Next up @ Beta_Space

PEGASYS | A Presence-Generating Art System | by Sarah Moss

Exhibition | 6 November - 13 December 2009

Launch Date | Saturday 21st November 2009 | 3 – 5pm

PRESS RELEASE

*Please note that from 2-13 December 2009, there will be a film clip discussing PEGASYS in the space, rather than the interactive work.  This is due to the extremely positive response from a global audience and the system's acceptance to the X-Media Lab, Sydney for the 27, 28, 29 November 2009.  A huge thank you to Sarah for bringing Deb along! *

PEGASYS is an interactive and immersive film experience created by CCS PhD candidate Sarah Moss.  It is the artistic realisation of her academic enquiry into cinematic experience, participatory art, presence, and the exploration of a digital environment by way of a bio-technological input.  In utilising the state of the art interactive Tobii Technology, participants navigate the 3 modes of this experience not at the touch of a button, but with a measured glance.

The evaluation process for PEGASYS studies people’s experiences of surround-sound audio and panoramic video clips displayed at Beta_space for the duration of the exhibition. The high definition video is viewed within a digital display environment in a widescreen cinematic mode. All real-time media clips are activated by means of Tobii eye-gaze control technology. By navigating either left or right the participant is able to pan 360-degrees stopping where they choose, along the riverside of a natural Australian bush paradise, Crystal Pool, embedded in the Royal National Park, Sydney. PEGASYS contains 90 minutes of digitized photorealistic content; it is an investigation into the passing of time, of place with and without people, nature, and the art of engagement.

About the space

Beta_space is a working environment, a laboratory yielding valuable research outcomes. It gives participants the opportunity to be creatively involved in the development of new forms of artistic expression, and it gives the general public an insight into the creative process of artists and technologists, and the experience of audiences.  A key aspect of this working environment is evaluation, and every artwork exhibiting in Beta_space goes through a rigorous and academic evaluation designed by the student.

About the Technology

Tobii Technology is the global market leader in hardware and software solutions for eye tracking and eye control. With eye tracking a computer knows exactly where a person is looking, enabling new powerful ways to understand behavior and enhanced control interfaces. Tobii’s products are widely used within the scientific community and in commercial market research and usability studies, as well as by disabled people as a means to communicate. For more information please contact Tobii’s pacific area manager Bas Tijdhof

About the Artist

Sarah's background in theatre and video production places her new work on firm foundations. For five years Sarah operated a multi-media studio that offered film production, graphic design, DVD authoring, web design and theatrical promotional packages. Sarah has spent a considerable amount of time working as a production manager / technical director / stage manager in the theatre and in more recent years has produced new video works for use as interactive components for the stage. Sarah has a Diploma of Graphic Arts, a BCA in Theatre Production and Film Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Interactive Multimedia. Sarah is currently the Managing Editor for Leonardo Transactions and a casual academic at UTS.

A special thank you to the Co-Investigators and Collaborators

Dr Alastair Weakley, Director of The Interaction Consortium

As well as operating his own Sydney business, The Interaction Consortium, Dr Weakley has committed a considerable amount of time and expertise into the technological development of PEGASYS. Alastair is a specialist in creative collaboration. He has a background in product development and a PhD in computer science.

Oleg Sakharov

Oleg is Russian technologist with an eye for the small stuff. During the past six months Oleg has worked with the Tobii SDK to build an interface for PEGASYS. His efforts, adaptability and enthusiasm have proven vital in the production of this new work.

Professor Ernest Edmonds, Director of the Creativity and Cognition Studios

(Australia and UK)

Ernest Edmonds is a practising artist and an international expert on human-computer interaction and creativity. He is Research Professor of Computation and Creative Media in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology and Director of the multi-disciplinary practice-based art and technology research group, the Creativity and Cognition Studios. 

Dr Michael Donegan (COGAIN UK, Smartlab Digital Media Institute EUL, UK)

Dr Mick Donegan assisted PEGASYS by sharing his knowledge and experiences of eye tracking with the artist Sarah Moss. Donegans contribution formed an important component of the collaborative team and more to the point he provided the inspiration to develop PEGASYS in the first place. 

ACID (Australasian CRC for Interaction Design, QLD, Australia)

The Australasian CRC for Interaction Design Pty Ltd (ACID) is an Australian Government funded Cooperative Research Centre. ACID works in the areas of game development, digital art, performing and visual arts, design, film, television and multimedia.

NPWS (National Parks and Wildlife Society, NSW, Australia)

Matthew Connell, Principle Curator of Physical Sciences and Information Technology, PHM

Matthew Connell, as well as holding the above title, initiated Beta_space with Ernest Edmonds and Lizzie Muller in 2004.  He curated the award winning Cyberworlds Gallery where Beta_space is housed and has been an expert with the Powerhouse for 18 years.

Deborah Turnbull, Director of New Media Curation

Deborah Turnbull is a new media curator. Her first major curatorial project focused on the audience's role in interactive art, which fuels her interest in how technology can augment traditional art practice. Deborah has recently shifted her focus to becoming concerned with how artists take what they have learned in galleries like Beta_Space and apply it to the next stage of exhibition: in finished gallery spaces. Knowing her appreciation for emergent technology, Deborah was invited back by CCS to curate Sarah’s exhibition.