Blast Theory biography

Blast Theory is renowned internationally as one of the most adventurous artists’ groups using interactive media, creating groundbreaking new forms of performance and interactive art that mixes audiences across the internet, live performance and digital broadcasting. Led by Matt Adams, Ju Row Farr and Nick Tandavanitj, the group’s work explores the social and political aspects of technology. Drawing on popular culture and games, the work often blurs the boundaries between the real and the fictional.

Blast Theory is based in Brighton, UK.

Our history

Early works such as Gunmen Kill Three (1991), Chemical Wedding (1994) and Stampede (1994) drew on club culture to create multimedia performances – often in unusual spaces such as film studios and accompanied by bands and DJs – that invited participation. The crime reconstruction installation Invisible Bullets (1994) was first shown at the Fete Worse Than Death in Hoxton. Something American (1996) treated the USA as the Wild West, quoting freely from Hollywood films on a billboard sized projection screen.

1997 was a major step forward: a nine month residency at Künstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin coincided with a proposed performance called Succumbing suddenly shifting to become Kidnap (1998), in which two members of the public were kidnapped as part of a lottery and the resulting event was streamed online. Desert Rain (1999), a large scale installation, performance and game using virtual reality marks the first output of our collaboration with the Mixed Reality Lab at the University of Nottingham. An Explicit Volume(2001) is an interactive installation using page-turners to control nine pornographic books and is part of a sequence of works that use found imagery and/or sexual material such as Choreographic Cops In A Complicated World (2000) and Viewfinder (2001).

Can You See Me Now? (2001), a chase game played online and on the streets, was succeeded by Uncle Roy All Around You (2003) another mixed reality game in which players searched through the streets for Uncle Roy using handheld computers and a virtual city. As Thinkers In Residence in Adelaide the group created I Like Frank (2004), the world’s first mixed reality game for 3G phones.

TRUCOLD (2002), a video piece for the Sydney Biennale, shows deserted cityscapes at night and in a heavy fog. It is often presented alongside an interactive replay of Can You See Me Now?, documentation of Uncle Roy All Around You and Single Story Building (2002) as TRUCOLD And Other Works. Single Story Building was adapted for Tate Online as part of 40 Artists, 40 Days.

Day Of The Figurines (2006) is an SMS game for up to 1000 players set in a decaying English town occupied by an Arabic army. Rider Spoke (2007), also made within the auspices of the Integrated Project on Pervasive Games, is a participatory work for cyclists. Blast Theory has three permanent installations in museums; Exploratron (2004) at the Science Museum, Flypad (2008) at The Public in West Bromwich and Hurricane (2013) at the Red Cross Museum in Geneva.

Blast Theory has been a lead partner in three major research projects. The Integrated Project on Pervasive Gaming (2004-2008) included partners such as the Swedish Institute of Computer Science, Sony and

Nokia. Participate, a UK project exploring mobile devices may be used as part of a mass participation campaign, included the BBC, British Telecom and Microsoft Research. The group developed Prof Tanda’s Guess-A-Where (2007) – in which a character on your phone asked you cheeky questions – as part of this project. For Digital Voices (2012-13) we worked with the Patching Zone in Rotterdam and Translocal in Helsinki.

The group has won the Golden Nica for Interactive Art at Prix Ars Electronica, the Maverick Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards in the USA and The Hospital’s Interactive Art Award among others. The group has received four BAFTA Award nominations.

Internationally, Blast Theory’s work has been shown at the Sundance Film Festival, Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis, the Venice Biennale, ICC in Tokyo, the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney Biennale, National Museum in Taiwan, Hebbel Theatre in Berlin, Basel Art Fair, Dutch Electronic Arts Festival, Sonar Festival in Barcelona, Palestine International Video Festival. Masterclasses, mentoring, internships, seminars and lectures are vital to the dissemination of our ideas.

Our approach

We make collaborative, interdisciplinary work that is highly innovative in its process and execution. To maintain this practice requires long rigorous periods of development followed by international showings over several years that are usually context specific.

Innovation and risk is central to our work. Blast Theory has a strong track record of taking major artistic risks – in Kidnap (1998), for example – and has tackled themes of violence, pornography and politics. The group has made major innovations in the use of technology, in working methods, and in our business model. The uses of locative media and mixed reality in works such as Can You See Me Now? (2001) and I Like Frank (2004) have had wide impact. The group recognises that true innovation requires significant risks and it continues to be agile and highly responsive to new ideas and opportunities. Our BAFTA nomination for Technological and Social Innovation is an example of the success of that model.

Our collaboration with the University of Nottingham has grown and deepened since 1998 and, to our knowledge, is the longest and most productive partnership between a university and a group of artists anywhere in the world. It has yielded four BAFTA nominations, a Prix Ars Electronica and academic papers of international significance at world leading conferences in computer science, computer human interaction and ubiquitous computing. This dialogue between scientific and artistic research now forms a core thread of Blast Theory’s practice.

The group has been acknowledged as innovators in games, winning the Maverick Award at the Games Developers Conference in 2005 and being represented by Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles for games design. The group’s game projects have probed the fundamental laws of games and of play, posing questions about the boundaries between games and the real world that also have important ramifications for art, performance and virtual worlds. The artists have contributed extensively to debates about the development of games as an artform and how games may be conceptually, intellectually and emotionally demanding while also engaging a wide audience.

