R&D-4-SMEs / Stu - Man

09.01.21

Please find enclosed my CV in application for the Lead Technology & Development Manager position. I hope that, on consideration of my CV and the following particulars, you will be persuaded of my potential to perform well in this role and make a significant contribution as a member of the R&D-4-SMEs project and wider production community / associated Hubs.

Through hearing about the project, visiting the Maidstone Studio site and talking with the stakeholders I believe that I would bring considerable experience and relevant skills to this position. Additionally, the post would provide an ideal opportunity to use, share and develop my specialist knowledge and skills to further support research, development, and innovation in media practice.  

Please find below my responses to each of the job specifications:

I gained my master’s degree (radio, film and Television / 2002) from Canterbury Christ Church University as well as holding another post-graduate qualification from the National Film & Television School (NFTS) in production management (drama / 2008).  I have built upon these solid foundations in moving image production in my career in broadcasting and the creative arts and am have had the opportunity to work with lots of individuals and companies to produce or support their work in these areas.  Please see credits via links below.

Having worked as the studio’s manager within ACI for TSS for the last two years I can bring a wide variety of relevant skills and contacts to this post.  I assess and write risk assessments for the studios, activities and equipment in the areas I look after as well as working as a health and safety representative for Unison. I possess an IOSH (Jan. 2020) qualification as well as keeping up to date with the latest COVID restrictions and implementing them; in the last year I have been on courses with film screen and Insight training in the latest techniques in keeping productions safe in the current pandemic and developing safe practices for LSBU’s students and academics.  As well as bringing in Bafta’s Albert scheme in sustainability to the film practice course (December 2020) and attending the future film summit to keep up to date with current trends.

I recently researched, put out for tender and brought in a brand-new newsroom for LSBU which uses NDI technology for streaming, I have a keen interest in new technologies and their future applications.  Currently I am researching IP controlled lighting innovations and new ways of remote operating in live production which I hope to start trialling soon. Along with an interest in virtual sets using unreal engine and the possibilities for ‘film making’ using new technologies.  I have been fortunate to be in the right place with the right skills and attitude as new digital techniques have developed and learnt their uses.  From the huge expansion of digital TV channels in the early 00’s where I was making content and producing daily live shows to utilising early streaming technologies whilst working for the A/V dept. at the radio station XFM. Working with multiple stakeholders I bring the ability to communicate, inspire and help develop creative solutions for the various clients and companies I have worked for over my career.  This has included diverse projects from promo production for video games (Juiced 2) to video art installations for Saatchi & Saatchi via the tom tom gallery and numerous other clients.   I have also worked in higher education for the last decade and have helped hundreds of productions get off the ground as a production management tutor (Met film school / NFTS) and course leader and head of production support. In these roles I used my extensive experience to guide and help post-graduate students create their productions; many of these have been nominated or won major film festivals worldwide and have been incredibly well received inc. Baftas and an Oscar nomination.  My initial interest in video technologies developed whilst I was studying fine art and experimenting with narrative discourse in the nineties, when I first developed my skills in camerawork and NLE.  From joining Britain’s first interactive television channel (2003/4) and swiftly becoming its full time, in house, live director to more niche one-off projects. With an eye on the future, I believe that many more people will be using network IP technology to grow and expand their businesses through moving image and immersive technologies, and I have the skills and interest to help them achieve this.

 I started my career as an international videographer working across the globe from the Caribbean to Russia, I have always adapted and used technology to communicate a vision and have always kept up to date technically with all the various areas of moving image production, this includes working professionally in TV as a technical director and producer on a vast array of live and interactive shows.  My practical skills inc. studio lighting, camerawork (hothead / remote and handheld), vision mixing, sound design / mixing as well as scheduling, budgeting and working with the on-screen talent.  As well as mentoring many individuals and students along the way which has given me tremendous satisfaction.

Having worked on a number of television launches (Gala TV- Endemol / Gamerweb Friendly TV, Quiz TV - HSN) etc.  I have been on the front line in the gallery and / or in the studio with station / channel launches and bring a wealth of knowledge on what can and does go wrong.  I am always the first to get under the desk and look for solutions as well as troubleshoot utilising all my experience.  Having said this I like to thoroughly test equipment so that the worst-case scenario does not happen and always have a backup solution for when It does.

I am a natural communicator and get along with a wide variety of people. I possess the ability to quickly assess individuals and situations and alter my manner to extrapolate information as well as choosing the right style to disseminate information.  Coming from a dual background of the commercial world and H.E. I feel I am very well placed to bring the two worlds together.  I am also a naturally curious person and can ask the right questions to get the right answers, which will help in this role. I can bring over twenty years’ experience of working within the media landscape to this role and the accumulated contacts that are needed to drive this project.

