Tags: Interact Labs
The Interact Archive
Posted: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 19:31
If you have visited the Archive or Past Events sections of this site then you might have noticed that quite a bit of new content has been added recently. Most of this new material is from Sean Clark's collection of materials from past digital arts events in Leicester. Our hope is to build a comprehensive archive that will document the development of digital arts in Leicester in the past 10 years. Sean is only about half way through his uploading, so we're pretty sure that by the time he is finished we will be well on the way to achieving this goal. If you have any materials for contribute please get in touch.
Interact Labs Open Day Success
Posted: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 19:39
Interact Labs had its first open day yesterday. Over 60 people came along to see the digital makers "Raspberry Jam" in the Midland Room and have a look around the new Interact Labs space. There were also talks by Sean Clark (Interact Labs), John Rance (Phoenix), Paul Brown (Computer Arts Society), Ernest Edmonds (IOCT) and Tony Goodhew (MagPi contributor). The 3D printer was in constant use throughout the day and there was a real buzz around the event.
A number of concrete things came out of the event. Firstly, there will definitely be a monthly Digital Makers / Raspberry Pi event. This will take a similar format to the opening event, with hardware demonstrations a presentations in the Midland Room - but with the presentations focused solely on technical topics - plus access to the 3D printers in Interact Labs. We will set up an Eventbrite for the next event shortly and announce the speakers.
Secondly, there was a 'fringe' meeting about the idea of a "Leicester Hackspace" yesterday. There is lots of interest in establishing a space in Leicester to give people access to manufacturing hardware. We are going to build on this interest by hosting a fourtnightly Leicester Hackspace meeting at Interact Labs. The first of these will be on the 5th November 2013 at 6:30pm. If you want to be involved you can join in the discussion in the Leicester Digital Makers Google Group.
Finally, it was good to see members of the Creative Manifesto arts group attend the event and start working with the 3D printer. Creative Manifesto also meets fortnightly (alternate Tuesdays to Leicester Hack Space) and are keen to initiate futures joint projects with the Digital Maker community.
So, a very useful event indeed and a good start to the Interact Labs project. You can see pictures from the event here. Remember to join the Facebook Group or email list, or get involved with the Leicester Digital Makers Google Group to find out about future activities.
Layla Curtis' Antipodes Exhibition
Posted: Thu, 17 Oct 2013 22:05
A new exhibition by Layla Curtis has opened in the Phoenix Cube gallery and Phoenix Café Bar. "Antipodes" features images from pairs of webcams located on exact opposite points on the Earth's surface. Only 4% of the planet's surface contains such "antipodal" points - most areas of land, such as the UK, match with the ocean. The exhibition contains "live" matched webcams from the antipodal points as well as time lapse videos where you see that at these points day and night happen at opposite times. There is also an opportunity to interact with the antipodes.uk.com website on a big screen and view some of Layla's printed images from the project. The exhibition runs from 17th October until 21st December - so you have no excuse to miss it! Layla will be giving a free talk about the project on 10th December for the Computer Arts Society.
BYOB II at The Salon, Leicester
Posted: Sun, 13 Oct 2013 18:16
Leicester's second BYOB event happened last night at The Salon in Highcross, Leicester. The event saw a couple of workshops during the day and then the main event in the evening. There were around 10 projectors showing all manner of imagery, from glitch art and projection mapping to classic VJ material. Pictures from the event can be found in the Interact Archive. We'll be announcing details of the next BYOB event soon.
Bring Your Own Beamer II
Posted: Fri, 20 Sep 2013 21:16
Bring Your Own Beamer will be returning to Leicester on the 12th October 2013. This year's event will take place at The Salon in Leicester's Highcross shopping centre. This temporary art space is perfect for a BYOB event - with plenty of walls and rooms available. We will be running workshops in the afternoon and an open event in the evening. As with other BYOB activities, the event will be free and is open to anyone who has something to show.
Introducing Interact Labs
Posted: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 20:53
Interact Labs is a new programme designed to encourage people to be creative with digital technology. Equipped with everything from DIY hardware kits to a state of the art 3D printer, Interact Labs provides a space at Phoenix in Leicester dedicated to learning, experimentation, creative collaboration and making new things.
Working with artists, technologists and audiences, Interact Labs hosts workshops and talks, initiates new creative projects, conducts research and provides studio space for visiting artists and practitioners.
Led by Phoenix Associate Artist Sean Clark, Interact Labs is a collaboration between Phoenix and technology company Cuttlefish Multimedia, supported by the Institute of Creative Technologies at De Montfort University.
