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boredomresearch is a collaboration between Southampton UK based artists Vicky Isley and Paul Smith.
They are greatly inspired by the diversity that exists in nature. Using computational technology they
explore this diversity to simulate natural patterns, behaviours and intricate forms that gradually change over time.
All their artwork is computer-generated and includes interactive and public works of art, online projects, prints and generative objects.
Their work has been exhibited worldwide including KUMU Art Museum in Tallinn, Estonia (2011); Today Art Museum in Beijing (2010);
LABoral Centro de Arte y Creacion Industrial in Gijón, Spain (2010); SIGGRAPH08 in Los Angeles (2008); Transmediale.05 in Berlin (2005),
among many other venues. boredomresearch are represented by [DAM]Berlin/Cologne and are ArtSway Associates.
boredomresearch is a collaboration between Southampton UK based artists Vicky Isley (b.1974) and Paul Smith (b.1975).
The collective are internationally renowned for creating software driven art, highly aesthetic both visually and acoustically.
All their artwork is computer-generated and includes interactive and public works of art, online projects/environments,
prints and generative objects.
Since 2000 boredomresearch have been creating generative artworks which explore extended time frames. They are greatly inspired
by the diversity that exists in nature. Using computational technology they explore this diversity to simulate natural patterns,
behaviours and intricate forms that gradually change over time. Their artworks are often presented as wall or floor objects,
reminiscent of portholes through which one can observe a world of intrigue and beauty. As well as producing objects,
boredomresearch produce interactive online projects and public artworks. In 2008 they created Real Snail Mail - the world’s
first webmail service using live snails. The snails are equipped with a miniaturised electronic circuit and antenna, enabling
them to be assigned messages.
boredomresearch’s artwork ‘Ornamental Bug Garden 001’ is housed within the British Council’s Collection and has been awarded honorary mentions
in Transmediale.05, Berlin (2005) and VIDA 7.0 Art & Artificial Life International Competition, Madrid (2004).“It is an animated interactive
garden of hypnotic beauty, half road between the traditional Japanese illustration of Hokusai font and the pixelated paradise of k10k.net.”
Digimag.
boredomresearch’s artwork has been exhibited worldwide in festivals, galleries and museums such as the KUMU Art Museum in Tallinn, Estonia (2011);
[DAM]Cologne (2011); Electrohype Biennale, Ystad Art Museum in Sweden (2010); FILE Prix Luz in São Paulo (2010); Today Art Museum in Beijing (2010);
LABoral Centro de Arte y Creacion Industrial in Gijón, Spain (2010); MAXXI Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI Secolo in Rome (2010);
[DAM]Berlin (2009); STRP Festival in Eindhoven, Netherlands (2009); Instituto Itaú Cultural in São Paulo (2008); SIGGRAPH08 in Los Angeles (2008);
iMAL Center for Digital Cultures and Technology in Brussels, Belgium (2008); Haifa Museum of Art, Israel (2007); Netherlands Media Art Institute
in Amsterdam (2006); Transmediale.05 in Berlin (2005); VIDA 7.0 in Madrid (2004) and Garage Festival in Stralsund (2002), among other venues.
Their work has been featured in various arts and science publications/media including TIME Magazine, El Pais, Artinvestor, PAGE, Weave,
Discovery Channel Canada and BBC World Services.boredomresearch are represented by [DAM]Berlin/Cologne and are ArtSway Associates.
