I am a post-digital/electronic musician and sound/multimedia artist based in Brisbane Australia as Associate Professor and Head of Creative Music Technology at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University (QCGU). Prior to my appointment at Griffith University, I held the position of Visiting Assistant Professor in Computer Music and Multimedia at Brown University (USA) and was previously a Lecturer in Music and Creative Music Technology at Kingston University London. Overall, I have nineteen years of university-level teaching experience across five institutions and three countries. My Ph.D was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and was completed in 2009 at Newcastle University (UK). My doctorate focused on electronic/digital media and advocated for the contribution that artistic methods make to the development and interpretation of knowledge, while suggesting new understandings of what it is to be a live musician at the dawn of the 21st century.
2024-2026 I am a chief investigator on Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project (DP240100680) “Cultivating digital music making in regional Australia” (Bennett A, Brown A, Ferguson J, Strong C, Green B). The project aims to examine effective methods of aligning local infrastructure and online resources to support digital music creators and their communities in regional Australia. It will promote digital creative industries and augment existing investments in regional art institutions and digital fabrication infrastructure. The project collaborates with regional digital artists to share their skills and expertise, with the goal of improving coordination of resources and infrastructure for the growth of regional digital creatives and engagement with their communities. Knowledge outcomes will assist governments in optimising the delivery of creative services and resources in regional Australia. More info here.
I build and perform electronic instruments and post-digital systems that foreground tactile interaction, my work investigates the performance-practice of electronic music and explores various exhibition and performance spaces. I use the term “post-digital” to articulate my approach, which is less about being in control of a situation and more about ways to find lifelike resonances with which to interact; the relationship between imagination, expectation, and material is foreground. My research seeks renewal through continuous engagement with varied and ever-evolving technologies. For example, I am currently building new hardware and developing a live audio-visual practice that revolves around graphical programming with Touch Designer.
I have practical skills in electronics, sensor/actuator systems, and developing proficiency in digital fabrication techniques such as laser cutting and circuit manufacture. I have led large scale collaborative installation projects and contribute to various collaborations through the Griffith University Interactive Media Lab. My use of Pure Data, Arduino, and KiCAD software is ideal for creating new instruments and for experimentation/rapid prototyping. As well as bespoke software and hardware, I regularly use industry-standard tools such as Ableton Live, Pro Tools, VCV Rack, Adobe Suite (etc). My work foregrounds artistic research and associated documentation strategies, I have published on this topic and am often invited to speak about research methods in music and the creative arts. Additionally, I am very capable with video tools such as Premiere, Final Cut, and am confident in the realisation of large multicamera edits and camera-switching for live streaming and live capture.
My research is published via Ashgate, Cambridge University Press, Organised Sound, Leonardo Music Journal, Leonardo Electronic Almanac, Contemporary Music Review, Creative Sources Recordings, Soundmuseum.fm, and Clinical Archives.
Notable artistic research outputs include performances at: International Conference on Movement and Computing, Arizona (2019); Australian Computer Music Conference, Melbourne (2019); New Interfaces for Musical Expression, Virginia Tech (2018), Tilde~ New Music and Sound Art Festival, Melbourne (2017); Australasian Computer Music Conference, Adelaide (2017), Sonorities Festival of Contemporary Music, Belfast (2016); Glasgow Electronic and Audiovisual Media Festival, Glasgow (2016); North East of North Digital Arts Festival, Aberdeen (2016); International Conference on Live Interfaces, Sussex (2016); New Interfaces for Musical Expression, Louisiana (2015) and London (2014); New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, New York (2014); Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States, Wesleyan (2014); International Computer Music Conference, Athens (2014) and Huddersfield (2011); Brunel Electronic Analogue Music Festival, London (2012); Sonic Arts Research Centre, Belfast (2011); Borealis Festival for Contemporary Music, Bergen (2009); The Sage, Gateshead (2009); Club Transmediale, Berlin (2008); AV Festival, Newcastle (2008); Studio for Electro Instrumental Music (STEIM), Amsterdam (2008).
Contact: john@johnrobertferguson.com
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