Communication Research (MPhil) (PhD)
Michaela French
Michaela French is an award-winning artist, lecturer and researcher working with light and time-based media. Her artistic practice incorporates large scale immersive projection design, fulldome 360° video and light-based objects for gallery exhibition. Michaela’s experiential artworks use light as the primary medium and incorporate a broad range of traditional and digital production techniques. She has extensive experience designing and creating innovative artworks, installations and projection spaces for planetaria, live performance, contemporary dance, museums and gallery exhibition.
Michaela’s practice-based artistic research investigates the systemic interrelation between light, perceptual experience and environment. Her work contributes to the emerging communitiy of inquiry she defines as ecological artistic scholarship. Michaela's PhD investigation used a method of attentive observation to develop a framework for ecological artistic research based on the work of psychologist James J. Gibson. Michaela led the Fulldome Research Group in Information Experience Design, School of Communication at RCA from 2014 to 2019. During this period, she established a strong reputation as a leading researcher within the international fulldome community. Michaela's artistic practice and practice-based research projects come together in and contribute to The Ecological Artistic Observatory platform.
Michaela lectures in moving image design, animation, immersive cinema, interdisciplinary practice and ecological artistic scholarship. She is currently employed as Senior Lecturer BA (Hons) Animation at Leeds Arts University and as a Visiting Lecturer in the RCA School of Communication MRes Communication Design Pathway.
Previous Degrees
MA Digital Media, Australian Film, Television & Radio School, 1999
BA(Hons) Fine Art, School of Art & Design, Australian National University, 1991
Selected Experience
Visiting Tutor, Information Experience Design, School of Communication, RCA (2014-19); Researcher and Moderator, Domes & Planetariums R&D Summit, DocLab, International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam (2019); Artistic Director and Lead Researcher, Fulldome Research Group (ongoing); Artistic Director and Lead Researcher, The Ecological Artistic Observatory (ongoing)
Selected Exhibitions
Sleep Dome, 24 Hours in Uchronia with Helga Schmid, Somerset House, London, Immersive 360° fulldome installation (2020); Climate Crimes, The Future Starts Here, in collaboration with Dr Adrian Lahoud, Victoria & Albert Museum, London (2018); Fulldome Research Group Showcase, Sónar 360°, Sónar Music, Creativity and Technology Festival, Barcelona, Spain (2018); The Orbit Series, Communicating the Intangible, Research Work in Progress Show, London Design Week, Hockney Gallery, London (2016); Catching the Light, co-curated with Hazel Stone and Sam Vale, Sidney Cooper Gallery, Canterbury UK (2016)
The Ecological Artistic Observatory
The Ecological Artistic Observatory is a critical platform for practice-based artistic research, that integrates systems thinking, direct perceptual experience and creative interdisciplinary enquiry. The Ecological Artistic Observatory aims to cultivate expanded ecological perspectives with the intent to impact and re-imagine human-planetary futures.
The Ecological Artistic Observatory emerges from my PhD research which adapts psychologist James J. Gibson’s seminal text “The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception” (1979) to create a framework for practice-based ecological artistic enquiry. Gibson’s ecological principles of mutuality, reciprocity, and subjectivity are the foundation of my theoretical and practice-based artistic research investigation.
Attentive observation is the primary method applied in my practice-based artistic research. Observation is defined as an attentive and intentional perceptual interaction with the world, undertaken with the purpose of increasing understanding through the acquisition of specific information. My research shows that the process of attentive observation can facilitate perceptual learning and improve knowledge acquisition through refinement and attunement:
i. Rigorous observation leads to attunement
ii. Attunement leads to an education of attention
iii. An education of attention undertaken using a Gibsonian research framework can cultivate an ecological worldview
Light has been the focus of my observations throughout my PhD investigation. The act of observation and the role of the observer are framed within the light-perceiver-environment nexus and governed by Gibson’s ecological vision. Light serves as subject, as medium and as experience in my study. Light is considered information and data is derived through direct perceptual interaction with the world. Observing, examining and articulating the systemic interrelation between light, perceiver and environment meant learning to see ecologically. The repetitive and focused practice of observing light in its many forms, became an education of attention which altered my perceptual capacity and nurtured an expanded ecological worldview. The artworks and processes presented in this exhibition emerged from and informed my PhD research. These artworks are considered artefacts that offer evidence of the evolving ideas, approaches, methods which form the foundation of The Ecological Artistic Observatory platform.
A Year of Light – Visual Data Set (detail) — A close up of the visual data set of 365 photographic light samples from the A Year of Light attentive observation study were exhibited at the RCA’s Hockney Gallery in 2016
A Year of Light – The Observer Effect Exhibition — The full visual data set of 365 photographic light samples from the A Year of Light attentive observation study were exhibited as part of the reflective artistic research practice. A recurring research theme of a small repetitive action contributing to a larger body of knowledge was evident in this installation.
A Year of Light – Visual Data Set — The first 108 of 365 photographic light samples of the visual data set of from the A Year of Light attentive observation study.
