While its difficult to characterise Kate’s work as the expression of an overarching concern, most of her works explore the potential for frameworks of action and interaction to emerge out of, and then feed into the dynamism of complex systems. New and interactive media becomes a vehicle for exploring, invoking, disorientating, the generative and or affective potential of these frameworks and the social and subjective states they imply.

Sub_scape is a series of projects by Australian artists Kate Richards and Sarah Waterson that explores the potential of (and for) noisy intersections between datasets, archives and maps to produce emergent and deeply reflective topologies that upend the desire they express for a controlled and instrumental ‘sense making’. In the original 2004  iteration produced for ISEA Baltic (held on a Baltic ferry) sub_scape took the form of a submarine periscope that allowed the user to explore a datascape synthesised from environmental datasets from the Australian Desert and the Baltic Sea. The aim of the work was to explore the isomorphic characteristics and relations between these two widely differing landscapes as similarly affecting/reflecting deeply inscribed  metaphysical, aesthetics, and political intensities. The second iteration of Sub_scape. sub_scapePROOF (2006) used the same periscope interface used in the previous iteration to synthesise a landscape of political and rhetorical sensemaking to explore the relations between truth, discourse and affect. The third and final interation of sub_scape, subscapeCYCLE, used a recumbant cycle as the interface for navigating a virtual landscape terraformed in real-time by data mapping ‘contemporary, technological, economic and cultural ills – some pre-cached some streaming in real-time from the web.’ In this iteration of the project the user navigates a landscape deformed (and deforming) by manifestation of human folly, idealism and agency. The user’s interaction actually reforms this twisted topology so that the input of energy, the user’s very attention, becomes the basis for a sustainable ecology.

Interactive Media Facades (Rob Saunders, Martin Tomitsch, Design Lab)

The Design Lab is a centre for research and creative practice in the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning at the University of Sydney. It aims to “foster design as a means of knowledge production in its own right.” The centre’s research staff and postgraduate students come from a range of disciplines including interaction design, electronic arts, computer science and social science.

With a background in interaction design, focused on algorithm controlled animation, sensor driven interactive installations, web applications, broadcast applications and digital design, shiftcontrol applies a united process of design and development to its clients and users.
In 2008 Simon Løvind joined as associate partner, bringing experience from media-art, academia and game developement.

shiftcontrol has already taken on projects for Carlsberg, ZDF, Al Aan, BBC, Danish TV2, PRADA, OMA, AMO, Kontrapunkt and VW.

shiftcontrol works tightly with the team behind Unity – our preferred platform for exploring next generation interactive media, and Markus Schaefer/Hosoya Schaefer Architects – our preferred partner for exploring next generation concepts.

Berger is trained as an engineer for communication engineering and electronics.
He has a master degree in philosophy with an interdisciplinary subject
combination of mechatronic and philosophy. The master thesis was written about
Epistemolpgical Questions Towards Telerobotics with Prof. Herbert Hrachovec from the University of Vienna/Austria.

From 1996-1999 Berger was working at the Ars Electronica Center, Ars Electronica Futurelab and Ars Electronica Festival in Linz/Austria. In the Ars Electronica Center he was technically responsible for the implementation of the visitor guidance system and the telerobotic art installation TELEGARDEN. In the Ars Electronica Futurelab he was project manager and developer for the telerobotic art installation TELEZONE. 1998 and 1999 he was technical director of the Ars Electronica Festival.

http://www.aec.at

From 1999-2002 Berger was working for the Vienna/Austria based it-company Ideal Communications as a researcher and knowledge manager. His responsibilities included research on the fringes of it-business (science, art, design), employee education and training as well as organizing and assisting the restructuring of the company during and after phases of extensive growth.

Since 2003 Berger gave workshops about physical computing, interaction design and related subjects at various universities, labs and educational institution throughout Europe.

2004 and 2005 he was developing and directing the MAKING SENSE project at the Oslo/Norway based media lab Atelier Nord. MAKING SENSE was a research and education program about physical computing for artists and designers. It included the direction of workshops, the build-up of a physical computing lab and technical and artistic consulting for artists.

http://anart.no/projects/making-sense/

2006 Berger was artistic director and curator for the INTERFACE & SOCIETY project at theOslo/Norway based media lab Atelier Nord. INTERFACE & SOCIETY investigated artistic practices and strategies which deal with the transformation of our everyday life through electronic interfaces. This one year project consisted of workshops, the production of artworks, a conference and an exhibition.

http://anart.no/projects/interface-and-society/

2007 Berger was appointed Chief Curator at LABoral Center for Art and Creative Industries in Gijon/Spain.

http://www.laboralcentrodearte.es/

Since the mid nineties Berger works as an artist. He is interested in information processes and
feedback structures which he investigates with installations, situations, performances and various
interfaces. His work is shown internationally in media-festivals, exhibitions and galleries.
Together with the sound artist PURE he founded the audio visual impro duo TERMINALBEACH (2002).
He received a Prix Ars Electronica Award of Distinction together with the Telezone-Group for the
project TELEZONE (2000), the Intermedium2 Award, Bawarian Broadcasting Station / ZKM together
with the group 92v2.0 for A SOPHISTICATED SOIREE (2002) and a Honorary Mention from VIDA 5.0 Art
and Artificial Life international Competition together with Laura Beloff for the installation
SPINNE (2002).