Relational Device And Set-Ups :
Interactive Installation

This program focuses on the experimenting and modelling of technological devices and displays for the creation of interactive installations and environments in theatrical and non-theatrical contexts.

Content and goals

The notion of "dispositif" has become increasingly important in the context of contemporary art. It has added to the already well-known idea of the "installation" the dimension of production. With interactive technology, installations have taken on a relational, modelizable and operative aspect. Drii investigates the technological modalities for implementing a relation with the audience, and the development of technological environments conducive to performance whether on the part of the audience or of professional performance artists, with a specific focus on contemporary dance.

DRii research projects encompass experiments with video, sound, light, robot gesturing, and the creation of specific new interfaces with the purpose of creating a meaningful relation with the audience. These projects include the production of artistic installations both in closed and open environments (e.g., urban spaces) as well as in the areas of performing arts and performance.

The program closely combines fundamental research and artistic creation ("R & C"). We invest our research in prospective technology with creative and artistic concerns (esthetic and critical) as well as an awareness of social issues. We experiment with, study and analyse technological devices and displays, working on programming, assembling, technical conditions, issues of use, and actual situations. Researchers work first in groups before taking on individual projects. Our work has both a theoretical and practical dimension. The methodology is scientific. It is based on the state of the art, and involves analysis, positioning, identifying objectives, creating locks, producing hypotheses, and guide-lines for use. At the same time, testing activities are a key aspect of the research, which is carried out both individually and collectively. Our aim is to maintain a constant dialogue between generic and specific approaches, individual and collective projects, methods of deduction and induction, research and art.

The program is divided into five sub-programs or themes : Agogic, Sensitive Surfaces, Large Group Interaction, Interactive Light and Physical Media. Throughout the academic year 2011-2012, we will be looking at five types of technological devices :

 Video recording and projection (specifically video using infra-red and/or heat-detecting technology) ;
 Real-time marker-free 3D motion capture ;
 Capture technology in a crowd environment : tracing, identification, image analysis and recognition, face detection, RFID, GPS, etc.) ;
 Tactile environments and tangible interfaces : floors, walls, tables, showcases, objects, etc.
 Real-time continuous DMX lighting control, specifically for LED lighting.

Upcoming events

 OPERATION OPERATION
Samuel Bianchini personal exhibition
March 17th to May 12th, Ilan Engel Gallery
77, rue des Archives 75003 Paris / Tel : +33/0 1 42 77 43 38
More info : http://www.ilanengelgallery.com

Past Events

 FabFest 2012, The future is now
March 20th to April 3rd, La Gaîté Lyrique
Exhibition of The Eyes Closed, a DRii project by Tomek Jarolim and Diffraction, an installation by Annie Leuridan and Tomek Jarolim
More info : http://fabfest.fr/

 Prendre son temps, éloge de la lumière
December 15th and 16th
La Condition Publique, Roubaix
Interventions by Tomek Jarolim and Antoine Villeret
Conferences and discussions organized by Annie Leuridan
More info : http://www.laconditionpublique.com

 Random(2005,2011)
November 3rd-17th
L’Economie des Formes Exhibition
Le Magasin de Jouets, Arles
An installation by Tomek Jarolim
more info : http://lemagasindejouets.fr/?p=895

 Ring Saga
The ring of the Nibelung by Richard Wagner
Opera on tour until december 11th
Digital work by Tomek Jarolim
More info : http://ringsaga.com
On arte live web : Arte Live Web

 Futur en Seine 2011
June 16-26th, Paris, France
Two Drii projects will be presented during Futur en Seine 2011 :
Discontrol Party : http://drii.ensad.fr/discontrolparty_en
Fenêtre Augmentée : http://drii.ensad.fr/discontrolparty_en
More info : http://www.futur-en-seine.fr/

 SIANA 2011
Mai 13th, 2011 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm – Théâtre de l’Agora
Creative-Coding for performing arts, conducted by Tomek Jarolim (EnsadLab/DRii)
http://siana-festival.com/