A Year of Light – Layers of Reflection — A themed collection of selected light samples from the A Year of Light visual data set.
A Year of Light – Light and Shadow — A themed collection of selected light samples from the A Year of Light visual data set.
A Year of Light – Radiant Light — A themed collection of selected light samples from the A Year of Light visual data set.
The artistic practice of observing light was central to A Year of Light (2015), the first of four artistic research projects undertaken in my practice-based PhD investigation. This year-long study examined how the interrelation between light and a perceiver might be elucidated through the repetitive practice of observing and recording the ecological phenomenon of light. Each day throughout the year, I observed light in its many interactions with matter. I chose a specific moment or instance of light each day which I recorded using digital photography. The resulting photographic data samples were drawn from natural and technologically mediated light sources, such as light bulbs, screen emissions and illuminated signage.
When my observation process began, my way of seeing was framed by the four interactions between light and matter as defined by contemporary physics: reflection, absorption, emission and transmission. This structure provided a means of classifying and collating the visual data I recorded during the A Year of Light project. As my observational skills were honed through repetitive practice, I became increasingly aware of my process of looking as an evolving perceptual interaction with the light, substances and surfaces that defined my environment. My observational artistic practice led to the idea of light and experience as a form of data, which corresponded with my theoretical investigation of James J. Gibson’s ecological approach to visual perception. My artistic practice, my attentive observation process and my perceptual experience were governed by the dynamic ecological interaction of the light-perceiver-environment nexus. The 365 photographs that comprise the final A Year of Light visual data set are a small glimpse of the entirety of this ecological artistic experience.
The images I recorded were often very ordinary, a view from a window, a patch of sunlight, a shadow or a reflection, but each of these observations afforded insights into both the nature of light and the process and experience of seeing. Over the year, light became my visual focus, taking priority over the materials, objects and spaces it illuminated.
When my observation process began, my way of seeing was framed by the four interactions between light and matter as defined by contemporary physics: reflection, absorption, emission and transmission. This structure provided a means of classifying and collating the visual data I recorded during the A Year of Light project. As my observational skills were honed through repetitive practice, I became increasingly aware of my process of looking as an evolving perceptual interaction with the light, substances and surfaces that defined my environment. My observational artistic practice led to the idea of light and experience as a form of data, which corresponded with my theoretical investigation of James J. Gibson’s ecological approach to visual perception. My artistic practice, my attentive observation process and my perceptual experience were governed by the dynamic ecological interaction of the light-perceiver-environment nexus. The 365 photographs that comprise the final A Year of Light visual data set are a small glimpse of the entirety of this ecological artistic experience.
The images I recorded were often very ordinary, a view from a window, a patch of sunlight, a shadow or a reflection, but each of these observations afforded insights into both the nature of light and the process and experience of seeing. Over the year, light became my visual focus, taking priority over the materials, objects and spaces it illuminated.
Medium:
Artistic research project documentation
A Year of Light Artist's Book — The front cover with embossed foil type and hand stitched binding showing flexed curved spine
A Year of Light Artist's Book — The back cover with embossed foil type and hand stitched binding
A Year of Light Artist's Book — The spine with hand stitched Ethiopian Coptic binding
A Year of Light Artist's Book — Title page featuring typographic design by Dr Helga Schmid
A Year of Light Artist's Book — Light observation – Day 175 of 365
A Year of Light Artist's Book — Book as object – free standing layout with fanned pages. Light observation – Day 119 of 365
A Year of Light Artist's Book — Light observation – Day 319 of 365
A Year of Light Artist's Book — Book as object – free standing circular layout with fanned pages
The limited-edition A Year of Light artist’s book is the final outcome from my year-long observational study of light – A Year of Light (2015). This handmade book compiles the 365 light samples from the A Year of Light study into a single volume. The open spine reveals glimpses of the light samples bound inside the book. The small block like form of the book is designed to be held with two hands and the hand-stitched Ethiopian Coptic binding renders the book highly flexible. When held this inherent instability requires a level of support and engagement which invites the reader into a new meta-level observation of light. Through direct physical engagement and an active process of looking, the original light samples are reinterpreted in the reader’s own process of attentive observation.
A limited number of the 'A Year of Light Artist's Books' are available for sale. Please contact Michaela for information.
A limited number of the 'A Year of Light Artist's Books' are available for sale. Please contact Michaela for information.
Medium:
Artist’s book, archival digital print on GF Smith Mohawk Superfine Ultrawhite Smooth, 148gsm , Ethiopian Coptic binding, hand stitched and bound at Wyvern Bindery, London.Size:
102mm x 104mm x 112mm, 752 pages, Limited Edition of 8 Books.In Collaboration with:
Interior of the Old Lookout Studio — The Old Lookout Gallery and Project Space was the former harbourmaster’s lookout. It offers clear views across the harbour and out to the English Channel.
Exterior of the Old Lookout Studio — Sunrise reflection in the Old Lookout Studio windows.
