Arsgames wins the call for the production of an educational tool
Sonido, espacio, inmersión e interacción explores the different levels of reality through the interaction of the students with the physical spaces, augmented reality and virtual worlds
In the image, on activity organized by Arsgames in the frame of Gamestar(t). Photo: Courtesy of the artists
Sonido, espacio, inmersión e interacción: HMD y MSID para el desarrollo de entornos virtuales y aumentados by ArsGames has been the winner project of the call for the production of an educational tool launched by LABoral. It explores the different levels of reality through the interaction of the students with the physical spaces, augmented reality and virtual worlds, researching and reflecting upon the capacity and potential for intervention and interactivity brought about by this technology and these spaces.
Sonido, espacio, inmersión e interacción proposes the creation of a virtual environment with several levels of immersion-interaction and developed with Unity 3D and Minecraft, for the visual part, and with Steam VR with HMD and MSID as devices for intermediation and interaction. This creates a scenario where the virtual space, in a feedback loop with the physical space, is set up as an expression space for students, who have the chance to develop their creative potential and experiment with the environment through arts, boosting at the same time their expressive potential based on the bodily dimension and play.
This way artistic disciplines such as dance, performance, interactive painting, generative or digital art and even music (including sound landscapes) find a space for confluence thanks to haptic technologies and augmented and virtual reality, in a feedback process with numerous actors: Teachers, students, artists, engineers, etc.
This call of LABoral was aimed at the production of an educational tool that brings teachers and students closer to contemporary artistic practice as a resource for implementing the school curriculum. This multi-annual call is part of the programme Mecenazgo Expandido, a collaboration model involving a group of private collectors and is presented as a new paradigm in the field of supporting artistic creation and cultural funding in public spaces.
According with the bases, the call was addressed to creators or collectives whose work combines contemporary art, pedagogy and new technologies. Funded with €10.000 for production expenses and fees, the organisers will also provide accommodation in the lodgings that LABoral has for these purposes, and a travel grant of up to €1.500 gross.
One of the most important aspects of this tool is that it will be developed in cooperation with the Asturian educational community, during the production residency that Arsgames will complete at LABoral. The stay will be divided into two parts of up to two months, taking place between October and November 2015 and February and March 2016.
The jury that selected the project of Arsgames out of 25 candidates was chaired by the collector Natalia Yera; and made up by Alicia Ventura, Managing Director of Arte Ventura, independent exhibition curator and Director of the programme Mecenazgo Expandido; María Acaso, Teacher at Universidad Complutense and Director of Escuela de Educación Disruptiva de la Fundación Telefónica; José Antonio Luengo, Teacher at Universidad Camilo José Cela de Madrid; Alejandro García, Coordinator of the Students, Guidance and Educational Participation Service of the Regional Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport of the Government of the Principality of Asturias; Lucía García Rodríguez, Executive Dirtector of LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial; and Lucía Arias, Head of Education at LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial, who acted as secretary.
They all pointed out the originality of Sonido, espacio, inmersión e interacción, its educational value, its timely, economic and technical feasibility, the impact of the proposal and the importance of including the teaching of contemporary art as one of the goals in the development of the tool.
Arsgames is a cultural association focusing on the research on video games in all their educational, cultural, economic and artistic aspects. It is a pioneering reference in the field of Game Studies, Game Art and videogames in Spain. Along its nine years of existence it has organised events, developed projects related with the world of video games, collaborated with many artists, researchers, academic institutions, art centres and leading firms in Europe, Asia and America. In recent years ARSGAMES has successfully organised festivals(Arsgames 2009) exhibitions (Pasado y presente del videojuego en español), workshops and round tables(Open ARSGAMES-Mondopixel; PlayLab), educational projects (Gamestar(t)) and congresses (6th International Conference in Philosophy of Computer Games).
In its activity, Arsgames has hosted artists and researchers from many institutions of international prestige and has collaborated with many renowned research collectives and institutions, this partnership have brought about the execution of several projects that merge art, science, technology and education.
