ICC Lab: Expanding practice-led capability in the Creative Arts
Lead Research Organisation:
Coventry University
Department Name: Ctr for Dance Research
Abstract
The Institute for Creative Cultures is a newly created specialist research facility in the Arts & Humanities at Coventry University. It brings together a vibrant academic community devoted to practice-led research in the visual arts, dance, curation, the moving image, creative AI, and photography, together with technologists supporting research and development activities and artists engaging in post-studio work with communities.
"ICC Lab: Expanding practice-led capability in the Creative Arts" is building on the pioneering work of our academic community operating at the intersection of the creative arts and technology. The Institute, designed as an experimental 21st century research lab for the Creative Arts, integrates in a single bespoke building R&D facilities, performance studios, labs and exhibition areas for its academic community to work together both to overcome disciplinary boundaries and experiment with advanced digital technologies. This novel approach to practice-led research has already produced significant new outputs. Nonetheless, it requires continuous investment in ICC's equipment and digital infrastructure for practice-led research to maintain its current momentum while also expanding its contribution to the study of complex contemporary issues.
In a recent infrastructure review, the Institute has identified significant vulnerabilities in its existing production and display equipment provision including: (1) rapid obsolescence of key systems and devices restricting the breadth of our experimentation; (2) lack of interoperability of the equipment purchased through funded research; (3) gaps in the equipment and software needed to support emerging areas for research, with our transdisciplinary collaborations particularly affected.
This application to renew and upgrade ICC's production and display equipment aims to bring about a step-change in our capabilities, future proofing our research infrastructure with state-of-the-art equipment. This will allow us to:
(1) Extend our transdisciplinary collaborations and enhance our ability to produce and display high-quality practice-led research in the Arts & Humanities in order to provide solutions to contemporary societal problems through experimentation with new digital technologies.
(2) Deepen our engagement with artists, digital practitioners and diverse communities in both Coventry and the wider region, in partnership with Coventry Biennial. Thus, building on the legacy of the Coventry City of Culture 2021 while also attracting visiting scholars and artists.
The upgraded equipment and digital infrastructure will generate new research opportunities for the Institute for Creative Cultures. It will help us to explore new ways to remix and reuse our outputs, experiment across a range of different mediums, formats and genres, develop transdisciplinary methodologies based on the research ethos of the Creative Arts, and expand our collaborations with the creative and cultural economy.
Finally, the proposed upgrade of our research facilities will help us fulfil our goal of making our Arts & Humanities research public. Equipping the ICC with state-of-the-art technologies for production and display will increase our visibility as a forward-thinking and innovative Institute for the Creative Arts, providing the conditions to widen our engagement with the local communities while also supporting our efforts to grow our footprint nationally and internationally.
"ICC Lab: Expanding practice-led capability in the Creative Arts" is building on the pioneering work of our academic community operating at the intersection of the creative arts and technology. The Institute, designed as an experimental 21st century research lab for the Creative Arts, integrates in a single bespoke building R&D facilities, performance studios, labs and exhibition areas for its academic community to work together both to overcome disciplinary boundaries and experiment with advanced digital technologies. This novel approach to practice-led research has already produced significant new outputs. Nonetheless, it requires continuous investment in ICC's equipment and digital infrastructure for practice-led research to maintain its current momentum while also expanding its contribution to the study of complex contemporary issues.
In a recent infrastructure review, the Institute has identified significant vulnerabilities in its existing production and display equipment provision including: (1) rapid obsolescence of key systems and devices restricting the breadth of our experimentation; (2) lack of interoperability of the equipment purchased through funded research; (3) gaps in the equipment and software needed to support emerging areas for research, with our transdisciplinary collaborations particularly affected.
This application to renew and upgrade ICC's production and display equipment aims to bring about a step-change in our capabilities, future proofing our research infrastructure with state-of-the-art equipment. This will allow us to:
(1) Extend our transdisciplinary collaborations and enhance our ability to produce and display high-quality practice-led research in the Arts & Humanities in order to provide solutions to contemporary societal problems through experimentation with new digital technologies.
(2) Deepen our engagement with artists, digital practitioners and diverse communities in both Coventry and the wider region, in partnership with Coventry Biennial. Thus, building on the legacy of the Coventry City of Culture 2021 while also attracting visiting scholars and artists.
The upgraded equipment and digital infrastructure will generate new research opportunities for the Institute for Creative Cultures. It will help us to explore new ways to remix and reuse our outputs, experiment across a range of different mediums, formats and genres, develop transdisciplinary methodologies based on the research ethos of the Creative Arts, and expand our collaborations with the creative and cultural economy.
Finally, the proposed upgrade of our research facilities will help us fulfil our goal of making our Arts & Humanities research public. Equipping the ICC with state-of-the-art technologies for production and display will increase our visibility as a forward-thinking and innovative Institute for the Creative Arts, providing the conditions to widen our engagement with the local communities while also supporting our efforts to grow our footprint nationally and internationally.
Publications
Whatley S
(2023)
Personalising prosthetics: digital interventions in disability and dance
in International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media
Whatley S
(2023)
Introduction: Studies in Practice as Research
in Dance Research
| Description | The award has brought about a significant step change in how technologies can be integrated with practice-led research, opening up new methods for working across disciplinary boundaries and with professional practitioners. The new equipment has advanced understanding and developed new research enquiries that have collaboration at the core. |
| Exploitation Route | The funding is supporting more public engagement activity and this is likely to increase in the future. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Education Culture Heritage Museums and Collections |
| Description | The new equipment has generated new collaborative projects with artists and third sector organisations that are beginning to develop new projects for public engagement purposes. Coventry Digital has been able to expand its public engagement through using the equipment to expand its citizen science work and crowd sourcing to enrich digital data. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2024 |
| Sector | Creative Economy,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural |
| Title | New tools for Practice-led research |
| Description | The new equipment has provided a boost to the technical infrastructure supporting practice research. There are multiple tools and different technologies, supporting a range of new enquiries. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2023 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | The tools are continuing to make a difference to research and several funding bids are in development. The impacts are yet to be fully realised. |
| Description | Motion Capture Lab |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A motion Capture lab was organised to bring together professional performing artists from the UK and overseas, with researchers using motion capture in other disciplinary fields (sports science, engineering etc) to build partnerships and identify opportunities for funding. Several collaborations have been established, which are now working funding applications. Another lab is planned for later this year to build further collaborations with artists and third sector organisations. A practice research lab also brought together researchers from a range of different disciplines to explore connections and opportunities for further collaboration. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/areas-of-research/centre-for-dance-research/ |