I am used to writing and reading reports about production and new products to market and am a natural communicator with words and with people. As a child I wrote book reviews for my local bookshop, as well as being picked out at school for English enrichment, for talented pupils in this area.  I have also written two successful dissertations about film culture and philosophy. I take pride and have great enthusiasm for the many projects that I have helped support over my career and hope, should I be successful in this application, to carry on helping small companies achieve success and completion of their creative endeavours utilising immersive technologies.

I have had the opportunity to work with builders, architects and suppliers for studio builds on a number of projects inc. consultant for The Baby Channel when they moved studios within You Media’s Coleman St (EC1) premises.  As their primary freelance director, I was invited to work with the designers, technicians & engineers when they had outgrown their previous studio space.  Bringing to the project my unique perspective as a live gallery director with a deep understanding of the needs for a new space and helped source the right suppliers, negotiated costs and advised the layout of the space. Recently I was in the same position when I started with LSBU and had the opportunity to work with the building company MARIS as well as alongside my colleagues within ACI, IT and estates to generate the best spaces for training, education and future uses within our budget.

I have been involved with filming live events for TV and broadcast for twenty years and helped develop an early, interactive, computer game show called Gamer web this was a direct pre cursor to Twitch in 2003/4.  Since then, I have worked for BBC N.I. in high-end drama as well as live cameraman on hundreds of live concerts for broadcast. Working with post-graduate students in post-production and VFX at the NFTS I have supervised many studios shoots inc. motion capture projects with Centroid, at Shepperton studios (2018) and was directly involved with all areas on multiple productions.  I am used to re formatting content for different mediums and media.  How to shoot the best content at the right speed and format for future and intended usage and various pipelines for production and post.

I have created online content for the Arts Council of England (ACE - 2016) for my episodic arts documentary ‘Idiom’ as well as developing and shooting a weekly comedy / spoof series via Lime productions.  With both roles I shot, edited and produced all the content and kept the content updated; inc. promoting and marketing the projects via social media channels. Twitter, FB, YouTube, Vimeo, LinkedIn etc.

Having worked on a vast amount of quick turnaround shows and live events I have an intuitive feel for prioritising and rolling with last minute changes.  I understand that you have to go the extra mile to get some projects finished on time as well as pushing through last-minute changes.

I will be happy to travel to the various hubs in the thames corridor to help support this endeavour and am used to working flexible hours.  Having studied my MA at Canterbury Christchurch University It would be a pleasure to bring this project to fruition with them.  I would also find it exciting to be involved with the other hubs being built and hope to influence how this project comes together.  I have recent experience working with external SME’s and other partners whilst in my present job as studios manage at LSBU.  This has included facilitating the launch of the ACE-IT programme, setting up the space at the ministry of sound as well as recently facilitating the VR company ‘headset’ with their trials.  I am happy to relocate to be closer to the main hub at Maidstone and be the first point of contact for the new studio, keep it all running smoothly and help put on all the associated events.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my application

Yours sincerely,

TCH

LSBU

A.

As head of production support (NFTS) I was responsible for all the practical logistics for the usage and booking of a large sound stage, television studio, animation and sound recording spaces; utilising my extensive experience, gained over many years, as a studio producer and technical director (You Media, The Baby Channel, Friendly TV etc…) within film and broadcast production.  Along with my freelance career as a drama production manager (UK Film Council / Arts Council of England) and coordinator (BBC, Origin Pictures, Metropolitan Film School).  I possess a broad knowledge and have been responsible for:  lighting, RISK assessments, camera and grip equipment, post-production and all practical aspects of sound and moving image production.

B.

Working in HE for the National Film and Television School for the last decade I have had the opportunity to work with all the distinct departments which make up the school; gaining valuable insights into the minutae of each departments specialism.  From special effects, sound and editing, animation, documentary and television entertainment,

C.

As a practical, multi-skilled, technical operator with real life experience as a broadcast technician, videographer, documentary editor, cameraman and studio director I can bring a good overview of post-production.  With recent experience working within post production at the NFTS (graduation MA films 2018); which all had different work flows depending on the format they were shot on and the complexity of the post needed.  I was personally responsible for the booking and negotiation on a number of grading suites and the complex issues that arose, particularly within a stressful and narrow window of time to complete the tasks.

D.  

I am used to working with a networked environment.  Working with post production work flows and digital effects; organising and keeping track of space on servers and communicating with all stakeholders on their projects. Working with tutors and technicians to delegate space for rendering and playout.