Blast Theory’s early work was in the field of live art. From Desert Rain (1999) onwards the relationship with live art and performance became less apparent and it is perhaps notable that, for example, the group’s participation in Live Culture at Tate Modern was as curators of a video programme. In recent years however there has been a marked recognition of the importance of the group’s thinking about performativity, presence and site specificity which has led Matt Adams to become a Visiting Professor at the Central School of Speech and Drama and an Honorary Fellow at the University of Exeter. Books such as Mixed Reality Performance by Gabriella Giannachi and Steve Benford and Digital Performance by Steve Dixon have highlighted the group’s groundbreaking intermingling of the real with the virtual, the ludic with the performative and the playful with the serious.

We remain fascinated with how technology, especially mobile devices, creates new cultural spaces in which the work is customised and personalised for each participant and what the implications of this shift might be for artistic practice. How are the economically and culturally disenfranchised engaged amid a culture of planned obsolescence and breathless futurism? The group’s expertise has led to frequent invitations from the television industry as creators (BBC Interactive Factual and Learning, Superfine Films), as mentors (Crossover Australia, Crossover UK) and as speakers (Picnic in Amsterdam, Broadcast Summit in Adelaide etc.). Soft Message (2006), a 30 minute commission for Radio 3, was a dialogue between the artists and radio listeners on their mobile phones. Channel 4 Education commissioned Ivy4Evr(2010), an interactive SMS drama for teenagers.

Blast Theory’s building at 20 Wellington Road in Brighton has four studios, an edit suite, a meeting room and a residency space. It is a node within regional, national and international networks of practitioners in games, locative media, mobile applications, experimental performance, interactive art and technological innovation. We host tests, works in progress, talks, demonstrations and seminars such as Act Otherwise.

Most particularly, Matt, Ju and Nick have systematically explored the role of the audience; from Can You See Me Now? (2001), which places the audience online alongside Blast Theory runners, to Day Of The Figurines (2006), where the audience themselves populate an imaginary town and guide its outcomes. Works such as Rider Spoke (2007) and Uncle Roy All Around You (2003) use the real city to invite new roles for the audience. Uncle Roy All Around You prompted transgressive actions by players as they were asked to explore the offices and back streets of the city while Rider Spoke embeds personal recordings made by the audience into it and gives the audience license to find any path through them. In Ulrike and Eamon Compliant (2009) and A Machine To See With (2010) these questions have pushed further into the realms of ethics and political engagement. Cumulatively, these projects have posed important questions about the meaning of interaction and, especially, its limitations. Who is invited to speak, under what conditions and what that is truly meaningful can be said?

AWARDS

2014 Silver Winner Events & Live Broadcast at the The Lovie Awards for My Neck Of The Woods

2013 Bronze Winner The People’s Lovie Awards, Events & Live Broadcast at the The Lovie Awards for I'd Hide You

2013 Nominated Games Category at the The BIMA Awards for I'd Hide You

2012 Honourable Mention Applications and APIs at the MUSE (American Alliance of Museums) Awards for Ghostwriter

2010 Winner Best Real World Game at the International Mobile Gaming Awards, Barcelona for Ulrike And Eamon Compliant

2009 Winner Most Awesome Use of Digital Media at the Brighton and Hove Business Awards for Most Awesome Use of Digital Media

2008 Winner Digital Colalboration Award at the DiMA:S for Digital Colalboration Award

2007 Honorary Mention Interactive Media at the Prix Ars Electronica for Day Of The Figurines

2006 Winner Interactive Media at the The Hospital Awards for Interactive Media

2005 Winner Maverick Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards, USA for Maverick Award

2005 Winner Innovation Award at the Arts and Humanities Research Board for Uncle Roy All Around You

2004 Nominated Net Art Award at the The Webby Awards for Uncle Roy All Around You

2003 Winner Golden Nica for Interactive Art at the Prix Ars Electronica for Can You See Me Now?

2002 Nominated in two categories Interactive Arts BAFTA Award at the Interactive Arts and Technical & Social Innovation for Uncle Roy All Around You

2002 Winner International Fellowship Award at the Arts Council England for International Fellowship Award

2001 Nominated International Media Award at the ZKM Centre for Arts and Media, Karlsruhe for Kidnap

2000 Nominated Interactive Arts BAFTA Award at the BAFTA Award for Desert Rain

2000 Nominated Breakthrough Award for Innovation at the Arts Council England for Breakthrough Award for Innovation

1996 Winner New Stages Award at the Barclays Awards for Something American

PERMANENT COMMISSIONS

2013 HurricaneThe International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, Geneva

2006 FlypadThe Public, West Bromwich

2004 Energy GalleryThe Science Museum, London

 

SHOWS/PROJECTS

2015 Too Much InformationFutureEverything Festival, The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, UK

2014 Karen

Act Otherwise - The Invisible Hand: On Profiling and Personalisation

2013 Dial Ulrike And Eamon CompliantLancaster Arts City, Lancaster, UKPlayful Arts Festival‘s-Hertogenbosch, The NetherlandsMultitudes , São Paulo, BrazilLive CollisionDublin, IrelandFrequency Festival, Lincoln, UK

My Neck Of The WoodsThe Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, UK

The Thing I'll Be Doing For The Rest Of My Life

Act Otherwise – Art and EthicsBlast Theory, 20 Wellington Road Studios, Portlsade, UK

Hurricane

Jog ShuttlerPerforming Documents, Redux Symposium, Arnolfini, Bristol, UK

2012 Digital Voices

Act Otherwise – A Harbourside Meeting of Ingenious MindsBlast Theory, 20 Wellington Road Studios, Portlsade, UK

Digital Ideas CampDigital Ideas Camp, Modern Art Oxford, Oxford, UKDigital Ideas Camp, Blast Theory, Portslade, UKDigital Ideas Camp, Creek Creative, Faversham, UKDigital Ideas Camp, Lighthouse, Brighton, UKDigital Ideas Camp, Lighthouse, Brighton, UK

