News Archive 2010

| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | Current News

Artist in residence - Andrea Polli

New Mexico based artist Andrea Polli is in residence at 20 Wellington Road for the month of August along with her partner and collaborator Chuck Varga.

In her work, global weather and air pollution data are transformed into mesmerising video and sound installations. Many of Polli's works rely on "sonification", a process in which data is translated into sound.

www.andreapolli.com

Edinburgh Festival Talent Symposium

Julianne Pierce will be hosting a round table discussion at the Symposium on Talent Development as part of the Edinburgh Festival on 18th and 19th August. The Symposium explores how to generate an ideal environment for artists' creativity to flourish.

Soft Message at Forest Fringe

Our work for Radio 3 called Soft Message will be presented as part of the Travelling Sounds Library by Forest Fringe in Edinburgh.

Dates: Monday 16th & Tuesday 17th August.

Artist in residence - Teresa Almeida

Originally from Portugal, Teresa is currently based in Singapore where she lectures at an art College and researches on wearable, soft, and portable technologies.

During her residency at 20 Wellington Road, she will work on a new project inspired by the British summer and her time spent in windy Brighton.

www.banhomaria.net

Residency programme deadline 31st July

Blast Theory is currently calling for applications for the 20 Wellington Road Residency Programme for 2011. Expressions of interest are invited from individuals working in the following fields:

- Pervasive & location based gaming & interactive media
- Mobile & portable devices in cultural & artistic practice
- Games design and theory
- Interdisciplinary and live art practice

The deadline for applications is July 31, 2010. Further details and an application form are available here

Ju Row Farr on sabbatical

Blast Theory artist Ju Row Farr will be on sabbatical for 6 months from 1st July to the end of 2010. During her sabbatical period, Ju will be taking a studio in Brighton to pursue her own practice as well as undertaking several courses and workshops.

We wish Ju the best of luck and look forward to seeing her in January 2011.

Intern applications deadline 31st July 2010

Blast Theory are running placements for interns at their studios with a deadline for applications twice a year. The placements are for a minimum of one month and a maximum of three months.

For full details on how to apply and more information on the scheme please download the application form

LIFT Talk - Digital Democracy, 24th June at ICA

Matt Adams will speak in the Digital Democracy panel as part of LIFT Talks on 24th June from 3.30-5.30pm at the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts), London.

Soft Message at Latitude

Our work for Radio 3 called Soft Message will be presented by Forest Fringe at the Latitude festival in Suffolk on 15-18th July as part a tour to London, Cardiff, Bristol and Glasgow.

Artist in residence - Diego Bonetto

Diego Bonetto is a multimedia artist living and practicing in Sydney and is a key member of artists' collectives SquatSpace, the Network of UnCollectable Artists (NUCA) and the BigFAGPress.

For the past 8 years Diego has been working with WeedyConnection, an environmental art campaign. The project involved an online resource launched in 2006, short documentary films, various site-specific installations in the form of Self-Guided Tours and interactive games on mobile platforms.

Whilst at Blast Theory's residency Diego will research possibilities for a GPS capable botanical treasure hunt: bedaForager

www.weedyconnection.com/blog

Artist in residence - Laura-Kate Jennings

Laura-Kate Jennings will be in residence at 20 Welling Road until 4th June.

Laura-Kate Jennings is an artist and researcher based in London. Beginning from the everyday her practice-based-research investigates the production of space through an interdisciplinary practice that fuses site, walking, technology and documentation.

Seeking a form for performance that challenges our relationship to space, so reclaiming it for the participant, Laura’s residency at Blast Theory will explore ‘co-authorship’ in performance as a means to challenge rather than reflect urban experience through speech.

More information.
followproductlkj.blogspot.com
twitter.com/lk_jenning

Talk at Tsinghua Art and Science Media Lab

Nick Tandavanitj will be talking about Blast Theory's work as part of an international symposium of practitioners involved in art and science collaborations. The symposium is the inaugural event of the Tsinghua Art and Science Media Lab in Beijing.