E.

within my many roles at the NFTS I have been personally responsible  for the loan of technical equipment for camera, lighting, animation and post facilities.  I am conversant with scheduling and booking applications inc.  the post-production bespoke software “farmers Wife” which I also use for room bookings and diary management.  I am aware of SISO and do not anticipate any problems adapting to your systems.

F.

As studio producer and gallery director I have been responsible for a couple of channel launches.  This included negotiating with suppliers, designers and engineers the most appropriate use of space, lighting rigs and set design.  Negotiating within the budget for the most versatile and cost effective use of resources.  A good example of this was when The Baby Channel (Simply Media) were moving studios and I dealt directly with the technicians on the installation of the new studio on behalf of the client.

G.

As a production manager (post-graduate diploma 2008 NFTS) I have hired and organised kit from multiple companies within the film and broadcast industry.  I am used to negotiating costs for kit and delivery and also advising clients and students on the best practice for doing this.

H.

I am a natural communicator and collaborator and this is why I have been drawn into this particular industry and line of work; with the ability to adapt and change to any environment and individual.  Within HE I have worked as a first point of contact for all stakeholders.  Writing and disseminating 

reports, weekly schedules and updates.

I.

In all my previous roles I have demonstrated my ability to wear many hats and prioritise my time accordingly.  I am confident in my ability to do this through my vast production experience working on hundreds of hours of broadcasting, short films and many years working in HE.  This includes all course and production administration.  Finding innovative creative solutions, planning and organising multiple projects at the same time.

J.  H+S….

K.  Customer service…

L.  equality and diversity….

Interaction and representation in Installation

1. Abstract

Interaction and representation in Installation

Today images are part of consumption. Pippilotte Rist, the performance and installation artist, states ‘people spend an increasing portion of their waking hours now looking at moving images created by pixels; but most of that imagery is created under commercial pressure to sell things or support advertising, we need artists to create a bank of other kinds of imagery as a counter balance. (NY Times Magazine 2009)

My proposed research seeks to continue and expand upon this statement working with moving image and interactivity in an installation context.

My intention is to create a practice-based study for social participation where I will create an environment that will feedback on itself from the ‘users’ interaction with it.

The purpose of this is to confront the viewers consciousness of their participation and passive acceptance of mainstream realist narratives through their own participation, mirrored and distorted and disrupted through the signs, signifiers and broken narrative expectations.

2. Research Context

This research project would look at how theorists, philosophers and artists have previously tackled the subjects of representation, cognition and consumption of media; how installation may differ from other forms of artistic spaces, utilising an historical evaluation, through the evolution of analogue to digital media, as well as positioning this culturally through accessible technology, hacking and collaborative working.

‘Our representation of things as they are given, does not conform to these things as they are in themselves, but (that) these objects as appearances conform to our mode or representation. Immanuel Kant (Critique of pure reason, trans. Smith, 1965)

Lev Manovich wcites “new media appropriates old forms and conventions of different media, in particular, cinema” (2001) astutely demonstrates that any visual medium, at the level of code, of la langue, operates within the cultural logic of representation. New media may give rise to unprecedented, original aesthetic forms, but they are still constructed from within the cultural interface of the frame, as with cinema, television, theatre, photography, etc before it (the language New Media).




But the screen is not a mirror, and, while there was some magic in passing beyond the mirror there is no magic at all in passing beyond the screen. Its impossible anyway - there is no other side of the screen. No depth - just surface. No hidden face - just an interface – Baudrillard (Art and Artefact, 1997)

Erwin Shrodinger suggests that... ‘The reader of the text is called to be involved in the invocation of the idea / spirit, which ultimately holds the prize of intuitive understanding, a truth which is untaught. This can only be experienced on an individual basis as consciousness is not plural. Consciousness is ‘never experienced in plural, only in the

singular... meaning to understand a symbol you are understanding your own psyche from the point of view of consciousness. (Creator magazine, 1995)

David Bordwell (1985) identifies these representations as similar to objects / actions in the per- ceiver’s reality as ‘mimetic’. Although the screen is merely two-dimensional and an illusion, the perceiver can relate situations, objects, actions as displayed as similar to their physical world, a reflection. Mimetic theories take as their model the act of vision; ‘an object of perception is presented to the eye of the beholder’.

as Lev Manovich states ‘Cinema, the major cultural form of the twentieth century, has found a new life as the toolbox of the computer user. Cinematic means of perception, of connecting space and time, of representing human memory, thinking, and emotion have become a way of work and a way of life for millions in the computer age. Cinema’s aesthetic strategies have become basic organizational (sic) principles of computer software. The window into a fictional world of a cinematic narrative has become a window into a datascape. In short, what was cinema is now the human-computer interface.

