Working with partners and funders, Watershed delivers, supports and facilitates
a broad programme of digital and moving image projects which develop and disseminate creativity wherever it stems from. Artists, community groups, filmmakers, media producers, and young people are just some of the people involved in creating and experiencing digital and moving image work in the physical and virtual space, through residencies, workshops, research, exhibitions, and events. This dShed Studio section is where these creative projects, some of which you can participate in, are documented and traced as they unfold. You can also view the growing archive of material which has recorded past project development, and documented the progress and impact of new technologies
on creativity and audiences.
Bringing together leading technology, artistic and media talent, Media Sandbox is a new commissioning scheme to support UK South West companies/organisations to research emerging possibilities in digital media. Visit the Media Sandbox website if you are interested in proposing an idea. The new commissions will be documented online as they unfold.
New Interfaces in Performance (NIP) is an artist’s led workshop and touring event taking place throughout 2007 across three European cities - Bristol, Amsterdam and Lisbon. Initiated by Bristol-based media arts and performance group Polar Produce, lead artists will be facilitating workshops, with artists from each country, which examine the practices, techniques and technologies used to create new media work. The following website documents the artists and work produced.
Watershed and Bristol Museums, Galleries and Archives Service are creatively working together to involve the public in the development of content for the new Museum of Bristol. The Bristol Stories site is an online collection of digital stories made in Bristol, England. Details of forthcoming workshops will be posted in the what’s on section of this site, or you can register your interest in participating.
Ghanaian artist Nii Obodai was the recipient of the Clark Bursary - 7th UK Digital Art Award. Nii, a photographer from Accra, Ghana and had been invited to Bristol to create new work. To read the journal Nii wrote as the project developed, visit the Bursary site below.
http://www.dshed.net/studio/residencies/clarkbursary/journal7/index.php
Luke Jerram was the recipient of the Clark Bursary - 6th UK Digital Art Award. He developed an artwork called The Dream Director which is a multi-user installation which audiences could experience during their sleep. To read the journal Luke wrote as the project developed, visit the Bursary site below.
http://www.dshed.net/studio/residencies/clarkbursary/archive/luke_jerram/journal.php
Diffraction offers opportunities for talented artists to spend time in innovative industry and research contexts in the UK and abroad. Watershed was managing two placements during 2006 as part of Arts Council England's Artist Time Space and Money initiative: Ansuman Biswas was working at HP Labs, Bangalore and Hazel Grian was working at HP Labs, Bristol. You can read their online journals here.
Finnish artist Hannu came to Bristol in September 2005 to create a series of film installations over three months in residence at Picture This. The purpose of this web piece is to illustrate the creative process - from the first rudimentary tests to the making of the actual works.
www.dshed.net/studio/projects/hannu/index.html
![Dog[LAB]02](images/doglab02_strip.jpg)
Digital artist France ‘Cyberdoll’ Cadet is was in residence in the Intelligent Autonomous Systems Lab at University of the West of England in 2005 to develop a new installation. France was constructing a multi-robot installation called Dog[LAB]02 - a series of different robotic animals made by hacking popular cyber-toys. Find out more and read the online journal here:
With support from Watershed and funding from Arts Council England, creative work from the pioneering audiovisual site www.soundtoys.net toured the UK in 2005-2006 and a series of new commisions were produced. Documentation of the tour and links to the commissioned work can be found by visiting the link below.
The Clark Bursary provides opportunities for creative development in digital media through a residency programme. Stanza was one of three recipients of the 5th award and documentation of his project - The Emergent City, can be viewed on the following website.
www.dshed.net/studio/residencies/stanza_proposal.html
The Elders is a dance film Lisa May Thomas made with the Malcolm X Elders Group based at in St Paul’s Bristol. During the production process, Lisa documented the development of the film on this website, see link below.
www.dshed.net/studio/projects/elders/elders_about.html
Residual is a moving image / sonic installation by Isabel Rocamora in collaboration with Thomas Koner and Helena Gough. The piece looks at the archaeology of Bristol's presence, focusing on erosion, residue, visibility. The Residual website documented the development process.
www.dshed.net/studio/projects/residual/residual_about.html
The we.here.now summer camp brought together 24 young filmmakers aged 15 - 20 from Sweden, Lithuania and UK to make digital short films, supported by professional filmmakers and media educators. Documentation of the work in progress can be found here.
www.dshed.net/studio/projects/weherenow/weherenow_about.html
Documentation of ideas and work in progress by artists from different backgrounds on a course developing projects using the open source Processing environment. The project was part of Electric Pavilion - a major contribution to the Creative Bristol initiative.
www.electricpavilion.org/processing
This unique project enabled 10 groups of animators to access HP Labs’ experimental Maya Rendering Service to produce 3D shorts. Find more information about this project by visiting the link below.
I Can Read You is an artwork, developed by artist Simon Poulter, which uses barcodes and mobile phones. Simon wrote a journal whilst creating the work and posted more information here.
Calling is a residency programme for three digital artists of African heritage, run jointly by Watershed and Kuumba. The artists documented the progress of their projects through notes and diaries, and invited artists and curators contributed essays to the project.
www.calling.org.uk/pages/commentary.php
squidsoup were recipients of the 5th Bursary and created an installation piece Come Closer. Their Bursary is documented here in the form of an online journal, images and media.
www.dshed.net/studio/residencies/squidsoup_proposal.html
Documentation on the progress of Dane's project LoveMatch, created during the 5th iteration of the Bursary, is posted online here in the form of an online journal, documentation, images and media.
www.dshed.net/studio/residencies/dane_proposal.html
In residence at Watershed, Ella Bissett-Johnson developed Catch Me If You Can - a multiplayer adventure game using mobile technologies in physical and virtual space. Documentation of Ella's online journal can be viewed here.
www.dshed.net/studio/residencies/ella.html
Over a period of six months, Duncan Speakman explored human communication as it is organised, disrupted and distributed through digital systems. A series of interactive installations; Tag, Document and Dialogue, used mobile phones, databases, hidden microphones and printers to question the way in which we communicate and the values we assign to it. Formality was developed in residence at Watershed as part of the Clark Bursary - 4th UK Digital Art Award
www.dshed.net/studio/residencies/duncan_proposal.html
Berlin-based artist Ana Bilankov was in residence in Watershed in Feb 2002 developing and producing Sweet Home. Here you can view documentation of the work in progress. You can see the finished piece in creative content.
http://www.dshed.net/studio/residencies/ana_proposal.html
Jukola is a digital jukebox which uses wireless technology, handheld iPAQS and touch screens. It was tested in Watershed's Café/Bar in Oct 2003. Here you can find documentation of the project.
www.dshed.net/studio/projects/jukola/jukola_about.html
Created in residence at Watershed as part of the 4th UK Digital Art Award, Ghosts is digital sculpture by squidsoup. Here you can view documentation of the work in progress. You can see an online version of the finished piece in creative content.
www.dshed.net/studio/residencies/squidsoupghosts_proposal.html
Jo Hyde's Periphery explores issues of representation, identity, observation, memory and otherness. Awarded the DA2 Open Commission for digital artists based in the South West, Jo created the work through a series of residencies at Watershed.
www.theperiphery.com/periphery/index.htm
Digest is an online event taking place in March 2004 addressing two key questions
-
What's a meaningful and engaging web experience?
How do you decide what's good and bad artwork on the Net, and will others agree
with your view?
