Research Interests

One of the threads in my current research is focused on interactive media for social change and media across cultures with a goal to expand the idea of interaction with computational technology through analysis of a philosophy of interaction derived from the study of older, socially grounded, situated, multidisciplinary art forms. The idea of situated media provides a framework where community action, media and embodied experience intersect together into a coherent artistic whole. In situated media work the interactive events are contextualized within a cultural and local knowledge, crafts and traditions with a potential to reflect a variety of approaches in new media: from media performances, installations, and activism to culturally reflective computing and interface design. The situated interaction with media acts as a socially active agent that communicates culturally significant meaning. Media symbols and interactive processes are instruments for social action that contribute to rapid societal transformation and when designed mindfully can signifcantly add to regenerative renewal of culture.

Another thread in my research pivots around the more abstract explorations of audio/visual time based and interactive form within computational media. The performance and improvisation with interactive audio-visual time-based media for me provide most exciting aspects of composing with computational technology.

Current Projects

Future Delta game simulation is a time-forward 3-D visualization and simulation tool that aims to motivate actions, behavioral change and educate players about climate change mitigation and adaptations solutions and challenges. The game simulation is situated in a recognizable community locale: the flood-prone neighborhood of Delta, BC. Combining climate change modeling, socioeconomic scenario analysis and 3D modeling of real places with engaging soundscapes and imagery, our game is designed to make climate change science and solutions more salient and understandable to the layperson. The project comprises a game simulation and dynamic 3D visualizations of future local climate change scenarios to provide an environment for experiential learning tied to place attachment. The project builds on a foundation rich in research, experimentation, and production in the topic of climate change in Delta, but extends previous work into a new representational platform of virtual game simulation. Collaboration between: Aleksandra Dulic, Keith Hamel and Stephen Sheppard.

Mountain High River Flow (Canada Council—Inter Arts 2009/2010 UBCO) This project extrapolates and extends the pictorial and narrative representation of Chinese landscape scroll painting in a new media context. It incorporates ancient traditions with modern expressions, creating an interdisciplinary production that is creative, distinct and culturally reflective. I researched and created visuals for an interactive media and Lan Tung from the Orchid Ensemble created audio content and music production. This project aims to create a multilayered environment, created from ink brush painting and animations on rice paper that unfolds as an infinite panorama depicting mountains animated by representations of natural environment — such as flowing river, plants and leaves swirling and weaving in the wind, animals and people wondering within the landscape — emulating and expanding the experiences of viewing a picture scroll.

Cinema of Braided Processes focusses on on research and experimental projects in the areas of improvised cinematic perfomance, installation, interactive animation, media for social change, media across cultures, shadow play and media diffusion. The compositional structure of the cinema of braided processes integrates computation as a creative medium with performance and improvisation. The braided processe accomodates integrated relationship among various independent elements that comprise the complex media braid. The threads of this complex braid are composed of the audible and visible images, textual, generative, kinetic and proprioceptive elements responsible for driving real-time interactive processes.

Past Projects

Visual Music Project explores application of the abstract aspects of music onto the visual arts. Technological innovations from electric illuminations, abstract film as well as interactive, generative, and process-based digital media are fueling the experimentation with musical analogy and synaesthesia in visual arts. In digital media, music and visual art are truly united, not only in terms of their phenomenal experience but also in terms of their deep structure, being both formed of flows of electronic information and infinitely interchangeable code. With the inclusion of computational media an active area of research emerges in the field of visual music. The goal of this research is to develop compositional processes and structured improvisational strategies for visualizing musical phrases and performance gestures. This research is fundinded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2007/2009)

Fields of Interaction: From Shadow Play Theatre to Media Performance(PhD research 2002/2006)
My PhD dissertation Fields of Interaction: From Shadow Play Theatre to Media Performance  is a cross-cultural study of the emerging practice of interactive and performance media art. In this work, performance with media elements is examined with a particular focus on issues that arise from using computational technologies in the performance environment, contextualized both through the investigation of media genealogies that influenced the developments of this emerging practice as well as through the analysis of contemporary forms that developed across different traditions and cultures. The objective of this work is to expand the idea of interaction within media performance through analysis of a philosophy of interaction derived from the study of older, socially grounded, situated, multidisciplinary or braided forms such as shadow theatre. The second objective is to develop an artistic method and computational tools to support the creation, composition and performance of computationally augmented shadow plays.

Computational Poetics Research project articulates aesthetics of computational art and performance and develop a tool-set to enable artists working in the computational medium to create, present and document their work.  The Computational Poetics group is also creating a series of works combining live animation, performance documentary, and music techniques for performance presentations. Computational poetics is a collaborative research project conducted with Martin Gotfrit and Kenneth Newby. This research is fundinded by Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2004/2007)

River Home research (2003 / 2004) River Home research focuses on the development of new media approaches in support of Aboriginal performance practice using interactive multi-channel video and audio techniques. In addition to multi-channel displays the system developed include machine vision and listening through A/V capture and analysis. Research collaboration between Aboriginal artists in residence:  Margo Kane, Russell Wallace and researchers Kenneth Newby and Aleksandra Dulic, School for Interactive Art & Technology, Simon Fraser University.

CompoundEye research (2001/2002) is focused on a development of multi-channel editing tool, to give media designers the ability to specify content and design multi-channel video and graphic displays. The content for each screen is displayed across the top of the window and gives immediate representation of the design during editing and playback. A graphical user interface in the form of a multi-channel timeline allows easy editing and updating of the project. Player versions of CompoundEye, running on separate networked machines, mirror the project as defined by the editor including any current editing changes being made. Aleksandra Dulic and Kenneth Newby

Meeting at a Distance (MFA thesis 1998/2000) investigates perspectives of communication technologies. The core of this thesis deals with the technological aspects of contemporary communication systems through which our connection to physical space and interaction has changed radically. The accompanying project physically maps some of these new relations developed within our virtual media realities by means of a five-room installation. The viewer interacts with the piece in several different ways, the most fundamental of which is the interaction through the actual and the virtual spaces. The analysis of the relationship between bodies in physical – architectural – and virtual – media – spaces is achieved through a contrast between the direct interaction of participants and performer in one space with the virtual interaction of the same subjects, captured andbroadcast, in a remote space.