By This Time Next Year - Georges House Gallery, Folkestone (4-31 March 2011)
Brilliant Cloud - [DAM]Cologne (26 Jan-12 March 2011)
Brilliant Cloud - Millais Off-site Project Space, Southampton (28 Oct-19 Dec 2010)
Chasing Stillness - [DAM]Berlin (28 Aug-24 Oct 2009)
Theatre of Restless Automata - Peterborough Digital Arts (March 2006)
Theatre of Restless Automata - New Greenham Arts, Newbury (Nov 2005)
Theatre of Restless Automata - HTTP, Islington, London (1 Sept-23 Oct 2005)
Theatre of Restless Automata - Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth (9 April-4 June 2005)
Tiny Beasts of Burden - Open Hand Open Space, Reading
Nervous Seldown Gallery - Poole Arts Centre
Intuition and Ingenuity: An Art Exhibition in Celebration of the Life of Alan Turing (for Alan Turing Year 2012) - touring to Kinetica Art Fair, London (9-12 Feb 2012); Lighthouse, Brighton (9-12 Feb 2012); Lovebytes Festival, Sheffield (22-24 March 2012); V&A Digital Design Weekend, London (22-23 Sept 2012)
Uncontainable:Broken Stillness - ISEA, Istanbul (14-21 Sept 2011)
Gateways - KUMU Art Museum, Tallinn Estonia (13 May-25 Sept 2011)
Current - Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston (26 March-4 June 2011)
Broken Stillness - Salisbury Art Centre, Salisbury (10 March-21 April 2011)
Electrohype Biennial 2010 - Ystad Art Museum, Ystad Sweden (27 Nov 2010-30 Jan 2011)
Urban Topos/Edge City - Today Art Museum, Beijing (15-29 August 2010)
File Prix Luz - S„o Paulo (July-August 2010)
NETinSPACE - MAXXI, Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, Rome (10 May-25 Dec 2010)
El Proceso como Paradigma - Laboral, Gijon (23 April-30 Aug 2010)
On the Edge of the World - John Hope Gateway Gallery, Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh (15 May-18 July 2010)
E-volve - [DAM]Cologne (24 April-24 June 2010)
British Science Festival - Guildhall, Guildford (5-6 Sept 09)
Pattern Recognition - The City Gallery, Leceister (20 June-24 Oct 2009)
STRP Festival - Eindhoven, Netherlands (2-13 April 09)
SALON Exhibition - The Study Gallery, Poole UK (Nov 2008)
SIGGRAPH08 - Slow Art Gallery Exhibition, Los Angeles USA (11-15 August 2008)
Art.ficial Emotion 4.0: Emergence! - Instituto Ita? Cultural, S„o Paulo Brazil (July-Sept 2008)
CAe2008 - Computational Aesthetics Exhibition, Lisbon Portugal (18-20 June 2008)
Holy Fire:The Art of the Digital Age - iMAL Center for Digital Cultures and Technology, Brussels, Belgium (April 2008)
Digital Media Intervention - Headquarters former Valencia University, Spain (April-May 2008)
Follyplay - Event Burnley Youth Theatre, Lancaster (23rd Feb 2008)
NETworking - Haifa Museum of Art, Israel (Nov 07-Feb 2008)
Velocity - Digital Art Festival, Folly Lancaster (Oct-Nov 2007)
Digiville - Lighthouse, Brighton (1 Sept 2007)
CAe2007 - Computational Aesthetics Conference & Exhibition Banff Centre of Arts, Alberta Canada (20-22 June 2007)
Digital Aesthetics 2 - Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston (March-June 2007)
Enter Festival - Unknown Territories Cambridge (25-29 April 2007)
Web Biennial 2007 - Web Based International Contemporary Art Exhibition (Feb-Dec 2007)
Natural Habitats - Netherlands Media Art Institute, Montevideo Amsterdam (Nov-Dec 2006)
TAGGED - Space Media Arts, London (Oct 2006)
SIGGRAPH06 - Intersections Art Gallery Exhibition, Boston USA (July-Aug 2006)
Unnatural Selection - Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery's, open exhibition (July-Sept 2006)
ACE 2006 - Leonardo exhibition, Hollywood LA (June 2006)
GEEKFEST Branksome Chine Beach Hut, Dorset (June 2006)
SIGGRAPH05 - Los Angeles International New Media Festival (August 2005)
New Forest Pavilion - Artsway Group Exhibition, Venice (June 2005)
Hands Free Series - Dorchester Arts Centre (May 2005)
Dots & Lines - BBC Online Sound Exhibition (May 2005)
Transmediale.05 - international media arts festival, Berlin, Germany (Feb 2005)
FILE04 International digital festival, Brazil (2004)
Data:Base - New Media Event, Dublin (2003)
Theory of Catastrophe - SCAN launch, Southampton (2003)
Aquanox - All Change, Islington, London Canal project (2003)
WinterWonderland - Lighthouse, Poole (2002)
Electrohype Biennial 2002 - Malmo, Sweden (23-27 October 2002)
Power to the People - Contemporary Art Forum, Kitchener Exhibition, Canada (2002)
Garage - Festival for art, Music and Film, Stralsund, Germany (26 July-17 August 2002)
SoundToys - Convergence exhibition, New Media Centre, ICA, London www.soundtoys.net (5 June-13 July 2002)
SoftForm - Propeller Gallery, Toronto, Canada, www.hiveprojects.com/softform (1-16 June 2002)
Matter & Memory - Montreal, Canada www.mobilegaze.com/m+m (launch 30 May 2002)
Possible not Probable - G39, Cardiff (8-31 May 2002)
minus20 - Gasworks Gallery, London (24 January 2002)
Strange Cargo Digital Commission to produce a new web based project/exhibition as part of their ACE funded Stretching New Boundaries programme, www.aspirationstorm.net (March 2011).
