Dane Watkins

Dane Watkins has over a decade’s experience of a research based, context-responsive practice that examines how conventional drawing and animation practices can be developed and shown in digital environments such as the web, computer driven installation, hand held devices and pervasive media. He trained in animation at Liverpool Polytechnic, concentrating on hand drawn animation for film.

Since then he has developed his work through using vector-based digital tools, undertaking commissions and international residencies, and by distributing work online. Dane developed SoLa a data visualisation of solar photo voltaic panels that enables the householders to see their energy production and consumption over hours, days and months. Dane worked with Western Power and Siemens to develop the interface for android tablets. Over the past few years he has developed an extensive body of drawings, animations and interactive surveys that reveal audience motivations through experimentation with transactional media.

In 2015 Dane will start a practice based PhD on the Poetics of the Database where he will explore the survey as artistic practice and how communication technologies and database management systems (DBMS) can be used as a material by artists as well as project evaluators within the field of cultural production.