This, as described below, can be a way to bring the audience closer to the realisation that they are the creator of the artwork; especially in an autonomous space outside of the established arts institution

The artist Ilya Kabakov states - the installation desires to recreate an entire world, redefine space, engage the public sphere, and complicate the separation of art and life. which is echoed by Nicola Oxley, writing in installation art in the new millennium (2004)

“The authorship of the work passes from the artist to the viewer.”

This addresses the same intention as the Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez who, as an innovator of Kinetic / Op Art shifted his attention to a shift in the object viewer relationship which brought the spectators moving body directly into the work; this was a way to look at the viewers physical involvement as a way to demystify it to simple human activity through colour, light and space.

this would be a continuation of my own artistic moving image work where previously I have employed surrealistic and non-linear devices, to highlight and direct the viewers attention towards their participation in the formulation of the work.

3. Research Questions...

If as Lev Manovich critiques the move since the 1990’s towards a more Realist aesthetic in mainstream media, as mirrored in Pippilotte Rists opening statement, then the question I would like to address is as ‘readers’ of the synthesised moving image world how will we address any other aspects beyond commerce as these reflections or authoritative voices compel our actions and behaviours?

How to critically engage with different demographics?

4. Methods...

my research will include collaboration, as it is an important part of my interdisciplinary practice, working with other specialists in their field who can bring their own specialisms to the work. e.g. digital musicians / programmers, computer hackers, performers (for pre filmed / test footage) and public intervention.

To record and acquire feedback through workshops, test groups with audience participation, questionnaires...

Practical Tools will inc: Computer(s) running interactive software e.g. Isadora, pre-filmed moving image footage, appropriated footage, projectors, multiple screens, live camera feeds, sensors e.g. hacked Xbox 360 camera; as well as utilising old technology t(o investigate the aesthetics of representation).

5. Schedule:

Year 1: research proposal / review of the field / review of my own practice Year 2 project 1 & 2 (testing audiences) and related text / writing
Year 3 Final art project exhibiting, review and writing

6. bibliography..
Brougher, K, Synaesthesia in Art and Music Since 1900, Thames & Hudson, 2005

Bordwell, D, Narration in the fiction film, London, Methuen, 1985

Shimamura, A., Experiencing Art - in the brain of the beholder, Oxford University Press, 2013

Olivera, Oxley, Petry, Installation Art in the New Millennium: The Empire of the Senses, Thames and Hudson, 2004

Manovich, L. The Language of New Media, Cambridge, Massachusetts, MIT Press, 2001

Various, Precarious Visualities : New Perspectives on Identification in Contemporary Art and Visual Culture, McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2008

 

PHD Practical Research Proposal

 

PHD Practical Research Proposal for The University of Roehampton. A change in (Trancendental) Perspective....

This research project is an investigation and practical project to explore depictions of the sublime / transcendental through film and the moving image.

With seven of the top grossing films of all time and ten out of ten of last years top box-office
hits being driven by special effects I propose to undertake a new inquiry into the dominant form of narrative entertainment and look at similarities between this tool of the entertainment industry and what was defined by Edmund Burke in the mid-eighteenth century as the sublime in art: To go beyond logic, or in the case of the blockbuster films: realism, to create awe and wonder, beyond words to transcend the image.

It could be conceived that we are truly living in what Guy Debord described as the age of the spectacle. With improvements in picture definition (4k/ 8k), sound (7.2) and new forms of immersion (VR/ AR/ 4D) there seems no sign of abatement as viewers spend more time, year on year, watching content on the ever increasing and varied choice of interfaces and screens.

Ian Jarvie states in Philosophy of the Film (1987) that: traditional Hollywood offers a controlled order in its depiction of reality in the guise of realism: Things work out so interestingly there, there is so much order and coherence, in contrast to the world as it actually is...

This is timely research to investigate the effects of multiple screens and narratives encountered in the contemporary western landscape, how this may influence audiences and my artistic response to it.

My research will encompass a history of alternative representations of consciousness utilised in film from early special effects to trance films and surrealism. I will look at methodologies on narrative structure in film (Branigan), semiotics, aesthetics (Baudrillard), time and the moving image (Delueze / Bergson). As well as alternative modes of presentation inc. installation, happenings and raves.

This research aims to investigate historical and contemporary techniques, used to imply states of consciousness and cognition and alternative modes of representation.

Ultimately drawing on this research and engaging with it through my practice.

Timeline:

Year 1. create a linear documentary / film essay on the sublime, transcendental in art, film and religion and how artists have depicted this through time.