Digi-club Folly Lancaster Commission. Produced an online forum environment for people aged between 12-16 years at www.digi.org.uk (March 2007).
Enter Unknown Territories International Festival Commission Cambridge. Commission to develop second instance of Forest of Imagined Beginnings for festival. www.boredomresearch.net/forest (April 2007).
Folly Website Commission a new website forum where users can submit a wish to an online wishing tree www.folly.co.uk/wish (October 2006)
National Waterfront Museum Online Artwork Commission, Swansea, Wales. Created and exhibited in the museum SkyRail, www.sky-rail.net
Peterborough Digital Arts Residency. Researched the structures & markations on butterfly/moth wings to develop a new computational work (Sept 2005)
NOW Festival, Nottingham Digital Web Commission. Created Vacant Isle an interactive website for the NOW 2004 festival, www.vacant-isle.net
Navvygate New Media Residency, Artsway New Forest
Digital dance residency, Lighthouse, Poole
Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service CD-ROM Commission
Slomo, Media & Visual Arts Thematic Residency, The Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada
Media & Visual Arts Self-directed Creative Residency, The Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada
Labculture residency, PVA MediaLab, Bridport
YOTA Caterham Barracks, Community Trust Commission
Artsway New Media Commission, Artsway New Forest
Volcano Digital Commission, Poole Art Centre
Daily Planet: The Ultimate Book of Everyday Science - Jay Ingram, Penguin Canada 2010 ISBN:9780143177869
On the Edge of the World - British Council 2010 ISBN: 9780863556371
el proceso como paradigma - Exhibition Catalogue, LABoral Centro de Arte y CreaciÛn Industrial 2010 ISBN:9788461396238
The World of Digital Art - Wolf Lieser, h.f.ullmann / Tandem Verlag GmbH 2010 ISBN: 9783833153457
Digital Art - Wolf Lieser, h.f.ullmann / Tandem Verlag GmbH 2009 ISBN: 9780841616424
Chasing Stillness - Solo Exhibition Catalogue, [DAM]Berlin 2009
Tumbling Dream Chambers - Solo Exhibition Catalogue, [DAM]Berlin 2007
Freefall - Arts Council England international artists fellowships 2001-2003 Arts Council England 2004 ISBN:0728709872
New Media Art: Practice and Context in the UK 1994-2004 - Arts Council England 2004 ISBN:0948797886
The Relationships between Organic and Artificial Life Play the Leading Role in ARCO - El Pais Spanish Newspaper, 18 February 2010
Snail Mail Gets Literal - TIME Magazine USA Issue Vol. 172 No 5, 4 Aug 2008 & Europe Issue Vol.172 No 6, 11 Aug 2008
The Wired Campus: Real Snail Mail - The Chronicle of Higher Education, 26 June 2008
Real Snail Mail - Slashdot, 24 June 2008
Snail mail, brought to you by real snails - The Inquirer, 20 June 2008
Real Snail Mail turns email into slower email - Neural.it, 20 June 2008
Snail (And We Do Mean Snail) Mail - Discovery News: Etherized Blog, 18 June 2008
Real Snail Mail - New Scientist Technology Blog, 18 June 2008
ëSnail mailí blazes slow e-trail - BBC News, 17 June 2008
NETworking Net Art from the Computer Fine Art Collection - Ilana Tenenbaum, & Christiane Paul, Haifa Museum of Art, 2007, p.20
Eternityís Sun Rise - Paul Brown Tumbling Dream Chambers Exhibition Catalogue essay, [DAM] Berlin, July 2007
RealSnailMail - Postal Technology International magazine, April 2007
Faustian Bargains and Pineapple Shampoo - Merijn Oudenampsed & Jakob Proyer, Metamute.org/Mute, January 2007
The Spychip Under Your Skin:RFID and the Tagged Exhibition - Armin Medosch, October 2006
Slow Down, Youíre Moving Too Fast - RFID Journal article by Beth Bacheldor, 2006
When Art is Nature - Kelly Atkinson, Amsterdam Weekly, Vol 3, Issue 43, 2-8 Nov 2006, p.6
