About The Workshop
Title: Dream Machines : The intersection of live arts practices and game engine technologies
This workshop is at the intersection of live creative practices (dance, drama, music) and on-line worlds and other game related technologies such as Machinima (films created using game engine software). Game engines can be used to create worlds, situations, objects and textures with a resolution in many cases comparable to CGI animations, but using a fraction of the processing power and computing speed.. The purpose of the project is to draw together experts in digital and telematic performance at the Watershed Media Centre in Bristol as a way of generating future creative and platform research.
The events will be a hybrid of seminar and hands on workshop activities using practice based research methods.
Research Questions
These events are designed to investigate the interface between live creative practice and game design technologies. The latter may take two forms, stand alone modifications of game environments (eg the Unreal engine) designed for use in a performance context , or avatar puppetry using the design resource of online worlds such as Second Life. The research significance will be in the knowledge exchange between technology based artists and performance based artists. The events will address the following research questions:
- What is the process involved in making a Machinima? (Including discussion of available platforms, methods and styles used).
- What is the process involved in doing live in-game theatre through avatar puppetry ?
- What is the process involved in doing distributed performance using multiple participants?
- How does a game experience relate to a live experience in an art space or event space, and what opportunities and drawbacks of these experiences will be presented by their combination?
- We will assess the state of game engines for liveness: how easy is it to adapt a time-based in-game performance?
- How do game based performance themes adapt themselves to related human thematics such as identity, isolation, intimacy or inadequacy in the face of technology?
- What is the potential for ‘user generated ‘ participation in game engine based online performance events ?