PARN

I'd Hide YouSheffield Doc/Fest, Sheffield, UKSheffield Doc/FestSheffield, UKFutureEverything Manchester, UK

2011 GhostwriterRoyal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, United Kingdom

Riders Have SpokenHOUSE FestivalBrighton, United KingdomBritish Library, London, United KingdomMuseum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia

Fixing PointBrighton Festival, Brighton Dome & Festival, Brighton, UKFaster Than Sound, Aldeburgh Music , Snape, UK

Blast Theory Bless Practice

Car AdvertSmile For London, London Underground, London, United Kingdom

2010 The Goody BulletV&A Late, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, United Kingdom

Ivy4Evr

A Machine To See With01SJ BiennialSan Jose, USABanff New Media Institute, Banff , CanadaBritish Council Showcase, Edinburgh Festival, Edinburgh, United KingdomDAF06Taipei, TaiwanBrighton Digital FestivalBrighton, United KingdomWalker Arts Centre, Minneapolis, USASundance Film Festival, New Frontier Programme, Park City, USANew Plays From EuropeWeisbaden, GermanyPazz FestivalOldenburg, GermanyTedX Talk, Lighthouse, Brighton, UK

2009 Outside Broadcast

Flypad

So, err..Online, Live Art Development Agency, London, United Kingdom

Ulrike And Eamon CompliantDoc/Fest, Sheffield53rd Venice Biennale , De La Warr Pavilion , Palazzo Zenobio, Venice, ItalyTRUST: Media CitySeoul, South KoreaFestival 'Politik im Freien Theater'Dresden, GermanyNottingham European Arts and Theatre Festival (NEAT), Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham, United KingdomTedX Talk, Lighthouse, Brighton, UKMunich, Germany/Dis/Connecting/Media/, Basel, Switzerland

2008 Creator Project

You Get MeDeloitte Ignite Festival, Royal Opera House, London, United KingdomMunich, Germany/Dis/Connecting/Media/, Basel, SwitzerlandUniversity of Exeter, Exeter, UK

2007 Rider SpokeVélo Festival, The Junction, Cambridge, UKJuliana's Bike, East Street Arts, Leeds, UKThe Barbican Centre , London, United KingdomBudapest Autumn FestivalBudapest, HungaryBrighton FestivalBrighton, United KingdomThe British Council Athens , Athens, GreeceARCO , Madrid, Spain(Documentation) LIGHTSOUND programme, Metropolis Biennale, Central plaza, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, DenmarkBigPond Adelaide Film FestivalAdelaide, AustraliaMuseum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, AustraliaBritish Council Showcase, Edinburgh Festival, Edinburgh, United KingdomLIGHTSOUND programme, Metropolis BiennaleCopenhagen, DenmarkLinz Capital of Culture 2009 and Ars Electronica, Ars Electronica, Linz, AustriaThe Bristol Do, Arnolfini, Bristol, United KingdomSpace Invaders: Art and the Computer Game Environment, FACT, Liverpool, United KingdomTerni FestivalTerni, ItalyHOUSE FestivalBrighton, United KingdomANTI FestivalKupio, FinlandThe Performance Centre, University College Falmouth, Falmouth, United KingdomTalk 'A Background of Rider Spoke', ANTI Festival, Kuopio, FinlandLive Art Lab, University of Granada, SpainMuseum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, AustraliaBlast Theory talk about their work and the presentation of Rider Spoke, Kitchen, Budapest, HungaryGuest lecture 'Rider Spoke: New Forms of Theatre', Central School of Speech and Drama, London, UK

Prof Tanda's Guess-A-Ware

2006 Soft MessageForest Fringe Travelling Sounds Library, Abrons Arts Centre, New York, USAForest Fringe Travelling Sounds Library, Battersea Arts Centre, London, United KingdomForest Fringe Travelling Sounds Library, Latitude Festival, Suffolk, United KingdomForest Fringe Travelling Sounds Library, Edinburgh Festival, Edinburgh, United KingdomIn Between TimeBristol, United KingdomHOUSE FestivalBrighton, United KingdomForest Fringe Travelling Sounds Library, Skibbereen Arts Festival, Skibereen, IrelandForest Fringe Travelling Sounds Library, Camden Peoples Theatre, London, United Kingdom

Participate Research Project

Day Of The FigurinesNational Museum of SingaporeSingaporeSonar FestivalBarcelona, SpainWorld’s premiere at the FIRST PLAY BERLIN festivalBerlin, GermanyFierce! Festival, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Wolverhampton, United KingdomLighthouse, Brighton, United KingdomVersion Beta, Centre Pour l’Image Contemporaine, Geneva, SwitzerlandHide & Seek / Meltdown Festival, Royal Festival Hall, London, United KingdomDigital Aesthetic, University of Central Lancashire, Lancashire, UKA Guided Tour of Day Of The Figurines, Digiville, Brighton, UK

2005 IPerG

Single Story Building, Tate Online40 artists, 40 days, Tate Online (special project for the London Olympics bid)

2004 Light Square

I Like FrankAdelaide Fringe, Adelaide , Australia

Energy Gallery, The Science Museum

2003 Uncle Roy All Around YouXYZ: Alternative Voices in Game Design, MODA, Atlanta, USAInstitute of Contemporary Arts, London, United KingdomThe Public, West Bromwich, United KingdomCornerhouse, Manchester, United KingdomMillennium Dialogue, Millennium Museum, Beijing, ChinaArchitecture WeekBirmingham , United KingdomArt Meets Media – Adventures in Perception’, InterCommunication Centre (ICC), Tokyo, JapanAFTERLIVENorwich, United KingdomInstitute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK

