Introduction:

Everyday, humans coordinate diverse bodily, affective, interpersonal, material and technological resources within rich and evolving cultural and environmental contexts. Throughout human history, artistic presentation has always both exemplified and dramatically extended these verbal and non-verbal forms of embodied interaction (Richard, 2000). The history of artistic milestones from drawing to still photography, motion picture technology, and sensor based motion capture systems indicates that art has long been interpreting the human body in motion. Now, dynamic technologically mediated performing arts environments challenge and reinvent these associations whilst concurrently renegotiating relationships between art and science and the performer and the audience. Such interactive environments in dance, music and new media arts lend themselves to innovative forms of creative practice and aid in breaking down established distinctions between performer and audience, and between rehearsal and performance.

The SEAM project explores how interactive technologies transform notions of embodiment, agency and audience engagement within the performing arts. It establishes an innovative, integrated approach by interlinking the performing arts with domain knowledge and methods from ethnography, phenomenology, and philosophy. (Grau, 2003)  All creative process engages with an abstract experiential knowing of material (such as choreography, music, words etc).  The challenge of reporting developments and research undertaken in this manner is a challenging one (Sutton, ).

SEAM is a collaboration between Margie Medlin, director of  Critical Path, Dr. Garth Paine of the University of Western Sydney’s, VIPRE lab and UTS.

SEAM Symposium

SEAM consists of a number of workshops and events as listed below – the key focus is SEAM 2010 – Agency and Action, which will take place on Friday October 15 and Saturday October 16 at the Seymour Centre, Sydney. SEAM 2010 will include keynotes from Stelarc, and the exhibition of the Articulated Head and other interactive installations.  Other distinguished presenters include: Ruth Gibson from  Igloo, (UK), Prof. Frederic Bevilacqua (IRCAM, FR), Prof. Christian Ziegler (ZKM, DE).  Prof. Simon Biggs will also present with partner Sue Hawksley at Critical Path in August 2010.

Keep and eye on this site and Critical Path, for updates