Research and Development collaboration with Caitlin Newton-Broad, as part of “The Living Room Project” artist residency, Performance Space, Redfern, Australia, 2007.

Established in 2004 by Sheila Ghelani, Caitlin Newton-Broad and Emma Wolukau-Wanambwa the Living Room Project was an artist led critical and creative group set up to support the development of their respective solo practices, all of which, at that time, were going through a period of transition.

George Khut worked with Caitlin Newton-Broad to research and develop approaches and networks for a hospital-based interactive art project, that would combine George’s work with biofeedback interactions, and Caitlin’s work with community story-sharing and live-art events.

During their residency they interviewed numerous arts-health practitioners, producers and therapists, to asses the viability of this type of work in a hospital setting, and to explore ways of facilitating the sharing of uncany, body-focussed experiences.

The body-map has been used in medical practice as a way for patients to localise sensation within and across their body. Caitlin and George used this format as an alternative to conventional interviewing methods. The process of silently gathering ones impressions in the form of an illustrated map, allows for the prioritisation of otherwise hard to describe sensations, and provides an evocative framework for the recollection of experiences.

Credits:
Caitlin Newton-Broad and George Khut: Interaction concept development
George Khut: Interaction design and audio-visual documentation systems
Neil Simpson: Production manager
Heidrun Lohr and Julia Charles: Photo documentation