Can You See Me Now? - Installation(Installation) Ars ElectronicaLinz, AustriaMillennium Dialogue, Millennium Museum, Beijing, ChinaArchitecture WeekBirmingham , United KingdomArt Meets Media – Adventures in Perception’, InterCommunication Centre (ICC), Tokyo, Japan'The Technology of Can You See Me Now?', Here + Now, Preston, UK

2002 TRUCOLDPalestine International Video Festival, Anadiel Gallery and Birzeit University, Jerusalem, IsraelBiennale of Sydney, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, AustraliaMuseum of Installation, London, United KingdomWood Street Galleries, Pittsburgh, USACentre for Contemporary Art, Glasgow, United KingdomSide Cinema, Architecture Week, Newcastle upon Tyne, United KingdomLux Open London, England1000 Plateaux, ExperimentaDesign, Lisbon, PortugalNational Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, TaiwanVideo as Urban Condition, Austrian Cultural Forum, London, United KingdomSIMulation CITY, VERSION 2004 Biennial, Centre Pour l’Image Contemporaine, Geneva, SwitzerlandSchaubühne, Berlin, GermanyVariations on the Picturesque, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Ontario, CanadaMillennium Dialogue, Millennium Museum, Beijing, ChinaArchitecture WeekBirmingham , United KingdomArt Meets Media – Adventures in Perception’, InterCommunication Centre (ICC), Tokyo, JapanArt Rock FestivalSt Brieuc, Brittany, FranceArte.mov International Festival of Mobile ArtBelo Horizonte, BrazilArte.Mov FestivalSan Paulo, BrazilMake Shift, Fringe Fusina, Venice, Italy

Stay Home ReadMuseum of Installation, London, United Kingdom

Single Story BuildingMuseum of Installation, London, United KingdomMillennium Dialogue, Millennium Museum, Beijing, ChinaArchitecture WeekBirmingham , United KingdomArt Meets Media – Adventures in Perception’, InterCommunication Centre (ICC), Tokyo, Japan40 artists, 40 days, Tate Online (special project for the London Olympics bid)NottDanceNottingham, United Kingdom

2001 ViewfinderBasel Art FairListe , Switzerland

Can You See Me Now?b.tv festivalSheffield, United Kingdom(Documentation) Sites: Screen’, Live Culture, Tate Modern, Lo, United Kingdom(Documentation) Special event for Shooting Live Artists, BAFTA Entertainment Awards, London, United Kingdom(Documentation) Special event for Shooting Live Artists, Saatchi & Saatchi, London, United KingdomDutch Electronic Arts FestivalRotterdam, NetherlandsEdith Russ Site for Media Art, Oldenburg, GermanyDAMPF, International Festival for Dance, Performance, Media ArtKöln, GermanyGardner Arts Centre, Brighton, United KingdomArtFuturaBarcelona, SpainThe JunctionCambridge, United KingdomMay You Live In Interesting Times, Cardiff Festival of Creative Technology, National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, WalesInterCommunication Centre (ICC)Tokyo, Japan(Installation), The Good Life, Van Alen Institute, New York, USAMuseum of Contemporary ArtChicago, USABanff New Media CentreBanff, CanadaIn Certain PlacesPreston, United KingdomWe Are Here 2.0Dublin, United KingdomDonau Festival, AustriaPicnic FestivalAmsterdam, NetherlandsMachine-RAUM, DenmarkFestival, Arte.Mov, Belo Horizonte, BrazilTate Late, Tate Britiain, London, United Kingdom'The Technology of Can You See Me Now?', Here + Now, Preston, UK

An Explicit VolumeOctoberFest, Battersea Arts Centre, London, United KingdomFierce! Festival, Mead Gallery, Warwick Arts Centre, University of Warwick in Coventry, United KingdomFerens Art Gallery, ROOTX, Kingston upon Hull, United Kingdom

2000 Sidetracks Light Sleeper & Body Chemistry IVChisenhale Gallery, London, United KingdomMuseum of Installation, London, United Kingdom

Choreographic Cops In A Complicated WorldMuseum of Installation, London, United KingdomThe Other CinemaLondon, England

1999 Route 12:36South London Gallery , London, United Kingdom

Desert RainNOW 99 FestivalNottingham, United KingdomZKM Centre for Arts and Media, Karlsruhe, GermanyDigital SummerManchester, United KingdomKTH, Stockholm, SwedenTramway, Glasgow, United KingdomIndustrial Museum, Bristol, United KingdomRiverside Studios, London, United KingdomLas PalmasRotterdam, NetherlandsForma, Middlesbrough, United KingdomTypografie, Prague, Czech RepublicArtspace, Sydney, AustraliaFestival Escena ContemporaneaMadrid, SpainCentral School of Speech and Drama, London, UK

10 BackwardsForced Entertainment, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UKNuffield Theatre, Lancaster, UKThe Hawth, Crawley, UKTriple X Festival, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsBlack Box, Oslo, NorwayGillmore Hill Centre, Glasgow, UKStudio 1, Dartington, UKThe Junction, Cambridge, UKThe Green Room, Manchester, UKInstitute of Contemporary Arts, London, UKArnolfini, Bristol, UK

1998 KidnapPerformance / Audience / Film, John Hansard Gallery, Southampton, UKArchitecture Foundation , London, United KingdomDigital SummerManchester, United KingdomInstitute of Contemporary Arts, London, United Kingdom

Atomic - InstallationCASCO Gallery, Utrecht, Netherlands

Architecture Foundation

1997 Invisible Bullets - VideoKunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany

C'mon Baby, Fight! Fight! Fight!Club Spotter, Hildesheim, GermanyMilch, London, United Kingdom

