Demonstrators
Soundplay Projects are visual artist Ewan Sinclair and musician Bal Cooke. They make accessible digital sound art. Their first installation, the Soundplay Dome, was developed in 2018 and toured extensively around the UK to arts festivals, schools and charities. During lockdown the pair expanded their work to include more bespoke electronics and worked on ideas that became Signwave: LED sound sculptures that have since been shown at Imaginate International Children's Festival, DCA, Platform, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Flatpack Festival among many others.
They are bringing new pieces from their latest installation, Ambient Arcade: digital video synths inspired by 1980s arcade machines. The Om Machine is a drone synth with controls for sound and psychedelic visuals. Phuture Unit is a generative acid house sequencer/video synth. These playful pieces encourage experimentation with digital sound and animation, and are accessible to all ages and abilities.
Xuyun Lin is studying Design Informatics at the University of Edinburgh. She worked as a member of the creative team on projects for Sandbox Alpha3 Zzoopers, Decentraland NFTnews Museum, Ultiverse Urban Design and other project parties. Selected for the metaverse head company Sandbox Alpha Season3.
Xiaoyang Chen is currently studying at the Design Informatics MSc programme at the University of Edinburgh after he finished his bachelor's degree at Computer Science. Through these years, He has done numerous projects on Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence. Now his research interests are mainly on Human-Computer Interaction and User Interface.
They will demonstrate their virtual fashion exhibition Fashion Diffusion, where users can co-work with AI to generate pictures of fashion garments simply by selecting several keywords.
There is a troubling de-humanising of communication in our interactions with voice assistants, particularly considering the power dynamic implicit in "assistance" and the implications for our relationships with humans who also provide it: as simple examples, no longer saying "please" and "thank you" or acknowledging a job well done. In this interactive installation the types of voice recognition and synthesis models used in voice assistants respond to your presence in the room by prompting you to move and speak and then repeating what you say. This is not to expose the models' linguistic failures, but to explore the possibilities of unpredictable success when the power dynamic of servitude is removed and replaced with one based on mimicry, embodiment and entrainment, the foundations of empathetic communication.
Theodore Koterwas is an artist working with data, physical phenomena and the human body to make things resonate. Recently he became Creative AI Artist in Residence for Design Informatics at the University of Edinburgh and Creative Informatics. He is investigating AI through the human body, haptics and gesture to create interactions based on empathy rather than servitude.
Funded by Articulating Data
Paige Hughes is a Production and Strategic Projects Coordinator at ISODESIGN, a digital design and software studio known for creating immersive media and interactive experiences. In her role at ISO, Paige participates in live production projects through research, client liaison, and project delivery. She also supports business development efforts, contributing to new business acquisitions and nurturing ongoing partnerships with organizations. She is currently working on international projects, Kuwait National Petroleum Company, and the new Carlsberg Brand experience, Copenhagen.
Jack Burn is a Creative Technician at ISO with a deep interest in emerging technologies and their applications. He is a graduate from Edinburgh Napier University where he received a first in Interactive Media Design, specialising in mixed-reality experiences and programming.
Playable Technology's first in-house release is Beat Blocks, an app that enables you to build music in real time using Lego bricks. Blending AI and hands-on play you build loops using Lego by placing them in front of the camera on your iOS/iPadOS device. Beat Blocks will be launching later this year, but you can get hands-on with this musical marvel at the Creative Tech Scotland Gathering Reception: Beat Blocks DJ Party.
Bricks mean Beats. Come and play!
Ray Interactive's playable installation PolyPong will be running at Inspace throughout the day. To join in, all you need is your mobile device!
Austin Wolfe is a Visual Developer/ VR Researcher located in Scotland with a BA in Media Arts and Animation, Msc in Serious Games and Virtual Reality. He is currently pursuing a PhD in cinematic storytelling in VR and narrative engagement.
Maah is a one-of-a-kind robot that stands out in the world of robotics. Our focus as a design-led venture is to create a companion that is both a work of interior design and a pet. Additionally, we are deeply committed to sustainability, and we are striving to achieve this through the use of advanced manufacturing methods and a blend of traditional craftsmanship. One of the unique features of Maah is its skin, which is produced using 3D knitting techniques developed in the Scottish Borders. This allows us to bring our complex shapes to life while also providing the necessary mechanical properties for the robot.
Pocco is a design-led agency developing robotic technologies for industrial and creative applications. "The Anemone" is a collation of soft-robotic tentacles, aiming to offer a new outlook on the form and essence of AI. The Anemone features in the dance 'Between Two Waters' with Scottish Ballet dancer Madeline Squire, with whom they will discuss the making of this with clips of the performance during their Closing Keynote.
Tom deMajo is a UK based digital artist and game designer, focusing on multi-sensory interactive experiences and bridging the gap between contemporary arts and games.
Tom is demonstrating a proof of concept for an ecology- and data-led sonic environment, developed in collaboration with JP Carrascal at Music Tech Festival in Aviero 2022.
Led by Edinburgh Futures Institute, the second CreativeTech Scotland Gathering will bring together creative tech and data-driven innovation practitioners from across the creative industries to share, network, showcase their work and explore innovation within creative technology.
This event is supported by Edinburgh Futures Institute.
