Expressing Tacit Material Sensations from a Robo-Sculpting Process by Communicating Shared Haptic Experiences

A sculptor's sense of touch is paramount because we experience sculpting in the iterative process of making new objects. Making sculpture is a process of expressing the inner 'tacit-self' by way of tangible material interactions that become shared artefacts. The existence of tacit- tactile awareness indicates a natural world of personal haptic experience that this thesis will attempt to unpack. Tele-haptic solutions are presented in the form of two robotic sculptures, Touchbot #1 and Touchbot #2. Touchbots (collectively) are the study objects that this practice- based art-research thesis produced, to ask the question: Is it possible to create a machine that could capture and retransmit tacit-tactile experiences within the artistic act of sculpting, through material engagement, from a sculptor's hand to a non-sculptor's hand? Research, conducted and presented, aims to demonstrate that robotic haptic feedback is a vehicle for communicating 'touch' messages through mechanical transmission during sculptural actions (demonstrated through participant interviews and video observation analysis). Additionally, an epistemological context for exploring 'hands-on' knowledge and practice deficits in machine-assisted object modelling is presented including: Michael Polanyi's Tacit Dimension (Polanyi, 2009), David Gooding's Thing Knowledge (Gooding, 2004, p. 1) and Lambros Malafouris' "Material Agency" and material culture (Malafouris, 2008, pp. 19-36). Intersecting bodies of knowledge weave a common thread to support developing a method of communicating tacit sculptural information using haptic touch experience. Unfortunately, there exists more tele-haptics and telerobotics technology for industrial applications than artworks using the same technology. For instance, 'rapid prototyping' technology—such as 3D printers—is removing human tactile-material interaction from object making altogether. In response to the technological obstacle of expanding contemporary interactive sculpture, haptics is applied to include real-time, iterative, robotically assisted object modelling. A review of contemporary haptic technology demonstrates a gap in our understanding iii of embodied knowledge transference. A shortlist of contemporary artists and their works that address the communication of tacit-haptic experiences is also offered, highlighting the importance of exploring embodied knowledge transfer

Expressing Tacit Material Sensations from a Robo-Sculpting Process by Communicating Shared Haptic Experiences

A sculptor's sense of touch is paramount because we experience sculpting in the iterative process of making new objects. Making sculpture is a process of expressing the inner 'tacit-self' by way of tangible material interactions that become shared artefacts. The existence of tacit- tactile awareness indicates a natural world of personal haptic experience that this thesis will attempt to unpack. Tele-haptic solutions are presented in the form of two robotic sculptures, Touchbot #1 and Touchbot #2. Touchbots (collectively) are the study objects that this practice- based art-research thesis produced, to ask the question: Is it possible to create a machine that could capture and retransmit tacit-tactile experiences within the artistic act of sculpting, through material engagement, from a sculptor's hand to a non-sculptor's hand? Research, conducted and presented, aims to demonstrate that robotic haptic feedback is a vehicle for communicating 'touch' messages through mechanical transmission during sculptural actions (demonstrated through participant interviews and video observation analysis). Additionally, an epistemological context for exploring 'hands-on' knowledge and practice deficits in machine-assisted object modelling is presented including: Michael Polanyi's Tacit Dimension (Polanyi, 2009), David Gooding's Thing Knowledge (Gooding, 2004, p. 1) and Lambros Malafouris' "Material Agency" and material culture (Malafouris, 2008, pp. 19-36). Intersecting bodies of knowledge weave a common thread to support developing a method of communicating tacit sculptural information using haptic touch experience. Unfortunately, there exists more tele-haptics and telerobotics technology for industrial applications than artworks using the same technology. For instance, 'rapid prototyping' technology—such as 3D printers—is removing human tactile-material interaction from object making altogether. In response to the technological obstacle of expanding contemporary interactive sculpture, haptics is applied to include real-time, iterative, robotically assisted object modelling. A review of contemporary haptic technology demonstrates a gap in our understanding iii of embodied knowledge transference. A shortlist of contemporary artists and their works that address the communication of tacit-haptic experiences is also offered, highlighting the importance of exploring embodied knowledge transfer

Landscapes of ephemeral embrace : a painter's exploration of immersive virtual space as a medium for transforming perception