Blipvert

Atomic - PerformanceKunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, GermanyCASCO Gallery, Utrecht, Netherlands

SafehouseKünstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany

1996 UltrapureRoyal Court Theatre Upstairs, London, United Kingdom

Something AmericanNuffield Theatre, Lancaster, United KingdomPlayhouse, Newcastle, United KingdomThe Junction, Cambridge, United KingdomFerens Live Art Space, Hull, United KingdomPhoenix Arts, Leicester, United KingdomSouth Bank Centre, London, United KingdomBluecoat, Liverpool, United KingdomRoadmender, Northampton, United KingdomNOW 96 FestivalNottingham, United KingdomPodewil Festival of Live ArtBerlin, GermanyAutorentheater-Tage Hanover, Germany

Internal AmmunitionDeMontford University, Melton Mowbray , United Kingdom

1995 The Gilt RemakePhoenix Arts, Leicester, United Kingdom

1994 StampedeThe Junction, Cambridge, United KingdomFerens Live Art Space, Hull, United KingdomNuffield Studio, Lancaster, United KingdomArnolfini, Bristol, United KingdomThe Junction, Cambridge, United KingdomInstitute Contemporary Arts, London, United KingdomVideo Positive 95Liverpool, United Kingdom

Invisible BulletsA Fete Worse Than DeathLondon, United KingdomNOW 95 Festival, The Exchange Arcade, Nottingham, United KingdomTrans EuropaHildesheim, Germany

1992 Chemical WeddingFerens Live Art Space, Hull, United KingdomThe Zap Club, Brighton, United KingdomThe Green Room, Manchester, United KingdomThe South Bank Centre, London, United KingdomBradford FestivalBradford, United KingdomInstitute of Contemporary Arts, London, United KingdomUnion Chapel, London, United Kingdom

1991 Gunmen Kill ThreeBournemouth Polytechnic, Bournemouth, United KingdomUnion Chapel, London, United KingdomUK touring photographic exhibition featuring Blast Theory, Sheffield Independent Film StudioTedX Talk, Lighthouse, Brighton, UK

TELEVISION/CINEMA PROJECTS

2003 VicinityCommissioned to develop an interactive television project for BBC Interactive, Factual and Learning

1997 BlipvertSold to independent cinemas in France, Germany and Canada as an advertisement project shown prior to main cinema features. Also shown as part of the video programme, New Works for Cinema, at Ostranenie, Das Internationale Forum Elektronischer Medien, Germany

1995 Making ConnectionsA series of programmes made for 14 year olds by The Resource Base for Channel 4 about live art

 

CONSULTANCY

2000 adera+, Stockholm, Sweden

1999 Royal Opera House, London

1998 Pulse/Smirnoff Vodka

1996 Solent People’s Theatre

 

RESIDENCIES

2004 Thinkers in Residence, Adelaide, Australia

2002 Banff New Media Institute, Can

1997 Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin

1995 Institute of Contemporary Arts, London

1994 Arnolfini, Bristol

 

CURATED PROJECTS

2014 Adrian Hazzard artist talk, Blast Theory, Portslade, UK

2013 Sheila Ghelani presentation, Blast Theory, Portslade, UK

IN MEDIA NEZ: Scent in interactive experience, Blast Theory, Portslade, UK

Ben Moren artist talk, Blast Theory, Portslade, UK

Digital Ideas Camp, Blast Theory, Portslade, UK

Blast Theory, 20 Wellington Road Studios, Portlsade, UK

Digital Ideas Camp, Creek Creative, Faversham, UK

Digital Ideas Camp, Lighthouse, Brighton, UK

2012 Digital Ideas Camp, Modern Art Oxford, Oxford, UK

Chroma Collective artist talk, Blast Theory studios, Portslade, UK

Digital Ideas Camp, Lighthouse, Brighton, UK

Sheila Ghelani artist talk, Blast Theory studios, Portslade, UK

Invisible Flock artist talk, Blast Theory studios, Portslade, UK

Blast Theory, 20 Wellington Road Studios, Portlsade, UK

2010 Natasha Davis artist talk, Blast Theory studios, Portslade, UK

Joseph Young artist talk, Blast Theory studios, Portslade, UK

2009 Andy Field artist talk, Blast Theory studios, Portslade, UK

David Fryer artist talk, Blast Theory studios, Portslade, UK

Sheila Ghelani artist talk, Blast Theory studios, Portslade, UK

FELLOWSHIPS

2007 Matt Adams, Visiting Professor, Central School of Speech and Drama, London

2005 Matt Adams, Dept of Drama, University of Exeter

2003 Nick Tandavanitj, ACE/AHRB Arts and Science Research Fellowship, University of Nottingham

 

CONFERENCES, PRESENTATIONS & WORKSHOPS

2015 'Immersive Ethics', BBC Immersion Day, BBC Conference Rooms, Bristol, UK, Talk

2014 Asymmetrical Participation + Digital Collaborations, Live Collision, Science Gallery, Dublin, Ireland, Workshop

School of Art, Media and Technology at Parsons, New York, USA, Talk

The Play Sessions, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK, Talk

TEDx: Many Hands, Brighton Dome, Brighton, UK, Talk

Storytelling and Interdisciplinary Practice Masterclass, West Yorkshire Theatre Network, Leeds, UK, Workshop

Hello Culture, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK, Talk

'Games as Conversations', Playful Arts Festival, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, Talk

The Real World: Digitally Disrupted, WhiteChapel Gallery, London, UK, Talk

Live Transmission, OCAD University, Toronto, Canada, Workshop

Public Art & Housing conference, ixia, Birmingham, UK, Talk

21st Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film (ITFS)Stuttgart, Germany, Talk

