Dr Steve Gibson

Associate Professor

Department: Northumbria School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries

Steve Gibson is Associate Professor in Innovative Digital Media at Northumbria University, Newcastle. He is primarily interested in transdisciplinary collaborations between art, design and computing, and has concentrated his research work on tactile and physical interfaces and applications that enable a healthier relationship with technology. He works as lead-beta tester of the Gesture and Media System motion-tracking system, and has produced a number of significant body-based pieces using this technology. His current research and practice also explore the formal, theoretical and practical implications of Live and Real-time Visuals. Steve has also had immediately publicly facing roles as Curator and Director for the Media Art event Interactive Futures (2002-07), and as Co-owner and Creative Director of a media company Limbic Media Corporation (2007-14).

Over the course of his 25-year career he has presented at many world-leading venues including Ars Electronica, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Banff Centre for the Arts, Digital Art Weeks, the European Media Arts Festival, ISEA, the National Museum of Scotland and Cabaret Voltaire, Zurich. His publishing career is also very active, with papers appearing in high profile books, journals and volumes including Leonardo Electronic Almanac, Springer, St. Martin’s Press, MIT Press, New World Perspectives, Urra Apogeo, and Passagen Verlag. His co-authored book Live Visuals: History, Theory, Practice will be published by Routledge in 2022. He is currently working with Northern Dance in Newcastle on a large-scale movement-based audio-visual project, Ephemera.

Email Steve

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

1. Real-Time and Live Visuals – I am interested in the varied uses of Visuals in a real-time context, including performance, live cinema, gaming, projection mapping and information systems. Both my theoretical and practical research has been primarily concerned with this topic. I ran an AHRC-sponsored research network on Real-time Visuals in 2013-14 that culminated in a publication on Live Visuals for Leonardo Electronic Almanac. I am currently completing a co-authored book on Live Visuals to be publshed by Routledge on 29 July, 2022. https://www.routledge.com/Live-Visuals-History-Theory-Practice/Gibson-Arisona-Leishman-Tanaka/p/book/9781032252681#

2. Motion-tracking – I have worked on motion-tracking technologies for the past twenty-years plus. I have been lead beta-tester for the Gesture and Media System tracking environment for the past twenty years. My work with these systems has included creating behaviours for controlling mixed media with user-motion, and design of 3D spaces for multi-user interaction with immersive environments. I have worked on a project in this area with Northern Dance, funded through Creativity Works/European Regional Diversification Fund (ERDF), and am currently working on a funded ERDF Funded project with them.

3. Intelligent gaming – Between 2007 and 2016 I completed a project called Grand Theft Bicycle in which the user interaction is achieved by outfitting a stationary bicycle with sensors. This is part of my on-going interest in physical computing, and more particularly forms the core of a long-term research goal to create a series of interfaces that encourage users to physically interact with technologically based environments.

4. Transdisciplinarity, as evidenced by a new generation of researchers who work across different disciplines. These researchers work not just collaboratively but employ the skill-set from one discipline and apply it to another becoming transliterate individuals. I co-edited a Springer volume entitled Transdisciplinary Digital Art.

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Gestural Interaction Commonalities in Body-Based Performance, Gibson, S. 20 Mar 2023, In: Virtual Creativity
Afterword, Gibson, S. 29 Jul 2022, Live Visuals, London, Taylor & Francis
Immersive Environments and Live Visuals, Gibson, S. 29 Jul 2022, Live Visuals, London, Taylor & Francis
Interview 1: Tony Hill, Expanded Cinema Pioneer, Gibson, S. 29 Jul 2022, Live Visuals, London, Taylor & Francis
Interview 2: Christopher Thomas Allen, Founder and Director, the Light Surgeons, Gibson, S. 29 Jul 2022, Live Visuals, London, Taylor & Francis
Interview 3: Greg Hermanovic, CEO, Derivative, Gibson, S. 29 Jul 2022, Live Visuals, London, Taylor & Francis
Interview 4: Markus Heckmann, Technical Director, Derivative; Programmer for Carsten Nicolai and Others, Gibson, S. 29 Jul 2022, Live Visuals, London, Taylor & Francis
Interview 5: Peter Mettler, Digital and Live Cinema Artist, Gibson, S. 29 Jul 2022, Live Visuals, London, Taylor & Francis
Introduction: The Long History of Moving Images Becoming Alive, Gibson, S. 29 Jul 2022, Live Visuals, London, Taylor & Francis

Professional Activity

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
Publication Peer-review: Audio Mostly (Event) 2023
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: Extended Senses & Embodying Technology Symposium 2022 2022
Other: Advisory Board, Sonic Scope: New Approaches to Audiovisual Culture, online Journal 2020
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: Sound, Image and Interaction Design Symposium 2020 2020
Organising a conference, workshop, ...: TVX2019 2019
Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: Twelfth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interactions 2018
Participating in a conference, workshop, ...: Twelfth International Conference on Tangible, Embedded and Embodied Interactions 2018
Consultancy: Creativity Works 2017
Editorial work: Journal of Professional Communication (Journal) 2010

PGR Supervision

Emily Kirwan Human-Connection in Virtual Reality Dance Performances; A Framework for Meaningful Experiences Start Date: 01/10/2021
Craig Green Designing the Emergent Theatre: Developing Emergent Narratives between Audience and Performers Start Date: 01/10/2019 End Date: 25/10/2024
Paul Dolan In Silico: A practice-based exploration of computer simulations in art Start Date: 08/10/2013 End Date: 11/06/2019
Helen Collard Finding Prana: Digital and Performative Experiments in Search of a Technology of the Self Start Date: 07/10/2014 End Date: 31/10/2019
Léon McCarthy Steering Audience Engagement During Audio-Visual Performance Start Date: 01/04/2011 End Date: 13/06/2016
Paul Dolan In Silico: A practice-based exploration of computer simulations in art Start Date: 08/10/2013 End Date: 11/06/2019

Qualifications

Other Technologies PhD June 01 1992
Music MA June 01 1987
Music BA June 04 1984

Links

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