The following text has been written to illuminate the research embodied In Ephemere, a fullyimmersive virtual environment which integrates stereoscopic 3D computer-generated images and spatialized 3D sound, with a user interface based on breathing, balance, and gaze. This artwork was begun when I entered the doctoral program at CAiNA (Centre of Advanced Inquiry Into the Interactive Arts) in 1997, and was completed in 1998. The work Ephemere is grounded in a very personal vision, developed over more than 25 years of artistic practice, including, most significantly, painting. Ephemere follows on its predecessor Osmose, and as such, Is a continuation of my efforts to: (I) explore and communicate my sensibility of what it means to be embodied, here now, in the living Rowing world; and (ii) use the medium of immersive virtual space to do so, necessarily subverting its culturally-biased conventions to achieve this goal. The contents of this text are most clearly indicated by its title: Landscapes of Ephemeral Embrace: A Painter's Exploration of the Medium of Immersive Virtual Space for Transforming Perception. And further, by its chapter headings: (I) Context: Rethinking Technology in the "Reign of King Logos ; (II) Defining Terms: Key Concepts and Concerns in the Work; (III) Origins of the Work in Prior Artistic Practice: Emergence of Key Concerns and Strategies; (IV) First Explorations in Immersive Virtual Space: Osmose; (V) Continuing Explorations In Immersive Virtual Space: Ephemere; and (VI) Strategies and Their Implications In the Immersive Experience. In this text, I have focused my discussion on artistic Intent, rather than on whether I have been successful, for this can only be evaluated with the passing of time

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

Dance performance in cyberspace - transfer and transformation

The aim of this research undertaking is to understand the potential development of dance performance in the context of cyberculture, by examining the way practitioners use new media to create artworks that include audience participation, and by endeavouring in their theorization. With specific reference to cyberspace as a concept of electronic, networked and navigable space, the enquiry traces the connections such practices have with conventions of the medium of dance, which operate in its widely known condition as a live performing art. But acknowledgement that new media and new contexts of production and reception inform the characteristics of these artworks and their discursive articulation, in terms of the way people and digital technologies interact in contemporary culture, is a major principle to their analysis and evaluation. This qualitative research is based on case-study design as a means of finding pragmatic evidence in particulars, to illustrate abstract concepts, technological processes and aesthetic values that are underway in a new area of knowledge. The field where this research operates within is located by a mapping of published literature that informs a theoretical interdisciplinary framework, which contextualizes the interpretation of artworks. The selected case studies have been subject to a process of systematic and detailed analysis, entailed with a model devised for the purpose of this enquiry. From this undertaking it can be claimed that while an extensive array of technologies, media and interactive models is available in this field, the artists pursue a commitment to demonstrate their worth for specifically developing (new media) dance performance, and for dance performance to articulate technological and critical issues for cyberculture studies. The results of this enquiry also contribute to conceptual understanding of what dance can be, today, in the light of technological changes

Experiential Perspectives on Sound and Music for Virtual Reality Technologies

This thesis examines the intersection of sound, music, and virtuality within current and next-generation virtual reality technologies, with a specific focus on exploring the experiential perspectives of users and participants within virtual experiences. The first half of the thesis constructs a new theoretical model for examining intersections of sound and virtual experience. In Chapter 1, a new framework for virtual experience is constructed consisting of three key elements: virtual hardware (e.g., displays, speakers); virtual software (e.g., rules and systems of interaction); and virtual externalities (i.e., physical spaces used for engaging in virtual experiences). Through using and applying this new model, methodical examinations of complex virtual experiences are possible. Chapter 2 examines the second axis of the thesis through constructing an understanding of how sound is designed, implemented, and received within virtual reality. The concept of soundscapes is explored in the context of experiential perspectives, serving as a useful approach for describing received auditory phenomena. Auditory environments are proposed as a new model for exploring how auditory phenomena can be broadcast to audiences. Chapter 3 explores how inauthenticity within sound can impact users in virtual experience and uses authenticity to critically examine challenges surrounding sound in virtual reality. Constructions of authenticity in music performance are used to illustrate how authenticity is constructed within virtual experience. Chapter 4 integrates music into the understanding of auditory phenomena constructed throughout the thesis: music is rarely part of the created world in a virtual experience. Rather, it is typically something which only the audience – as external observers of the created world – can hear. Therefore, music within immersive virtual reality may be challenging as the audience is placed within the created world.The second half of this thesis uses this theoretical model to consider contemporary and future approaches to virtual experiences. Chapter 5 constructs a series of case studies to demonstrate the use of the framework as a trans-medial and intra/inter-contextual tool of analysis. Through use of the framework, varying approaches to implementation of sound and music in virtual reality technologies are considered, which reveals trans-medial commonalities of immersion and engagement with virtual experiences through sound. Chapter 6 examines near-future technologies, including brain-computer interfaces and other full-immersion technologies, to identify key issues in the design and implementation of future virtual experiences and suggest how interdisciplinary collaboration may help to develop solutions to these issues. Chapter 7 considers how the proposed model for virtuality might allow for methodical examination of similar issues within other fields, such as acoustics and architecture, and examines the ethical considerations that may become relevant as virtual technology develops within the 21st Century.This research explores and rationalises theoretical models of virtuality and sound. This permits designers and developers to improve the implementation of sound and music in virtual experiences for the purpose of improving user outcomes.<br/

