Contents:

1. Media Sandbox projects' progress
2. Next events
3. Recommended research
4. Your input

1. Media Sandbox projects' progress

This March, our six Media Sandbox commissions began work on their projects. The groups were asked to respond to the opportunities presented by multi-platform technologies and we were pleased to receive an eclectic response to this challenge…

Two of the projects are developing ideas that will initially engage children with technology, but in very different ways: HMC, Drake Music & bibic, are creating a multi-sensory environment to benefit children with learning and physical disabilities; whereas Nomos Media & Radio in Schools are examining the role of pervasive media in education. Indie Mobile are concerned with enabling musicians and record labels to utilise short-form anonymous communications (such as sms, msn, twitter), to create humorous campaigns; whilst U-Soap Media are exploring the future of interaction in television programming. C6 & Steal From Work are considering how developments in pervasive technology can benefit street artists; and AntiVJ are drawing up plans for digital mapping technologies that will enable stunning projections on buildings, objects and even cars. Throughout all the projects, there is a strong sense of enquiry into existing applications of technology and from this, new meaningful tools and experiences will be developed.

Indie Mobile and U-Soap Media, decided to join us at the PM Studio, making the most of the desk space, technology and the expertise of others. The influx of new projects has added a buzz to the Studio, and provided a good vantage point to watch how the participants have gone about beginning their projects…

Indie Mobile are busily researching ‘The Generator’ - a fully interactive, cross media promotion tool, utilising user generated content, ruffling some feathers and giving music fans an enjoyable experience. They’ve spent the last three weeks scoping the full requirements of the project, including the must haves and the wish list. They’re now embarking on some interesting research into the legal issues surrounding user-generated content, with Media Sandbox Advisor James Touzel from law firm TLT LLP. Similarly, U-Soap Media have met some interesting people, including Media Sandbox Advisor Gavin Henderson from RDF Media. Their project - ‘Viral Spiral’ - will be a live cross-media game show in which studio contestants compete with members of the TV audience to solve clues that have been hidden around the Internet. Their conversation with Gavin was invaluable, as he shared first-hand experience of working on interactive programme formats such as Big Brother and Gap Year.

HMC, Drake Music & bibic, have sat down to thrash out ideas around the development of new software they are calling ‘Cyber-therapy’. The group are researching how Tonal Therapy and graphic visualisation can be used within a sensory environment to create beneficial feedback to users. The challenge lies in creating a meaningful, user controlled experience that blends scientifically proven audio therapies with playful visual content.

After initial meetings with Radio in Schools, Mark and Lee from Nomos Media have sat down in two camps to begin development of ‘AudioEnable’. This project will provide Primary and Secondary Schools with the ability to freely capture and incorporate audio into their own websites, directly from a mobile phone. So whilst Mark is dusting off his ‘developing windows mobile applications for dummies’ book, Lee is coming up with some innovative and attractive designs for the user interface.

C6 and Steal from Work have also had a busy month developing ideas for ‘Street Art Dealer’ - a system where works of street art can be bought from specific street locations, via a mobile phone using a QR code, (a kind of two-dimensional bar code). They began the month exploring the potential of the idea, by releasing a beta system in conjunction with Westbourne Studios’ Urban Art Showcase in London. They worked hard to keep up the smoke and mirrors during the event, as the early test was fraught with hiccups – but some really interesting lessons were learnt. The group have also developed an interesting collaboration with the Grafitti Research Lab in New York - so keep an eye on their journal for updates.

Last but not least, AntiVJ have partnered with developer George Crabtree, to begin the first phase of project development. AntiVJ create monumental projections in public spaces that combine powerful video projectors with digital mapping techniques. The resulting huge displays are so precise they can highlight individual architectural details like windows or bricks. However, the mapping process is time consuming and unwieldy, as five or six different pieces of software are used to create one projection - AntiVJ aim to develop ‘Mapping Software 1.0’, a simple, practical piece of software that will allow users to easily employ the mapping technique. Their initial focus is on the core structure of the software, which they’re building using Action Script 3 and Flash. Phase two will focus more heavily on development of the interface and specific functionalities. AntiVJ are also looking forward to visiting Media Sandbox Advisor Nicole Yershon, at Ogilvy’s Digital Innovations Lab in April, to discuss the future potential of their idea.

Even at this early stage we’re really excited about all the projects. To follow their progress, remember to check their Project Journals regularly.

2. Next events

Media Sandbox will be holding open events on the following dates - please mark your diaries and watch out for more information…

7 May | PM Studio | Work in Progress Presentation | 4pm
29 June | Watershed | Final Showcase | 6pm

3. Recommended research

We’ve asked each of our commissions to recommend a research link that will help to demonstrate the wider context of their ideas.

Check out the news item on our website to find out more… http://www.mediasandbox.co.uk/2009/04/02/recommended-research/

4. Your input

As well as reading the journals online we would encourage you to add your suggestions and thoughts. This is not a closed research process and the projects will respond to your comments.

We have set up a tag for delicious so if you see a useful website, please include the tag 'mediasandbox'. There is also a flickr group to add pictures to. This will help build a body of knowledge from which everyone can benefit.

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The next newsletter will be in a month, bringing you updates from the next journal entries and more news about the events.

Best wishes,
Victoria

Media Sandbox is managed by iShed working with South West Screen with support from South West Regional Development Agency and Watershed.