Velocity will organize four cross-border picnics that provide a relaxed and fun setting for lab members to meet each other via video conferencing. These picnics will take place two hours prior to the four London broadcasts - Sept. 30th, Nov. 4th, Nov. 25th and Dec. 16th, 2012. Because of time zone differences, London will act as the center point that bridges East and West.
Two London broadcasts will occur at 1 PM. The picnics run from 11:00 AM to 12.30 PM. While London members enjoy brunch, Singapore members dine on an evening meal.
The situation reverses when London broadcasts twice at 8 PM. Two hours prior to broadcast, Los Angeles and New York members enjoy a meal with the London hub. Night owls in Singapore are welcome to join in the gathering!
Among the objectives of these cross-border picnics are to promote cultural exchange on an intimate level and to create a casual environment for professional networking.
The significant advantage of a round-the-world development lab is the opportunity to meet colleagues in other regions. Artists can expand their reach, so to speak. A larger network increases job opportunities as well as access to resources for regional and/or overseas transitions. Artists can tap colleagues in foreign locales to get the nitty-gritty on flat rentals and the best eats – e.g., a macho burrito in LA, a slice of pie in the Big Apple or a cool pub in Blighty.
When we conducted our first transatlantic creative lab in Spring 2011, we realized that we had not provided enough opportunities for artists to meet each other across borders. We were too focused on getting the technology up to speed and the development of material. Artists and audiences from different cultures craved more social interaction with each other.
In Spring 2011, emerging British actors had the chance to introduce themselves to Zoanne Clack, a senior writer on Grey’s Anatomy via a projected Skype screen. It was exciting for Zoanne and British talent to meet each other in Internet time without having to jump through hoops.
"Presence" Parties
Often abbreviated to “Presence,” telepresence is referred to as the sensation of ‘being there’ in a virtual environment.Telepresence technology enables the delivery of a real-time and powerfully immersive experience, which connects people from different cultures around the world. Time and space dissolve. Although geographically separated, people feel as if they exist in the same space.
Telepresence extends the reach of arts and educational programmes and reduces travel.
Two “Presence” parties, which link London and New York, will enable a greater number (@150-200) of lab participants and friends to mingle in a playful way.
The first Presence party will be scheduled for late October 2012 and the second in late November.
Stage play, screenplay, teleplay - time to play is important to unleash the creative juices. When not hemmed in by career and survival pressures, artists can recharge their creative batteries in a festive environment. Similar to webcast parties, these events employ more advanced technology to achieve intimate interaction between remote participants.In the near future, people will be able to interact with people in different regions in one space at the same time.
Enter a virtual immersive space, travel the world in panorama, and never lift off the ground.
Telepresence studios can transform into parks, where people wander in on whim, meet new friends across the world and interact at leisure.
The next phase: holographs and telebots!
