In 2000 I was fortunate to be selected to attend a Lab Culture training residency for artists, organised by PVA Media Lab. PVA was founded by a group of artists in 1996. The group's original intention was to develop exhibition and networking opportunities within an artist led framework. Since 1996 PVA MediaLab has developed a national track record working with artists and new technology. The artist led values have been retained and the organisation has worked with hundreds of artists from the UK and abroad.
The opportunities offered by PVA were crucial to the development of my work using digital technologies. The first opportunity was for digital audio, and it was held at Darting College. There were ten of us in attendance, mostly musicians or composers, and only two of us were visual artists. And we were the only women, too, as a third was part of a collaborative team and her partners were the musicians. It was very challenging, but I stuck with it and learned a lot. I loved the guests who came and shared their work and appreciated the specialists working with us. We had a "top-up" session at Plymouth University but I could only attend for a short time as I was in Russia for the emplacements project.
I attended another residency located at The Eden Project, which really was an intensive hothouse experience as we not only worked there but also lived in a house within the perimeter. I am grateful to Dane Watkins who helped me with an interactive programme around the subject of ROVs and the subsea. I also made a sound piece, which I placed in my suitcase and dragged around the Eden Project during opening hours. It was a simple soundtrack, a wolf whistle, which I had originally made at the residency in Dartington. We had an evening event where each artist projected images and/or films onto the 'bubbles' at The Eden Project. My work was a photograph of cacti I'd taken there. I began to learn how to use Final Cut Pro, too, at this residency. I made the film Through the Moonpool after I got home.
The last residency I attended was in Birmingham, at Vivid media lab. I mainly worked with Dane Watkins again and also Duncan Speakman, who helped me with the soundtrack for The Webnitki, a piece in Flash animation.
Click on the images for more information. I'll be uploading the film, Through the Moonpool, and more stills from The Webnitki, so come back again.