Research Engine for Art and Creative Technology, University of Salford and the Manchester Metropolitan University

PhD students with an interest in cutting-edge practice-based research in Salford and Manchester are being provided with valuable training opportunities thanks to the Research Engine for Art and Creative Technology (REACT) programme.

Led by Paul Sermon, Professor of Creative Technology at the University of Salford and Andrea Zapp from the Manchester Metropolitan University, the programme draws world-class practice-based researchers to Salford and Manchester, in order to provide valuable experience and inspiration to up-and-coming researchers, and to create a collaborative environment that can establish and enrich creative links between researchers.

The University of Salford's Adelphi Research Institute for Creative Arts and Sciences, in collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University's Institute for Research and Innovation in Art and Design (MIRIAD) received an AHRC Collaborative Research Training Scheme, to run the REACT series of lectures. Building upon the existing REACT research community, this provides valuable training opportunities for PhD students with an interest in cutting-edge practice-based research. Furthermore, the programme aims to develop an invaluable web resource which will benefit artists and research worldwide.

As well as receiving an encouraging reception within the two collaborating institutions, the programme has already received strong interest from the outside, with further participation being invited through the Media Arts Network, a network connecting organisations, companies and educational institutes throughout the North West.

Internationally acclaimed interactive media artists from as far afield as Montreal and Japan, as well as from prominent European institutions, have been lined up to present public lectures regarding their research processes. The artists come from a wide range of backgrounds and expertise: from media art research to computer games design. Each artist has been carefully selected by the REACT committee to illustrate and highlight exemplary cases of good practice in conducting research. This includes the ability to situate their work in the larger context of new media arts and to identify new knowledge in the field, implantation of research methods within artistic practice and understanding the practice as a thesis that questions, argues and proposes a theoretical standpoint within the work.

As well as presentations, the featured artists will provide video material, images and slides, statements about method and practice, and other articles and documents. This information will then be developed into innovative profiles and case studies on each visitor, which will be published online. The website will feature streaming media and downloads available to all, providing valuable material experience not just to students, but to practicing artists and researchers the world over.

The REACT programme has been set up to be sustainable, and we hope to keep speakers coming to Salford and Manchester. Lectures will continue being added to the website, enriching the training research and enabling ongoing benefits for all. Furthermore, the REACT community will continue to develop valuable links in the field of media arts throughout the North West and beyond, nourishing collaboration and strengthening cultural bonds.

Landscape One by Luc Courchesne

Resonance of Four by Toshio Iwai