On Location

These days we all carry around devices with more processing power and video capabilities than early space missions. Quick, dirty footage taken with mobile phones in the right place at the right time is often more effective than the most careful camera-work of a reconstruction. At the same time, the ability to detect the spatial location of devices such as mobile phones and computers using GPS units is opening up possibilities for location- aware media or 'locative media' as a market niche. This day will explore the potentials and practicalities of 'locative media', it's technical platforms and systems, and the new possibilities for creating media that deal with specific locations and the movement of a viewer through space.

Technical Workshop, led by Jo Walsh

This workshop will introduce participants to some simple methods for integrating the concept and technical notation of 'location' into their media products. Using inexpensive, simple technologies, the workshop will explore the simplest strategies for experimenting with the creative potential of location-based media and technology, with a focus on how it might be applicable to film archives, distribution, screening and development in the future.

Production Workshop, led by Christian Nold

The workshop will introduce participants to the current potentials of mobile media and communications devices as platforms for contentcreation and sharing. The workshop will cover location gaming, 'collaborative mapping' and story-telling, as well as giving an overview of the technologies available now and in the near future. This field is currently very full of new technology, which is mostly used in very unimaginative ways. The focus will be on how the skills and story-telling abilities of the film-maker can be employed creatively and potentially profitably on these new platforms.

The workshop leaders:

Jo Walsh is a software artist often living in London. She works on theintersection between the semantic web, GIS, bots and wireless networks,helping build different open source software projects to augment the semantic web and bring knowledge representation to more people. She is a co-author of "Mapping Hacks" and a self-appointed organiser of the World Summit on Free Information Infrastructures. With support from the Open Knowledge Foundation, she makes efforts to raise awareness about access to information issues.

more info: http://www.frot.org

Christian Nold is an artist, lecturer and cultural activist living in London. He studied Fine Art at Kingston University as well as Interaction Design at the Royal College of Art. In 2001, he wrote the book 'Mobile Vulgus'. In recent years he has has shown the Bio Mapping project in 11 exhibitions and over 25 workshops and conferences all over the globe. He recentlycompleted a 1 year European Union cultural educationprogram organised by Foundation Marcel Hicter in Belgium.

more info: http://softhook.com