Date: June 11-12th

More information: tasml.parsons.edu/

Matt Adams and Ju Row Farr at ICA Live Weekends

With contributions from leading artists, academics and writers in the field, Futures and Pasts is a long weekend of live art at the ICA exploring the diverse pasts and possible futures of live art and performance. Curated by writer, artist and performance maker Tim Etchells with the aid of artist Ant Hampton and Lois Keidan (Live Art Development Agency) this ambitious event combines marathon lecture performance with a rolling scheme of conversations, interviews and archival investigations alongside speculation as to the future of this vigorous and vital area of contemporary art practice.

For more information and full programme of events click here.

Natasha Davis Artist Talk - Thursday 27th May

Blast Theory is pleased to invite you to an Artist Talk by the current Artist in Residence at 20 Wellington Road - Natasha Davis.

Thursday 27th May, 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm at Blast Theory's studios 20 Wellington Road, Portslade, Brighton, BN41 1DN.

www.natashaproductions.com

Workshop at PACT in Essen

Matt Adams will lead a workshop session entitled Tentative Process, Tacit Knowledge as part of Explorationen 10 at PACT Zollverein in Essen on 11th June.

www.pact-zollverein.de

Video/Dance Festival in Jerusalem

Matt Adams will give a workshop and a lecture at the Video/Dance Festival in Jerusalem on May 25th

www.visualtheater.co.il

Artist in residence - Natasha Davis

Natasha Davis will be in residence at 20 Wellington Road until May 28th.

Natasha’s solo practice, most recently her solo shows Rupture and Asphyxia, are interdisciplinary, process-led and based around rigorous investigation through research & interpretation of personal histories that tap into universal values & issues. She is interested in the liminal. Her work revolves around the body in its physicality and as a cultural signifier, memory, migration and identity.

During her residency, Natasha will begin to work on her third solo performance Suspended.

www.natashaproductions.com

Joseph Young Artist Talk - Friday 30th April

Blast Theory is pleased to invite you to an Artist Talk by the current Artist in Residence at 20 Wellington Road - Joseph Young.

Friday 30th April, 6.30-8.30pm at Blast Theory's studios 20 Wellington Road, Portslade, Brighton, BN41 1DN.

"In this latest piece of research, I will work solo, using field recordings from Portslade, found objects on the street and text, to present a short binaural location performance for an audience of 8 people at a time. I am interested in the theatricality of the binaural medium, whereby the listener is immersed in a 3D soundscape. To create the illusion of an aural stage, I will be using the “dummy head” technique.&quo

Ju Row Farr taking part in Untitled debate

29April 2010 -Google, 2nd Floor, Chaussee d'Etterbeek 180,1000 Brussels,Belgium

Digital Media, interactivity and identity - A debate withJuRow FarrandRob van Kranenburg

This second event of the Untitled initiative gathers two notorious guests who both explore the effects of technologies on societies and interactivity through artistic “experiments” and theoretical investigations.

More information here

Collaborating for Innovation

Julianne Pierce will discuss Blast Theory's partnerships with HIgher Education at Creative Industries: Collaborating for Innovation organised by SE Media Network on 27th April in Portsmouth.

Artist in residence - Joseph Young

Joseph Young will be in residence at 20 Wellington Road for a week developing a binaural locative performance work.

Founded by Joseph Young in 2007 and inspired by the Milan Futurists and the poetics of the Dada movement, The NeoFuturist Collective is of a group of artists who have come together to celebrate urban noise in all its’ visual and aural forms.


neofuturist.blogspot.com
www.josephyoung.co.uk

You Get Me nominated for Webby

'You Get Me' is a nominee in the NetArt category of the 14th Annual Webby Awards.

Lighthouse - Debating the Digital Economy

What does the Digital Economy Act mean for the digital, creative and cultural sectors?

Wired Sussex and Lighthouse are teaming up to stage a quick response event reacting to the controversial Digital Economy Act, which the Government passed into Law this April.

Matt Adams will be on a panel of speakers including Anthony Lilley (OBE) - chief executive of Magic Lantern, Jeremy Keith - musician & director at Clearleft, James McCarthy - director The Werks and Nik Butler - social networker and opinioneer.

