This Friday we have an invited speaker, Joe McAlister, who will give a talk on interactive theatre.
"Invisible technology" and interactive theatre
Technology within interactive theatre can enable new ways to tell a story, facilitate group discussion and in real-time, analyse audience behaviour. But how can it be used extensively, while maintaining the viewer's engagement with a narrative?
Detailing some of the techniques and research developed during the creation of "The Justice Syndicate" (5 stars - "The Stage"), I will show how technology was 'cloaked' through careful interaction studies and iterative approaches — creating internal tools to mitigate the visibility of technology, including machine learning. Alongside this, I will provide a look at whether these changes had an impact on how the audience behaved and whether "invisible" technology reaches further than its counterpart.
About Joe
Joe McAlister is a computational artist and privacy advocate. His work focuses on themes encompassing metadata, security and embodied interaction, taking a particular interest in how technology can be used to aid progressive discussion.
He has received commissions and awards from established universities, Goldsmiths, University of London and Kings College, London. As well as directing or collaborating on works backed by leading studios and institutions across Europe, including, Arts Council England, Saatchi & Saatchi, Goethe-Institut and Research Councils UK.