Interior of the Old Lookout Studio — Sunrise on the back wall of the Old Lookout Studio at 4.45am
View from the Old Lookout Studio — Sunrise over the English Channel at 4.45am
Recording Ambient Light Data Samples — Observing and recording ambient light samples using an RGB digital light sensor to produce a numeric data set.
Gathering Photographic Light Samples — Recording light samples using time-lapse photography to produce a corresponding photographic visual data set.
Attentive Observation as a Research Method — Observing and recording light samples using attentive observation using direct visual perception with digital colour sampling to produce a RGB digital visual data set.
Data Collection for the Attentive Observation Process — A spreadsheet was used to record changes in luminosity and colour of light for both sea and sky at five minute intervals throughout the day on July 8th 2015.
Detail of the Attentive Observation Data Collection Spreadsheet — Detail of the spreadsheet recording subjective light samples at five minute intervals on July 8th 2015. Additional and supplementary environmental information was also recorded to document the broader research experience
Attentive Observation as a Research Method — The daylight observation process began at dawn and continue until dark. The first attentive observation study of light began at 4.45am and concluded at 22.30pm on July 8th 2015.
The Completed Visual Data Set — The completed and compiled visual data set recorded using attentive observation of light as the primary research and data collection method.
The Old Lookout research project was an intensive ten-day investigation which took place during an artist’s residency at the Old Lookout Gallery in Broadstairs, Kent, UK in July 2015. Light was a dominant feature in The Old Lookout studio. The small wooden building perched on the end of a pier afforded broad views out to sea. During the ten days I spent in this space I followed the rhythm of the rising and setting sun and did not use electric lighting.
My research process at the Old Lookout studio began slowly: I took time to observe changes in the light within the space. At 4.55am, deep orange-red sunlight appeared on the back wall, tracing down the wall and across the room until shortly after midday. As the sun moved overhead the shadow of the building travelled out across the pier until darkness fell. This cycle of light repeated daily and I became attuned to these rhythms. I began observing and recording specific light samples using three concurrent recording techniques: time-lapse photography; a digital light sensor; and attentive observation using direct visual perception with digital colour sampling. These techniques were tested concurrently to produce three corresponding visual data sets.
My observations of light were framed by psychologist James J. Gibson’s ecological paradigm. Light was conceived as an ecological phenomenon; light afforded both visual and non-visual information; the act of observing light was governed by the principles of mutuality and reciprocity and integrated the notion of the body as permeable.
The aim of The Old Lookout project was to examine how artistic research based on Gibson’s ecological principles might facilitate an education of attention through the rigorous observation of light. Through attentive observation, I became attuned to the diurnal rhythm of light in the Old Lookout studio. With practice and immersion this approach increased my capacity to gather information through direct subjective perceptual interaction with my environment. This in turn facilitated an education of attention.
Following this study, the practice of attentive observation became my primary method for recording light data. This approach was pivotal to the Gibsonian framework for ecological artistic research proposed in my PhD thesis. My artistic practice provided the means to adapt and test Gibson’s theory as a framework for practice-based ecological enquiry. The attentive observation of light and the education of attention provide the epistemological foundation of The Ecological Artistic Observatory.
My research process at the Old Lookout studio began slowly: I took time to observe changes in the light within the space. At 4.55am, deep orange-red sunlight appeared on the back wall, tracing down the wall and across the room until shortly after midday. As the sun moved overhead the shadow of the building travelled out across the pier until darkness fell. This cycle of light repeated daily and I became attuned to these rhythms. I began observing and recording specific light samples using three concurrent recording techniques: time-lapse photography; a digital light sensor; and attentive observation using direct visual perception with digital colour sampling. These techniques were tested concurrently to produce three corresponding visual data sets.
My observations of light were framed by psychologist James J. Gibson’s ecological paradigm. Light was conceived as an ecological phenomenon; light afforded both visual and non-visual information; the act of observing light was governed by the principles of mutuality and reciprocity and integrated the notion of the body as permeable.
The aim of The Old Lookout project was to examine how artistic research based on Gibson’s ecological principles might facilitate an education of attention through the rigorous observation of light. Through attentive observation, I became attuned to the diurnal rhythm of light in the Old Lookout studio. With practice and immersion this approach increased my capacity to gather information through direct subjective perceptual interaction with my environment. This in turn facilitated an education of attention.
Following this study, the practice of attentive observation became my primary method for recording light data. This approach was pivotal to the Gibsonian framework for ecological artistic research proposed in my PhD thesis. My artistic practice provided the means to adapt and test Gibson’s theory as a framework for practice-based ecological enquiry. The attentive observation of light and the education of attention provide the epistemological foundation of The Ecological Artistic Observatory.
Medium:
Artistic research project documentation
Daylight Observations Study 21st December 2015, Hertfordshire — Winter sunrise on the first morning of my year-long series of daylight observation studies. This view from my window focused toward the light observation point at the horizon.
