The group was founded in 1991 by Matt Adams, Niki Jewett, Will Kittow and Ju Row Farr. The group is currently led by Matt Adams and Nick Tandavanitj. Ju Row Farr left her leadership role in 2023.[1] Other members include the film maker John Hardwick and the late performer Jamie Iddon.[2] Over its history, Blast Theory's work has explored interactivity and the social and political aspects of technology through a multitude of forms – using performance, installation, video, mobile and online technologies.
In 2015 the group launched Karen,[9] an app that psychologically profiles the user.[10]
Approachedit
Blast Theory's artists describe their work as collaborative and interdisciplinary. Their practice mixes games design, interaction design, installation and performance.[11]
Early works such as Gunmen Kill Three (1991) and Chemical Wedding (1994) fitted more in the category of live and performance art. Kidnap (1998) was a lottery inspired by the Spanner Trial in which participants paid for a chance to be kidnapped by the group. It was presented via video streaming.
Desert Rain (1999) was a large scale virtual reality game that saw a shift towards work that questions performativity,[12] site and presence. Blast Theory were pioneers in location based art and mixed reality with works such as Can You See Me Now? (2001) and Uncle Roy All Around You (2003).
Receptionedit
Blast Theory's work has been influential in the fields of theatre, indie games, ARGs and mobile design. Desert Rain was described as "“one of the most complex and powerful responses to the first Gulf War to be produced within the sphere of theatrical practice"[13] and "possibly the most technologically ambitious art installation ever made" in The Times.[14]
In 2023 We Cut Through Dust was selected as one of the best works at the Manchester International Festival by Frieze.[15] In an article in The Guardian on artists using AI to "reclaim AI from Big Tech" Gabrielle Schwarz highlighted Cat Royale's exploration of trust in AI.[16] Blast Theory's work has been featured in over 130 books and journals.
2021 – Winner of The People’s Choice Award, The Lovie Awards (UK) in Weird & Experimental for A Cluster of 17 Cases (UK)[22]
2020 – Gold Winner, Video, Film, Animation & Live Media or Digital Performance, MUSE (American Alliance of Museums) for Spit Spreads Death: The Parade (USA)
2019 – Nomination, David and Yuko Art Foundation Grant (UK)
2019 – Winner of the 2019 Trailblazer Award, IndieCade (UK) for contributions to the field of games[23]
2018 – Silver Winner, The Lovie Awards (UK) in Best Use of Interactive Video for 2097: We Made Ourselves Over
2002 – International Fellowship Award, Arts Council England
2002 – Innovation Award, Arts and Humanities Research Board, awarded for Uncle Roy All Around You
2001 – International Media Art Award, ZKM Centre for Arts and Media, Karlsruhe, nominated for Kidnap
2001 – Transmediale Awards, Berlin, Honorary Mention for Desert Rain
2000 – Interactive Arts BAFTA Award, nominated for Desert Rain
2000 – Breakthrough Award for Innovation, nominated, Arts Council England
1999 – The 18 Creative Freedom Awards, nominated for Kidnap
1996 – Winner of the Barclays New Stages Award, for Something American
Key readingedit
Performing Mixed Reality by Steve Benford and Gabriella Giannachi, MIT Press 2011
Steve Benford, Rob Anastasi, Martin Flintham, Adam Drozd, Andy Crabtree, Chris Greenhalgh, Nick Tandavanitj, Matt Adams, Ju Row-Farr, 'Can You See Me Now?', Pervasive Computing, No.3, Volume 2, July/September 2003, pp. 49–51
Dixon, Steve 'Digital Performance, A history of new media in theatre, dance, performance art, and installation', 2007, pp. 616–621 (The MIT Press, Cambridge, UK)
Giannachi, Gabriella 'About War and Inaction: Blast Theory's Desert Rain', Virtual Theatres: An Introduction, 2004, pp.115–122 (Routledge, London)
Emma Govan, Helen Nicholson and Katie Normington 'Making a Performance, Devising Histories and Contemporary Practices', 2008, pp. 179 – 187 (Routledge Taylor and Francis Group, London)
^Karen, an App That Knows You All Too Well, The New York Times
^"The Presence Project: Some notes on Blast Theory". spa.exeter.ac.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
^"Blast Theory in Australia". RealTime — Australia - Media Arts I Performance I Hybrid Arts I The World. 30 September 2002. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
^Giannachi, Gabriella (11 March 2004). Virtual Theatres: An Introduction. London: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780203500033. ISBN 978-0-203-50003-3.
^Judah, Hettie (10 May 2000). "Cyberwar and the six deadly sims" (PDF).
^Slattery, James Lawrence (13 July 2023). "The Best Shows to See at Manchester International Festival". Frieze. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
^Schwarz, Gabrielle (10 August 2023). "Meet the artists reclaiming AI from big tech – with the help of cats, bees and drag queens". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
^Whipple, Tom (9 January 2024). "AI: Who's Looking After Me? review — cats, robots and the meaning of life". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
^Soloski, Alexis (3 May 2021). "The Play Is Coming From Inside the House". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
^Eblen, Shannon (8 March 2020). "In 1918, It Wasn't the Coronavirus. It Was the Flu". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
^Rose, Frank (2 April 2015). "Karen, an App That Knows You All Too Well". The New York Times.
^"Encountering surveillance", Loving Big Brother, Routledge, pp. 205–229, 31 July 2004, ISBN 978-0-203-64248-1, retrieved 9 January 2024
^"Details". The Lovies Awards Winners Gallery. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
^Indie-Game-Freak (12 October 2019). "IndieCade 2019 - All of the Official Winners (and Pics)". Indie Game Reviewer - The Best Indie Games. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
^Sterling, Bruce. "Blast Theory wins 2016 Nam June Paik Art Center Prize". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 9 January 2024.