BCNETwork News

April 2007

Technology, Design and the Arts at Emily Carr: New Collaborations for Artistic Research

By Nicole MacLellan

Art and design have taken on a whole new meaning at the Emily Carr Institute (ECI).

Technology, more than ever before, is playing a pivotal role in opening new doors for artistic research and creative expression, and the continual push for superior digital technology is driving an incessant need for change.

Embracing these changes within the arts, ECI launched a new research office, a graduate degree program and a multi-million dollar research facility. Together, they are bridging the gap between science, the arts and technology to deliver artistic collaborations that were not possible in the past. Today, these alliances are facilitated by the backbone support of advanced networks, pushing the global boundaries of applied research.

$5 Million, State-of-the-Art Digital Studio

At the forefront of experimental and artistic research is the new Intersections Digital Studio (IDS) at ECI. A 10,000 square foot, state-of-the-art studio, the IDS functions as a multidisciplinary, innovative research centre that trains and educates a new kind of researcher in art and design.

Connected to BCNET's super broadband research network, the studio enables faculty and students to virtually collaborate with artists and scholars from around the world, and demonstrates how powerful networks and leading edge technology are enhancing research capabilities for the arts.

Unique Collaborations with a Diverse Internal and External Community

The digital studio features futuristic technology such as 3-D and 2-D scanners, a server for high-speed rendering and a motion capture studio. It also functions on the principle of being accessible to internal and external researchers, and acts as a place for sharing information and connecting to the community, which is dependent on BCNET’s links. Whether it’s through a high-speed videoconference or an international lecture series broadcasted to the Institute, BCNET enables tangible collaborations with an external community that is diverse and even global.

"The goal of the studio is to provide faculty with a place to do research and raise the level of discourse on opportunities for digital arts at the school," explains Maria Lantin, Director of the IDS. "The Emily Carr Institute has a very strong base in material art and design, but with the launch of the new Intersections Digital Studio and with connections to BCNET, we are seeing really unique projects and collaborations at the intersection of old and new media."

Videoconferencing and the Illusion of Presence

One project in particular, which is currently expanding the frontier of international collaboration at ECI and moving beyond the standard point-to-point videoconference system, is a lecture series scheduled for May and June 2007. Fitting into the mandate of the studio, the lectures will be broadcasted to students and faculty at ECI from the Netherlands over BCNET’s advanced network, and will look at the common ground shared by art and science. With the goal of creating a more effective distance learning environment, Graham Smith, inventor, artist and host of the series, has designed a new medium for videoconference monitors which create a very strong illusion that the lecturer is actually present in the room.

For the series, the image of the lecturer will be projected onto a screen that is built into an arch-shaped chair, known as the Presence Chair, simulating the physical appearance of a person actually sitting in the same room. “The person appears to be life-size, and because the screen is shaped in an arch, it creates a strong illusion of presence for people viewing it from a distance,” explains Smith. “The first time I used the Presence Chair for a lecture in Amsterdam, I was told by a student who arrived late and sat in the back of the room that it took them 10 minutes to realize that the lecturer was not even in the same room.”

Measuring Our National Consciousness in Real-Time

Also taking advantage of high-performance networks at ECI is a pilot project known as the Canada Ear. Covering such disciplines as media studies, Canadian studies, geography and linguistics, the Canada Ear uses voice recognition software to monitor CBC AM radio over the Internet in real-time, tracking each time a speaker says “Canada” or “Canadian.” The data will be used to determine when and where Canadians are most and least self-conscious of their national identity, by comparing significant national and international events such as Canada Day or the NHL playoffs.

The overarching goal of the project is to log onto all 29 CBC broadcast stations in Canada, which requires the high-speed of advanced networks. “Essentially, BCNET is providing me with the bandwidth to be able to connect to 29 stations, which would otherwise be quite a demand on ECI's system,” explains Kelly Phillips, Assistant Professor at ECI and the conceptual developer behind the Canada Ear. “I couldn’t capture all of the data without BCNET.”

Phillips would one day like to see an installation of her project in the IDS lobby, allowing people to put on headphones and listen to CBC radio while the software tracks national identity consciousness as it occurs.

Beyond the IDS: An Industry and Research Office and a Masters Degree Program

The digital studio is just one of several new developments at ECI, providing students and researchers with a broad understanding of the dynamic relationship between technology and the arts. Along with the recent creation of the IDS, ECI also launched a new Masters Degree program and an Industry and Research Office, resulting in a number of research developments at ECI and industry collaborations with gaming, software and animation companies, among those from several other sectors.

Catherine Warren, ECI’s Chief Industry and Research Officer, points out the advantages of having a program and studio that supports these new alliances. “The Industry and Research Office enables the members of Emily Carr to share their expertise with the community and allows us to experiment in new ways with researchers from academia and industry. BCNET is the digital glue that brings these partnerships together.”

Having received grants from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, the BC Knowledge Development Fund and Western Economic Diversification Canada, the IDS and the new Industry and Research Office enables a myriad of opportunities for collaborations in science, the arts and technology. The doors are open at ECI, with both Lantin and Warren inviting researchers, academics and professionals to take advantage of BCNET’s network and the new Intersections Digital Studio.