Aston Webb Rotunda Exhibition,
University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15
17 Jan - 30 Mar
Mon - Fri 10-5.30pm
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Download map for University Campus directions to Aston Webb Rotunda
VIVID Exhibition
Preview 2 May 6-8pm
Exhibition open to 12 May
Wed to Sat, 12 – 5.30pm
Ian Upton and archeologist Steve Wilkes have been working with the University of Birmingham’s Hewlett Packard Visual and Spatial Technology Centre to explore the boundaries of physical and virtual space. This collaboration has provided access to a range of state of the art visualisation technologies including 3D immersive projection and large scale laser radar scanning.
Upton and Wilkes’ research exploited what the industry perceives as a ‘flaw’ in this developing technology. Currently scanners can take up to ninety minutes to complete a 360 degree scan, often causing problems for engineers as any movement occurring during the scanning process causes errors and inaccuracies. The technology is rapidly developing to eliminate this factor whereas Upton and Wilkes actively welcome it as an opportunity to explore and visualise the transient. The exhibition at VIVID features a series of still images from the various experiments and events Ian and Steve have undertaken whilst participating in the ISP scheme.
Project History and Development
Ian Upton and Steve Wilkes aimed to research immersive mediums to explore creatively the blur between physical and virtual space.
Ian Upton explains "Virtual space, that place that exists on the other side of the computer screen, is not real. It is a construction; conscious and man made. Virtual space is defined and experienced through symbolic interfaces and only really exists in the mind of the person, or persons, engaging with it... The University of Birmingham Hewlett Packard Visual and Spatial Technology Centre (Vista Centre) offers a range of state of the art visualisation technologies. These technologies make it possible to step through the computer screen, pass through the interface, and engage directly with virtual space."
Sketchy Realities, Presentation event, June 2006
During Habitat, VIVID's 2006 Architecture Week programme, Ian Upton invited viewers to join him as he programmed anaglyph sketches in VIVID's pod which fed live visuals to the pods' walls for viewers to interact with.
A Passing Moment, Production Event, December 2006
Upton & Wilkes invited VIVID audiences to share A Passing Moment in the Aston Webb Rotunda Hall at the University of Birmingham on Thursday 7 December 2006.
The artists used the latest hi-tech Surveying Laser Radar Scanner, to scan the Rotunda, a wonderful piece of Edwardian architecture with a spectacular dome, and all those in it to create a 3D image of the entire environment throughout the evening.
