Experimental art hits the screens at MediaCityUK

Screen Lab - accredited to Memo Atken

The University of Salford’s multimedia technology space the ‘Egg’ will have its capabilities tested to the limit this month when a group of digital artists take it over for a week culminating in a unique media showcase.

Three internationally-renowned specialists in interactive arts will come together at the University’s MediaCityUK building from Thursday 12 April for ScreenLab MediaCityUK 0x01, using the Egg’s 8k resolution, multiformat display screen, motion capture equipment and hardware to create a new audiovisual art installation based on the theme ‘The Future of Broadcast’.

The group is led by Elliot Woods, a digital media artist from Manchester known for manipulating trees into spectacularly-lit spatial displays of 3D patterns and throwing virtual ‘fireballs’ using augmented reality. He is joined by Istanbul-born artist, musician and engineer Memo Atken, who specialises in live music, dance and theatre performances; immersive installations; music video and online and mobile applications. James George, a programmer and artist from New York, completes the group. He explores new forms of photography using 3D cameras and his Freefall Highscore app challenged smartphone users to drop their mobiles off buildings, with the phone’s own video footage of the fall uploaded to YouTube.

University of Salford ScreenLab Co-curator, Kit Turner, said: “We’ve been able to attract some of the best media artists in the world to take part in the first ScreenLab at MediaCityUK. This has been made possible in no small part due to being able to provide the opportunity to work with some of the most advanced screen technology currently available.

“This is an artist-led project with the aim of presenting and sharing innovative concepts under the ‘Future of Broadcast' theme, to encourage experimental, cross-disciplinary working, and develop open-source systems that students and those outside the University will learn from, remix and reuse.”

The results of ScreenLab MediaCityUK 0x01 will be unveiled at a special presentation on Tuesday 17 April from 5pm-7pm at the Egg, University of Salford, MediaCityUK, M50 2HE, followed by an exhibition running from Wednesday 18 April until Saturday 21 April. Opening times are 9am-5pm Wednesday-Friday and 11am-3pm on Saturday.