OPEN CALL – Programmers & Interactive Media Artists Wanted for Collaborative Lab Practice
Jul 23 to Jul 25, 2025
10:30 to 5:00 pm GMT
A+E Lab
Unit 1, building 64, Main Gate Road, The Historic Dockyard, Chatham, ME4 4TZ, United Kingdom (map)
Multimedia artist, dancer, choreographer and researcher Zelia ZZ TAN is seeking 2-3 talented programmers or interactive media artists to collaborate on a dance and technology residency at A+E Lab, focused on exploring the intersection of movement, virtual embodiment, and interactive media. This residency will be held at A+E Lab located in Chatham, 40 minutes train ride from London, bringing together a small, dynamic team of creatives to co-develop projects centred around Interaction design in REfract, digital ghost in myth, and the conceptual creation of a virtual club. This Project is in collaboration with TechDanceLab.
Who We Are Looking For:
We are looking for individuals with experience in the following areas:
• Programming: Skilled in Unity, Unreal Engine, and visual programming tools (e.g. TouchDesigner, Blender). Experience with motion capture or virtual reality systems is a plus.
• Interactive Media Art: Familiarity with creating engaging, responsive environments through code, sound, and modeling.
• Collaboration & Problem-Solving: Strong communication skills and an eagerness to work within a team to develop creative solutions to technical challenges.
Project Focus:
The collaborative lab will center on two primary research topics:
1. The Hybrid Avatar: Navigating digital desert, retelling the myth through hybrid avatars that are empowered by dancers, exploring themes of transformation and embodiment.
2. Virtual Club Space: Designing a safe, immersive virtual environment where participants interact through movement and body. With a simple interface, to can see virtual companions and experience techno sound practice.
Workshop Goals and Structure:
The first stage of the residency will focus on:
• Collaborative development: A mix of flexible and intense working sessions, during which participants can brainstorm, test, and create based on the pre-defined themes.
• Interactivity and embodiment: Exploring how movement and embodiment can be integrated into the virtual space, especially through the use of avatars and motion capture. The goal is to develop a system that allows participants to embody the digital character through data sets, interactions, and interfaces.
The equipment and software:
AI-based motion capture system (MovIn), Unity, Unreal, and TouchDesigner software. More details will be shared after applying for the collaborative lab practice.
Building Community Sharing and Long-Term Collaboration:
Transparency and community building will be central to the workshop. All participants will be encouraged to share their knowledge and contribute to the creation of tools that can be credited and used in future projects. The aim is to ensure that the collaborative nature of the work extends beyond the residency itself, with potential applications in future exhibitions and installations.
Residency Details:
• Dates: 23rd-25th July
• Location: A+E Lab, Unit 1, Building 64, Main Gate Rd, Chatham ME4 4TZ, United Kingdom
(40 minutes by train from London Bridge, St. Pancras and Victoria)
• Commitment: 3 days of collaborative development, with a mix of flexible and intense working hours to be agreed. 2-6 hours per day, from 10:30 am-5 pm, including lunch time.
• Suggest bringing a PC for game engine software. If you only work on a Mac, please bring it.
How to Apply:
Please send your portfolio, a brief statement of interest, and examples of your previous interactive work to zeliazztan@gmail.com. We welcome creative thinkers who are excited to push the boundaries of dance, technology, and interactive media.
Deadline:
21 July 2025
About Zeila:
Zelia ZZ TAN is an emerging Asian multimedia artist, dancer, choreographer and researcher. Her creations are about the future, focusing on presence and identity through hybrid performances. Her work integrates motion capture, XR, avatars, and immersive technology to create deeply poetic experiences. Her performances include Accelerating Dimension, Sensing Adjacency, Auditus, Ephemeral Privacy, and Another Day on the Moon. Installation works include Foxtail, ID in Bodies, Light Weave, and H.A.I..
Zelia directed REfract, a hybrid performance featuring a solo dancer interacting with avatars, and VR tech, commissioned by West Kowloon Cultural District and co-produced with Goethe-Institute. From 2019-2023, Zelia joined City Contemporary Dance Company as a professional dancer. Her dance films were featured in 18 film festivals. In 2022, Zelia co-founded TechDanceLab, an experimental art platform. She works with master artists such as Gilles Jobin and Sasha Waltz.
Currently, Zelia is pursuing an MFA at CalArts, double-majoring in Interactive Media for Performance (Theatre) and Choreography (Dance), supported by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund and Asian Cultural Council.
About A+E Lab:
A+E Lab is an art and technology hub located in Historic Dockyard Chatham, led by AΦE, an innovative XR dance company and associate artist of the Institute of Cultural and Creative Industries/University of Kent.
We deliver 3 key strands of activities - Creation of AΦE's innovative productions, Technology and cultural community engagement programmes, and Presentation and curation of high-quality artistic work.
A+E Lab democratises access to high-quality art and new technology knowledge, providing space, equipment, events and networking opportunities to creative practitioners and local community. Since opening, we’ve engaged over 51,000 live audiences and participants, helping position Medway as a vibrant cultural hub with national and international connections.
https://aelab.uk
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