Thursday 29th April at Lighthouse, 28 Kensington Street, Brighton.
Admission is free but registration is required.

Matt Adams talk at Glug Brighton

Matt Adams will be presenting a talk on the work of Blast Theory as part of Glug Brighton on Friday 23rd April. To register interest and find out more information click on the link below.

www.meetup.com/glugbrighton/

Campfire

Julianne Pierce will discuss Blast Theory's work at Campfire on 15th April. A monthly informal London-based event organised by the collaborative network ditto.

Artist in residence - Monika Codourey

Monika Codourey is a Zurich based architect who thinks beyond designing spatial forms and explores how digital media can contribute to shaping social processes in urban environment. Currently she is a Ph.D. Research Fellow at Z-Node of the Planetary Collegium (University of Plymouth, UK) and Institute of Cultural Studies (Zurich University of Arts, CH). In her dissertation she investigates how airport territory can be seen as a hybrid social space.

She will be in residence for three weeks, developing "PAXMAN 2.0" - an artistic project for the public space of the airport itself which aims to change presumed behavioural patterns of "constant travellers".

For more about her works visit:
http://monika.codourey.info
http://mobile-identities.info
http://www.constanttraveller.info/

Ju Row Farr workshop at Arts Admin

In the final of Artsadmin's weekenders, Ju Row-Farr of Blast Theory will look at developing performance ideas using low-tech / quick paper-based methods for moving ideas on quickly, as well as exploring the surrounding context as site for ideas and strategies for placing the audience at the centre of the work.

For more information click here.

The Guardian on Soft Message

Lyn Gardner concludes her review of the Forest Fringe Microfestival at the Battersea Arts Centre by recommending Soft Message.

www.guardian.co.uk/stage/

Matt Adams in WIRED magazine top 100

Matt Adams is included in the newly announced WIRED survey of Britain's top digital power-brokers at number 81 of 100.

www.wired.co.uk/wired-magazine/

Mentoring for PVI

Matt Adams is mentoring PVI on their new work Transumer for this year's Biennale of Sydney.

www.pvicollective.com/art

Soft Message at BAC

Our work for Radio 3 called Soft Message will be presented by Forest Fringe at the Battersea Arts Centre in London on 2-3rd April before a tour to Cardiff, Bristol and Glasgow.

www.forestfringe.blogspot.com

Ben Eaton Artist Talk - Wednesday 24th March

Blast Theory is pleased to invite you to an Artist Talk by the current Artist in Residence at 20 Wellington Road - Ben Eaton.

Wednesday 24th March, 6.30-8pm at Blast Theory's studios 20 Wellington Road, Portslade, Brighton, BN41 1DN.

Ben Eaton will talk about playing the 'real', the mechanic as the message, and games as agents of change, he will show some video, play some games, and talk about what he's been thinking during his residency at Blast Theory.

Please RSVP to dan@blasttheory.co.uk

Partnership with The Centre for Digital Entertainment

Blast Theory is a partner with The Centre for Digital Entertainment (University of Bath and Bournemouth University) to support a doctoral placement.

The CDE has 10 Doctoral Studentships on offer in Digital Entertainment to research while working in a range of media organisations. The program lasts 4 years. 75% of your time will be based in a company working and doing research on real projects. If successful you will receive your tuition fees, a tax free annual stipend and a laptop.

Applications are made directly to the CDE and deadline is 19th March 2010.

For further details visit www.digital-entertainment.org

Riders Have Spoken research project

Dr Jonathan Foster at the University of Sheffield is starting a research project on archiving interactive performances using Rider Spoke as a case study.

For more details check:
http://projects.beyondtext.ac.uk/sg-jonathan-foster

Pecha Kucha

As part of Blank’s mini Festival of Creative Learning, Pecha Kucha Night Brighton 'The Spirit of the Stairs' curated by Blank and Blast Theory will take place at 20 Wellington Road: 10 people, 10 presentations, 20 slides, 6 minutes 40 seconds each.

Friday March 12 from 7:30 pm – 11:00pm at Blast Theory, 20 Wellington Rd, Portslade.

