Digital artist reveals tricks of the trade

Teesside University’s Simon McKeown will give a rare insight into the intricacies of his work during a unique exhibition.

Last year Simon, a Reader in Animation and Post Production, staged Cork Ignite – a stunning digital projection which brought a riverside building to life with a mix of technology, surreal soundscapes and animation.

Cork Ignite, witnessed by up to 10,000 people, was part of Ireland’s Culture Night and focused on the history and landscape of Cork, intertwined with imagery to evoke people’s perceptions of disability.

Now Simon is staging Trace Elements at Liverpool’s Foundation for Arts and Creative Technology (Fact). The exhibition will demonstrate the mind blowing world of 3D projection mapping and feature behind the scenes documentation of Cork Ignite, inviting the public to learn more about the process behind projection mapping and to try out the technology for themselves.

During the exhibition, Simon will hold a two-part projection mapping workshop where participants will have the opportunity to project their own final artwork. Simon has over 25 years of professional creative experience and is committed to working with artists with disabilities as contributors or co-creators of his work. For Cork Ignite, Simon worked with people with a range of disabilities, including Down’s syndrome, autism and deafness, all helping to inform and inspire his piece. He has exhibited his work all over the world and his Motion Disabled Unlimited project - a stunning digital installation that used animation to show how disabled athletes move - was an integral part of the London 2012 Festival and Cultural Olympiad.

Reflecting on Cork Ignite, Simon said: 'My aim was to create a hugely exciting body of work for Cork Ignite, mixing high technology, workshops and creative disability together, and for this work to be seen as a fundamental stepping stone in the perception and production of arts which focuses on or considers disability. The audience reaction suggested I did.'

The Trace Elements exhibition is on at FACT from Friday 4 March, until Sunday 3 April.

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