Category: Ant Ballet

PhD

I am pleased to announce that after four and a half years, I have been awarded a PhD by Design from the Bartlett School of Architecture UCL. My examiners were Dr Kevin Walker at the Royal College of Art, and Dr. Penelope Haralambidou from the Bartlett, and the thesis was supervised by Professors Stephen Gage and Peg Rawes.

Many thanks to all who helped my work get to this stage, and to the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Palais de Tokyo for providing the funding and framework for the research to take place.

Scripted performances: designing performative architectures through digital and absurd machines

Abstract

‘Scripting’ in architecture is usually associated with computer-based design programming. However, this narrow usage belies a rich vein of concepts intrinsic to architecture and authorship. This thesis frames scripting as a critical mode of computation, performance, and design process. It does this through seven projects that explore relationships between technology, society, and the philosophical absurd. Works include films, performances, programmes and installations produced independently and collaboratively with experts from scientific and artistic fields.

This thesis asks: how might an expanded definition of ‘scripting’ act as a critical methodology for performative architectural design?; how can this methodology mediate between, and comment on, technology and society?; and what is the relationship between scripting, authorship and agency? Computational scripting has been explored in depth by a number of practitioners and theorists; performative scripting has been examined within the context of theatre and artistic practice; this study adopts an expansive definition of scripting that embraces each of these approaches whilst simultaneously proposing scripting as a critical design methodology. Furthermore, the thesis introduces the philosophical ‘absurd’ as a framework for critiquing emergent technologies and their impact on society.

In Chapter 1 two projects (Ant Ballet, Godot Machine) are discussed as modes of diagramming absurd theatrical scripts. The ‘framing’ of these projects provides direction for further work within the thesis. Chapter 2 introduces two dance pieces (Nybble, Scriptych) which represent scripted performances and a novel computer-scripted feedback mechanism. Both are diagrammatic modes of presenting contemporary computing mechanisms. Chapter 3 then discusses two experimental computationally-scripted absurd films exploring the practices and impact of contemporary technology companies (86400, 24fps Psycho). Chapter 4 introduces a film (Network/Intersect) created through a novel design process imposing strict rules on the creation of work. It concludes by naming this practice ‘reflexive scripted design’, proposing it as the thesis’ original contribution to knowledge.

View at UCL / View online

Note: I want to publish as much of the work as possible. Watch this space for updates.

Update, February 2022: my thesis is now available online at phd.olliepalmer.com. I’ve updated the links in the article above to point directly to the chapters in the online version of the thesis.

Big Data: Designing with the Materials of Life

Ant Ballet is featured in the upcoming exhibition Big Data: Designing with the Materials of Life at Central St Martins. In addition to the static exhibition, I will be working with students to facilitate the design process during the live design-science project.

The exhibition is curated in two parallel formats:

– A static design exhibition which will present biologically-driven design narratives, including work from Ann Kristin Abel, William Bondin, Natsai Chieza, Rob Kesseler, Amy Congdon, Ruairi Glynn and Ollie Palmer

– A live design-science project in collaboration with the Medical Research Council as part of the ‘Fabrics of Life’ series. For three weeks, the Lethaby gallery becomes an incubator studio where emerging designers and architects will create new design proposals in response to the research of leading biological science labs.

Exhibition and Live Project:

23 January – 13 February 2014
Tuesdays to Fridays, 12–5pm
Work In Progress Presentation: Wednesday 5 February 2014, 2-5pm
Final Design Presentation: Wednesday 12 February 2014, 2-5pm

For more information, see the University of the Arts London website.

Thanks to Carole Collet and Ruairi Glynn for the invitation.

Plexus talk

I gave a talk about Ant Ballet at the Bartlett School of Architecture‘s Plexus lecture series.

The entire event was recorded and is available here:

There was an excellent line-up of people who also presented, including:
Manja Van de Worp
Vera-Maria Glahn, director of field.io
Memo Akten – who is one of the best people on Twitter – gave a hilarious, thought-providing talk and run-through of his work to date

Plus the Bartlett’s very own Mollie Claypool as a special guest.

Thank you to Jose Sanchez for the invitation!

New Scientist Christmas Special

Ant Ballet is featured, albeit very briefly, in this weeks’ issue of New Scientist (22 Dec 2012).

Here is the article:

New Scientist, 22 Dec 2012, page 54

It is a side note in an article about Tim Cockerill‘s brand new Flea Circus – which uses real fleas to revive this old tradition. Here’s a video with slightly more information about Tim’s flea circus:

For more information about the Flea Circus, see Tim’s website. For more from New Scientist, visit their website.

Ant Ballet in Manchester Evening News

In anticipation of the FutureEverything art exhibition, Manchester Evening News ran a story about Ant Ballet last week. Unforutnately the only copy I could get my hands on was a bit dog-eared, so you may not be able to decipher it from the above photo, but you can read the article online here.