Made with Outside Studios, Henry Stanley's table is a seemingly normal wooden table that suddenly and magically comes to life with glowing text that appears and disappears across it's surface and sound from within. It retells the sad story of a man thrown on the mercy of the parish after the death of his mother and classified as an 'idiot from birth'. Behind the scenes custom software triggers audio and controls the fading of a series of large lightboxes hidden beneath the veneer that mysteriously illuminate the surface.
Seen as part of the permanent exhibition at The Workhouse (National Trust) in Southwell, Nottinghamshire
A Virtual version of the Stryx art gallery in Birmingham was recreated in VR. Available for the Oculus Quest 2 VR headset and also as an interactive website (tba). Stryx VR allows users to virtually visit the gallery examining paintings, 3D objects and 360 immersive videos. The gallery can be managed by staff through an online admin system allowing regular updates and new exhibitions to be created by uploading images, 3D objects and video files. Stryx have run a VR Residency programme for artists to introduce them to the medium, and creative practitioners have since produced work to be shown in the virtual space.
Available to install on Meta Quest headsets from the Meta AppLab Store : https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/3811430748954051/
In a collaboration between Psicon Lab, curator Zaiba Jabbar (Hervisions), Dazed magazine and musician CKTRL - a sound responsive, flowing, cloth simulation was created in Unity that responded in realtime to a saxophone. A delicate cloth cape or flag rippled, flowed and twisted as music was played to create an immersive, breath powered, meditative experience for a live audience at a Dazed Live event.
Seen at the Dazed Live event at 180 The Strand in London on 9-10-2021
Ben Neal is an Arts-focused Creative Technologist and has worked freelance for over 20 years as Psicon Lab (pronounced "Sy-Kon Lab"). He collaborates with creative people who want to use technology, and brings their ideas to life.
He also co-runs Displace Studio an immersive Mixed Reality performance studio with co-lead Kerryn Wise. Their best known project is a VR experience called Facades which has toured internationally.