Collaborative Data Lab Pilot; ‘Bio-OS 1.0’
This project established a series of Collaborative Data Lab’s, Bio-OS 1.0, to develop and share ‘instruments’ or ‘provocative prototypes’ that lead to new practices, knowledge and resources for artists and transdisciplinary practitioners. The intention is to make the data generated by human and ecological activity tangible and readily available to the public, artists, engineers and scientists for potential social, economic and cultural benefit, exploring the transformative potential of digital technology to nurturing new cultural forms.
‘Bio-OS 1.0’ is a pilot for i-DAT’s Collaborative Data Lab initiative which aims to identify opportunities to support and develop innovative ideas, prototypes and dissemination of creative content with a focus on the harvesting, sharing and visualization of data and information.
The artists are Katy Connor, Hannah Wood and Slingshot.
Katy Connor is an artist working with digital visual technologies, audio and installation. She has an exploratory approach towards making work; using new media alongside more traditional materials to produce single screen videos, sculptural objects and multi-channel installations that comment on the ubiquitous technicization of contemporary experience. With a professional background in film and television production, Connor worked in the commercial sector for 6 years before developing her artistic practice. She has since screened and exhibited her work in galleries and festivals in the UK, Europe and Japan.
Hannah Wood is a multimedia writer and story teller, having operated as a freelance journalist with extensive experience on national and local newspapers. Her focus is on creative writing, with a proposal to create a commercially viable digital-born crime fiction. She is focusing on experimentation with narrative and form and an investigation into new business models for digital and transmedia publishing.
Slingshot: Simon Johnson and Simon Evans are a small company with a global reputation, led by Simon Evans and Simon Johnson. They combine inspired event management with a flair for software development and excellent game design. Slongshot runs igfest and promotes a monthly community development evening called iglab, where we play and test games from the national community of game designers. SlingShot make street and pervasive games; games played with real people on city streets and country lanes, with a dash of technology to help it go down smoothly. Output is diverse: covering game production for arts festivals, NGOs and private sector clients. Slingshot is driven by a passionate belief that games are able to sustain metaphor and that they are a highly effective way to communicate complex ideas about contemporary life.
In addition the following arts organisations will be collaborating on the delivery of this project:
Artshare (http://www.artshare.com.pt/): The Artshare is a company dedicated to the research and application of new technologies as tools of artistic expression. Its field of action also involves the promotion and production of performance art events, installations, workshops, conferences, awareness campaigns and other educational interest. Artshare is constantly experimenting and prototyping.
Active Ingredient (http://www.i-am-ai.net/~activei/activeingredient/): Active Ingredient create innovative artworks that bring together location, social networking, bio and environmental sensing, data collection and play. Their work has included installations, large scale projections, mobile phone games and performance. Their work is often interactive and generated in collaboration with the audience, other artists, scientists and technologists.
Active Ingredient are based in Nottingham and work closely with the Mixed Reality Lab, at the University of Nottingham. They have won the East Midlands New Technologies Initiative award for innovation and were shortlisted for Nottingham’s first Creative Business Awards. Their project Heartlands has won the Nokia Ubimedia Mindtrek Award in 2007 and the Galileo Satellite Navigation Competition in 2009.
Message – http://www.message-research.org/: Messages a research group at the University of Plymouth. Messages are everywhere. It is evident, when we look and listen and touch and taste and smell, that many things contain messages. Messages exist because we must communicate to define our boundaries or be together. Messages are sent and received in an infinite number of ways, sometimes resulting in collaboration and sometimes in war. This group will explore the message.
E-Health and Health Informatics: In collaboration with Professor Ray Jones (http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/staff/r5jones#) and his team with a focus on E-health especially the use of information by patients.
School of Biomedical and Biological Sciences: In collaboration with Dr Andrew Evenden Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer) in Biomedical Sciences (http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/staff/aevenden#) and members of his team.
Bio-OS: DIY Human Geography v1.0 publication.