The group was founded in 1991 by Matt Adams, Niki Jewett, Will Kittow and Ju Row Farr. The group is currently led by Matt Adams and Nick Tandavanitj. Ju Row Farr left her leadership role in 2023.[1] Other members include the film maker John Hardwick and the late performer Jamie Iddon.[2] Over its history, Blast Theory's work has explored interactivity and the social and political aspects of technology through a multitude of forms – using performance, installation, video, mobile and online technologies.
In 2015 the group launched Karen,[9] an app that psychologically profiles the user.[10]
Approach
Blast Theory's artists describe their work as collaborative and interdisciplinary. Their practice mixes games design, interaction design, installation and performance.[11]
Early works such as Gunmen Kill Three (1991) and Chemical Wedding (1994) fitted more in the category of live and performance art. Kidnap (1998) was a lottery inspired by the Spanner Trial in which participants paid for a chance to be kidnapped by the group. It was presented via video streaming.
Desert Rain (1999) was a large scale virtual reality game that saw a shift towards work that questions performativity,[12] site and presence. Blast Theory were pioneers in location based art and mixed reality with works such as Can You See Me Now? (2001) and Uncle Roy All Around You (2003).
Reception
Blast Theory's work has been influential in the fields of theatre, indie games, ARGs and mobile design. Desert Rain was described as "“one of the most complex and powerful responses to the first Gulf War to be produced within the sphere of theatrical practice"[13] and "possibly the most technologically ambitious art installation ever made" in The Times.[14]
In 2023 We Cut Through Dust was selected as one of the best works at the Manchester International Festival by Frieze.[15] In an article in The Guardian on artists using AI to "reclaim AI from Big Tech" Gabrielle Schwarz highlighted Cat Royale's exploration of trust in AI.[16] Blast Theory's work has been featured in over 130 books and journals.
2021 – Winner of The People’s Choice Award, The Lovie Awards (UK) in Weird & Experimental for A Cluster of 17 Cases (UK)[22]
2020 – Gold Winner, Video, Film, Animation & Live Media or Digital Performance, MUSE (American Alliance of Museums) for Spit Spreads Death: The Parade (USA)
2019 – Nomination, David and Yuko Art Foundation Grant (UK)
2019 – Winner of the 2019 Trailblazer Award, IndieCade (UK) for contributions to the field of games[23]
2018 – Silver Winner, The Lovie Awards (UK) in Best Use of Interactive Video for 2097: We Made Ourselves Over
Steve Benford, Rob Anastasi, Martin Flintham, Adam Drozd, Andy Crabtree, Chris Greenhalgh, Nick Tandavanitj, Matt Adams, Ju Row-Farr, 'Can You See Me Now?', Pervasive Computing, No.3, Volume 2, July/September 2003, pp. 49–51