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15 Nov 24 | Events
Introducing the next wave of digital creatives: Dreams & Echoes
On the theme of dreams and echoes in the Adventures in Consciousness season, six early career digital artists will be displaying their prototype digital immersive works at a public showcase at the Cheng Kar Shun Digital Hub, Jesus College, a dynamic new space in the heart of Oxford, designed to bring together the brightest minds and the curious to discover, explore, use and benefit from the latest advances in digital technologies.
Taking place on 19 and 20 November, Immersive Assembly Volume 4: Dreams and Echoes is a public showcase of the fourth annual talent development programme from international arts commissioner, Mediale – a multi-disciplinary residency focusing on learning, peer critique and developing new ideas and collaborations in and around immersive art and technology.
Six UK-based artists have been developing projects which invite us, the audience, to explore the potential of immersive media in interrogating consciousness and enabling new interpretations of ‘reality’. There is an opportunity, as part of the process to explore neuroscience, mental health, access and medical science research expertise, as well as pioneering AI and ethics research, and globally leading immersive art. This has all been developed since May 2024.
Taking inspiration and understanding from world-leading academic research from Oxford University the artists involved artists have been considering the role that immersive experiences can play in the exploration of what consciousness means now, and what it could mean in the future.
Vladyslav Vyazovskiy Professor of Sleep Physiology, University of Oxford says, “I love to collaborate with artists. Artists and academics have a lot to share about what we study. We are both dealing with the unknown, just from different angles. There is data and then there is interpretation. The very same thing can mean different things to different people depending on how you look at it. So I see great opportunities for sharing learning by working and collaboration with artists”.
Professor Russell Foster, of Circadian Neuroscience and the Head of Department of Ophthalmology, at the University of Oxford says, “Fundamentally, what I’m excited about and trying to understand is how the core mechanisms of sleep and 24-hour circadian rhythms are generated and regulated within the central nervous system, and then to use this information to find ways to improve our quality of life. I believe strongly that working with artists can also help to achieve this vision. We are all, in our different ways, trying to find ways to understand the world we live in, if artists and scientists collaborate, we have a greater chance of achieving this vision.”
There will be supporting academics including Patricia Kingori, Senior Research Fellow; Professor in Global Health Ethics; Wellcome Senior Investigator; at Somerville College. Patricia is a sociologist whose primary expertise lies in exploring the everyday ethical experiences of frontline workers in global health. Also visiting will be Matthew Parrott, Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at St Hilda’s College, Oxford and an Associate Professor in Philosophy at the University of Oxford. Matthew’s research focuses primarily on questions in the philosophy of mind and cognitive science, and the philosophy of psychiatry, which extends to issues in epistemology and the philosophy of science.
If you would like find out about the prototypes in detail and book your free tickets please click the link here: Immersive Assembly Volume 4: Dreams and Echoes. Ticket sales will close 3 hours before the event. There may be a limited number of tickets available on the door on a first come, first served basis.
IA4 is supported by the Cultural Programme at Oxford University, the Cheng Kar Shun Digital Hub at Jesus College Oxford, and Mediale’s talent development focus supported by Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation funding.
15 Nov 24