Daylight Observations Study 21st December 2015, Visual Data Set — A detail of the light data collection spreadsheet used to collate and record both visual and experiential data in the Daylight observation study.
Daylight Observations Study 21st December 2015, Hertfordshire — View to the observation point on the horizon. Winter rain across the valley impacted the light data gathered on the first day of the Daylight Observations study.
Daylight Observations Study 21st December 2015 Visual Data Set — The rain travelling up the valley was evident in luminance and RGB values in the visual data set.
Daylight Observations Study 21st February 2015, Berlin — The slowly changing light on a grey day in Berlin was the focus for the daylight observation study on 21st February 2015.
Daylight Observations Study 21st February Visual Data Set — Variations in grey was the dominant theme of this daylight observation study.
Daylight Observations Complete Visual Data Set 2015 — A time-based video compilation of the Daylight Observations visual data set showing the expansion and contraction of light and seasonal changes in luminosity and colour due to the tilting orbit of earth in its annual rotation around the sun.
Daylight Observations was the second year-long artistic research project undertaken in my PhD investigation. The intention of the Daylight Observations study was to examine and elucidate the systemically entwined interrelation between light and perceiver using attentive observation as the primary research method. I sought to expand my capacity for ‘ecological seeing’ by educating my perceptual awareness through direct observation.
The Daylight Observations study took place on the 21st day of each month from December 2015 to December 2016. My observation process began before dawn on December 21st, 2015. It was the shortest day of the year; the sun rose at 08:03:28 and set at 15:53:23. I recorded one light sample every ten minutes, entering a total of sixty-eight light samples into a Subjective Colour Swatch spreadsheet over the day. This first observation took place in Hertfordshire, England, where my home affords a long view to the far south-east horizon. I specified three adjacent data collection points: the ground at the horizon, the sky at the horizon and the sky at 15° above the horizon. I recorded light data from the ground and sky to capture significant variations in light in these positions.
All of the daylight observations in this study took place in the same location in Hertfordshire with two exceptions. On February 21st, 2015, light was observed from a north-facing window of an eighth-floor apartment near Alexanderplatz in Berlin, Germany. On June 21st, 2015, an east-facing hotel window in Columbus, Ohio, USA provided my observation point. This change of location caused some inconsistency but afforded an opportunity to observe the impact of multiple locations on the quality of light in the visual data sets.
Over the year, each of the daylight observation days followed the same process: the observation process used the attentive observation method to observe and record incremental samples of the changing light from pre-dawn until dark each day. The thirteen visual data sets produced were a record of my year-long experience of observing light and simultaneously recorded the annual orbit of the earth around the sun.
The Daylight Observations study served as a site to examine how James J. Gibson’s ecological paradigm might be adapted to facilitate an education of attention and cultivate an ecological worldview through the rigorous observation of light. Working from Gibson’s premise that the perceptual system is susceptible to maturation and learning (Gibson, 1979), the year-long duration of this project was influential in revealing and altering established modes of perception and thinking. The attentive observation of light cultivated increased perceptual awareness by expanding the quality and variety of information available in the light-perceiver-environment nexus. The efficacy of the Gibsonian methodology proposed in my PhD thesis was tested during the Daylight Observations study and was shown to be a viable framework for practice-based ecological artistic research.
The Daylight Observations study took place on the 21st day of each month from December 2015 to December 2016. My observation process began before dawn on December 21st, 2015. It was the shortest day of the year; the sun rose at 08:03:28 and set at 15:53:23. I recorded one light sample every ten minutes, entering a total of sixty-eight light samples into a Subjective Colour Swatch spreadsheet over the day. This first observation took place in Hertfordshire, England, where my home affords a long view to the far south-east horizon. I specified three adjacent data collection points: the ground at the horizon, the sky at the horizon and the sky at 15° above the horizon. I recorded light data from the ground and sky to capture significant variations in light in these positions.
All of the daylight observations in this study took place in the same location in Hertfordshire with two exceptions. On February 21st, 2015, light was observed from a north-facing window of an eighth-floor apartment near Alexanderplatz in Berlin, Germany. On June 21st, 2015, an east-facing hotel window in Columbus, Ohio, USA provided my observation point. This change of location caused some inconsistency but afforded an opportunity to observe the impact of multiple locations on the quality of light in the visual data sets.
Over the year, each of the daylight observation days followed the same process: the observation process used the attentive observation method to observe and record incremental samples of the changing light from pre-dawn until dark each day. The thirteen visual data sets produced were a record of my year-long experience of observing light and simultaneously recorded the annual orbit of the earth around the sun.
The Daylight Observations study served as a site to examine how James J. Gibson’s ecological paradigm might be adapted to facilitate an education of attention and cultivate an ecological worldview through the rigorous observation of light. Working from Gibson’s premise that the perceptual system is susceptible to maturation and learning (Gibson, 1979), the year-long duration of this project was influential in revealing and altering established modes of perception and thinking. The attentive observation of light cultivated increased perceptual awareness by expanding the quality and variety of information available in the light-perceiver-environment nexus. The efficacy of the Gibsonian methodology proposed in my PhD thesis was tested during the Daylight Observations study and was shown to be a viable framework for practice-based ecological artistic research.