Admission £3 at the door. Spaces are limited so please arrive early to secure entry.

Artist in residence - Ben Eaton

Ben works with computers, video, and performance to make interactive work and experiences. Recently he has been thinking a lot about board games and mysteries, during his time at Blast Theory he will be developing a new secret project.

His website is www.beneaton.org.uk

We are ready for our close up

There's a 7 page spread on us in issue 6 of Amusement magazine, a lush French magazine on games. Interview by Isabelle Arvers and photos by Neil Bridge

Amusement
Neil Bridge photos

Connected at Tokyo Performing Arts Market

Matt Adams will be discussing the work of Blast Theory at Connected - a showcase of cutting edge participative and interactive performing arts work.

Presented by the British Council as part of TPAM (Tokyo Performing Arts Market) from 1-4 March.

www.connected-uk.org/

Ulrike and Eamon Compliant wins IMG Award

We are very pleased to announce that Ulrike and Eamon Compliant has won the Best Real World Game at the 2010 International Mobile Gaming Awards, announced at the awards ceremony in Barcelona on 15th February.

www.imgawards.com

V&A Late

A new work 'The Goody Bullet' will premiere at V&A Friday Late on 26th February from 18:30-22:00 as part of the Decode: Digital Design Sensations exhibition.

www.vam.ac.uk

Late at Tate

'Can You See Me Now?' is part of the Late at Tate focus on gaming, Friday 5th March at Tate Britain, London. Entry is free and opening hours are 18:00-22:00.

www.canyouseemenow.co.uk
www.tate.org.uk

Artist in residence - Sheila Ghelani

Sheila is a London based interdisciplinary artist that makes performance, film and Live Art work. As well as working solo Sheila also works collaboratively and is a core member of Pacitti Company and a Blast Theory Associate Artist.

Whilst in residence Sheila will be re-visiting "Sugar Sugar White" (one of her most recent works) prior to showing it at the National Review of Live Art in March. She will also be spending some time developing ideas for a new commission opportunity. To read more about Sheila's practice visit www.sheilaghelani.co.uk

Artists in residence - Bogdan Spanjevic and Mirko Stojkovic

Bogdan Spanjevic and Mirko Stojkovic from ApsArt, The Center for Theater Research in Belgrade are in residence to develop their pervasive game “House of Mirrors”, the first pervasive game in Serbia.

ApsArt's purpose is to use theatre as a tool for personal development and social change and has worked in Belgrade's maximum security central prison on a project titled “Wizards of O.Z.” (O.Z. is abbreviation for “Okruzni zatvor” i.e. County Prison) winning the regional award for social change – “Erste Social Integration Award 2009”

For more details about their work please visit their website www.apsart.org

Lecture at Goldsmiths

Executive Producer Julianne Pierce will give a lecture on Blast Theory to MA students in Interactive Media: Crictical Theory & Practice, Wednesday 28th January at Goldsmiths, London.

Ulrike and Eamon Compliant nominated for IMGA

We are very pleased to announce that Ulrike and Eamon Compliant has been nominated for the Best Real World Game at this years International Mobile Gaming Awards.

For full detals about the awards please visit their website.

www.imgawards.com

Blast Theory join 10:10

Blast Theory have joined the 10:10 campaign; committing to reduce carbon emissions by 10% over the next 12 months.

Learn more about taking part here:

www.1010uk.org

Intern applications deadline 31st January 2010

Blast Theory are running placements for interns at their studios with a deadline for applications twice a year. The placements are for a minimum of one month and a maximum of three months.

We are particulalrly looking for someone to work on an exciting new project for Channel 4 aimed at teenagers, ideal candidates will have some experience of marketing and audience development.

For full details on how to apply and more information on the scheme please download the application form here.

Guardian Augmented Reality blog

The Guardian's PDA Blog has an overview of Augmented Reality and credits Rider Spoke as a pioneering work.

www.guardian.co.uk/media/

Blueprint tip Blast Theory for 2010

Blueprint magazine has produced a list of people who will influence design in the coming year and, apparently, that includes us.

www.blueprintmagazine.co.uk