Think Tank Number One

Successful event held in ciric for SATnet.

Creative Industries

Companies that joined us for the event are:

Allihopa

Freshwest

Lasers are us

SMF Engineering Ltd

Academics joined us:

Warren Fauvel

Gavin Kirby

Chris Thomas

Pollinator Frocks Project © Karen Ingham 2010

Populations of insect pollinators such as bees, butterflies and moths and the plants on which they depend, are declining at alarming rates due to deleterious human activity. These symbiotic relationships must be protected. Through interdisciplinary collaboration with entomologists, botanists, biochemists, surface pattern designers and engineering technologists, I am creating a prototype range of clothing that will, through site-specific artistic intervention, raise greater awareness of these important issues. The Pollinator Frocks Project is a limited edition ‘collection’ of clothing that will be based on scanning electron microscopy images of plant pollen grains linked to endangered pollinators. These digitally enhanced images form the basis for a range of striking and unusual printed fabrics. The fabrics will be treated with pollinator food sources that replicate nectar, which will be specially coated onto the fabric prior to cut and assemble as ‘pollinator frocks’ (loose fitting unisex clothing). There will be ‘day-wear’ for insects such as bees and butterflies and ‘evening-wear’ for moths. In the urban environment where garden space is limited and nectar rich plants rare, the clothing could be ‘hung out’ as clothes are hung on a washing line, to act as an attractant to pollinators. The food source coating will be specially engineered to wash out in a 30° wash after depletion so the garment can be worn as normal. As part of the public engagement Stage One phase, human-scale cloth sculptures will be made from the treated fabrics and sited in a variety of environments and locations, from a flower rich meadow to a city park, to raise public awareness and test the efficacy of the prototype fabrics.

Karen Ingham is an artist and a Reader in Art and Science Interactions at Swansea Metropolitan University. The Pollinator Frocks Project is being supported by the art, science and technology network SATnet and the Arts Council of Wales Creative Wales Awards.

karen.ingham@smu.ac.uk

www.smu.ac.uk/satnet

www.kareningham.org.uk

For the bees

We Are Worried About The Bees

For the Bees: A song of will for the honey bees

http://weareworriedaboutthebees.wordpress.com/

OWEN AND FERN ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE BEES

For the Bees is a participatory public artwork that has stemmed from a shared concern about the bees. Conceived and led by artists Owen Griffiths and Fern Thomas, For the Bees offers an innovative approach to addressing the threat to our honey bees.

Aaron Koblin ' Visualizing Amsterdam SMS Messages' 

Watch video

Data studies with MIT Senseable City Lab, Salzburg University Z_GIS and Current City. Data provided by KPN Mobile.

Interactive tool built with Processing and OpenGL

Aaron Koblin 'Flight Paths'

Watch video

Interactive tool built with Processing and OpenGL

Have a look at Aaron Koblin's work - patterns emerging from social data, exciting!

http://www.aaronkoblin.com/

Aaron Koblin is an an artist specializing in data visualization. His work takes social and infrastructural data and uses it to depict cultural trends and emergent patterns. Aaron’s work has been shown at international festivals including Ars Electronica, SIGGRAPH, OFFF, the Japan Media Arts Festival, and TED. He received the National Science foundation's first place award for science visualization and is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. Currently, Aaron is Technology Lead of Google’s Creative Lab where he helped to launch Chrome Experiments, a website showcasing JavaScript work by designers from around the world.

Hestons Chocolate Feast

Watched Hestons new series last night - what an amzing chef - an artist and a scientist - a real inspiration , if you havent seen it - watch it asap!

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/hestons-feasts/4od

SATnet March Experiments

http://miwatsmu.blogspot.com/ 

Thanks to MIW - Moving Image Wales , Mike!, for our first series of experiments.

Food colouring and milk.

Satnet launch

SATnet had a very successful launch last week with delegates from various science and technology based companies with creative academics from Swansea Metropolitan University. A presentation was given about the new Knowledge exchange project and its aim to create and exciting network which brings together the two polar disciplines of art and science.
A game was created and some amazingly creative ideas were presented for possible projects between scientists and artists. Watch this video as inspiration - it highlights the fusion of creative minds with technical and scientific knowledge - it also made us smile and reminded us that sometimes you have to 'push it over in order to bring it back', use your imagination......
thanks from Anna and Claire to all who took part, we look forward to working with you.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w