Medium:
Artistic research project documentation
Orbit No.1 - 21st December 2015, Hertfordshire UK
Orbit No.2 - 21st January 2016, Hertfordshire UK
Orbit No.3 - 21st February 2016, Berlin Germany
Orbit No.4 - 21st March 2016, Hertfordshire UK
Orbit No.5 - 21st April 2016, Hertfordshire UK
Orbit No.7 - 21st June 2016, Columbus Ohio USA
Orbit No.8 - 21st July 2016, Hertfordshire UK
Orbit No.10 - 21st September 2016, Hertfordshire UK
Orbit No.12 - 21st November 2016, Hertfordshire UK
Orbit No.13 - 21st December 2016, Hertfordshire UK
The Orbit Series No's 1-13 — The complete series of thirteen prints were exhibited at Ocean Studios, Plymouth UK during the Balance-Unbalance Conference 2017. The reflections of light on the framed prints generate a 'meta-observation' of light.
The Orbit Series is the final artistic outcome from the year-long practice-based research project Daylight Observations. Each of the thirteen images in this series are derived from light data collected on the 21st day of each month from December 2015 to December 2016. Fluctuations in ambient light were observed and recorded over a twenty-four hour period to produce visual data sets that reflect changes in the colour, tone and intensity of daylight in specific locations. This observational light data was gathered through direct subjective perceptual experience of light using the attentive observation research method. Each image is a study of light reflects a single diurnal cycle, or one rotation of the earth on its axis.
The simple repetitive act of observing and recording fluctuations in light at ten-minute intervals, one day a month over the year, substantially altered my perceptual awareness and ecological perspective. Observation is not simply an act of the eye, but a holistic process of perceptual, energetic and temporal engagement and exchange with a luminous environment. Light was information and the focus of my attention; light was also the means by which the observations were undertaken. This self-referential loop connected my eye to the field of light and outward into the vast expanse of space. The ability of light to traverse and permeate boundaries between internal and external, local and global, personal and universal revealed light as an as inherently ecological phenomenon.
The Orbit Series reflects this interrelation between personal experience and the universal system. Each light sample derives from my individual perceptual action which, when repeated over time, collectively revealed patterns of the earth’s rotation, planetary tilt and the annual orbit of the earth around the sun. The Orbit Series alludes to the ecological nature of light and over time the small repetitive action of observation cumulatively shows the progression of a larger interconnected planetary system. This notion of a small repetitive action contributing to a larger structure over time emerged as a recurring theme in my PhD research.
Learning to see ecologically meant challenging the limits of my comprehension and unlearning what I thought I knew. This was an uncomfortable and humbling experience, but the value of prolonged, attentive, focused observation in educating my perceptual system was evident. The resulting artworks The Orbit Series afford evidence of this new knowledge in their ability to succinctly elucidate and articulate the complex systemic interrelation inherent in the light-perceiver-environment nexus.
The Orbit Series is available for sale as limited edition digital prints. Please contact Michaela for further information.
The simple repetitive act of observing and recording fluctuations in light at ten-minute intervals, one day a month over the year, substantially altered my perceptual awareness and ecological perspective. Observation is not simply an act of the eye, but a holistic process of perceptual, energetic and temporal engagement and exchange with a luminous environment. Light was information and the focus of my attention; light was also the means by which the observations were undertaken. This self-referential loop connected my eye to the field of light and outward into the vast expanse of space. The ability of light to traverse and permeate boundaries between internal and external, local and global, personal and universal revealed light as an as inherently ecological phenomenon.
The Orbit Series reflects this interrelation between personal experience and the universal system. Each light sample derives from my individual perceptual action which, when repeated over time, collectively revealed patterns of the earth’s rotation, planetary tilt and the annual orbit of the earth around the sun. The Orbit Series alludes to the ecological nature of light and over time the small repetitive action of observation cumulatively shows the progression of a larger interconnected planetary system. This notion of a small repetitive action contributing to a larger structure over time emerged as a recurring theme in my PhD research.
Learning to see ecologically meant challenging the limits of my comprehension and unlearning what I thought I knew. This was an uncomfortable and humbling experience, but the value of prolonged, attentive, focused observation in educating my perceptual system was evident. The resulting artworks The Orbit Series afford evidence of this new knowledge in their ability to succinctly elucidate and articulate the complex systemic interrelation inherent in the light-perceiver-environment nexus.
The Orbit Series is available for sale as limited edition digital prints. Please contact Michaela for further information.
Medium:
Archival Digital Print on Hahnemühle Photo Rag, 305gsm, Edition of 12 (unframed)Size:
13 Prints x 32cm x 32cm on A2 paper (59.4 x 42 cm)
Earth Below Me Sky Above - Visual Data Set (selection) — The Earth Below Me Sky Above data gathering process illustrated the discrepancy between an immersive holistic perceptual experience and the capacity of technological devices to record or document it. This discrepancy led to the idea of the attentive observation of light as a form of artistic practice.
