6:30 for 7:00PM, Tuesday 2 October 2007

Interactive Art: complexity, emergence and mimetics.

System Simulation Ltd
Bedford Chambers
The Piazza Covent Garden
London WC2E 8HA, England

In my talk I will show examples of three artworks, Alembic, Biotica and the Mimetic Starfish that use real-time 3D computer simulations and interactive interfaces to enable participants to engage with complex, emergent and mimetic processes. In contrast to digital media, I will also show how these processes can be realised in alternative artworks using electrochemical, electromagnetic and electrostatic systems, some of which were shown at the recent Pask inspired exhibition "Maverick Machines" in Edinburgh.

Biography:
Richard Brown has a BSc in Computers & Cybernetics and an MA in Fine Art and creates interactive artworks using multi-media technology, computer programming, electronics and interfacing. Between 1995 and 2001 Richard was a Research Fellow at the Royal College of Art, where he created and exhibited three major interactive works Alembic, Biotica and the Mimetic Starfish. The research outcomes of Biotica were published as a book entitled "Biotica: Art, Emergence and Artificial-Life".

In 2001 Richard was invited as Artist in Residence at the Centre for Electronic Media Arts (CEMA), Monash University. In 2002, an award from NESTA (the National Endowment of Science Technology and the Arts) enabled Richard to work as an independent artist and researcher, between 2002 and 2003 he was based in Australia as an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Victorian College of Arts, Melbourne University.

In 2004 Richard moved to Edinburgh where he participated in the EPIS entrepreneurial scheme hosted at Edinburgh University, Scotland. In 2005 he won an Ideasmart award to develop a novel interactive lighting system and is currently Research Artist in Residence in Edinburgh Informatics.