Cybertheatres: Emergent Networked Performance Practices

This thesis explores the emergent genre of cybertheatres or networked performance, that is, performance that employs the Internet and/or other types of networking technologies (telecommunication, mobile) and attitudes. I argue that networking technologies produce hybrid spacetimes or heterotopias (Foucault), which function as stages for networked performances, a novel and increasingly popular field of practice and research. The aims of this project are to a) articulate networked performance as a distinct genre, which is a hybrid between theatre/performance and networking technologies, b) situate this within a lineage of performance practice, c) identify and analyse its principal ontological and dramaturgical elements and, d) explore appropriate curatorial strategies for its presentation to a spectrum of audiences. To achieve these aims I undertake a critical analysis of cybertheatres, starting from 1967 and focusing on current practices. My analysis unfolds through engagement with discussions along two pivotal conceptual vectors, and through applied exploration of two core elements of practice: The conceptual vectors along which this thesis develops are: 1. Space: I examine the spatial nature of the networks that host cybertheatres, employing British group Blast Theory as my case-study. 2. Presence: I question the validity of the presence vs. absence dichotomy within networked environments. I investigate this through the work of Belgian duo Entropy8Zuper!, relaunched as Tale of Tales. Further on, I undertake a practical exploration relating to the subject of the curation of cybertheatres. I reflect upon and evaluate the three-day event Intimacy: Across Digital and Visceral Pelformance (December 2007), which I initiated, produced, co-directed and cocurated, to propose curatorial strategies that are appropriate to emergent practices in general and cybertheatres in particular. I close by a shift of voice from the author to the collective: I join the collaborative project Deptford. TV as a method of studying artistic, curatorial and social platforms that demonstrate Web 2.0 attitudes, and argue for the genre's particular potential for new forms of social engagement within a computer-mediated culture

Poetics of Reception: a phenomenological aesthetics of bodies and technology in performance

This study examines the provocative claim by Performance Studies theorist Philip Auslander (1999) that there is no ontological distinction between live and mediatised forms because they participate in the same cultural economy. This claim has led to something of a stagnation of debate between, on the one hand, scholars who privilege the live over the mediatised and on the other those who extinguish the live in favour of mediatisation. Moving beyond the limitations of ontology, this project proposes and develops a phenomenological aesthetics in order to investigate the essential structures and modes of experienced phenomena from within audience. The phenomenological approach understands the complexity and dynamism of the relationship between bodies and technologies in performance, reorienting the investigation away from a rehearsal of established and unhelpful ontological positions. The methodology for the project draws primarily upon methods from the N orth-American tradition of practical phenomenology (Herbert Spiegelberg, Edward S. Casey, Don Ihde, and Anthony Steinbock), and the transcendental philosophy of Edmund Husserl. Through a series of specially designed workshops, in which audience participants are trained in phenomenological techniques of bracketing and attention, A Poetics of Reception tests the potential of practical phenomenology to break the ontological impasse set up by Auslander. The method elicits the grasping of experiences of embodiment, kinesthetic empathy, temporality, orientation, imagination and poetic language. Participants were trained and required to write their experiences of the interaction between bodies and performance technologies, creating texts that then underwent hermeneutic analysis. The results of this interpretation yielded six interactive encounters, and revealed the constituted structures and modes of the relational phenomena experienced in performance by the participants. This study’s methodology has both practical and philoso! phical i mplications, including its proposed use as an audience-based dramaturgy for digital performance, and a method of inquiry into the kinesthetic dimensions of aesthetic experience