LabNotes

pictures in frames: I'm off to Toronto and I haven't got a stitch to wear

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:26:55 +0100

pictures in frames: I'm off to Toronto and I haven't got a stitch to wear:

Massively under-prepared, in the midst of moving house, and two weeks and one day into a new job, I’m packing for TCAF. It’s very exciting, if frantic. Here’s what’s happening:

On Thursday 3rd May I’ll be giving a talk at the Department of Geography, University of Toronto, entitled “The…

smoo: I think I forgot to mention this was...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:24:09 +0000

smoo:

I think I forgot to mention this was happening:

videoloft:

Smoo Documentary

So what are we up to?

Currently we are working with indie comic artist Simon Moreton on a documentary about mental health in comics. After seeing an inspiring lecture at Bristol Comic-Con last year, Videoloft are working with Simon to explore mental health through comics and the way different art forms can help others through tough times.

Simon’s work is often self reflective, and heady, an intelligent mix of biographical and the fantastical, bringing the mundanity of life to unusual, thought provoking heights.

Taking a close look and recreating parts of Simons work Smoo and The Escapologist , Videoloft are creating a mix media project crossing genres, and formats (along with our animation partners Kayleigh and Tom).

Smoo: The Documentary (title subject to much change!) coming soon!

So if your interested, go an get a headstart on the project and take a look at Simons links below!

smoo.tumblr.com

http://www.betterdrawn.com/

In other news we are still slogging hard away on Adventures in Brine our comedy sketch show and will try to churn out some more of these. Greg will be heading away to Japan to shoot an Earthquake follow up doc for a couple of months (For Uni) and Addy and Sarah will be away travelling for 4 months around the world (Mostly Japan and Australia by the sounds of things…). But while the gang are away Smoo will be completed and i’m sure we will have lots of unusual things popping out.

Keep ‘em peeled.

Twine: Entry level ad-hoc Internet of Things...

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 23:56:55 +0000

Twine: Entry level ad-hoc Internet of Things...:

Think this would be a great tool to work with in schools. Entry-level computer skills linked to physical world. Can see it making sense to people of all generations.

Soviet visions of the future

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 10:25:52 +0000

Soviet visions of the future

Causality, Ben Woodeson. One of my favourite artists is having...

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 23:10:51 +0100

Causality, Ben Woodeson.

One of my favourite artists is having a show in Hackney. Go see it!

Uh oh, short-tempered and sarcastic AI chatbots seek divinity,...

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:50:16 +0100

Uh oh, short-tempered and sarcastic AI chatbots seek divinity, bodies and arguments. Next they’ll want our clothes, boots and our motorcycles.

AI vs. AI. Two chatbots talking to each other (by CornellCCSL)

Hayabusa over the Sky II by Kouji Ohnishi From the Astronomy...

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:58:17 +0100

Hayabusa over the Sky II by Kouji Ohnishi

From the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2011

Caring for Your Introvert - The Atlantic

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:41:50 +0100

Caring for Your Introvert - The Atlantic:

Ignore the comment thread underneath and enjoy this succinct piece.

Summer project!

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 21:12:23 +0100

Summer project!

A Pale Blue Dot

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:39:49 +0100

“Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity — in all this vastness — there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. It is up to us.”

This never ceases to blow my mind.

Travel

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 13:00:34 +0100

Mike Nelson’s I, Impostor for the 54th Venice Biennale Photograph: CRISTIANO CORTE

The presence of Mike Nelson means I will actually make it to Venice this year. Hopefully by way of Linz for Ars Electronica 2011 and maybe a stop off in Berlin to see some friends.

Mike Nelson: A Psychic Vacuum / Remix

OpenPaths

Thu, 26 May 2011 22:35:19 +0100

OpenPaths:

Nefarious Apple Inc. data tracking turned into an interesting project by the New York Times digital team.

BBC + AWOBMOLG + "The Net"

Wed, 25 May 2011 13:11:08 +0100

Vol Libre (by Loren Carpenter)

Carpenter was featured in Adam Curtis’ first third of All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace ~~last~~ the other night on the BBC. The documentary was an antagonistic socio-techno-political lecture/dog’s dinner (in good and bad ways). Carpenter and his giant Pong/human murmuration experiment stood out for me and I’m glad I looked him up.

AWOBMOLG was also enjoyable because it was on BBC2, featured reels of over-saturated nineties NSTC footage and therefore brought back fond memories from my geekily mispent youth watching BBC’s The Net; reading Microserfs and emailing my best mate (three streets over) about it using my numerical character only address. Despite its name, subject matter and the BBC’s track record it is hard to find much about The Net on the, uh, net. If you have more then send me an “E-Mail” to 76736.334@compuserve.com.

Here is a retro treat. As with Curtis’ film this clip features the Clinton family but without the unsettling Lewinsky/Leonard Cohen overdub.

pictures in frames: Bristol Small Press and Comic Expo 2011, Pt. 3 - On comics and mental health

Tue, 24 May 2011 10:40:55 +0100

pictures in frames: Bristol Small Press and Comic Expo 2011, Pt. 3 - On comics and mental health:

smoo:

As I mentioned in a previous post, during this year’s Bristol Comic and Small Press Expo I took part in a panel discussion on comics and mental health, organised by Ian Williams of Graphic Medicine. We had around 15 people in attendance, and, despite technical difficulties (that is, no…

Polyphony-Pecha-Kucha - Wed 25th May

Tue, 17 May 2011 21:57:32 +0100

Polyphony-Pecha-Kucha - Wed 25th May:

Looks like an interesting event, can’t make it to Brighton that day though. Warning: PDF direct link, some more general info here.

Eight Out Of China’s Top Nine Government Officials Are Scientists

Tue, 17 May 2011 19:11:34 +0100

Eight Out Of China’s Top Nine Government Officials Are Scientists:

Oh to have a Westminster cabinet of half scientists and half artists/thinkers.

Austin - Human exoskeleton developed using mbed

Mon, 16 May 2011 19:07:41 +0100

Austin - Human exoskeleton developed using mbed:

Exciting work using low cost tech

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_14/b4222047144624.htm

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:50:07 +0100

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/11_14/b4222047144624.htm

http://www.re35.net/index.html

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 03:53:51 +0100

http://www.re35.net/index.html:

I’m sure I had this idea about twelve years ago. Somebody beat me to the punch.

A return to academia

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:01:11 +0000

I’m very pleased to be writing this post.

On Friday I received official confirmation that this Autumn I will be starting the MFA in Computational Studio Art at Goldsmiths. It is the first post-graduate course I’ve found that has genuinely excited me and appealed equally my technical and creative sensibilities. I’m looking forward to returning to a creative practice whilst maintaining my company and the network of activities that I have established over the last six years.

Things should get quite interesting.