Ken Fields

The intersection of art, science
and the economy

Ken Fields is breaking the barriers of time and space by building a digital network that allows collaborative artistic creation to be unconstrained by physical location, time zones or file size.

“We’re connected to networks that provide super high-speed interconnectivity between universities and research organizations, or nodes,” says Fields, who is a professor in the faculties of fine arts and computer science. “I’m interested in using these networks to create dynamic collaborative environments that are not tied to one physical location, but exist in multiple places at once.”

This technology is altering the audience’s experience and creating a new and important role for them in being interactively engaged. The audience may now watch a collaborative performance that has a videographer in
England, a DJ in Calgary and a dancer in Beijing.

As the Canada Research Chair in Telemedia Arts, Fields intends to use these sophisticated online research networks as a new artistic medium, allowing visual artists, musicians and performers access to a research space that is often the exclusive territory of science and engineering.

“There is an essential gap in terms of arts and science collaborations,” says Fields. “The strength of this new program lies in invigorating the current research infrastructure by fostering interdisciplinary creation.”

While Fields’ research is applicable to the entertainment and interactive gaming industries, he says that there are even bigger opportunities. “Creative industries are being recognized now in terms of the billions of dollars they generate in economies. Arts research is the creative part of technology development. There’s a pipeline that leads from conceptual prototyping to technology design, to new practices.”

Fields hopes to make Calgary a solid node within an emerging international high-speed arts network, so that we attract talent and leave a legacy—people, ideas, art, software, theses, events and performances. “I’m confident our project will leave a significant mark in history.”