 CHI 2011
May 7-12, 2011 - Vancouver (Canada)
Presentation of a work in progress on large tactile interfaces design by Marcos Serrano and Sarah Fdili (IRCAM)
"From Dance to Touch : Movement Qualities for Interaction Design"
Sarah Fdili Alaoui (LIMSI-CNRS), Baptiste Caramiaux (IRCAM-CNRS), Marcos Serrano (EnsadLab/Drii)

 Boo !
From March 17th to 20th 2011
Game Art Exhibition (Gare St Sauveur,Lille)
Interactive installation for viewers, 2010
http://www.creativeapplications.net
http://www.fete-anim.com

 Moche Pit
Sound and dumb device, 2009
From March 14th to 19th 2011, Micromusic#5 Festival (Gare Coustellet, Avignon)
http://freesson.com/micromusic

 Until March 22nd, 2011
City media — A new kind of urban artistic experience
Alcalzar Library (Marseille) and Cité du Livre (Aix-en-Provence)
A project by Seconde Nature, in partnership with Zinc, Ecole Supérieure d’Art d’Aix-en-Provence and Fing.
More info

 December 9th 2010
Centre culturel André Malraux
Rue de Parme – 54500 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy
Manifestation “Pierre Schaeffer – Archéologie future : la traversée d’un siècle”
Samuel Bianchini and Thierry Fournier participation to the inaugural round-table conference, from 2pm to 4:30pm

 November 16th 2010, 5pm to 7pm
Institut des sciences de la communication du CNRS 20 rue Berbier-du-Mets – 75013 Paris
Conference of Samuel Bianchini and Jean-Paul Fourmentraux on "Praticables" Media

 23 octobre 2010 à 15h
Cutlog – Contemporary art fare
Bourse du Commerce de Paris
2 rue de Viarmes, 75001 Paris
Conference by Samuel Bianchini invited by Nod-A, innovation agent

 October 1st 2010, 4:30pm – Bibliothèque nationale de France Samedi 2 octobre – Forum des images
Biennial of studies in cinema and audiovisual
Participation of Samuel Bianchini to the 3rd round-table discussion : Innovation and creation : interaction between culture and technique [Moderation by Bruno Bachimont]
more information

 October 1st 2010, from 7pm to 9pm
Rirkrit Tiravanija, y-a-t-il une révolution ?
Public discussion with Rirkrit Tiravanija and Chantal Pontbriand
Bétonsalon – 9 esplanade Pierre Vidal-Naquet – www.betonsalon.net
Ground-floor of Halle aux Farines
13th arrondissement à Paris – +33.(0)1.45.84.17.56
More information

 August 31 – September 3, 2010 - The 11th IFAC/IFIP/IFORS/IEA Symposium on Analysis, Design, and Evaluation of Human-Machine Systems
Université de Valenciennes et du Hainaut-Cambrésis / Le Phénix Intervention (poster and demo) by Samuel Bianchini and Dominique Cunin (EnsadLab/FdM)
More information : http://www.univ-valenciennes.fr/IFACHMS2010

 13 juillet 2010 – Nestploria – Ouverture du Centre d’Interprétation Numérique des Grottes de Gargas (Hautes-Pyrénées)
Pariétale, table interactive de grandes dimensions développée par Thierry Fournier et Orphaz en collaboration avec l’axe Surfaces Sensibles de Ensadlab.

 7 juillet 2010 – Digital Humanities (DH2010) – King’s College London
Annual international conference for digital scholarship in the humanities. Centre for Computing in the Humanities and the Centre for e-Research, with the support of the School of Arts and Humanities, Information Services and Systems.
Intervention de Samuel Bianchini dans la conférence inaugurale : Artistic Research and Experimentation in Digital Media : LSE-MARCEL half-day symposium
More information : http://dh2010.cch.kcl.ac.uk/home.html

 June 30, 2010 – Marcos Serrano defends his PhD thesis
"Multimodal Interaction at the Input Level : Conception and Prototyping". Université de Grenoble
More information

 June 10, 11, 12, 2010 – Forum on Tactile and Gestural Interaction, EuraTechnologies, Lille, (France)
http://fitg10.lille.inria.fr/ The forum consisted of three events organized in the EuraTechnologies facilities by the MINT group of INRIA Lille - Nord Europe and Digiport : • a workshop consisting in a series of presentations followed by short discussions with the public ; • a showroom allowing participants to experiment different hardware and software solutions for tactile and gestural interaction and featuring artistic installations and performances ; • and a BarCamp offering a chance to every one to share his experience and thoughts.