RealSnailMail with RFID Chipped Snails - Technovelgy.com, October 2006
RFID and RealSnailMail - RFID Weblog, October 2006
Regional Hybrids Hold Sway - Fabienne Nicholas, Realtime Arts Magazine, issue 69, Oct-Nov 2005, p.24
Theatre of Restless Automata - review on boredomresearchs' solo exhibition at Peterborough Digital Arts in furtherfield.org website by Rob Myers, 2006
Art, Autonomy & Automata - web exclusive review on boredomresearchs' solo exhibition in metamute.com by Finn Smith, 2005
PAGE - review on boredomresearch in the German magazine, May 2005
Post Cybernetic Serendipity - AN review by Dion Ellis, May 2003
possessed ok? - .net publication, issue 85, June 2001
Club Circuits - Public Art Journal, Volume 1, No 4, Oct 2000 by Ben Seymour
The Frame: What is Art in the Third Millennium? - Meridian Broadcasting Ltd
Inforadio, Radio Berlin-Brandenburg interview on Chasing Stillness Exhibition, 2 Sept 2009
The Bob Rivers Show Seattle USA interview on RealSnailMail on 102.5 KZOK, 19 August 2008
BBC WorldServices Radio interview on RealSnailMail 7 August 2008
6PR Perth Radio Station interview on RealSnailMail with Graham Mabury on Nightline Show, 16 July 2008
The Bryant Park Project, NPR News NY interview on RealSnailMail 23 June 2008
BBC Newsround RealSnailMail Interview 23 July 2008, 5.00-5.15pm
BBC Click: Harnessing the power of ëcloudsí broadcasted on BBC News 24 on 21 June,22 June & 23 June 2008
Click on Meridian TV feature, Latest News Bulletins 23 June 2008 (evening)
Top UK school for animation, British Satellite News feature online, March 2007 www.bsn.org.uk
micro-biome CD publication to accompany ëtheatre of restless automataí solo exhibition 2005-06 ISBN:095502580X
Cybersonica International festival of music, sound & technology, DJ Magazine, October Issue 2004
Pixelraiders2 CD Sheffield Hallam University, April 2004 ISBN: 1843870606
Matter & Memory online interview on Possessed 2001 (www.mobilegaze.com)
Soundtoys online interview on boredomresearch soundworks (www.soundtoys.net)
MetroCentre Gateshead shortlisted for a permanent public art commission(2008)
Artist Research Fellowship at National Centre for Computer Animation, Bournemouth University (Oct 2005-2008)
Arts Foundation Fellowship, New Media Award Shortlist(2005)
Transmediale.05, Berlin honorary mention award for ‘Ornamental Bug Garden 001’ (2005)
Southampton Institute, Capability Fund for development of ‘Micro-Biome’ CD publication (2005)
Southampton Institute Capability Fund for CAA Presentation, Atlanta (2005)
VIDA 7.0, International A-Life Electronic Arts Competition, Madrid honorary mention award for ‘Ornamental Bug Garden 001’
ACE Individuals Art & Development Grant to develop systems for ‘theatre of restless automata’ solo exhibition (2004)
ACE International Artists Fellowships - Media & Visual Arts Self directed Creative Residency (2001)
ACE International Artists Fellowships - Slomo, Media & Visual Arts Thematic Residency, The Banff Centre for the Arts, Canada (2001)
Brilliant Cloud Formation 2 - Private Collection, Germany
Lost Calls of Cloud Mountain Whirligigs view 2 right (edition 1 of 3) - Private Collection, Germany
Lost Calls of Cloud Mountain Whirligigs view 1 right (edition 2 of 3) - Private Collection, Germany
Ornamental Bug Garden 001 (edition 1 of 3) - British Council Collection
Ornamental Bug Garden 001 (edition 2 of 3) - Private Collection Frankfurt, Germany
Ornamental Bug Garden 001 (edition 3 of 3) - Private Collection, Germany
Biome (edition 1 of 6) - Private Collection Frankfurt, Germany
Wish (edition 2) - ComputerFineArts.com
Art Taipeh, Taiwan (26-29 August 2011)
Expanded Box, ARCO Madrid (17-21 February 2010)
