Creativity & Cognition Studios

Andrew Johnston

This project developed a new approach to musical interaction in which simulated physical models mediate between the sounds produced by acoustic instruments and sounds and visuals produced by the computer. New performance works including Partial Reflections and Spheres of Influence were created, and a study which examined the experiences of musicians who used the software was conducted.

Video can be seen here. For a fuller description of this project see Andrew Johnston's PhD thesis.

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Viveka Weiley

Magic Hopscotch is a mixed-reality interactive artwork that was developed at CCS and exhibited in Beta_Space in the Cyberworlds Gallery of the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney in collaboration with technologist Doreen Ee and early childhood researcher Shan Weiley. The work explores the possibility spaces of narrative place constructed through kinetic engagement and creative play.

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Andrew Johnston, Dharani Peres-Schulz, Kirrie Ballard and Adina Levy

This project explores the potential of creative vocal systems in speech pathology by developing prototypes in collaboration with speech pathologists, patients and parents/carers. Evaluation of systems and users’ experiences will identify key design criteria and link these with system characteristics.

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Andrew Johnston, David Clarkson, Alejandro Rolandi and Sam Clarkson

Encoded is a large-scale dance work collaboration between Stalker Theatre and the Creativity and Cognition Studios which premiered at Carriageworks in November 2012. Encoded explores how notions of digitised space alter our perceptions of physical space. By using a combination of large and small-scale interactive projections onto building, outdoor sets and the dancers themselves, Encoded will blur the boundaries between physical space and digital space.

A core concern with this work is the relationship between the performer and the various digital elements of their environment. Our aim is to facilitate natural, creative conversational interactions.

Video highlights can be seen here.

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Rodney Berry

Tangible musical interfaces provide intuitive ways to create and manipulate musical patterns and create new timbres. Physical objects can act as live controls for various musical parameters as well as representations of the states of those same parameters. When music is represented in tangible form, it is possible to see and feel relationships between the objects that might not otherwise be apparent.

This research centres on the development of a number of prototype interactive systems, each of which uses a tangible means of representation and manipulation of musical elements in musical composition. Data gathered through collaborative prototyping and user studies is analysed using grounded theory methods. The resultant contribution to knowledge includes theory, design criteria and guidelines specific to tangible representations of music. This knowledge will be useful for future design of systems that use tangible representations, particularly for making music. The prototypes themselves also serve as a form of knowledge and as creative works.

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