Anthony Brooks is Associate Professor at Aalborg University, Denmark where he is director/founder of the ‘SensoramaLab” (Virtual Reality, HCI and Playful Learning Complex) and a founding team-member of the Medialogy education wherein he is now a section leader, lecturer, coordinator, supervisor, and study board member. Originating from Wales, born into a family with disabled members, at an early age he invented ‘alternative solutions’ for adaptive accessibility and ‘control”. In the 1980s he created bespoke instruments and volumetric invisible sensing systems for unencumbered gesture-control of digital media to stimulate meaningful causal interactions that could be tailored to individuals, their needs, preferences and desires alongside the outcome goals of facilitators, therapists, educators etc. A goal was to create adaptable playful, enjoyable, and fun creative experiences for end-users that optimised motivation in participation to increase compliance and adherance to transdisciplinary intervention programmes e.g. in rehabilitation, healthcare wellbeing, quality of life, learning/education, play, entertainment, recreation, and more: Societal impact was targeted. He was the first artist in residence at the Centre for Advanced Visualisation and Interactivity (CAVI) at Aarhus University, Denmark at the end of 1990s originated the ZOOM model (Zone of Optimized Motivation) for in-action intervention and on-action analysis and assessment /refinement. He has approximately 200 publications. His research is responsible for – sizable externally funded national and international (European) projects, a serious-games industry start-up company, and a family of patents resulting from the evolved method and prototypes, e.g. US6893407 “Communication Method and Apparatus”. He is acknowledged as a third culture thinker and “world pioneer in digital media and its use with the disabled community”. He is an active keynote speaker at international events and has presented globally. He is an ambassador for accessibility and is Danish representative for UNESCO’s International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Technical committee (WG14) on “Entertainment Computing” – specifically under work groups WG14.7 “Art and Entertainment”; WG14.8 “Serious Games”, and WG 14.9 “Game Accessibility”. He works with the European Commission as EU expert examiner.
Eva Brooks is a professor in IT-based design, learning and innovation at Aalborg University, Denmark. Furthermore, she is the director of the laboratory Xlab: Design, Learning, Innovation (https://www.facebook.com/XlabDLI/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel). Eva Brooks has a strong expertise in children and young people’s technology mediated play and learning in formal and semiformal educational practices (child-computer interaction). In this regard, her expertise relates to the design of digital technologies and learning environments as well as to learning processes and outcomes that emerge when children interact with digital technologies. Her perspective considers playful, inclusive, and participatory aspects of design and learning. When it comes to play, Eva Brooks’ focus is on “play for the sake of play” where learning outcomes are considered as added values rather than the goal. In line with these perspectives, innovation is approached from a user-driven process-oriented angle. Her research interest has always been attached to trans-disciplinary teamwork and thus, innately, competencies are wide with additional focus on establishing close collaborations with stakeholders, including addressing ethics, meanings and values. Furthermore, she has a strong interest and expertise in methodologies and methods for qualitative and design oriented research also of mixed methods approaches. Professor Eva Brooks has been involved as leader (WP, Country, and/or Project Coordinator, etc) in several European research projects, for example, LUDI, LUCAS, IdeaGarden, Pl@yground, Creativity Workshops, KidsLab, Today’s Stories, financed by COST, Erasmus, FP7, Innovation Programme, FP6. More information is available on request via eb@learning.aau.dk
John Kelly is Artistic Director of Disability Arts in Surrey Festival (DaisyFest) and is a National Associate Artist for Drake Music, John has been a professional artist/musician for the last ten years. His Irish roots, love of trad, ska, rock n roll, punk &
reggae have strongly influenced the energy, passion and fun that John brings to his work. It has also given him the confidence to challenge and fight for what is right…Rights & Equality! Over the last seven years he has completed 5 UK tours as well as national and international performances in Greece, Germany, Russia, Poland, France, Estonia, Holland, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal, USA, Brazil and Mexico. John is Artistic Director of Disability Arts in Surrey Festival (DaisyFest) and is a National Associate Artist for Drake Music, delivering training and workshops around Accessible Music Technology. He co-facilitates a monthly DMLab (Hackmeet), bringing together artists and coders to collaborate and develop new bespoke accessible music technologies. Over the past year John has been working with a small team of leading technologists to develop a ground-breaking, innovative accessible instrument. The KeIlycaster is bespoke guitar that uses cutting–edge technology, taking John’s live performance to a whole new level
Charles Matthews is an electronic musician, gamelan player, and workshop facilitator based in London and working with Drake Music. Charles developed an interest in new ways to make sound through his studies in sonic arts, and is passionate about using technology for equal access to music-making. As a programmer, he has developed a variety of software tools, interactive installations, and augmented instruments. Charles began working with Drake Music through collaboration with DMLab and John Kelly on the creation of a bespoke accessible guitar.
Lisa Hall: A sound artist based in London, Lisa studied at London College of Communication and has worked with a number of art organisations over the past 10 years including CRiSAP and UAL. Lisa’s works take the form of urban soundinterventions, installations, and performances, exploring the relationship between body and environment through sound. Lisa is a member of the Bicrophonic Research Institute.
Shane Byrne is a composer and instrument designer currently pursuing a PhD in electroacoustic music performance at Maynooth Univeristy, Ireland. His expertise lies in the correlation between musical and physical gestures, and in the design of accessible interfaces for musical expression.
Koichi Samuels is a musician and electronic music producer, with research and practice expertise in inclusive music, human-computer interaction design, ethnomusicology, and hacker/maker culture. He completed his PhD in accessible music practices and interfaces at QUB in 2015.
Eamon Durey is the Project Manager at Derry’s FabLab, a centre for design and innovation in DIY technologies “with a potential market of one”; he is an expert in open source prototyping platforms for creative digital media, interaction design, interactive electronics and creative software.
Denise White is an expert in SEN teaching, and is nearing completion of a PhD at Ulster University, on the relationship between music performance and learning disabilities. She was Project Manager at somethingspecial, an inclusive community arts group, a role that garnered her BBC’s Woman of the Year award in 2013.
HEARTS OF STEM 