Earth Below Me Sky Above - Visual Data Sample
Earth Below Me Sky Above - Visual Data Sample
Earth Below Me Sky Above - Visual Data Sample
Earth Below Me Sky Above - Visual Data Sample
Earth Below Me Sky Above - Visual Data Sample
Earth Below Me Sky Above - Visual Data Sample
Earth Below Me Sky Above was the final practice-based investigation in the series of four artistic research projects that contributed to my PhD thesis. As with the previous projects, this enquiry examined the systemically entwined interrelation within the light-perceiver-environment nexus. This final year-long observational study of light continued to expand my perceptual awareness and cultivate my ecological understanding through the practice of attentive observation. Following the Gibsonian methodology I developed and proposed in my PhD thesis, the Earth Below Me Sky Above project was governed by James J. Gibson’s concepts of the ambient optic array, light as information, mutuality and reciprocity.
The study took place from January 1st to December 31st, 2017 and built on the recurring theme of the cumulative impact of a small repetitive action. The light observations took place every day of the year for a ten-minute period beginning at 12.00 midday. The project produced a visual data set of 365 light observations.
The emphasis of the study was on light as experience. The act of observing light became synonymous with being present in light. In the expanded ecological perspective that framed the study, I positioned myself as a perceiver interacting with an environment, in a field of light, on a rotating planet, orbiting the sun in an expansive universal system. This systemic perceptual ecology was significantly broader than the one I had defined in my first ecological observation project three years earlier. While the fluctuations of hue, saturation, luminance and quality of light remained the focus of attention, my awareness during the observation process extended to the full ecology of light that surrounded me. I did not observe a single point of light but experienced the holistic field of light that illuminated the environment where my observations took place. In Earth Below Me Sky Above light was shown to be an immersive, ecological phenomenon which was significantly easier to experience than to articulate or record.
From the outset of the Earth Below Me Sky Above study, I was aware that the videos and digital photographs I recorded in my observation process were incapable of capturing the breadth of my year-long experience of light. The discrepancy between my visual data sets and my immersive observational experience was vast. This precipitated a shift in my research process and my artistic practice. Rather than collecting light data as the foundation for object-based artworks, in this study, the attentive observation process itself became the artistic practice. Earth Below Me Sky Above did not unfold as initially planned, but this experiential investigation provided valuable insights and learning that resulted in the development of an ecological artistic practice and presented previously unimagined directions for my future research. This conceptual shift away from an object-oriented practice toward an experiential and perceptual artistic practice consolidated my ecological thinking and led to the creation of the Ecological Artistic Observatory.
The study took place from January 1st to December 31st, 2017 and built on the recurring theme of the cumulative impact of a small repetitive action. The light observations took place every day of the year for a ten-minute period beginning at 12.00 midday. The project produced a visual data set of 365 light observations.
The emphasis of the study was on light as experience. The act of observing light became synonymous with being present in light. In the expanded ecological perspective that framed the study, I positioned myself as a perceiver interacting with an environment, in a field of light, on a rotating planet, orbiting the sun in an expansive universal system. This systemic perceptual ecology was significantly broader than the one I had defined in my first ecological observation project three years earlier. While the fluctuations of hue, saturation, luminance and quality of light remained the focus of attention, my awareness during the observation process extended to the full ecology of light that surrounded me. I did not observe a single point of light but experienced the holistic field of light that illuminated the environment where my observations took place. In Earth Below Me Sky Above light was shown to be an immersive, ecological phenomenon which was significantly easier to experience than to articulate or record.
From the outset of the Earth Below Me Sky Above study, I was aware that the videos and digital photographs I recorded in my observation process were incapable of capturing the breadth of my year-long experience of light. The discrepancy between my visual data sets and my immersive observational experience was vast. This precipitated a shift in my research process and my artistic practice. Rather than collecting light data as the foundation for object-based artworks, in this study, the attentive observation process itself became the artistic practice. Earth Below Me Sky Above did not unfold as initially planned, but this experiential investigation provided valuable insights and learning that resulted in the development of an ecological artistic practice and presented previously unimagined directions for my future research. This conceptual shift away from an object-oriented practice toward an experiential and perceptual artistic practice consolidated my ecological thinking and led to the creation of the Ecological Artistic Observatory.
Medium:
Artistic research project documentationThe Light of Home Fulldome Video
James J. Gibson’s 1979 book The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception situates a perceiver, the process of perception, the co-perceiving of the self, and the environment within an inseparable, dynamic interaction of information exchange. This reciprocal perceptual ecology is defined as the light-perceiver-environment nexus in my practice-based PhD research.
