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Dear Colleague, Some Symposium places are still available for this important event on Thursday 26 June 2008. inter_multi_trans_actions emerging trends in post-disciplinary creative practice Thursday 26 June, 2008 Faculty of Engineering, Computing, and Creative Industries Napier University Merchiston Campus 10 Colinton Road Edinburgh EH10 5DT This one day symposium will bring together a number of leading practitioners from the fields of art, architecture and design who each share a common desire to exploit the latest computing technologies in their creative practice. The invited speakers will reveal their cutting edge work that blurs the traditional boundaries of the creative disciplines. Emerging trends in post-disciplinary creative practice highlight the interplay of conventional boundaries. "New hybrids of design are emerging. People don't fit in neat categories; they're a mixture of artists, engineers, designers, thinkers. They're in that fuzzy space and might be finding it quite tough, but the results are really exciting." [West, D., A New Generation, Icon, 2007, 43(January), pp. 56 - 64] The aim of this event is to inspire and inform the symposium delegates of the significance of this trans-disciplinary research and its impact for creative practice in the UK. This event will appeal to a wide audience including practitioners, researchers, educators, industrialists and stakeholders involved in the creative industries. Symposium Speakers: Moritz Waldemeyer [http://www.waldemeyer.com/] Moritz Waldemeyer is at the forefront of mechatronics, a combination of mechanics and electronics, that helps create innovative design ideas for concept cars, smart weapons and washing machines. Over the past few years, Waldemeyer has worked with the likes of Zaha Hadid, Ron Arad and Hussein Chalayan who have all availed themselves of his expert technical know how. HeHe [http://hehe.org.free.fr/] Helen Evans and Heiko Hansen, the HeHe duo explore the territory that is the common ground for designers and artists. They have developed a concept of Cultural Reverse Engineering, that raises political, economical and sociological questions: to study a device or a software in order to modify its initial function is a way of re-appropriating the technology, in a world where most of us have no idea of the way everyday objects actually work nor how their cultural position has changed over time. The workshops they organize to "teach basic of DIY technologies, to students, artists and designers", can be seen as a concrete application of that concept. HeHe is clearly related to the Lo-Fi philosophy (and it happens to be the title of one of their works), with its playful, yet serious, issues. Crispin Jones [http://www.mr-jones.org/] Crispin Jones' work is chiefly concerned with exploring the social impact of technology. He graduated from the Royal College of Art with a Masters Degree in Computer Related Design in 2000, since then he has worked for a number of companies including Casio Research, Philips Design and IDEO London. He has also worked independently and in partnership (as one half of Robson & Jones) on interactive projects for a high profile clients including The BBC, Tate Modern, The V&A and The Science Museum. He currently designs and produces his own range of products under the Tengu and Mr Jones Watches brands. Alongside the commercial design projects he has produced more experimental works - these projects have been exhibited internationally including as a prize winner at the Prix Ars Electronica (2002), as Grand Prize winner at Japan Media Arts Festival in Tokyo (2003), at Digital Arts Festival Tokyo (2003), at Salone Del Mobile, Milan (2005 and 2007), at 100% Design Tokyo (2006), as part of "On Time" at the Museum for Design in Zurich (2007) and at the exhibition "Design and the Elastic Mind" at Museum of Modern Art in New York (2008). the POOCH [http://www.thepooch.com] thePOOCH explore non-navigational spaces and interfacelessness. They use less technology, not useless technology and they like extreme prototyping. thePOOCH also prefer to build rather than blog. thePOOCH is a young company with a wealth of experience in computer programming for mobile applications, interactive art installations, advertising and live events. thePOOCH's team of programmers has 40+ years combined experience in software engineering, user interface design, computer networking and hardware development. thePOOCH work one-on-one with clients and end-users to design, develop and build interactive installations that are tailored for specific target audiences. TROIKA [http://www.troika.uk.com] Troika is a multi-disciplinary art and design practice founded in 2003 by Conny Freyer, Eva Rucki and Sebastien Noel, who met while studying at the Royal College of Art. Our backgrounds in graphic, product design and communication allow us to engage in work that is at the intersection of the three disciplines, thinking of design as communication art. We develop a variety of self-initiated and commissioned projects that are both engaging and demanding to the user, from printed matter to product design and custom installations. Our approach focuses on the contamination between the arts and design disciplines and is born out of the same love for simplicity, playfulness, and an essential desire for provocation. Greyworld [http://www.greyworld.org/] In 1993 Andrew Shoben founded Greyworld in Paris. Greyworld's goal is to create works that articulate public spaces, allowing some form of self-expression in areas of the city that people see every day but normally exclude and ignore. Jason Bruges Studio [http://www.jasonbruges.com/] Jason Bruges Studio is a Shoreditch based studio producing a diverse range of work that includes interactive light sculptures, interactive environments, events and screen-based installations. We explore the use of interactivity with the public and environment through the use of highly imaginative technologies. Jason Bruges Studio specialises in 'interactive light environments', from installations on the streets of New York to London's South Bank. The Owl Project [http://www.owlproject.com/] The Owl Project make sculpture, music and sound art, notably the Log1K, Sound Lathe, Sound Chair and iLog. Drawing on influences such as woodworking, hobby style electronics and open source software to create music-making machines, they take a craft-based approach to designing their own interfaces and objects. The result is a distinctive range of musical and sculptural instruments that critique human interaction with computer interfaces and our increasing appetite for new and often disposable technologies. Lucy Bullivant [http://www.lucybullivant.net/] Lucy Bullivant is an architectural curator, critic and author. Lucy has worked internationally with leading museums, galleries, cultural institutions, publishers and corporate bodies since 1987. Her latest book, Responsive Environments: Architecture, Art and Design (V&A Contemporary, 2006), explores the hybrid discipline of interactive architecture and design. She regularly contributes to Domus, The Plan, a+u, Volume, Architectural Record and Indesign, some of the world's most authoritative international architectural magazines. Please visit http://www2.napier.ac.uk/inter_multi_trans_actions for more information. Dr Paul A. Rodgers Reader in Design School of Creative Industries Napier University Merchiston Campus 10 Colinton Road Edinburgh EH10 5DT Scotland UK t: 00 44 (0)131 455 2313/2678 f: 00 44 (0)131 455 2292 e: [log in to unmask] w: http://www.napier.ac.uk/sci Napier University is the best modern university in Scotland and 5th in the UK. (Guardian University Guide 2009) This message is intended for the addressee(s) only and should not be read, copied or disclosed to anyone else outwith the University without the permission of the sender. 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