This creative-practice research is led by the question, “how can artistic inquiry be shared across digital and performance works?” It posits four modes for working across live and digital art-making contexts through four chapters: digital iterations, open development, shared ideation and real-time media. Through these modes and a series of creative projects, it tracks my path from documenter to media artist working collaboratively with performers: from being outside the work to inside.

Digital Iterations of distinct digital works that share an artistic inquiry with a live work. They are extensions of live performance into digital space.  The concept of digital iterations emerged from an analysis of Melbourne contemporary performance company Chamber Made’s digital and live artworks. This analysis is situated within literature of the intersection of performance and media.

This research sits within the Agile Opera ARC linkage project between RMIT University, Federation Square, and Chamber Made. The Agile Opera project investigated new ways to bring distinct forms of intimacy found in contemporary chamber performance to 21st century digital platforms. In the Agile Opera project, I was the lead concept designer in the development of a digital platform Agile Recorder. I conceived a chamber in digital space as a chamber of practice, and so Agile Recorder is a process-oriented documentation tool enabling responsive collaboration in devising work. The four modes are substantially investigated through three creative projects, the conceptual design and testing of Agile Recorder, analysis of Chamber Made’s Digiwork program and the methodology of the Agile Opera project. In doing so, I show that they enable artistic inquiry to be shared across digital and performance works. I present the four modes as a roadmap for media artists to work collaboratively with performers at the nexus of live and digital art contexts.

Information about this website

This website includes documentation of creative projects undertaken in the course of this research project. It is presented in four sections corresponding to four modes and to the four chapters of the dissertation Agile Recorder: an iterative chamber of practice. The site also includes documentation of Chamber Made’s works, whose Digiwork program was substantially investigated through this project. Attribution has been given to the original image-taker, where appropriate. Where no attribution is given, the photo or video was taken by Sam Mcgilp.

I began this research as an embedded practitioner with the Agile Opera project, an Australia Research Council Linkage project between Chamber Made and RMIT University, investigating how the distinct forms of intimacy in chamber opera could be adapted to 21st century forms and platforms.

This research was undertaken in Naarm/Melbourne on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nations. Soveriegnty has never been ceded and we pay respect to elders past, present and emerging. Sam Mcgilp can be contacted at s3469313@student.rmit.edu.au.