Esther talking about being propositioned by Dragon Age knight, Alisdair

Loving Games, Gaming Love - Lunchtime Talk Write-up

Posted on Wed 12 Feb 2014

Last Friday, DCRC Research Fellow, Esther MacCallum-Stewart, who recently joined the Studio, gave a talk about love and affection in games. A genuine lover of games herself, Esther spoke passionately about the games she adores and the importance of empathy in gameplay. Here is a summary of some of…

Relatives of Long Ago Lovers - Photograph by Circumstance

Rain, Future Documentary and Relatives of Long Ago Lovers

Posted on Mon 10 Feb 2014

It has been a refreshingly calm week in the Studio. As it tips it down outside we have been comforting ourselves with thoughts of the wonderful projects we will see brought to fruition this Spring and Summer. A few of these projects, such as Relatives of Long Ago Lovers, Door Into the Dark and the…

BikeTAG Image © Max McClure

Second International Playable City Award is open for submissions

Posted on Mon 10 Feb 2014

We are delighted to open our second call for submissions for the Playable City Award 2014. Artists and creatives from around the world are invited to propose new ideas that will challenge the screen-based clichés of a smart city, and respond instead to cities as playable, open, and configurable…

Sam Phippen

Forget the economy, acquire Cryptocurrency - Lunchtime Talk Write-up

Posted on Thu 6 Feb 2014

Last Friday the Studio hosted a talk about Bitcoin; an online currency that has been attracting comment and debate right across the mainstream media. Sam Phippen came in to explain some of the ins and outs of this peer-to-peer cryptographic system, and to debunk some of the myths surrounding it.

Tarim's prototype of interactive light strips, draped around Ben and Josh as they work

Smoking Bridges, Book Readings and Cat-sized Robots

Posted on Fri 31 Jan 2014

We are very excited to announce Being There; a three year EPSRC funded project exploring how cutting-edge robotics can enable people to participate in public spaces, as a place to meet and share ideas. This project will see Watershed partnering with researchers from the Universities of Bath, Exeter,…

Victoria Introducing the talk: Photography © Max McClure

Recife: The Playable City Lunchtime Talk Write-up

Posted on Thu 23 Jan 2014

At last week’s Lunchtime Talk slot, we were treated to a showcase of the ideas emerging from the first part of Recife: The Playable City, which took place in the Studio over the preceding fortnight. The project is being run in collaboration with Brazilian Technology Park, Porto Digital and the…

Playing the Sonic Branch - one of the Playable City prototypes ( find out more in the upcoming Recife Showcase write-up)

Tech Monthly, Timebank and Playable Telescopes

Posted on Mon 20 Jan 2014

It has been a busy week in the Studio as the Recife: The Playable City workshop participants sprint through their last week and prepare for their showcase. Read on to find out more:The Recife: The Playable City project is in full swing, and ideas are ricocheting off the walls. A number of mysterious…

Kim Plowright

Kim Plowright - Lunchtime Talk Write-up

Posted on Fri 17 Jan 2014

Drawing on her experience of working as a Producer and New Media Consultant for Channel Four,Hide&Seek and Storythings, Kim Plowright came to the Studio to talk to us about the life cycle of projects - from development to post-release. Kim had been working on web based and 'trans-media projects'…

Building Playable Cities from Lego in the Studio as part of Recife: The Playable City - photo by Vic Tillotson

Mind controlled Pacman, Job Posts and Playable Cities

Posted on Fri 10 Jan 2014

After a quiet Christmas interlude, we have returned to the Studio, which is brimming with ideas and full of wonderful creatives from the UK and Brasil as part of Recife: The Playable City. We are gearing ourselves up for an incredibly busy few months, with members of the iShed team flying out to…