The structured light of the ambient optic array is implicit in this ecology, acting as an agent for vision whilst simultaneously shaping the information available for perception. In this context, knowledge is derived through the presence and actions of a perceiver in their environment. The perceiver’s capacity for knowledge is also shaped and influenced by the behaviour and affordances of the environment.
Gibson contends that knowing is ‘an extension of perceiving’ and that direct perception is ‘the simplest and best kind of knowing’ (1979). This difference between experiential and intellectual knowing was the starting point for my short 360° fulldome film The Light of Home (2016). In a series of audio interviews, I invited participants to consider what they knew about light, and what they remembered about the light in the place they grew up.
The interviewees responded to the first question with scientific information about the speed of light, wave particle duality, wavelength and frequency. This was intellectual knowing that reflected a broader cultural, scientific and factual understanding of light. In contrast, the light each participant described from the place of their childhood reflected a deeply personal, evocative and embodied knowing. This experiential knowledge took the specific quality, colour and feel of the light into account. In each case, this way of knowing light became synonymous with a holistic perceptual and environmental experience of light.
These remembered experiences of light and place provide the narrative foundation of my 360° fulldome film The Light of Home. The subjective observations of light collected in these interviews were edited and overlaid to construct a multi-layered spatial soundtrack. This complex soundscape combines with layered animated imagery of imagined worlds to create an evocative and immersive 360° audio-visual experience. The Light of Home was created in collaboration with the Fulldome Research Group (See: Fulldome Research Group). It features music composition by Richard Godbold and a 5.1 spatial sound mix by former RCA Sound Designer, Mike Wyeld.
The Light of Home was awarded the ‘Best Sonic Experience’ at the Fulldome UK Festival (2016) and was a finalist in the Jury Awards, Jena Fulldome Festival (2016). Selected screenings include the International Planetarium Conference (2016), Warsaw; Catching the Light (2016) Sidney Cooper Gallery, Canterbury UK; Immersphere Festival (2017), Planetarium of Brasília, Brazil; Sónar 360°, Sónar Music, Creativity and Technology Festival (2018), Barcelona, Spain; Domo Lleno Experimental Fulldome Video Festival (2019) Bogota Planetarium, Colombia.
The structured light of the ambient optic array is implicit in this ecology, acting as an agent for vision whilst simultaneously shaping the information available for perception. In this context, knowledge is derived through the presence and actions of a perceiver in their environment. The perceiver’s capacity for knowledge is also shaped and influenced by the behaviour and affordances of the environment.
Gibson contends that knowing is ‘an extension of perceiving’ and that direct perception is ‘the simplest and best kind of knowing’ (1979). This difference between experiential and intellectual knowing was the starting point for my short 360° fulldome film The Light of Home (2016). In a series of audio interviews, I invited participants to consider what they knew about light, and what they remembered about the light in the place they grew up.
The interviewees responded to the first question with scientific information about the speed of light, wave particle duality, wavelength and frequency. This was intellectual knowing that reflected a broader cultural, scientific and factual understanding of light. In contrast, the light each participant described from the place of their childhood reflected a deeply personal, evocative and embodied knowing. This experiential knowledge took the specific quality, colour and feel of the light into account. In each case, this way of knowing light became synonymous with a holistic perceptual and environmental experience of light.
These remembered experiences of light and place provide the narrative foundation of my 360° fulldome film The Light of Home. The subjective observations of light collected in these interviews were edited and overlaid to construct a multi-layered spatial soundtrack. This complex soundscape combines with layered animated imagery of imagined worlds to create an evocative and immersive 360° audio-visual experience. The Light of Home was created in collaboration with the Fulldome Research Group (See: Fulldome Research Group). It features music composition by Richard Godbold and a 5.1 spatial sound mix by former RCA Sound Designer, Mike Wyeld.
The Light of Home was awarded the ‘Best Sonic Experience’ at the Fulldome UK Festival (2016) and was a finalist in the Jury Awards, Jena Fulldome Festival (2016). Selected screenings include the International Planetarium Conference (2016), Warsaw; Catching the Light (2016) Sidney Cooper Gallery, Canterbury UK; Immersphere Festival (2017), Planetarium of Brasília, Brazil; Sónar 360°, Sónar Music, Creativity and Technology Festival (2018), Barcelona, Spain; Domo Lleno Experimental Fulldome Video Festival (2019) Bogota Planetarium, Colombia.
Medium:
360° fulldome video with 5.1 surround soundSize:
3.45 minutes
Fulldome Research Group at Sidney Cooper Gallery, Canterbury UK, 2016
The hemispherical projection lens at the centre of the inflatable dome.
Climate Crimes installation at ArkDes 2019 — Climate Crimes (2018) was a collaborative fulldome research project led by Dr Adrian Lahoud, Dean RCA School of Architecture with Kamil Dalkir PhD Candidate, RCA School of Architecture, Max Crow, NSC Creative and Mike Wyeld.
Sleep Dome, 24 Hours in Uchronia with Dr Helga Schmid — Sleep Dome was a fulldome installation which encouraged its audience to go to sleep during an immersive audio-visual experience. The installation was part of the 24 hour Uchronian event by artist and designer Dr Helga Schmid. It took place at Somerset House, London in February 2020.
