BBWCXR: Workshops
with Mark Coniglio, Teresa Fernández-Pello, Vali Lalioti
The interactive symposium will also kick off on 26 October with three interesting workshops: The composer, media artist and programmer Mark Coniglio, a pioneer in the integration of dance and media, will offer workshop participants valuable insights and information on the Isadora software and other programmes that can be used to create interactive performances and installations on computers. In her workshop format ‘Your 5 last random Google searches say more about you than your zodiac sign’, Teresa Fernandez-Pello will draw on ancient astrological knowledge to inspire us to reinterpret our own Google history as a tool for self-reflection and introspection. In her workshop ‘The Art and Tech of Creative Robotics’, designer, computer scientist and academic Vali Lalioti offers to collaborate and create mini-performances with participants and three unusual robot companions – to actively and collectively think about how we might want to include robots in our lives in the future and allow them to support us.
Overview of the symposium program
Duration: 1 h 30 min or 3 h 30 min
Language: English (German translation possible)
Accessibility: The workshops are in non-wheelchair accessible rooms
Mark Coniglio: Introduction to Isadora Software
10:00 – 13:30 Studio Ost
Mark Coniglio will offer a 3.5 hour workshop introducing participants to his software Isadora, which empowers artists to create interactive performances and installations on macOS or Windows computers. He will show how simple sensory devices like one’s phone can be used to interactively modulate video, sound and light, as well as demonstrating Isadora’s powerful projection mapping capabilities and other features of the software, ending with a demonstration of how AI tools like ChatGPT can be used live with the newly released Isadora 4. Participants are expected to bring their own computers, which should meet the system requirements described here: support.troikatronix.com
Please note: Before attending, participants are required to download and install the Isadora application, as well as the Isadora Examples, both of which can be found on this page: https://troikatronix.com/get-it/ All participants will be given a free, 30 day license to allow them to continue to experiment with the fully enabled version of Isadora after the workshop has ended.
Teresa Fernández-Pello: Your 5 last random Google searches say more about you than your zodiac sign
10:00 – 11:30 Studio West and online
In this workshop we will use ancient astrological knowledge to re-interpret our own Google History as a tool for self-reflection and introspection. Though not considered a science today, Astrology is an ancient tool that served scientific and technological innovation in the past. While being a medium for innovation, people have also used it for centuries as a tool for introspection and self-reflection. By studying supposed celestial influences, individuals could contemplate their place in the universe and make sense of their experiences and personality, while also sharing deep conversations and connecting with others.
In this workshop, we will learn a bit about the astrological tradition of the Birth Chart and apply some of the insights that come from this tradition into the re-interpretation of a Google History database. Using search and filter tools, we’ll speculate on how our searches can reveal hidden patterns and motivations, uncover surprising connections between our personality and online behavior and explore ways to use Google for more meaningful interactions.
*This is a hybrid workshop. Please pick your preferred option when you sign up for the workshop.
Vali Lalioti: The Art and Tech of Creative Robotics
12:00 – 13:30 Studio West
The use of robotics in the performing arts allows us to explore contemporary problems and societal issues, pushing artistic frontiers and technological boundaries, while enhancing storytelling, interdisciplinary collaborations, and pedagogical innovation. In this workshop, Prof. Lalioti aims to explore hands-on how we might engage, be supported or rely upon robotic companions in the future. Participants will work together in groups with three unusual robotic companions and co-design mini performances, that embody the themes of inclusion, support and reliance, reflecting on how we might in the future include robots, allow them to support us building a reliance, and what this means for our embodied relationship to ourselves, others and the world around us.
Recognized as a pioneering force in the integration of dance and media, composer, media artist and programmer Mark Coniglio creates large-scale performance works that integrate music, dance, theater and interactive media. He will present an artist talk that combines an overview of interactive/media-intensive theatrical performances with a consideration of how to keep this work meaningful in the future.
Vali Lalioti is a pioneering designer, computer scientist and academic who helped build the first VR systems in Germany in the late 1990s before setting up a cross-cultural VR research centre in post-apartheid South Africa that explored new areas such as VR and storytelling in Township cultures. She won the Royal Television Society Judges award for her work developing the first Augmented Reality productions at the BBC among other innovation awards. Vali has taught innovation around the world and has extensive international leadership and innovation experience from Silicon Valley, Africa, China, Japan and Europe. Her Innovation Consultancy has developed diverse projects from AR Medical books to Operatic VR. Vali Lalioti is Professor in Creative XR and Robotics at the Creative Computing Institute (CCI) at the University of the Arts London (UAL), and passionate about how society and technology interact to build a more equitable and sustainable society.
