Artist: Roman Danylak
Programming design: Alastair Weakley
Technical direction film: Glen Pead and Alex Turenko
Actors: Pas Accuri, Johanna de Ruyter, Lucinda Gleeson

To Be or Not To Be is a narrative-based, interactive computer artwork that engages the audience through movement. Designed for teenage audiences, and inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet, To Be or Not To Be asks the user to interact with on-screen characters through intuitive gesture. Players take their cue from an on-screen interactive map-puzzle that indicates which sensor pads on the floor should be navigated. With each solved sequence, sections of the film are activated, bringing to life the characters of this tragicomic game.

Roman Danylak is currently undertaking a series of user tests, the results of which will inform his PhD study in Human-Computer Interaction. To Be or Not To Be was produced in collaboration with the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Playback Theatre.

BIOGRAPHIES
Roman Danylak
Currently engaged in studies towards a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction at the Creativity and Cognition Studios, UTS, Danylak has an academic background in English Literature, and has worked in collaboration with Arts and Technology since 1996. Danylak has lectured in Interactive Art in the Faculty of IT at UTS and has presented papers at both local and international conferences in software, gaming, and interactive art including Engage06. He has worked as a script assessor for the Australian National Playwrights Centre and published many critical reviews on art and design in a variety of professional journals. Danylak has also worked in film, television, and theatre as both writer and performer.

Alastair Weakley
Since arriving at University of Technology, Sydney in 2003, Weakley has been pursuing full-time PhD research. The subject of the investigation is concerned with the provision of web-based support for groups of people engaged in creative work. He specialises in art/technology design collaboration centered on organising and sharing useful resources in a visual manner. As a research member at the Creativity and Cognition Studios, Weakley has a history of collaborating with artists on interactive projects.

Beta_Space: Art – technology - experiment - discovery
Beta_space is Sydney’s only dedicated venue for interactive art; a unique venue where artists can show the public ‘first drafts’ of interactive artworks.

Beta_space is an experimental environment where the public can engage with the latest research in art and new technology. A ‘beta version’ is a new piece of software or hardware that needs testing and feedback from its users to help its creators make it better. Beta_space is a public laboratory for beta testing interactive artworks.

Beta_space is a collaboration between the Powerhouse Museum and Creativity and Cognition Studios (CCS) at the University of Technology, Sydney, a cutting edge research group that is home to many artists creating exciting interactive artwork.

Beta_space
Powerhouse Museum
Creativity and cognition studios

TAGS
+ Beta_space
+ Interactive art