Australasian Animal Studies Association

Laika’s Dérive, a dog’s DeTour 2011, Data visualisation and locsative media. GPS, accelerometer data, interval timed photography. Programming in max/msp and javascipt

ARTIST STATEMENT

Laika’s Dérive/Dog’s DeTour is a new media locative data-mapping work about interspecies communication, collaboration and knowledge. Participants and their dogs use a custom electronic mapping system (GPS, accelerometer, interval timed and geo-tagged photography) within their local area. The data collected is incorporated into the online mapping and visualisation system/s alongside the participant narrative and profiles. This work engages cross species sensing to explore a psychogeography of place. Key elements of this artwork include: -Google map representation of the walk route (in real time) -Sniff response as live data visualization and sonification (smell to audio visual display) -Photomedia gallery: photographs taken by the dog selected algorithmically according to time        spent sniffing. A visual narrative of the journey from the dog’s point of view.

THE ARTIST

Sarah Waterson is a new media artist, designer and senior lecturer in interactive design, whose work deals with the influence of electronic technologies on subjectivities and how design as a discipline can inform practice and inter-disciplinary collaboration/s. Over the past twenty years she has exhibited interactive environments nationally and internationally. Recent interactive installations have included: Laika’s Derive (Carriageworks 2010), 33ºSouth –33ºSur a three-channel audio-visual installation that juxtaposes the cities of Sydney (Australia) and Santiago (Chile) using a custom made data mapping system and database (collaboration with Juan Francisco Salazar), trope, a new writing project developed for the Second Life environment (SWF 08), subscapePROOF, a custom made data mapping system (collaboration with Kate Richards, Australian Centre for the Moving Image 04/05), and subscapeBALTIC (collaboration with Kate Richards, ISEA2004). Her recent publications include a book Chapter in collaboration with Dr Juan Francisco Salazar: Play _Space; Conceptualizing Interactive Media for Community Participation. Danny Butt, Jonathan Bywater (eds) PLACE: Local Knowledge and New Media Practice, Cambridge Scholars Press, 2008. Her current interests include data mapping, data ecologies and embodied media. Waterson is the Associate Head of School (Academic), School of Communication Arts, University of Western Sydney, Australia.

VISIT  www.sarahwaterson.net/