasive Media Studio research community and a number of options are available, from hot desking to artist residencies, sabbatical/secondments or in order to undertake a specific research project.
Residency in the Pervasive Media Studio is built upon engagement and participation. It is through frequent, targeted and rich interactions that residents will derive lasting and sustainable value. Residents must therefore be undertaking research into mobile/wireless media and be willing to collaborate and share knowledge and skills with other studio residents. 
To enquire about joining the Pervasive Media Studio, please send an initial email to Clare Reddington (clare@ished.net), with a completed expression of interest form outlining your background, the type of research you plan to undertake and why you believe being in the studio will add value to your work. The Studio board will then review your application and get in touch. The studio has limited capacity so please get in touch early on in the development of your plans.”

Working within this community of competent researchers and developers would be extremely beneficial to the current project in its depth of development and implementation.

Following the discussions with the Pervasive Media Studio a proposal has been written and is currently being considered.

Here is the proposal:

Qualifications:

B.A (Hons) Creative Sound and Music 2005-2008
M.A/M.F.A Creative Music Practice 2008-Current

Background:

I have a background in experimental music composition and production, exploring the boundaries of conventional musical form and function. Main area of previous research involved working with technology in order to create a synergy between the physical and the virtual, utilizing instrumental and found sound, and manipulating and sculpting it using digital means. The end result took the form of a digital album release and a set of performances that furthermore explored this area.

Collaborative sound work includes forming a seven piece computer improvisation group named Submotion whose live objective was to create an original sonic environment to be enjoyed incidentally, atypical of many public spaces. The group played a number of events including Experimentica festival at Chapter Arts Center. This group formed the basis of my initial research interests into interface design, as I observed the frustration within the group towards the available software control.

Further collaborative work includes:
Directing live scores with a ten piece ensemble.
Working with fine artist Camilla Lassen on multiple live briefs using sound and projection.
Directing music video with a team of students interested in exploring sound – image relationships.
Producing Music for many student projects.

Current Research:

I am currently researching intangibility within interaction systems with a focus on musical interfacing and virtual instrumentation. The main area of research that I have conducted in this field concerns removing the physicality of objects usually found between user and outcome, in an attempt to create a stronger sensation of embodiment within the system for its user. The relationships that can be formed between man and machine, through the simultaneous interaction and reaction of the system are of interest, and these feedback loops form the basis of practical research, investigation and implementation. This is investigated through the use of motion tracking technology and video processing, enabling the body to play a larger role in the interaction and therefore the space it inhabits. Continued theoretical research, addressing the phenomenological study of consciousness, and in particular Heideggerian theology, informs the practical work as we attempt to understand our interactions within the world by unifying mind and body. The main objective of this research is to enable the promotion of play within human computer interaction, by freeing the user of any wearable technology that my distract or hinder a possible flow state during immersion within the system. Furthered research is concerned with this new form of dialogue between computer and user, and this is being explored in hope of finding out more about the complex relationships that can be formed during real time interaction.

My current project The Karman Cube is an intangible interface for musical performance. It is designed to utilizes low spec web camera technology found in most modern computers. This sensory system can track a persons gestural hand and body movement in real time in order to control a simple and intuitive interface. This project attempts to combat some of the apparent problems musicians are faced with when using standard interfacing peripherals.