Interactive Media Lab

The Interactive Media Lab

The Interactive Media Lab at Griffith University is a research group dedicated to amplifying creativity through the design and development of interactive technologies. At the heart of our work lies a deep commitment to understanding and enhancing the ways in which humans interact with technology. We strive to design intuitive and engaging user experiences that empower individual artistic expression, address important social issues, and enable co-creative partnerships between people, machines, and environments. We actively foster an inclusive and collaborative culture that encourages cross-pollination of ideas, sparking creativity and innovation. Our multi-disciplinary staff and research students work together, combining their expertise and unique perspectives to tackle wicked problems and develop innovative solutions. We also engage in collaborations with industry partners, non-profit organisations, and other academic institutions to ensure our research has real-world impact.

RESEARCH TEAM

Professor Andrew Brown

Professor Andrew R. Brown (QCAD) is an educator, researcher, musician and author. His academic expertise is in technologies that support creativity and learning, computational music and art, and the philosophy of technology. Andrew’s creative activities focus on real-time audio-visual works using generative digital techniques, in particular his musical practice is live-coding performance. He is the author of many academic articles and books including Making Music with Computers: Creative Programming in Python, published by CRC Press.

Dr John Ferguson

Dr John Ferguson is a post-digital/electronic musician and sound/multimedia artist based in Brisbane Australia as Head of Creative Music Technology and Senior Lecturer at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QCGU). John builds and performs electronic instruments and post-digital systems that foreground tactile interaction. His work investigates the performance-practice of electronic music and explores various exhibition and performance spaces, using the term “post-digital” to articulate his approach, which is less about being in control of a situation and more about ways to find lifelike resonances with which to interact; the relationship between imagination, expectation, and material is foreground.

Dr Daniel Della-Bosca

Dr Daniel Della-Bosca (QCAD) is a lecturer in design and has worked and exhibited nationally and internationally as a designer and artist and is committed to the advancement of art and design education. Daniel's primary research focus is the application of fractal mathematics to the field of aesthetics, and his specific skillsets are the interdisciplinary bridges between art, design, CAD software and algorithmic generation of image and form. Daniel has a portfolio that spans public sculpture, exhibit design, jewellery and animation, all for the purpose of engaging in visual and haptic discourse.

Peter Thiedeke

Peter Thiedeke (QCAD) is an interdisciplinary still and moving image-maker working at the intersection of art, design and commerce. Peter uses speculative design methods to investigate the visual futures for Smart City urban informatics, media architecture, and digital placemaking in the age of the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI). Peter has worked, exhibited and published in London, Paris, New York, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, The Gold Coast, Tokyo and Buenos Aires and has received international recognition and awards from the D&AD (Design and Art Direction, Worldwide), the AOP (Association of Photographers, UK), Nikon Press Awards (UK) and the AMI (Australian Marketing Institute).

Perrin Ellis

Perrin Ellis (QCAD) is an award-winning non-binary narrative artist and interaction designer. Their practice spans 25 years of making interactive installations, both as public artworks and for cultural institutions across Australia, Europe and the United States. Ellis’ work focuses on local communities and material culture both physical and digitised to explore story and placemaking. They are a Senior Lecturer in Interactive Media at the Queensland College of Art and Design, Griffith University, where they convene the Interaction Design major. A recent State library Mittelheuser scholar-in-residence (2019), Ellis is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Queensland.

HDR COLLABORATORS

Timothy Tate
David Harris
Nelson Vermeer

David Chechelashvili
Kevin Purcell
Nava Ryan

PROJECTS

Botanica Soundscapes

Botanica Soundscapes are a suite of ambient musical works designed as a self-guided, mobile phone based, audio-enhanced experience of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. Soundscapes are geotagged and triggered by location. The sound walk plays a series of atmospheric music tracks that complement particular locations and the experience provides a unique perspective on being in the gardens. The sound walk requires visitors to download the free Echoes app to initiate the sound walk. Botanica Soundscapes was exhibited as part of Brisbane City Council’s Botanica: Contemporary Art Outside festival during May 2021. The virtual nature of the experience means that it continues to be available online.

Chatterbox

Chatterbox allows us to interact and communicate, even in times when social distancing is encouraged. Chatterbox is an interactive audio-visual installation that allows you to ‘play’ a bespoke sculptural instrument by approaching and moving near the human-sized sculptural form. The Chatterbox sound world consists of abstract speech-like utterances that vary from ‘calls’ to ‘whispers’ according to how far you are from the instrument. Electronically controlled illumination acts in concert with the sounds to produce audiovisual behaviours.

T.H.E.M.

A group of human-powered electronic sound sculptures explores the output of electronic sound through the transference of energy beginning with human kinetic action. Six different sound and light-making mechanisms referred to as T.H.E.M (The Handmade Electric Machines) comprise an ensemble of electronic instruments that can be played together or separately. They are committed to sustainable concerns by maximising the creative expression from limited materials and using small amounts of energy. Their intention is for the audience to appreciate their direct participation with generating renewable electricity and having fun being part of an ensemble of electronic instruments.

On Board Call

The On Board Call is a hand-held gesture-controlled device that performs synthesised imitations of wildlife calls. These include the sounds of birds, frogs, fish, and the like. Wildlife calls are diverse and often complex, the Call focuses on short pitched sounds and so is better for bird calls than, say, a lion roaring. The device uses the On Board PCB v2 with an ESP8266 microprocessor, an accelerometer for parameter control, a force sensitive resistor for amplitude, a rotary encoder for adjusting settings, and an amp board and built-in loudspeaker for sounding. The Call is designed for mobile use, so it can be taken in-field to various ecological environments for close listening and imitation or used as an instrument for performance.

The Beat Machine

Beat Machine is the collaborative project of John Ferguson and Andrew Brown. Beat Machine is a 16 step sequencer and 3 voice synthesizer controlled by 10 potentiometers, 19 buttons, and an accelerometer. Beat Machine was deployed in 2019 and 2021 to teach a course in electronic instruments at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, the video below is student work from the class of 2021. The controls are connected to two Arduino Pro Micro microcontrollers that communicate via the I2C communications protocol, one microcontroller handles the sequencing and the other functions as a synthesizer using the Mozzi library. There are three layers of control, one for each voice.

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this Country on which we live and work. We recognise their continuing connection to place and culture, and pay respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.