COLOUR MULTI 21.04.17

On Thursday 4thĀ May 2017 a unique collaboration will take place between the BA(Hons) in Graphic Arts at Winchester School of Art and digital innovators, Sennep, hosted by acclaimed culture creators, Mother.

Digital/ Physical: PLAY! will take place Downstairs at Mother, Mother | London, the Biscuit Building,Ā 10 Redchurch Street, London E2 7DD

Exhibits will be available for play and student films will be screened in the reception area. At 18.30, a panel of experts from Mother, Sennep and WSA will respond to provocations created by Dr Seth Giddings designed to examine the significance of gamification and interactive platforms to contemporary communication design, then from 19.00 onwards there will be a launch party with drinks.

Publicity, promotion and a catalogue for the event are being designed and produced by BA Graphic Arts alumni now working in our in house design studio, 3015.

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Here is an introduction to the event written by BA Graphic Arts Programme Leader, Derek Yates.

ā€˜In 2009 I was privileged to be part of the team that developed ā€˜Cascadeā€™, an award-winning education platform designed to support the ā€˜onedotzero, Adventures in Motionā€™ festival at the British Film Institute. ā€˜Cascadeā€™ provided an opportunity to test out new pedagogic models in response to shifts in behaviour brought on by the rapid development of communication technologies. onedotzero were like an early warning system for the way the communication industry was changing and they provided me with the opportunity to meet and work with practitioners at the vanguard of emerging practice within the Graphic Arts. It shifted my perspective as an educator and has informed my work ever since. I came to realise that genuinely exciting digital work was not tied to screens and alters the behaviour of both user and creator ā€“ evolving across immersive digital and physical contexts.

ā€˜Digitalā€™ is a mind-set that is not defined by pixels, both connected and transient, it evolves through the imperfect and unfinished ā€“ continually refined through use. For me understanding the digital revolution meant re-thinking many of the values of my analogue creative education.

In 2012, the founder of onedotzero, Shane Walter, was invited to curate ā€˜Decode: Digital Sensationsā€™ at the V&A. This show brought artists and ideas from ā€˜Adventures in Motionā€™ to the attention of the wider public and in many ways, was a watershed moment in the development of this field in the UK. One of the exhibits featured in the show was ā€˜Dandelionā€™, a collaboration between London based Digital studio, Sennep and Danish interactive agency, Yoke. This installation combined playfully surreal interaction with mesmerizing animation to engage young and old alike. I have known and respected, Matt Rice, the co-founder of Sennep, since before Decode and over a post degree show beer in Shoreditch last summer we hatched a plan that would enable my students to explore some of the ideas that Dandelion exemplifies. On the 4th May, ā€˜Downstairs at Motherā€™ (DAM) we celebrate the results.

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In October 2016, third years from BA(Hons) Graphic Arts were invited to create proposals for digital experiences that engaged with similar principles as Dandelion, this was directed by the Sennep Design team and chaired through a series of workshops at Winchester School of Art, where student teams had the opportunity to pitch prototypes and ultimately present their ideas at Sennep studios in Whitechapel. The pitches were then developed into a series of speculative films. Looking for a space to showcase the project we approached internationally acclaimed culture creators, Mother, via ā€˜our man on the insideā€™, WSA alumni, George Lavender. George was part of the team that created the visual identity for DAM and, with him to gently twist arms, they very kindly agreed to host a screening of the films alongside the original Dandelion installation. All of which will be preceded by a discussion that will bring academics and industry practitioners together to examine and question the evolving nature of visual communication and the importance of playful, immersive interaction.

Digital/ Physical: PLAY! is a valuable opportunity to challenge the boundaries that exist between formal education and professional practice. A chance for our students to present their work alongside leading practitioners right in the middle of the world they will inhabit after graduation.ā€™

If you would like to attend this event, please RSVP to d.t.yates@soton.ac.uk.