Year 2. create a non-linear film working with actors, dancers, musicians, performers to investigate states of perception.

Year 3. write up notes from previous 2 years and create a moving image / sound work utilising previous two films. To incorporate interactivity and multiple screens / sound sources.

Who's Benefit

 

30.06.17

Dear Benefits Manager,

I am writing to ask if you would reconsider my claim for housing and council tax benefits which you informed me about with your letter dated 20th June 2017.

Please note. Unfortunately I did not receive your letter date: 11th May 2017 which I informed your office about via a phone call recently. I also did not receive the self-employed earnings form which you mentioned in your recent letter 20th June 2017; So I have enclosed my original one which I handed in at Olive Morris House on 15th May 2017. I have also added new information / amendments with todays date 30th June 2017 along with my initials.

My circumstances are that I have no income at all after signing off from JSA on the 9th May 2017. After being unemployed for just over a year I was put on a scheme, by the job centre, called the work programme with the Shaw Trust. Through these weekly meetings with my advisor (Mo) I was convinced to apply for work credits and start my own self-employed business as well as to stop signing on for JSA. At the time I had a verbal agreement for a temporary job in Prague, at a film school, which has now been indefinitely postponed.

Due to my financial difficulties it was decided along with my advisor to apply for work credits and to apply to continue receiving housing / council tax benefits to to help contribute towards my living costs. We sat down and filled in the forms, including the self-employed earnings form handed in on 15th May 2017 at Olive Morris House (attached). Since then I have not received any money from the work credits and disappointingly have now had my housing / council tax benefit stopped.

Due to owing over seven thousand pounds on credit cards and interest I took the extreme decision to undertake an experimental drug trial at Parexell at Nothwick Park hospital. Please see recent scans sent 25th June 2017 in response to your letter asking for proof of my income dated 20th May 2017. It was my hope to use this money, from a potentially dangerous situation both physically and mentally, to pay off some of these debts and buy a second hand computer to start the aforementioned business. This money has been my only source of income and has now all gone on living costs and I still have the increasing debts.

Just to be clear I have no income or potential work coming my way. I have just received your latest notification and I am at a loss on how I am going to survive and pay another months rent. I am applying for work constantly with my debts rising all the time.

I hope you will reconsider your decision. 

 

Yours hopefully,

A.C. (short) Reviews

Performance	Added	Rating
New Years Eve Comedy Special at The Amersham Arms New Cross at Amersham Arms (The)	Added 3-Jan-2020	Rating:
This was a great evening of comedy at the Amersham Arms in New Cross. The organisers were very accommodating with free sweets and a great attitude. There were four diverse performers who were all very professional and sharp witted. Tony Law was on his surreal top form and read the audience very well. A great night.
Late at the Library: Delia Derbyshire Day at British Library Knowledge Centre	Added 2-Dec-2019	Rating:
This was a very interesting event to celebrate Delia's legacy in sonic and musical experimentation. The artists used her archive to respond with new audio and visual compositions all tied together with BBC DJ Nemone and DJ Busby (I think that was her name). A great venue, maybe not 100% suited for music, but impressive anyway. Staff were all nice and a great evening.
King Midas Sound at Purcell Room - Southbank Centre	Added 26-Oct-2019	Rating:
An atmospheric night with The BUG.. Great surroundings, intense sound, lots of dry ice and interesting lights.
The Uninhabitable Earth: Brian Eno In Conversation with David Wallace-Wells at Emmanuel Centre	Added 8-Oct-2019	Rating:
It was a pleasure to visit the Emmanuel Centre and hear this lively talk with the author David Wallace-Wells about his research and book The Uninhabitable Earth. The talk was hosted by Brian Eno who was well informed on the subject and kept the conversation rolling. A very interesting evening, with nice staff, good location and great speakers.
Macbeth the Musical at White Bear Theatre	Added 11-Sep-2019	Rating:
An energetic and entertaining show. The puppeteers were great and switched roles / voices effortesly. Great voices and a nice, intimate venue. Great stuff
The Haunted Moustache at Soho Theatre	Added 7-Sep-2019	Rating:
David Bramwell returns to Soho Theatre with his one man journey of discovery about a hundred year old heir loom and its psychic effect it has had on him. It is an incredible story with amazing accounts of the occult, black lodges, psychedelics and Brighton seances. Held together with intelligence and humour. The Soho theatre is an ideal home to Dr Bramwell and his stories and it was a packed house with attentive staff.
Chrysta Bell Concert at Powerhaus -formerly Dingwalls	Added 13-Apr-2019	Rating:
This was an interesting show at an intimate venue. Chrysta Bell had real stage presence accompanied by good lighting and tunes. It's still a bit of an irritation that people feel the need to video everything they see and someone actually brought their big wopping iPad to film her on in front of us; totally bonkers.. A very good evening anyway.
The Cult of Water at Soho Theatre	Added 29-Jan-2019	Rating:
The Cult of Water is a imaginative, illustrated, talk / lecture about David Bramwell's esoteric research into the topic. Directed by Daisy Campbell, of Cosmic Trigger fame, it attracted a diverse audience with minimal stage lighting / props. The auditorium was lit mainly by candles with a strong smell of incense and Dr Bramwell used video clips and sound to structure his thesis. Afterwards he was joined by Chris Roberts another expert in his field with particular interest in London's mythology. I really enjoyed this part of the show, which felt less staged and rehearsed, which was then followed by a lively Q & A.
Dialektikon at Park Theatre	Added 28-Dec-2018	Rating:
This is a lovely new theatre run by enthusiastic staff. It was a pleasure to see the building and the 90 seat, smaller, space.. I enjoyed the lighting and use of shadow & puppetry in this show; reminiscent of the south African artist William Kentridge. There was also a nice, mixed Audience.
Felicity Kendal introduces Some Like It Hot at BFI Southbank	Added 7-Nov-2018	Rating:
A new 4k scan of the Billy Wider' classic where you can see the expertise in every frame. The introduction by Felicity Kendal was very entertaining and some interesting points about the film were made.
The Greenaway Alphabet at Vue Piccadilly Cinema	Added 30-Sep-2018	Rating:
An interesting insight into the British film maker's home life and working practices; made by his Dutch wife and interviewed by their fifteen year old daughter Pip.
CLUB SWIZZLE at Roundhouse (The)	Added 13-Aug-2018	Rating:
A v. enjoyable evening. We all enjoyed ourselves immensely. Top artistes in their field; who looked liked they were enjoying the show as much as the audience

