Research in Digital Arts, Media and Technology

Alongside the formal Digital Media BA degree program, digital media technologies are integrated into all the studies, production and performance programs offered by the Faculty of Fine Arts, and numerous research initiatives in digital arts, media and technology are under way. Current major research projects in this area include:

FUTURE CINEMA LAB

The Future Cinema Lab in the Faculty of Fine Arts investigates how new digital storytelling techniques can critically transform a diverse array of state-of-the-art screens. The first dedicated facility of its type in Canada, this interdisciplinary lab enables researchers to design new forms of storytelling, develop prototypes for urban research and create innovative, subversive projects within networked and hybrid media environments. It is a collaborative research project of a group of new media artists/filmmakers/scholars in the Faculty of Fine Arts: Janine Marchessault, Canada Research Chair in Art, Digital Media and Globalization; Caitlin Fisher, Canada Research Chair in Digital Culture; Film Professors John Greyson and Ali Kazimi; and Digital Media Professor Don Sinclair.

AUGMENTED REALITY LAB

Housed within the Future Cinema Lab and directed by Caitlin Fisher, Canada Research Chair in Digital Culture, the Augmented Reality Lab develops techniques, software and narrative strategies for use in Augmented Reality and mixed-reality environments. , the AR Lab is at the forefront in working with both established and emerging technologies to produce innovative research methods, interfaces and content that challenge cinematic and literary conventions and aim to enhance the ways in which people interact with their physical environment and with each other. Prof. Fisher and her team work with partners in computer science to inform technical work and human-computer interaction research and collaborate internationally with key thinkers, labs and private-sector partners in the field.

3D FLIC

3D FLIC (3D Film Innovation Consortium) is an innovative collaborative research undertaking initiated by York University, bringing together an interdisciplinary team of scientists, filmmakers, artists and industry leaders. The project bridges research in stereoscopic perception and the development of stereoscopic 3D film language and production to build S3D production capacity. Professor Nell Tenhaaf, coordinator of the Digital Media Program in Fine Arts, is the project lead, and Film Professor Ali Kazimi is the lead filmmaker on the team. 3D FLIC’s accomplishments include several cutting-edge 3D productions-in-development and the 2011 Toronto International Stereoscopic 3D Conference.

MOBILE MEDIA LAB

The Mobile Media Lab, led by York Design Professor and Fine Arts Associate Dean Michael Longford and Professor Kim Sawchuk, Communication Studies, Concordia University/Montreal, is an interdisciplinary research initiative exploring innovative cultural and social applications of wireless communications and mobile technology, including the incorporation of user-generated content and multi-user engagement. The iPhone gaming app Tentacles is one of the projects developed in the lab.

LO-FI INTERACTIVITY LAB

The Lo-Fi Interactivity Lab supports research focusing on collaborative design and building of interactive artworks that make use of “low-fidelity” displays -- abstract representations of artificial agents and those that stand for interactants -- using LEDs and two-channel audio. Co-led by electronic media artist and Visual Arts Professor Nell Tenhaaf and Computer Science Professor Melanie Baljko, the lab team develops hybrid scientific and artistic projects.

DIGITAL SCULPTURE LAB

The Digital Sculpture Lab directed by Visual Arts Professor Brandon Vickerd addresses advancements in 3D rapid prototyping technologies, i.e. digital 3D printing and scanning, as well as creative applications of the technology. Established in 2005 with support from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, the lab was the first of its kind in Canada. Research projects include the development of novel user interfaces for 3D scanning in collaboration with Professor Wolfgang Stuerzlinger in York’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

SENSORIUM INSTITUTE FOR DIGITAL ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY

The Sensorium Institute for Digital Arts and Technology is an ambitious new initiative spearheaded by York’s Faculty of Fine Arts to foster a broad spectrum of research-intensive, interdisciplinary and collaborative projects. Slated to launch in 2012, Sensorium will focus on both digital technologies and human factors, emphasizing immersion, connectivity, mobility and networked media cultures. Projects will address the changing status of the moving image and concomitant transformations in human/screen interfaces, physical computing and spatialized information. Practices related to data visualization, video game design, 3D cinema and performance are key components. The impact of digital technologies on the creative knowledge industries and their environmental sustainability will be a central research axis. Sensorium will encompass researchers from seven Faculties (Fine Arts, Science and Engineering, Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Health, Education, Osgoode Hall Law School, Environmental Studies) and more than a 18 labs and research units at York, academic partnerships with a dozen other North American and European universities, and a wide range of industry partners.