Economies of Art and Technology: Politics, Ethics, Power and Propaganda, Theatrum Anatomicum and Open Wetlab, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Talk

Playing For Change, MMU Business School, Manchester, UK, Talk

Exeter College, Exeter, UK, Talk

2013 REMIX Summit, Google, London, UK, Talk

'High-risk practice', Collaborative Artist Networking Day, Create, Dublin, Ireland, Talk

Creative Planning, Arts Connect, Birmingham Museum Trust, Birmingham, UK, Workshop

Transmedia conference, Northbrook College, Worthing, UK, Talk

'Playing with Story: Blurring Games and Narrative'' at rePLAYCE:theCITY, Theaterhaus Gessnerallee, Zurich, Switzerland , Talk

'The Themes of Dial Ulrike And Eamon Compliant', Frequency Festival, Lincoln, UK, Talk

'New Forms of Performance in the City', playARK , Cardiff, UK, Talk

Forced Entertainment, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK, Talk

Media Studies, Theatre, Dance and Visual Studies critiques, University of Buffalo, New York, USA, Workshop

Street Theatre Summer School, Falmouth University, Penryn, UK, Workshop

'The Future of Digital Performance', Performing Arts Committee of the Danish State Council, Aarhus, Denmark, Talk

Activism Salon, Camden People's Theatre, London, UK, Talk

2012 (You) Consume (You) Use (You) Reject, Camberwell School of Art, London, UK, Talk

'Introducing Ghostwriter', Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, UK, Talk

TedX Talk, Lighthouse, Brighton, UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory practice, Creativity and business: Connectivity, Values and Interventions, British Library, London , UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory practice, Play and the City, onedotzero, London Transport Museum, London, UK, Talk

Artist's Story, Fabrica, Brighton, UK, Talk

The Future Factual, Sheffield DocFest, Sheffield, UK, Talk

Digital Storytelling: Deepening participation and engagement through new forms of digital media, Webinar, Edinburgh, UK, Talk

Battersea Arts Centre, London, UK, Talk

'Creating Site Specific Performance', University College Falmouth, Penryn, UK, Workshop

Professional summer school , University College Falmouth, Penryn, UK, Workshop

Keynote speech, University College Falmouth, Penryn, UK, Talk

2011 'Blast Theory Bless Practice', SPACEX Gallery, Exeter, United Kingdom , Talk

Central School of Speech and Drama, London, UK, Talk

'Designing Games and Almost Games', Central School of Speech and Drama, London, UK, Workshop

'Design a Location Based Game', Zoetermeer Arts Centre, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands, Workshop

'Can Art Make People’s Lives Better?', State of the Arts Conference, River Plaza Hotel, London, UK, Talk

The Story (Channel 4), Conway Hall, London, UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Pub, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK, Talk

University of Sussex, Brighton, UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, University College Falmouth, Falmouth, UK, Talk

Keynote speech, SHARE Conference, Belgrade, Serbia, Talk

Digital Sector discussion, Arts Catalyst, London, UK, Talk

'Collapsing Boundaries: Fictions, Immersion and Virtual Worlds', Sorbonne University, Paris, France, Talk

'Blast Theory’s Business Model and IP', Arts Council Culture Club, London , UK, Talk

Cinema Panel, Docfest, Sheffield, UK, Talk

Crossover, Sheffield DocFest , Sheffield, UK, Workshop

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Children’s Media Conference, Nottingham, UK, Talk

Narrative in the work of Blast Theory, Making Work Happen conference, Lincoln, UK, Talk

NESTA Digital Day, Brighton, Uk, Talk

Panel Discussion, non zero one, Forest Fringe, Edinburgh, UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Edgelands, Edinburgh, UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory practice, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee, UK, Talk

Beyond Cinema, Improving Reality, Brighton Digital Festival, Brighton, UK, Talk

'Creating Site Specific Performance', ANTI Festival, Kuopio, Finland, Workshop

Games Jam, Dana Centre, Science Museum, London , UK, Workshop

Central School of Speech and Drama, London , UK, Talk

Centre for Arts & Technology,Taipei National University of the Arts, Taipei, Taiwan, Talk

Talk, 'Agency, Control & Impotence', Danish Architecture Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark, Talk

‘Living with the Panopticon: Acts of Non-compliance in the Digital World’, Dublin Contemporary, Dublin, Ireland, Talk

Whitechapel Art Gallery, London , UK, Talk

Talk 'A Background of Rider Spoke', ANTI Festival, Kuopio, Finland, Talk

Cinematic City Panel, Sallis Benney Theatre, Cinecity, Brighton, UK, Talk

2010 01 Festival, San Jose, USA, Talk

Debating the Digital Economy, Lighthouse, Brighton, UK, Talk

Seoul, Korea, Talk

Incheon Digital Arts Festival, Korea, Talk

Roundtable, Presentation on Artists and Research, Edinburgh Festival Talent Symposium, Edinburgh, Scotland, Talk

PACT Zollverein, Essen, Germany, Talk

Talk 'Blast Theory's work in Art & Science collaborations', Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Live Weekends, ICA, London , UK, Talk

Talk 'Collaborating for Innovation', South East Media Network, Portsmouth, UK, Talk

Campfire, Ditto, London , UK, Talk

‘Digital Media, Interactivity and Identity’ debate, Google, Brussels, Belgium, Talk

Arts Admin Weekenders, Arts Admin, London , UK, Workshop

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space, Tokyo, Japan, Talk

Video Conference, Networked Narrative, Lucerne, Switzerland, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Geomob - London Geo/Mobile Developers Meetup Group, City University, London, UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, City College, Brighton, UK, Talk