Sum Blag

 Having studied and trained in time-based media during the nineties I was part of the first generation of artists to work with the emerging digital technologies which informed the direction of my career path for the following decade. Having a strong interest in installation, performance and technology I have followed contemporary artists such as Doug Aitken, Pippilotte Rist, Douglas Gordon, Chris Cunningham whose themes and ideas reflect some of my own. These include representations of the body, memory and manipulation of it, non-linear narratives, post-modernism as well as questioning the nature / essence of the form.



A selection of Video / Film / Digital Work by TCH 


Andys Ref!

Reference for TCH by Dr. Andy Birtwistle:

I have known Trevor since 2001, when he joined the MA in Film, TV and Radio Production at Canterbury Christ Church University. At this time I was programme director of the MA, and also one of Trevor’s tutors. Trevor has kept in contact since he graduated, and have I followed his career as filmmaker and lecturer in TV and film production.

As an MA student Trevor proved himself to be technically able, creative and hard working. While at Canterbury he worked on a number of short film projects in various capacities, and produced a very good surrealist short film as his graduation project. As a team member he was hard working, efficient and reliable. His previous experience as a videographer stood him in good stead on the programme, providing a solid technical base on which he was able to develop his creative skills. In addition to the practical modules he studied at Christ Church, he also undertook theoretical studies. Here he was an active participant in seminar discussions, always offering an informed view on the topics under discussion. He completed a written dissertation as part of the MA, alongside his practical work in film production. Thus he gained some experience of undertaking a scholarly research project, and of producing an extended piece of theoretically informed writing.

Trevor was well liked by both staff and students on the MA, and demonstrated excellent interpersonal and communication skills. These, I think, have helped both in his career in media production, and as a tutor and lecturer.

After graduating from Christ Church Trevor worked for a number of years in live Television as a director, vision-mixer and producer.

Working in interactive television, he developed formats for a video game show and gaming channels, which have since become the norm for major broadcasters. He has utilised his production skills in his artistic practice, both as a VJ and as a member of MorPH - a live ensemble of sonic/visual artists. He has undertaken gallery commissions, and has created installations shown at Lates @ Tate Britain, Saatchi & Saatchi offices Charlotte Street, and the Port Eliot Festival. In addition to producing a YouTube web series, he has also recently completed an arts documentary for the Arts Council of England.

The fact that, following his MA, Trevor undertook a further qualification at the National Film School, demonstrates his commitment to learning. After graduating from the NFTS Trevor began work as tutor in various aspects of media production, while at the same time maintaining his practice as a filmmaker.