A still image from the 2017 Fulldome Research Group Showreel — Click the image to watch the video.
A still image from the 2017 Fulldome Research Group Showreel — Click the image to watch the video.
Fulldome Research Group Showreel 2017 — A compilation of fulldome films from the Fulldome Research Group members from 2017. The soundtrack features music by Martin Rose and a surround sound mix by Mike Wyeld.
Fulldome Research Group Showreel 2016 — A compilation of work produced by Fulldome Research Group members in 2016. The soundtrack features the track Beneteau by Deepchord, courtesy of Soma Records. Thanks to Mike Wyeld for the additional sound design and final 5.1surround sound mix.
Climate Crimes Fulldome Film — Climate Crimes explores the complex relationship between global air pollution, climate change and human migration. This immersive fulldome film investigates how anthropogenic aerosols and other atmospheric particles originating in the wealthy nations of the global north – Europe, USA, China, and others – impact global climate systems and contribute to the desertification and migration in the Sahel region of north Africa. The spatial video content is designed to immerse the viewer in this cyclic story of cause and effect. A fulldome research project led by Dr Adrian Lahoud, Dean RCA School of Architecture with Kamil Dalkir PhD Candidate, RCA School of Architecture, Max Crow, NSC Creative and Mike Wyeld.
The Fulldome Research Group (FDRG) investigates the creative, artistic and communicative possibilities of immersive fulldome projection spaces through practice-based research. This innovative research project began as a collaboration with the Peter Harrison Planetarium at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich and was active in the School of Communication at RCA from September 2014 to July 2019.
FDRG aimed to expand the understanding, knowledge and language of immersive projection spaces through creative practice and critical contextual enquiry. FDRG sought to re-invigorate the fulldome medium, moving beyond the astronomical and scientific content traditionally presented in planetariums and fulldome theatres. The award-winning films produced by FDRG members explored the boundaries between art and science, examining complex scientific concepts through artistic and experiential audio-visual storytelling. Using a range of theoretical and artistic research methods FDRG explored the relationships between sound, space, image, perception, embodied experience and immersive digital narrative. This collaboration between artists, designers, technicians and astronomers drew on a broad range of creative practices including fine art, film and immersive media, projection design, animation, graphic design, architecture, sound design, immersive experience design.
As creative director and lead researcher of the Fulldome Research Group, I guided and mentored more than fifty RCA art and design students through four intensive annual production cycles. The project also provided production support for independent artists working in fulldome space and a series of immersive animation workshops for unaccompanied young asylum seekers. FDRG built a reputation for excellence within the fulldome field and in the cultural sector more broadly. The award-winning films and theoretical research outcomes produced by the FDRG have been disseminated through public screenings, exhibitions, film festivals, presentations, conferences and publications both in the UK and internationally.
The ecological principles and themes that informed my practice-based PhD research also influence the intent and purposes of the Fulldome Research Group. The future iteration of FDRG will be governed by the principles and remit of the Ecological Artistic Observatory. Occupying the hybrid interdisciplinary territory between an observatory, a planetarium and an artistic research project, FDRG adopts the practice of attentive observation to facilitate cultural education and cultivate expanded ecological worldview across a diverse interdisciplinary audience.
FDRG aimed to expand the understanding, knowledge and language of immersive projection spaces through creative practice and critical contextual enquiry. FDRG sought to re-invigorate the fulldome medium, moving beyond the astronomical and scientific content traditionally presented in planetariums and fulldome theatres. The award-winning films produced by FDRG members explored the boundaries between art and science, examining complex scientific concepts through artistic and experiential audio-visual storytelling. Using a range of theoretical and artistic research methods FDRG explored the relationships between sound, space, image, perception, embodied experience and immersive digital narrative. This collaboration between artists, designers, technicians and astronomers drew on a broad range of creative practices including fine art, film and immersive media, projection design, animation, graphic design, architecture, sound design, immersive experience design.
As creative director and lead researcher of the Fulldome Research Group, I guided and mentored more than fifty RCA art and design students through four intensive annual production cycles. The project also provided production support for independent artists working in fulldome space and a series of immersive animation workshops for unaccompanied young asylum seekers. FDRG built a reputation for excellence within the fulldome field and in the cultural sector more broadly. The award-winning films and theoretical research outcomes produced by the FDRG have been disseminated through public screenings, exhibitions, film festivals, presentations, conferences and publications both in the UK and internationally.
The ecological principles and themes that informed my practice-based PhD research also influence the intent and purposes of the Fulldome Research Group. The future iteration of FDRG will be governed by the principles and remit of the Ecological Artistic Observatory. Occupying the hybrid interdisciplinary territory between an observatory, a planetarium and an artistic research project, FDRG adopts the practice of attentive observation to facilitate cultural education and cultivate expanded ecological worldview across a diverse interdisciplinary audience.