Technology has created a world in which people carry small, powerful, wireless computers and phones that are connected to the internet almost all of the time, from almost anywhere. But the internet and all its rich content, social interaction and media - whether we access it via a desktop, iPad, or mobile phone - is stuck behind these screens. No matter where you are or what you are doing, the internet typically looks the same.

But this is starting to change. As technology continues to advance, we now have more ways to interact with computers and more ways for them to interact with us. Mobile devices and wireless networks are constantly creating new ways to connect us to the world that surrounds us - our phones can know where we are, who we are with, what the climate is like, even what we have done. In the not so distant past, it took a mouse and keyboard to interact with the internet in this way, but the internet is becoming increasingly liberated from the PC, and increasingly embedded into the real, physical world. From gaming to outdoor displays, performance to public transport and everything in-between, pervasive media is technology delivered into the very fabric of everyday life.

To put it simply, pervasive media is any experience that uses sensors and/or mobile/wireless networks to bring you content (film, music, images, a game…) that’s sensitive to your situation. Oyster Cards are a simple pervasive device: so are audio guides at tourist attractions, which can give you extra information according to where you are and which bits you’ve been to already.

Based in the heart of Bristol, the Pervasive Media Studio is a project development space which brings together a vibrant community of artists, creative companies, technologists, and academics to come up with brilliant ideas and explore the ways in which technology can be used to enhance the world we live in. Studio residents explore new forms of digital media to create playful, unexpected experiences alongside a diverse programme of talks, events and activities. The Pervasive Media Studio contributes to the creative economy by publishing and showcasing the outcome of the research and work produced there, sharing learning, knowledge and networks with a wider national and international creative community.

The Pervasive Media Studio Studio was opened by Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer in February 2008, bringing together the IT, communication and creative industries to pioneer these new forms of digital media.Starting life as a collaboration by Watershed and HP Labs, with support from the South West Regional Development Agency, the Pervasive Media Studio is now a creative technologies collaboration between Watershed, University of West of England and University of Bristol.

Related Links:
Pervasive Media Studio
iShed

    

Posted on Fri 1 Feb 2008.

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