On Thursday 31 March we introduced our new artists in residence to a cross-section of the Pervasive Media community and general public. The talk took place at the end of their first week with us, so the presentations and discussions were open and exploratory.

Sharon Clark and Tom Burton presented their ideas for The Stick House, emphasising that to begin with there is a need to consolidate specialist knowledge from their separate disciplines and come to a mutual understanding on the scope of their ideas.

Neither knows quite what technologies will be harnessed in the piece – the only definite: they must be invisible. The audience within The Stick House must not become distracted by visible hardware.

The pair want to document their progress rigorously, audio recording each conversation, and publishing it.  This open and un-edited attitude to sharing and developing the project has already begun on their blog: http://www.pmstudio.co.uk/project/the-stick-house-artists-residencies-2011

What will the role of the audience be? Will they actively engage, or passively watch and experience? This is not horror/terror: Sharon wants them to feel safe within the space, but they will feel a tension, a sense of foreboding. The audience will be wrong-footed, nervous, then rewarded with a beautiful sequence.

Laura Kriefman and Tim Bamber (fellow collaborator Robin Ray was unfortunately too ill to attend) then presented their first-stage ideas, and played videos and audio tracks of their previous works.

The Guerilla Dance Project, choreographed by Laura Kriefman, blends dance into every-day life. The common movements repeated by a number of dancers within ordinary public spaces create a similar wrong-footing moment for the audience. They catch several similar movements in their peripheries - Did I just see that?

Her collaboration with Tim and Robin will embed sonic art as deeply into the fabric of an everyday space. To kick off the project, Tim has sampled the sounds of a café scene and formed rhythms and melodies with the chinks of cups and coffee-machines steaming.

The group are wondering how they can quietly and invisibly encourage others to dance, to move the piece from invisibility to participation. They are wondering if everyday objects can act as musical instruments, become motion-sensors, both ornamental and functional within performances. Follow their thoughts on their blog: http://www.pmstudio.co.uk/project/guerilla-dance-project

Join us on Wednesday 20 April for a work-in-progress discussion with the artists. For more information visit our events page: http://www.pmstudio.co.uk/events