Marcos Serrano presented a project conducted at EnsadLab on the areas beyond the field/out of reach of capture.

 June 1, 2010 – Digital Design : Words and Practice
Pratic, conference convened by Etienne Pereny and Etienne Armand Amato (Laboratoire Paragraphe, Université Paris 8), École de l’image Les Gobelins.
More information : http://www.omnsh.org

Paper presented by Samuel Bianchini : "Interactive Art or Design : Functions and Aims" ("Art ou design interactifs : quelles fonctions et à quelles fins ?")

 May 2010 - Arboreal
CENTQUATRE, Paris.
May 13- 18, Anahita Hekmat exhibition, jointly produced by EnsadLab and the CENTQUATRE. In the context of his/her ? residency at the CENTQUATRE, Anahita Hekmat produced a series of events, including the installation Arboreal created while conducting research at EnsadLab (Drii research program).

 April 2010 Symposium "Prendre son temps. Arts et recherche scientifique : expérimenter ensemble"
Espace culture, Université Lille 1 - Cité Scientifique, April 29, 2010.

 April 2010 - Conference "Demo : Exhibiting and Demonstrating Interactive Media"
Le Fresnoy, Studio Nattional des Arts Contemporains, Tourcoing
Conference programmed for the "Printemps des Sciences humaines et sociales".
The "Printemps des Sciences humaines et sociales" is organized by the Maison européenne des sciences de l’homme et de la société de Lille (MESHS) in conjunction with the research project (2009-2011) “Practicables. The Work of Art as Dispositif : Setting the Stage for Audience Participation”, a project funded by the Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR) and supervised by the MESHS for the Universities of Valenciennes and Lille (Calhiste, Ceac, Geriico laboratories) in partnership with EnsadLab (a research laboratory of the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs, Paris) and the Fresnoy, Studio national des arts contemporains.

 November 2009 - International Festival "Next" – www.nextfestival.eu
Presentation of Dispositif interactif festif, a festive interactive dispositif conceived by Samuel Bianchini in partnership with Keyvane Alinaghi, with support from Espace Pasolini-Théâtre International de Valenciennes.
This public experiment was conducted as part of the reseach project “Practicables. The Work of Art as Dispositif : Setting the Stage for Audience Participation”, a project funded by the Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR).

Recent publications

 Emanuele Quinz, "Techno-heterotopias. Critical design as micro-humanism" in "Design for change", Editions BlackJack/Presses du Réel

 Samuel Bianchini, “Prise de vue”, in Alain Declercq, catalogue de l’artiste, BlackJack éditions et Éditions Loevenbruck, Paris, juin 2010, bilingue français et anglais, pp. 154-159.

 Samuel Bianchini et Sylvie Tissot, “En Réalités. Stratification, indexation et disjonction dans la représentation”, in revue Plastik #01 – Etre ici et là : la relativité générale et la physique quantique, sous la dir. de Richard Conte et Olga Kisseleva, Ed. Cerap – Université Paris 1 Patnthéon-Sorbonne, Paris, janvier 2010, http://art-science.univ-paris1.fr

 Samuel Bianchini, “Spectateurs à l’œuvre”, publication photographique, revue Culture et recherche n°121, “Recherche, créativité, innovation”, Ed. Ministère de la culture et de la communication, janvier 2010, 1ère de couverture, p. 16 et p. 18.

 Samuel Bianchini, “Exp. – De l’expérimental à l’expérimentable”, in In actu – De l’expérimental dans l’art sous la dir. de Elie During, Laurent Jeanpierre, Christophe Kihm, Dork Zabunyan, Ed. Les presses du réel, Dijon, déc. 2009, pp. 285-304.

 Samuel Bianchini (sous la dir. de), “Recherche & Création. Art, technologie, pédagogie, innovation”, Ed. Burozoïque et École nationale supérieure d’art de Nancy, Montrouge, 2009, 264 p.. Essai introductif “Recherche & Création”, pp. 18-43.