About me

Current

I’m a lecturer at De Montfort University (DMU), where I teach Functional Programming, Research and Front End Web Development.

UnCurrent

I have just completed my doctoral studies at DMU under the working title: Algorithmic Meta-Creativity.

My research involved studying human and computer creativity and how they are evaluated, the absurd pseudo philosophy pataphysics and its applications, and the development of creative exploratory search algorithms inspired by pataphysical concepts. Code written in Python.

Part of this research has been described in a journal article in Digital Creativity in 2013, and I presented a paper at the Creativity & Cognition conference 2013 in Sydney. The prototype pataphysical search tool I created has since been used to generate the libretto Amorphous Isle for an online opera called The Imaginary Voyage. Most recently I published an article called Creative Zombie Apocalypse with Dave Everitt.

My Master of Science (MSc) is from De Montfort University in 2010. The major project was a publicly showcased passive interactive installation, augmenting a live video stream of users with interactive elements using motion tracking algorithms. Code was written in C++. The project report was delivered in the form of a website for which I received a First.

I received a Bachelor of Science (BSc) from the University of Leicester in 2007. For the major project I created a Sudoku solver, including a performance comparison between two different algorithms. All code was written in Haskell. See the dissertation document for which I received a First.

Please note that I do not maintain old resources properly anymore and there are external links I’m not responsible for.

Links

PhD Project

Algorithmic Meta-Creativity - a poetic search engine available at pata.physics.wtf. The thesis itself can be read at dr.physics.wtf, and my Viva Voce presentation here.

Publications and Talks

• Creative Zombie Apocalypse: A Critique of Computer Creativity Evaluation, article for Creative Computing Conference in Oxford 2016, link
• The pataphysics of creativity, article for Digital Creativity Journal 24:3 2013, link
• Creative search using pataphysics, paper for Creativity & Cognition conference in Sydney 2013, link
• The Pataphysics of the Future, talk for the TDC at De Montfort University 2013, link
• A Framework for Creativity in Search Results, paper for CONTENT conference in Rome 2011, link
• Related: The Imaginary Voyage, an online opera by Hugill, Scott, Wake-Walker and the Opera Group, link
• Related: PataLib An API for pataphysical search (by Andrew Dennis, built on my work) on GitHub.

MSc Project

A passive interactive application for the BBC Big Screen in Leicester

• Report in form of a website from 2010, available at msc.fania.eu.
• IOCT Virtual Tour, 2009/10 student showcase, including me!

BSc Project

Sudoku, Dissertation from 2007