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Kirk Woolford left LICA in September 2008 Lecturer: Digital Arts
|  Kirk Woolford |
PGT Supervisor:
MA Fine Art convenor.
BA Fine Art:
I'm interested in supervising primarily practice-lead research in:
Background:
Kirk Woolford is a practicing photographer and programmer who works closely with digital and creative industries. Prior to joining Lancaster University, he set up and directed web development and video games production companies in New York, London, and Amsterdam -- working with partners including the Economist Group, BBC, Channel 4, FilmFour, Illuminations, Babel Media, and THQ to produce online education, and entertainment systems. He remains active in the creative industries through his role as a founding company director of The Storey, Lancaster's Creative Industries Center opening in Dec 08. His research is practice-led and he continues to actively exhibit his work in international venues including Shanghai eArts, ARCO Madrid, Art Cologne, P.S.1. (MoMA), Venice Biennale, Gulbenkian Foundation Lisbon, Monaco Dance Forum, Ars Electronica, ISEA, and SIGGRAPH. He has collaborated on performances with igloo, Charleroi Danses, Diller+Scofidio, Susan Kozel, Frederique Flamand, Fabrizio Plessi, and others. As a student in Chicago he worked with Eastman Kodak, Adobe, and Quark to incorporate their new technologies, including the first version of Photoshop, into early desktop publishing studios. Between 1992 and 2005, Kirk held several research positions in Germany and the Netherlands as he moved between academy and industry.
Kirk is a technical reviewer on the AHRC Peer Review College and has served as a program commitee member/reviewer/judge for SIGGRAPH, SIGMM, ISEA, DRHA, Digitale, and TeDance.
Current Research:
My research can be roughly divided into two forms: practice-led research involving the creation of interactive installations, performances, photography, and video exploring concepts and experiences which defy textual representation; and more traditional scholarship exploring the role and value of the artist in collaboration with science and technology. The practice-led research focuses on the use of technical mediation to understand our own perception of our bodies and environments. This work began with an exploration of mediated and remote touch in the early 90s (see cyberSM). Over the last six years, an exploration of gaze, body maps and mirror neuronal systems has led to projects exploring our ability to touch and move one another other through media: sound and images (see contours, winterspace, will.0.w1sp). More recent work explores manners in which we are touched and moved by our environments (see Observing Nature, Performing Ecology), and new business models allowing artists and micro-enterprises to be active partners in creative industries, science, and technology research.
Practice-Lead Methodologies:
I attempt to keep a separation between creative practice and practice-led research. Often the creative practice is initiated without clear research questions in mind. The research questions arise through the exploration and reflection on the creation of the work and lead to numerous technical and critical papers and presentations on process as the work is created and analysis after it is presented.
Will.0.video
Will.0.w1sp
Feb 9 - Mar 12, 2007: Observing Nature: Performing Ecology, Lancaster Environment Center, Lancaster University
Sep 13, 2005: Chaining, Ludas Dance, Dance Cuts, Nuffield Theatre, Lancaster
Sep 4, 2005: Listening Between the Lines, Ars Electronica, Linz, A
June 20-24, 2004: CoR, Festival Obra Aberta, Casa da Musica, Porto, PT
April 7, 2003: Reckless Eyes, Playing Field, Montevideo Netherlands Institute for Media Arts, Waag Soceity, Amsterdam,
Nov 15-Dec 15, 2002: Spotthecam/ I See, World Information.org, Oude Kerk, Amsterdam, NL
Sep 20-22, 2001: Viking Shoppers, Encontros ACARTE, ACARTE - Centre de Arte Moderne, Calousete Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, PT
Dec 14-18, 2002: Winterspace, installation, - Monaco Dance Forum, Monte Carlo, Monaco
Feb 26-28, 2001: Winterspace, installation/performance, Hoxton Hall London, UK
Recent Publications
Woolford, K., Guedes, C, "Particulate Matters: Generating Particle Flows from Human Movement", Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Multimedia, ACM MM,07, 2007, pp 691-696.
Woolford. K., "Will.0.w1sp - Installation Overview", Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Multimedia, ACM MM,07, 2007, pp 379-380.
Guedes, C, Woolford, K., "Controlling aural and visual particle systems through human movement", Proceedings SMC'07, 4th Sound and Music Computing Conference, 2007, pp 200-203.
Woolford. K., "Will.0.w1sp ('willo-wisp'), Performance Research, 11(4), 2006, pp.30-38.
Woolford, K., "Will.0.w1sp", Inspiration to Order, California State University, Stanislaus, 2006
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Recent Peer reviewed Conference Papers:
Nov 2007: Moving an Audience: Will.0.w1sp and Biological Motion, TeDance, Technologically Expanded Dance International Conference, CULTUREGEST, Lisbon, PT
Jul 2007: Particulate Matters: Generating Particle Flows from Human Movement, ACM MM'07, 15th International Conference on Multimedia, Augsburg, DE
Aug 2007: Controlling particle systems through human movement, Immersed Music,International Computer Music Conference (ICMC), Copenhagen, DK
Jul 2007: Controlling aural and visual particle systems through human movement, Sound and Music Computing Conference, Lefkada, GR
Jun 2007: Moving an Audience: Biological Motion and Will.0.w1sp, Moves07 International confererence, Manchester, UK
Sep 2006: Move Me: Application of Biological Motion in the Will.0.w1sp installation, Creative Dates II, Northwest Art and Design Research Group, Liverpool Moores University
Sep 2006: Installation to Performance, Will.0.w1sp during Listening between the Lines Performance, Ars Electronica 2005, (re)Actor First International Conference on Digital Live Arts as part of HCI 2006, Queen Mary, UCL, London
Sep 2006: Will.0.w1sp, Digital Resources for the Arts and Humanities, Dartington College of the Arts, Dartington
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Recent Invited Panels/Lectures:
Feb 2008: Curated Interactions, Digital Curatorship, Culture Lab, Newcastle University
Oct 2007: The Science of Art and Movement, Ars Electronica: Interactive Art and Magical Moments, Shanghai eArts. Shanghai, China
2007: Moving an Audience: Biological Motion and Will.0.w1sp, Moves07 International Conference, Manchester, UK
2004: Will.0.w1sp, Mediamatic Salon, Mediamatic, Amsterdam, NL
2003: Reckless Eyes, Playing Field, Montevideo, Netherlands Institute of New Media, Amsterdam, NL
2003: Dance and Technology, Escola Superior de Música e das Artes do Espectáculo (ESMAE-IPP), Porto, Portugal
2002: Embodied Interfaces, School of Architecture and Design, University of Brighton, UK
2002: Digital Dancing, School of New Dance Development, Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Amsterdam, NL
2002: Reckless Eyes, Dance Unlimited, Amsterdam Hogeschool voor de Kunsten, Amsterdam, NL
2002: Mediatheque, radical, Smartlab Centre, St Martin's College of Art & Design, UK
2002: Media Massage, Artez Digitaal Atelier, Amsterdam, NL
2001: Virtual Incarnations, Institute for Contemporary Arts, London, England
2001: Software for Dancers, Saddler's Wells/Royal Opera House, London, England
2001: Never Stand up in a Canoe, ACARTE - Centre de Arte Moderne, Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, PT
2001: Where is the Body, 100% Future, Centre En Movimento, Lisbon, Portugal
2001: Digital Performance Symposium, Hoxton Hall, London, England