Kinetica, London (27 Feb-2 March 2009)
Korea International Art Fair, Seoul (9-13 May 2007)
Tease Art Fair, Cologne (19-22 April 2007)
POCOS 2nd Symposium on the Preservation of Complex Objects - invited speakers, The Lighthouse, Glasgow (11 Oct 2011)
Stretching New Boundaries Symposium - Panel Session at the Strange Cargo Conference, Folkestone (22 Sept 2011)
ISEA2011 Instanbul - artist presentation on the 'Data Disinformation' Panel (15 Sept 2011)
Beyond Cinema: Moving Image Informatics Symposium - artist presentation Southampton Solent University (13th Nov 2010)
On the Edge of the World British Council Symposium - artist presentation Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh (June 2010)
CAe2007: Computational Aesthetics Conference - presentation on 'Theatre of Restless Automata' & other preparatory works (June 2007)
BLOC seminar 'We Can Work It Out' - presentation on collaborative practice and a panel discussion (Jan 2007)
Norwich Animation Festival - presentation & panel discussion on Generative Art (Oct 2006)
HCI2006 Conference, Queen Mary Uni, London - Real Snail Mail presentation R&D (Sept 2006)
SPARK06 - invited speakers, Wintec’s Creative Industries Research Centre (CIRC) in Hamilton, New Zealand (August 2006)
BLIP forum - artist presentation in Brighton (July 2006)
The poetics of digital space & time - presentation at Third Iteration, Melbourne & SIGGRAPH 2005, Los Angeles (2005)
Interrogating Interfaces - panel discussion & presentation, The College of Arts Association Annual Conference, Georgia, Atlanta USA (2005)
Transigence - Soundtoys artist presentation, Watershed Media Centre (2004)
Pixel Raiders2 - invited speakers, Sheffield Hallam University (2004)
MA Interaction Design - visiting lecturers Royal College of Art, London (2003)
Digital 02 Conference - presenters, Helsinki (2003)
People vs Programming Forum - presenters, Artsway, Hants (2003)
MA Media Arts - visiting lecturers Coventry University (2002)
BA Hons Fine Art & Media - visiting lecturers Southampton Institute (2002)
Software as art, art as software - presenters Malmo, Sweden (2002)
Minus20 - Panel Discussion participants Gasworks, London (2002)
The Digital Media Management Conference - presenters The Banff New Media Institute, Canada (2001)
Research Lecturers in Computer Animation/Computer Art - Bournemouth University (2005-ongoing)
BA Multimedia Lecturers - Solent University, Southampton (1998-2007)
BA Digital Arts Lecturers - University of East London (2006)
Introducing coding in Processing - a basic workshop for adults and young people interested in learning more about Processing.org at Salisbury Art Centre (April 2011)
Processing & Collective Creativity - a workshop introducing the basics of coding in Processing at Public Domain Festival, Bournemouth Lower Gardens (July 2010)
An Idiots Guide to: The Aesthetics of Computational Mechanism - a creative workshop for artists learning how to execute simple cellular automata and L-system rules on paper at Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth (2005)
Paper based object orientated programming workshop - for artists at Interventions residency, Folly Lancaster (2003)
8bit game animation - a workshop for teachers without any computer experience at SmudgeFlux, Spike Island, Bristol(2003)
Primary school children Object orientated programming workshop; paper based programming workshop where artists & curators wrote their own drawing applications and sound software – Artsway, Sway (2003)
Neue-Jakobstr. 6/7
10179 Berlin
Germany
Phone: +49 (0)30 280 98 135
Email: berlin[at]dam.org
Volksgartenstr.10
50677 Köln
Germany
Phone: (0)221 801 09 890
Email: cologne[at]dam.org
Email: info[at]boredomresearch.net