Weekly blog - 16/09/2013 - 20/09/2013

From selecting the robot design finalists, to meeting our Brazilian Playable City counterparts, this week has been one of preparing for exciting new things. On top of all this, the Studio is getting ready to welcome our resident magicians next week, so we are all buzzing with anticipation. Read on to find out more:

Having amassed a wealth of wonderful, imaginative designs, we have now stopped taking submissions for the Robot Design Competition. We are currently embarking on the difficult task of narrowing down the participants’ designs to just 10 of the strongest. We will keep you all updated when the designs have been selected.

We are very happy to announce that our new magicians in residence: Kieron Kirkland and Stuart Nolan will begin their residencies here on Monday 30 September. Whilst here, they will be conjuring up creative ideas that blend technology, interaction design, magic and illusion. Kieron will be researching the synergies and opportunities between magic and the maker movement, and Stuart will be exploring how to track subconscious muscle responses to create a friendly mind-reading robot pet. To find out more, please come to our lunchtime talk, on Friday 4 October where they’ll be explaining their projects in more detail.

Our Studio Producer, Verity McIntosh has flown to Brazil to interview participants for the new UK/Brazil cultural exchange project in Recife. Eight Brazilian-based artists and producers will be selected to work with artists and producers from the UK to explore the theme of the Playable City; a theme which inspired Bristol’s own 'Hello Lamp Post' project. The participants will begin developing their ideas here at PM Studio before flying back to carry out the rest of the project. This is a wonderful opportunity for a shared enthusiasm for the exploration of creative technology to connect places that are so very far away from each other. We cannot wait to find out more about the project as it develops.

Last weekend, our residents nu desine took part in the BPM Trade show; one of the world’s largest events dedicated to DJing, electronic music production and entertainment technology. Chauvet Lighting worked in collaboration with nu desine and their futuristic musical instrument, the Alphasphere, to create a competition in which competitors control music and light rigs simultaneously by using the Alphasphere’s 48 pressure sensitive pads. You can read a blog post by nu desine about their weekend here.

Multi-media collective Squidsoup’s light installation 'Submergence' has created a huge buzz in the short time that it has been open. Thousands have already visited this vibrant, free exhibition, which will be showing until Saturday 12 October at The Eye in Temple Quay. The exhibition is now fully immersive even in daylight, due to the recent installation of blackout curtains around the space. Visit the Watershed website to find out directions and opening times.

More Squidsoup news: DCRC visiting scholar Anthony Rowe – founding member of the group, is giving a talk at UWE Bower Ashton Campus on 8 October at 6pm. He will be talking about the Ocean of Light project; Submergence, along with infestations of Mixed Reality Bugs… You can find out more about the event here.

Bristol Temple Quarter Commissions; a collaborative initiative co-ordinated by Watershed, have been commissioning artworks in and around Temple Quay in the hope to engage people with the area through surprising cultural experiences. Responsible for pop up artworks such as Squidsoup’s Submergence and Luke Jerram’s Maya, they are also commissioning a project by Italian photographer Carmine Mauro Daprile, who will take over some of the billboards along the Bath Road for two weeks. These billboards will bear no logos or slogans, but will feature two photographs of Southwest based cosplayers taken around the Temple Meads area, as part of his series of photographs, 'The Moon'. Keep your eyes peeled when you’re in the area.

On Wednesday Victoria went to Cardiff for the first day of the Digital Producers Lab at National Theatre Wales. Twelve creative Digital Producers are taking part in Wales’ very first Digital Producers Lab development programme, produced by Watershed. We are very much looking forward to seeing what the Lab gets up to in the future. You can find out who is part of the lab here.

Studio Director, Clare Reddington is giving a talk at Watershed on 30 October on the outbreak of ‘playability’ in cities across the world. There, she will also be showcasing the results of The Hello Lamp Post project. Visit the UWE website to find out more.

Over the last year, our resident theatre-maker Ben Gwalchmai has been writing a Dantean exploration of Victorian London in the form of a historical thriller called ‘Purefinder’. The novel has just become available to pre-order on amazon. Get yours here.

Finally, we are still searching for a Creative Technologist; so if you are one, or you know one, send in your application before the deadline on the 7 October. You can find out more on the Watershed website.