Evoking presence through creative practice on Pepper's ghost displays.

This thesis proposes a theoretic framework for the analysis of presence research in the context of Pepper’s ghost. Pepper’s ghost as a media platform offers new possibilities for performances, real-time communication and media art. The thesis gives an overview on the 150 year old history, as well as contemporary art creation on Pepper’s ghost with a specific focus on telepresence. Telepresence, a concept that infused academic debate since 1980, discusses the topic of remote communication, perceived presence transmitted through networked environments. This discourse of telepresence revealed shortcomings in current analytical frameworks. This thesis presents a new model for presence in the context of my research. The standard telepresence model (STM) assumes a direct link between three fundamental components of presence and a measurable impact on the audience. Its three pillars are conceptualised as presence co-factors immersion, interactivity and realism, presented individually in the framework of my practice. My research is firmly rooted in the field of media art and considers the effect of presence in the context of Pepper’s ghost. This Victorian parlour trick serves as an interface, an intermediary for the discussion of live streaming experiences. Three case studies present pillars of the standard model, seeking answers to elemental questions of presence research. The hypothesis assumes a positive relationship between presence and its three co-factors. All case studies were developed as media art pieces in the context of Pepper’s ghost. As exemplifiers, they illustrate the concept of presence in respect of my own creative practice. KIMA, a real-time sound representation experience, proposes a form of telepresence that relies exclusively on immersive sound as a medium. Immersion as co-factor of presence is analysed and explored creatively on the Pepper’s ghost canvas. Transmission, the second case study, investigates the effect of physical interaction on presence experiences. An experiment helps to draw inferences in a mixed method approach. The third case study, Aura, discusses variations of realism as presence co factor in the specific context of Pepper’s ghost. The practical example is accompanied by an in-depth meta-analysis of realism factors, specifically focusing on the intricacies of Pepper’s ghost creative production processes. Together, these three case studies help to shed light on new strategies to improve production methods with possible impact on presence in Pepper’s ghost related virtual environments – and beyond

KIMA Voice

KIMA: Voice is a participatory art piece enquiring the role of the arts in perceived social connectednes

KIMA: Noise

A participatory art piece on the effect of noise on health and wellbein

Transmission: A telepresence interface for neural and kinetic interaction

Transmission is both a telepresence performance and a research project. As a real-time visualization tool, Transmission creates alternate representations of neural activity through sound and vision, investigating the effect of interaction on human consciousness. As a sonification project, it creates an immersive experience for two users: a soundscape created by the human mind and the influence of kinetic interaction. An electroencephalographic (EEG) headset interprets a user’s neural activity. An Open Sound Control (OSC) script then translates this data into a real-time particle stream and sound environment at one end. A second user in a remote location modifies this stream in real time through body movement. Together they become a telematic musical interface-communicating through visual and sonic representation of their interactions

KIMA - A holographic telepresence environment based on cymatic principles

KIMA is a holographic surround-sound installation that visualizes telepresence as both a phonetic and a synaesthetic phenomenon. The performance piece is based on the physical conditions of cymatics-the study of physically visible sound wave patterns. Two environments, a quad surround and a holographic interface, build the framework of a telematic experience that illustrates communication as wave forms while focusing on the relationship between sound and matter. © 2013 Oliver Gingrich, Alain Renaud, Eugenia Emets

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is a fast-paced slapstick extravaganza

Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget combines the distinctive charm of the Great Escape-esque story that characterised the original Chicken Run (2000), with an action-packed plot, staged in a futuristic setting fit for the 21st century. Picking the story up from where the original Chicken Run ended, this time the plot is inspired by Mission Impossible (1996) and James Bond – a caper film that sees the chicken protagonists breaking in, rather than breaking out. Protagonists Ginger (Thandiwe Newton) and Rocky (Zachary Levi) are now parents to the runaway teenage chick Molly (Bella Ramsey), who ends up in the clutches of her parents’ arch nemesis, Mrs Tweedy (Miranda Richardson). Tweedy has received a “glamorous make-over” for the sequel, while her chicken farm has been replaced with a futuristic chicken fun land – a compound that serves the meat-hungry food industry an assembly line of poultry. Trying to save their daughter from becoming a chicken nugget, Rocky, Ginger and their fellow chickens venture to break into this high-tech bastion. With appealing new characters, emotional depth and distinctly British humour, this fast-paced slapstick extravaganza is both a technical and artistic achievement

