Mesh Lab

The Mesh Lab. (M) achined, (E)mbodiment, (S)taging and (H)ybridity.

The Mesh Lab capitalizes on the ongoing shift in cultural events where lived experiences, participation, and mise-en-scène are recognized as key modes of engagement for impactful content delivery. To articulate the technological backbone of artistic research and cultural productions, the Mesh Lab relies on the integration of four elements: Machine, Embodiment, Staging, and Hybridity. The lab focuses on the transformative power of creative technologies in reshaping participation and experiences across museums, stages, screens, public spaces, and the corporate sector. The lab aims to cultivate the image of the creative practitioner as a technological iconoclast capable of questioning and disrupting these fields.

Machined: The Mesh Lab interprets 'Machined' as the integration of robotics, wearables, AI and other manufactured technologies that interact with and augment human capabilities. This principle extends beyond traditional machining to include the creation and utilization of sophisticated devices that influence 1and enhance artistic and cultural outputs. The inclusion of these elements, serving as bespoked interfaces and enablers , triggers new forms of interaction and co-creation.

Embodiment: Central to the lab’s initiatives is embodiment, where digital and physical realms converge to intensify the sensory experiences of participants. This involves leveraging cutting-edge technologies like motion capture, virtual reality, and biometric sensors to pioneer new forms of embodied museography and performance art that captivate audiences on a profound level. Embodiment implements a multi-layered analysis framework, both qualitative and quantitative, spanning biological perception, somatic experience, and entangled social and cultural codes.

Staging: Staging involves the deliberate arrangement of physical and virtual spaces to elicit creative technologies while enhancing narrative and thematic delivery. This aspect of the program focuses on creating dynamic environments that can transform audience perceptions and experiences, ranging from immersive theatre settings to participative public art installations.

Hybridity: Mesh embraces Hybridity by blending various media, techniques, and practices to forge novel artistic expressions and cultural dialogues. This includes the integration of transmedia storytelling, hybrid theatre performances, and the convergence of sound, visual, machines and live interaction to push the boundaries of traditional genres and formats. Mesh is conceived as an ecology of practices and technologies spanning a range of sites and aesthetic forms.

Reasearch. Here are some of the overarching research questions that the Mesh Lab will tackle in its journey. A more targeted set of questions and methodologies will be given under the specific activities of the first years.

Machine(d): How can the symbiosis of robotics, wearables, and AI enhance human capabilities in artistic and cultural contexts? What new forms of interaction and co-creation can these technologies trigger?

Embodiment: What frameworks can be developed to analyze the impact of technology on biological perception, somatic experiences, and entangled social and cultural codes? Staging: In what ways physical environments enhance narrative and thematic delivery through creative technologies ?

Hybridity: In what ways is the co-evolution of humans and machines shaping the post-Anthropocene era? What are the ethical, cultural, and ecological implications of this symbiosis and its impact on cultural production?

What methodologies can be developed for sustainable audience engagement through these practices?

How does public participation function as a generative system to produce unique experiences? What role does it play in the perception and impact of live performances and interactive installations?

Impact. The Mesh Lab's ethos is centered on transformative creative practices, situating itself at the crossroads of commercial, experimental and societal spheres. Recognizing the longstanding importance of mise-en-scène and participant engagement found in the domain of “experience economy” , the lab aims to channel these findings towards methodologies of sustainable engagement through creative technologies. Placing experience at the forefront of practice, it enhances self-awareness and fosters a new sense of societal responsibility through creative technologies.

The Mesh Lab spans from decades of investigations led by the PI where he has been looking at the multi- layered impact of embodiment in the perception of live performances and interactive installations.

Furthermore, he has been working on public participation as a generative systems to produce singular experiences. The Mesh Lab, in its early stages, will identify potential collaborators across various disciplines at VCUarts Qatar, within Education City and also Doha’s key players. The initial focus will also include creating representative prototypes to illustrate the research and spark interest while disseminating and positioning at national and international levels to attract funding. Aiming to extend beyond traditional public delivery forms, the Mesh Lab could significantly impact the entertainment and tourism industries, maintaining a strong public presence and industrial partnerships.

This represents opportunities to attract funding, foster innovative discourse, and establish unique practices in this vibrant sector. It seeks to transcend the “physical limits” of museums, theatres, and cinemas, creating lasting societal impacts. These emerging forms present new approaches and the potential for entirely new cultural productions to emerge. The lab inevitably involves experimentation with form, aesthetics, interaction, audience engagement, and new technologies, proposing production and design methodologies while situating them within broader socio-political contexts.

Research areas include interactive and immersive cinema, computational movement, virtual and robotic characters, new museum experiences, public participation in large events, immersive technologies (AR, XR, VR), public art, socially and ecologically engaged practices, cultural heritage, performance health, and 2new formats in theatre and public engagement.