Goldsmiths University, London, UK, Talk

2009 Talk 'Cultural Content on the Move', Virtueel Platform, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Spielart Festival, Munich, Germany, Talk

Goldsmiths University, London, UK, Talk

Birkbeck College, London, UK, Talk

'Learning To Play', Sheffield International Documentary Festival, Sheffield, UK, Workshop

Sheffield International Documentary Festival, Sheffield, UK, Talk

'Audience as Character and Narrative', Narrative Strategies in Digital Art, University of Oslo & Institute of Design, Oslo School of Architecture & Design (AHO). , Oslo, Norway, Talk

Munich, Germany, Talk

/Dis/Connecting/Media/, Basel, Switzerland, Talk

Picnic, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Talk

'Archiving as Legacy', Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria, Talk

80+1 Basecamp, Linz, Austria, Talk

Live Art Lab, University of Granada, Spain, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Creative Practice Module Advanced Media Project, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia, Talk

Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia, Talk

'Going Professional', Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia, Workshop

'On Locative Media', Carclew Youth Arts, Adelaide, Australia, Workshop

Talk 'Cross Platform Development', Crossover, Adelaide Film Festival, McClaren on the Lake, Australia, Talk

University of Salford, UK, Talk

Crossover, Crathorne Manor, Yorkshire, UK, Workshop

Central School of Speech and Drama, London, UK, Talk

University of Exeter, Exeter, UK, Talk

2008 Central School of Speech and Drama, London, UK, Talk

Presentation to B.A and M.A. students in photography, documentary and interactive arts), University of Sussex, Brighton, UK, Talk

Sala Parpallo, Valencia, Spain, Talk

London School of Economics, London, UK, Talk

Mentoring University of Sussex, Blast Theory Studios, Portslade, Brighton, UK, Workshop

Channel 4 for b.TWEEN 08 with Mike Stubbs, Emma Quinn, Adam Gee, Steve Moffitt, Christopher Yapp, Adrian Friedli, Richard Hull, Vanessa Belaar Sprujit and Katz Kiely, Channel 4, Talk

A case study of Rider Spoke and the role of audience in Blast Theory’s work, Arts & Cultural Management MA, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK, Talk

A Performance Perspective on Research Relationships, East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, UK, Talk

Talk 'Blast Theory and Audience Participation' Narrative Strategies SeminarLinz, Austria, Talk

Hide & Seek Festival, Southbank Centre, London, UK, Talk

PLAY: Exploring the user experience dimensions of video game design, Jury's Inn Hotel, Brighton, UK, Talk

Zaim, Yokahama, Japan, Talk

Culture and Technology panel, part of Merce Cunningham Season, Barbican, London, UK, Talk

Dana Centre, London, UK, Talk

Blast Theory talk about their work and the presentation of Rider Spoke, Kitchen, Budapest, Hungary, Talk

Talk 'Communication, Pursuit and Intimacy'Dortmund, Germany, Talk

'Creative Practice', Bewegungsmelder 2008, Dortmund, Germany, Workshop

Kinship International Strategy on Surveillance and Suppression, Castlefield Gallery, Manchester, UK, Talk

Doc/Fest, The Showroom, Sheffield, UK, Talk

Doc/Fest, The Showroom, Sheffield, UK, Talk

Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Talk

Fracture, Institute for Creative Enterprise, Coventry, UK, Talk

Arte.Mov, Lab MIS, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Workshop

Arte.Mov, Museu Brasileiro,, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Talk

Emerging Artists, Blast Theory Studios, Brighton, UK, Workshop

Agitators, The Basement, Brighton, UK, Talk

Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK, Talk

2007 Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Crossover, Australia, Talk

Broadcast Summit, Adelaide Film Festival, Adelaide, Australia, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, The New Dowse, Wellington, New Zealand, Talk

Arts Council, Brighton, UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, The Showroom, Sheffield, UK, Talk

Digital Aesthetic, University of Central Lancashire, Lancashire, UK, Talk

A Guided Tour of Day Of The Figurines, Digiville, Brighton, UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Abby Talks, Dublin, Ireland, Talk

Landschaftspark Nord, Duisburg, Germany, Talk

Guest Lecture 'Blast Theory & The Theatrical', Central School of Speech and Drama, London, UK, Talk

'Artists and Broadcasters', Crossover UK, ZeroOne, Soho, London, UK, Talk

ZeroOne, Soho London, UK, Talk

Talk 'Blast Theory as a Media Company', Lighthouse, Brighton, Portslade, Talk

'The Technology of Can You See Me Now?', Here + Now, Preston, UK, Workshop

Crossmedia Projects Panel, Dutch Cultural Broadcasting Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Talk

Picnic Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Talk

'Big Games', Come Out and Play, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Talk

Mentoring, Crossover UK, Bradford, UK, Workshop

Guest lecture 'Rider Spoke: New Forms of Theatre', Central School of Speech and Drama, London, UK, Talk

'The Future of Theatre in the 21st Century', The Barbican, London, UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Machine-RAUM Biennial, Velje, Denmark, Talk

Bartlett School of Architecture, London, UK, Talk

Sheffield Documentary Festival, Sheffield, UK, Talk

Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK, Talk

Panel DiscussionMuffathalle, Munich, Talk

Arte.mov International SymposiumBelo Horizonte, Brazil, Talk

Talk 'Audience Interactivity', Insight/Shooting People, University of London, London, UK, Talk

2006 Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Broadway Cinema, Nottingham, UK, Talk