Art in Flux at EVENT 2

A FLUX Events paper and presentation about the curation of FLUX’s contribution to the EVENT 2 exhibition held at the Royal Academy next year in collaboration with EVA, the Lumen Prize and the Computer Arts Society. Founded in 2016 at Light of Soho in London by the artists Maria Almena, Oliver Gingrich and Aphra Shemza, FLUX Events is a charitable organization committed to furthering the development of the media arts community in the UK. As an artist-led forum, FLUX offers a space for collaboration and exchange as key artists and organizations come together to profile their work. Through talks events, performance evenings, workshops and exhibitions, FLUX brings these ideas to the wider public - providing a fluid platform to discuss strategies, processes and collective themes within the media arts. In July this year FLUX has been invited to take part in the EVENT 2 exhibition at the Royal Academy. In collaboration with EVA, the Computer Arts Society and the Lumen Prize it is a fantastic opportunity for FLUX to curate and provide a platform for contemporary media artists. Building on the legacy of Event 1, an exhibition of the Computer Arts Society at the Royal Academy 50 years ago the event will showcase some the original computational artworks from the Computer Art Society’s collection as well as some of the very best cutting-edge talent globally. Over the next few months the FLUX co-founders, Maria Almena, Oliver Gingrich and Aphra Shemza will embark on the curation of the FLUX part of the exhibition and our submission to EVA would be to write a paper on our curation rationale and detailed information about each artist and artwork involved in the exhibition. We will provide some context for the exhibition and elaborate on our exhibition choices. The curatorial concept and paper will be presented at the conference together

FLUX Events: Current trends in contemporary media arts.

FLUX is a forum hosted by artists to discuss strategies, processes and collective themes within the media arts. FLUX is a fluid platform committed to media artists working right NOW in the UK. We hold bi-monthly events, which are curated by one of the hosts and facilitate the exchange of ideas, as media artists come together to profile their work. Performances, talks and showcases of artwork provide a forum for artistic discourse and exchange. Hosted in different London venues and supported by the British Computer and Arts Society, these larger events offer a space for the exchange of creativity, inspiration and support

‘Once Upon a Time in Animation’ – Curatorial strategies for an exhibition on the National Centre for Computer Animation

Zeitgeist consists of an innovative neuro-art piece, which offers to induce Flow states through immersive experiences: Zeitgeist, a new artwork by Dr. Shama Rahman and Dr. Oliver Gingrich is an AI-based digital art piece that explores audiovisual neurofeedback strategies to train ‘Flow’ to improve cognitive performance and engagement. This exploration will lead to the development of a prototype platform for cognitive enhancement. This art project looks at effective strategies to enhance mental states by inviting the audience to induce Flow through introspection, thereby designing their own internal to external spaces. The team will develop a real-time ‘Flow’ mental state digital platform utilising EEG deep-learning classification for a feedback loop involving embodied interactive collaborative participation by the audienc

Social Flow: social connectedness and flow in participatory art

Zeitgeist - a participatory artwork developed by the researcher/artists Dr Shama Rahman and Dr Olive Gingrich, uses deep-learning algorithms to indicate creative ‘Flow’ mental states visualised on a holographic Pepper’s ghost display. Based on real-time analysis of physiological brainwave data through deep-learning algorithms, participants visually experience the probability of being in Flow - a mental state of creative peak performance (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2002). Forming part of the AHRC-funded p_ART_icipate research project, this research looks at the effect of participatory arts on social connectedness and mental well-being. A small-scale pilot user study (n=12), points to a significant effect of the intervention on social connectedness, mood and flow - with facilitation being a potential confounding factor. This paper presents the findings of this initial pilot study, as well as a discussion around co-factors of social flow