I believe that Trevor has the qualities necessary to succeed as a PHD candidate. His CV shows that he has a proven commitment to developing his own creative practice, and also his understanding of it. Furthermore, he has been able to draw on his own work in film and video when working with his own students. Thus the relationship between theory and practice has been an important part of his career trajectory. The PHD would not only give him the opportunity to further develop his own practice, but also to situate this within a scholarly, critical and theoretically informed framework.

Clearly, the PHD and the training he will receive will greatly contribute to the future development of his career as both an artist and a researcher. His tenacity, dedication and energy are clearly evident in the details of his CV, and I feel certain that he would make the most of any opportunity afforded by gaining a PHD at Kingston University.

Dr Andy Birtwistle
Reader in Film and Sound
School of Media Art and Design Canterbury Christ Church University North Holmes Road Canterbury
Kent CT1 1QU

Sus - proposal

Proposed area of study / investigation for PHD in creative practice; University off Sussex

Collaborate / with computing / engineering / sound designers / artists / general public 

To Open New doors -

———————————-

‘We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.’

Anaïs Nin -1961 work “Seduction of the Minotaur”.

personal question;

To create a non-fixed, immersive, interactive environment to confront / transcend the ever-changing artificiality and seemingly fixed motifs of the modern urban landscape.  Utilising archetypes of symbols / logos / signifiers to create a new land / sound scape in flux which the participant controls through his / her interaction / play with it. 

This could be through overlaying images / sounds / fragmenting the linear flow of imagery and associated sounds / reacting to physical gestures i.e. eye tracking / responses to triggers. i.e. physical  movement within the space both on screen, through performance / dance and physically for the participant.

My aim is to collaborate, with other specialists in their respective fields e.g. programmers / hackers / performers / dancers / musicians to create a system, within an installation / moving image and sound context that can be manipulated by the spectator  as a means to evaluate, control and manipulate images / symbols / signifiers through possible different interactions with the work.  .  

My aim with the piece is to generate in the participant a sense of fluidity and passive control of imagery / sounds outside of their mainstream contexts within the current media landscape.  To empower the individual and subvert the perceived rigidity of the image / expected sound(s) outside of their usual context, by subverting the familiar / linear flow and expectations of the narratives that may have accumulated through repetition through external systems of influence.  i.e. influential media sources

The outcome of this should enable the participant to reflect, self-critique their own hierarchical logos system(s) and question their participation in the creation of the phantom of solidity and their transient meanings; to empower the individual to question the influences which may affect their lives, thought processors and the same for others.

Through a system of playful and questioning interactions utilising moving image, sound - symbols and signifiers through a process of self- discovery / reflection / a self-imposed heightened awareness as they are / become a site for the perception, cognition and reflection of the symbolic code / narrative;  and a (re)-discovery of its fluidity of meanings both personal and universally held. 

 

Consume my heart away; sick with desire

And fastened to a dying animal - It knows not what it is; and gather me

Into the artifice of eternity.   excerpt:  Sailing to Byzantium.  Yeats

Tools:   isadora (?) Memory -  Old technology / aesthetics / colour and reactions / generate ve system - Symbols   

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Public intervention - empowering / subversion of media 

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Areas of potential research:

Cognition - David Bergson 

Gilles Delueze: The body without organ

structuralism

Trance films - e.g. jordan Belsen / james whitney 

stan vandeerbeek - movie mural 1968

culture jamming / scratch video / sampling

Baudellaire:  ideology extends through the constructon of the sign itself in its claim to present reality or meaning

submersion vs other tracking / hacking

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method - collaboration - society

- Daniel Higlston

Roe - proposal (?)

1. Abstract

Interaction and representation in Installation

Today images are part of consumption. Pippilotte Rist, the performance and installation artist, states ‘people spend an increasing portion of their waking hours now looking at moving images created by pixels; but most of that imagery is created under commercial pressure to sell things or support advertising, we need artists to create a bank of other kinds of imagery as a counter balance. (NY Times Magazine 2009)

My proposed research seeks to continue and expand upon this statement working with moving image and interactivity in an installation context.

My intention is to create a practice-based study for social participation where I will create an environment that will feedback on itself from the ‘users’ interaction with it.

The purpose of this is to confront the viewers consciousness of their participation and passive acceptance of mainstream realist narratives through their own participation, mirrored and distorted and disrupted through the signs, signifiers and broken narrative expectations.

2. Research Context

This research project would look at how theorists, philosophers and artists have previously tackled the subjects of representation, cognition and consumption of media; how installation may differ from other forms of artistic spaces, utilising an historical evaluation, through the evolution of analogue to digital media, as well as positioning this culturally through accessible technology, hacking and collaborative working.