Institute of Art, Chicago, United States, Talk

Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, United States, Talk

Presentation 'Collaborative Working Practices', South East Media Network, London, UK, Talk

Talk 'Authoring Systems', HAU2, First Play, Berlin, Germany, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Medi@terra, Athens, Greece, Talk

One Dot Zero, ICA, London, UK, Talk

Cybersonica, Dana Centre, London, UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK, Talk

Banff Centre, Banff, Alberta, Canada, Talk

National Art Collections Fund, T Bar, London, UK, Talk

2005 'The Impact of Technology on Creativity', International Forum on Creating a City: The Birth of Creativity, Department of Cultural Affairs and British Council, Taipei, Taiwan, Talk

Two-day workshop for children, The Public, West Bromwich, UK, Workshop

Coventry University, Coventry, UK, Talk

May You Live In Interesting Times, Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff, Wales, Talk

‘Performativity and Play’ and ‘The Development of the Collective’, Banff New Media Institute, Banff, Canada, Talk

Masterclass, The Junction, Cambridge, UK, Workshop

Playtime: City Escape and Escapades, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK, Talk

Dept. of Archaeology, Stanford University, San Francisco, USA, Talk

ICC, Tokyo, Japan, Talk

PLAN (The Pervasive and Locative Arts Network), Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Forum Stadt der Künste, Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord, Germany, Talk

2004 Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Brooklyn Polytechnic, New York, USA, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Pace University, New York, USA, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, USA, Talk

'Perspectives in the Performing Arts', imPACT 04, PACT, Essen, Germany, Talk

By Designers for Designers (BD4D), dSCAPE/04, Brighton, UK, Talk

Presentation on Blast Theory Practice, Media Lab Europe, Dublin, Ireland, Talk

Masterclass, Institute of Public Administration Officials, Adelaide, Australia, Workshop

Masterclass, Technology School of the Future, Adelaide, Australia, Workshop

Mixed Reality Performance and Wireless Gaming Workshop, Blast Theory, London, UK, Workshop

Industry Development Breakfast, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia, Talk

Industry Development Meeting, Dept. of Further Education, Science and Technology, Adelaide, Australia, Talk

Aboriginal Forum, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, Talk

Creativity Think Tank, Technology School of the Future, Adelaide, Australia, Talk

Adelaide Town Hall, Adelaide, Australia, Talk

Masterclass, Mediamatic, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Workshop

'Mixed Reality & Gaming', University of Salford, Manchester, UK, Workshop

Cornerhouse, Manchester, UK, Talk

Keynote lecture, Futuresonic conference, Urbis, Manchester, UK, Talk

The Public, West Bromwich, UK, Talk

2003 'Playing Dead: War and Games', Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK, Talk

Technology and Social Responsibility, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK, Talk

Panel Discussion, ArtFutura, Barcelona, Spain, Talk

Panel Discussion, Ars Electronica, Linz, Austria, Talk

'Blended Construction', Architecture Week, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK, Talk

The Arts on Television: What is the Future?, Conference, Canadian High Commission, London, UK, Talk

The Future of War: Aesthetics, Politics, Technologies conference, New School, New York, USA, Talk

The City is You and Me conference, DEAF03, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Talk

Panel Discussion, Trampoline, Nottingham, UK, Talk

Panel Discussion, Trampoline, Berlin, Germany, Talk

Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK, Talk

University of Brighton, Brighton, UK, Talk

2002 Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia, Talk

Montevideo, Amsterdam, Netherlands, Talk

re:visions, Brighton, UK, Talk

New Media in Performing Arts, Homo Alibi 3.0, New Theatre Institute, Riga, Latvia, Talk

'Masterclass in Performance & New Technologies', Maastricht Summer Academy, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Workshop

Radical, SMART Lab, London, UK, Talk

Intimate Technologies Conference, Banff New Media Institute, Banff, Alberta, Canada, Talk

Theatres of Artificial Life conference, New York University, New York, USA, Talk

2001 Panel Presentation, Opening of E-drom, Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany, Talk

Experimental Theatre Now-The Reality and the Challenges conference, Cairo International Festival for Experimental Theatre, Cairo, Egypt, Talk

Masterclass, Amsterdam-Maastricht Summer University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Workshop

Virtuosity, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, UK, Talk

Panel Discussion, Banff Television Festival, Banff, Canada, Talk

Masterclass, Mediamatic, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Workshop

Panel Discussion, Hot Docs conference, Toronto, Canada, Talk

Masterclass, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, UK, Workshop

2000 Future Moves 3 conference, DEAF 00, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Talk

Panel Discussion, Station Arts Electroniques, Rennes, France, Talk

Panel Discussion, North West New Media Network, Salem, Oregon, USA, Talk

Panel Discussion, Metro-Boulot.dodo, Leicester, UK, Talk

Interactive Screen, Banff New Media Institute, Banff, Alberta, Canada, Workshop

Wired and Dangerous conference, Richard Attenborough Centre, Leicester, UK, Talk

Exploring Human-Computer Interaction conference, Arnolfini, Bristol, UK, Talk

Panel Discussion, Performance Space, Sydney, Australia, Talk

Alchemy Masterclass, Powerhouse, Brisbane, Australia, Workshop

1999 10 Backwards, Nuffield Studio, Lancaster, UK, Workshop

Masterclass, National Theatre, London, UK, Workshop

Masterclass, Backspace, London, UK, Workshop

1998 New Works FestivalLeicester, UK, Workshop

Panel Discussion, Royal College of Art, London, UK, Talk

Masterclass, Toynbee Studios, London, UK, Workshop

1997 Masterclass, Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany, Workshop

Masterclass, New Works Festival, Leicester, UK, Workshop