Tech City Launchpad - Electric Art Circus by Di Mainstone

Electric Art Circus

The challenge is to commercialize a new genre of entertainment for the 21st Century - interactive performance art, brought to life with digital technologies. This will take the form of a specialist touring Theatre Company called 'Electric Art Circus'. Imagine a combination of wearable art, interactive performance and technology, with the pulling power and blue ocean approach of Cirque Du Soleil.

Digital costume and performance is attracting media attention through artists such as Lady Gaga, designer Hussein Chalayan, director Robert le Page. The time is right for this area to be made commercial, particularly as complimentary courses are being developed for this practice within education (eg. London College of Fashion's MA Digital Fashion). Tech City should be at the forefront of this movement, highlighting Shoreditch's strengths in the areas of technology, fashion and performance.

Electric Art Circus's unique approach would be focused on researching, developing and building digitally inspired performance tools and shows here in Tech City. Signature techniques of body-centric design will be used to develop intuitive performance tools and experiences that respond to the body and audience. We aim to harness the skills that creative director Di Mainstone has acquired through 6 years of international research in the field of digital costume and performance.

Electric Art Circus aims to connect with local business for software and hardware development, digital fabrication (at Metropolitan works) and digital marketing. As well as this they plan to draw new talent and state of the art research into the creative hub of Tech City through collaborations with local academic institutions such as Circus Space and Queen Mary University of London.


Electric Art Circus will be commercialized in two key ways:

1) Through touring live-art happenings. Developing interactive productions and experiences in house, which would show both locally and internationally. Our aim is to develop an entirely new audience for a new form of live-art.
2) Through manufacture of interactive performance tools for commercial use. These would be sold to theatre and dance companies as well as academic institutions.


Electric Art Circus hopes to inject business into local companies, highlight Tech City as a centre of excellence, attract international clients, offer opportunities to graduates through collaborations with local academic institutions and gain access to the latest research.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• electric art circus
• interactive
• performance
• wearable art
• wearable technology
• fashionable technology
• Di Mainstone
• circus
• dance
• experimental
• sculpture
• digital
• interaction design
• Tech
• City
• Launchpad