‘Our representation of things as they are given, does not conform to these things as they are in themselves, but (that) these objects as appearances conform to our mode or representation. Immanuel Kant (Critique of pure reason, trans. Smith, 1965)

Lev Manovich wcites “new media appropriates old forms and conventions of different media, in particular, cinema” (2001) astutely demonstrates that any visual medium, at the level of code, of la langue, operates within the cultural logic of representation. New media may give rise to unprecedented, original aesthetic forms, but they are still constructed from within the cultural interface of the frame, as with cinema, television, theatre, photography, etc before it (the language New Media).




But the screen is not a mirror, and, while there was some magic in passing beyond the mirror there is no magic at all in passing beyond the screen. Its impossible anyway - there is no other side of the screen. No depth - just surface. No hidden face - just an interface – Baudrillard (Art and Artefact, 1997)

Erwin Shrodinger suggests that... ‘The reader of the text is called to be involved in the invocation of the idea / spirit, which ultimately holds the prize of intuitive understanding, a truth which is untaught. This can only be experienced on an individual basis as consciousness is not plural. Consciousness is ‘never experienced in plural, only in the

Interaction and representation in Installation

singular... meaning to understand a symbol you are understanding your own psyche from the point of view of consciousness. (Creator magazine, 1995)

David Bordwell (1985) identifies these representations as similar to objects / actions in the per- ceiver’s reality as ‘mimetic’. Although the screen is merely two-dimensional and an illusion, the perceiver can relate situations, objects, actions as displayed as similar to their physical world, a reflection. Mimetic theories take as their model the act of vision; ‘an object of perception is presented to the eye of the beholder’.

as Lev Manovich states ‘Cinema, the major cultural form of the twentieth century, has found a new life as the toolbox of the computer user. Cinematic means of perception, of connecting space and time, of representing human memory, thinking, and emotion have become a way of work and a way of life for millions in the computer age. Cinema’s aesthetic strategies have become basic organizational (sic) principles of computer software. The window into a fictional world of a cinematic narrative has become a window into a datascape. In short, what was cinema is now the human-computer interface.

This, as described below, can be a way to bring the audience closer to the realisation that they are the creator of the artwork; especially in an autonomous space outside of the established arts institution

The artist Ilya Kabakov states - the installation desires to recreate an entire world, redefine space, engage the public sphere, and complicate the separation of art and life. which is echoed by Nicola Oxley, writing in installation art in the new millennium (2004)

“The authorship of the work passes from the artist to the viewer.”

This addresses the same intention as the Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez who, as an innovator of Kinetic / Op Art shifted his attention to a shift in the object viewer relationship which brought the spectators moving body directly into the work; this was a way to look at the viewers physical involvement as a way to demystify it to simple human activity through colour, light and space.

this would be a continuation of my own artistic moving image work where previously I have employed surrealistic and non-linear devices, to highlight and direct the viewers attention towards their participation in the formulation of the work.

3. Research Questions...

If as Lev Manovich critiques the move since the 1990’s towards a more Realist aesthetic in mainstream media, as mirrored in Pippilotte Rists opening statement, then the question I would like to address is as ‘readers’ of the synthesised moving image world how will we address any other aspects beyond commerce as these reflections or authoritative voices compel our actions and behaviours?

How to critically engage with different demographics?

Interaction and representation in Installation

4. Methods...

my research will include collaboration, as it is an important part of my interdisciplinary practice, working with other specialists in their field who can bring their own specialisms to the work. e.g. digital musicians / programmers, computer hackers, performers (for pre filmed / test footage) and public intervention.

To record and acquire feedback through workshops, test groups with audience participation, questionnaires...

Practical Tools will inc: Computer(s) running interactive software e.g. Isadora, pre-filmed moving image footage, appropriated footage, projectors, multiple screens, live camera feeds, sensors e.g. hacked Xbox 360 camera; as well as utilising old technology t(o investigate the aesthetics of representation).

5. Schedule:

Year 1: research proposal / review of the field / review of my own practice Year 2 project 1 & 2 (testing audiences) and related text / writing
Year 3 Final art project exhibiting, review and writing

6. bibliography..
Brougher, K, Synaesthesia in Art and Music Since 1900, Thames & Hudson, 2005

Bordwell, D, Narration in the fiction film, London, Methuen, 1985

Shimamura, A., Experiencing Art - in the brain of the beholder, Oxford University Press, 2013

Olivera, Oxley, Petry, Installation Art in the New Millennium: The Empire of the Senses, Thames and Hudson, 2004

Manovich, L. The Language of New Media, Cambridge, Massachusetts, MIT Press, 2001

Various, Precarious Visualities : New Perspectives on Identification in Contemporary Art and Visual Culture, McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2008