Long Time No See (2012-15)

Long Time, No See? was a collaborative, online artwork designed to encourage particpants to walk in their local community or favoured places - on a journey of personal rediscovery - whilst also thinking about the forces that are shaping the future of those places and the world. The project was therefore a creatiuve approach to focussing Australian and global audiences upon what our long-term futures might be and asking how they might want to become involved in actively reshaping them. The project therefore sought to link the local and the everyday with the global and the distant future, generatively mapping the ever-changing relationships between each project participants' ideas and visions. The original version used a cutom phone App and onliner site to collect, collate and visualise all the responses. Whilst these resources no longer remain, a paper/based version of the experience can still be downloaded and run for groups - See the 4 links to the right.

The raw content for the artwork was created by members of the general public undertaking walks in their local communities, assisted by a custom Smartphone App that choreographed and recorded their creative processes and physical journeys. The online artwork then presented this content relationally along with other generative media and sound. In all of these ways the project engaged new audiences and participants to collaboratively 'design' pathways towards feasible and 'sustain-able' long term futures within their own favoured spaces. Participants in locations across Australia and the world each got the chance to share their visions of long futures, and be enabled to collaborate, imagine, reflect, learn and act for change through optional local workshop processes. See the project information pack we produced here. The project was made available online with related APP and for two years at the Cube Visualisation Centre in Brisbane Australia.

PROJECT HISTORIC WEBSITES:
http://www.long-time-no-see.org
http://www.thecube.qut.edu.au/project/long-time-no-see
Downloadable APP
https://www.facebook.com/groups/longtimenoseepilot

WORKSHOP/SHOWINGS:
1: The Cube, Large-scale visualiation Centre, Science and Engineering Centre, Gardens Point campus, 2 George St, Brisbane, Australia.
2: Victoria University’s Centre of Cultural Diversity and Wellbeing, Social Technologies Lab, Footscray. Nicholson Campus Melbourne, 27 September, 2013.
3: SCAPE Public Art Biennial Walk, Christchurtch New Zealand, conducted by Linda Carroli, 1st Oct 2013.
4: 'Mesh Cities', Keynote and Walk-shop, Aotearoa Digital Arts Network, Dunedin, New Zealand, Sept 13-15th 2013.
5: ISEA 2013 (Resistance is Futile), June 15–30th 2013 at ICE (Information and Cultural Exchange), Parramatta, Sydney, curated and produced by Carli Leimbach in association with ICE, ANAT, the Australia Council, QUT and ISEA International. Jonathan Parsons is Artistic Director of ISEA2013.
Opening at Riverside Theatre, Parramatta,  Fri. 14th June, 5.30pm.
Artist talk on June 9th at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney for VIVID 2013.
6: Online at www.long-time-no-see.org (no longer active).
7: Pre-launch at Balance-Unbalance Conference 2013, 1st June 2013.
8: Various workshops for QUT Staff/Students, 2013-15.
9: Noosa Biosphere, at Central Qld University, Sunday 25th May, 10am-4pm.
10: QUT LIbrary Staff, 100 Things Workshop, QUT Gardens Point, 2014.
11: Project presentation at Balance-Unbalance Conference 2015, Phoenix, Arizona State University, USA.

TEAM: Keith Armstrong: Creative director Linda Carroli: Community engagement, writer and urban practitioner, Gavin Sade: Interaction designer, Robert Henderson: Lead designer, Roger Dean: Generative sound artist, Petros Nyfantis: Software developer and Johnson Page (Front end development) and APP version Two developers Zac Fitzwalter and Eat More Pixels. Thanks also to Tony Fry: Originating project mentor (2012).

PARTNERS: Australia Council For The Arts, QUT Creative Industries, QUT Interaction and Visual Design, QUT Precincts/The Cube, ISEA 2013, Embodiedmedia, ICE (Paramatta), Harbinger Consultants and many others. Long Time No See? Is presented by The Cube, ISEA2013 and proudly supported by ICE. The Long Time No See? project was awarded a Broadband Arts Initiative grant by the Australia Council for the Arts in 2012. It has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body in collaboration with QUT Creative Industries.

MORE: Long Time No See? (LTNS) is a speculative hybrid of art and design thinking and practice that urges participants to prepare for and instigate personal and collective journeys of 'futuring'.  By first revealing how human designing has implicitly structured and designated much of what the future can now offer participants are asked to picture the future not as a void awaiting input, but rather as an perfect storm: full of much of the detritus of historical decision. This challenges them to think of themselves as pathfinders rather than pioneers, thereby setting their personal compasses in new ways that allow them to walk ‘care’-fully with the project; guided by an artists’ field book and a data gathering App. By challenging them to undertake a physical walk that also involves thinking, imagining and recording, LTNS? actively clears space for contemplation and potential futural actions. Participants then bring their considered contributions into a dialogue with others, aided by an online, relational visualisation. Returned walkers are able to map, connect, explore and discuss futuring in the work’s supportive environment.  Seen collectively, LTNS? emerges as a complex hybrid of participative process, contribution, visualisation and community discussion: an invitation to un-design that which is routinely presented to us as given.