Brighton - View website

About Us

Blast Theory is renowned internationally as one of the most adventurous artists' groups using interactive media, creating groundbreaking new forms of performance and interactive art that mixes audiences across the internet, live performance and digital broadcasting.

Led by Matt Adams, Ju Row Farr and Nick Tandavanitj, the group’s work explores interactivity and the social and political aspects of technology.

It confronts a media saturated world in which popular culture rules, using performance, installation, video, mobile and online technologies to ask questions about the ideologies present in the information that envelops us.

About the role

We are currently undertaking research in areas across locative media, pervasive gaming, broadcast and mobile video. Individual projects range in scale from internally directed investigations lasting only a few months through to large scale research projects involving partners across Europe and lasting several years. Our research is often structured to support the development of public presentations around the world. We have a particular interest in technologies that deliver live and performative experiences for users online and on the streets, especially:

• multi-user server applications that run real-time communications and media such as video, audio and game data
• location technologies and networked applications on mobile devices
• integration of VOIP, SMS and messaging services with web applications

With this role, we aim to expand our activity in these areas. You will be invited to take part in the design and writing of software to explore the possibilities of these technologies in new cultural forms.

You will be working with the artists to agree specifications and areas for investigation. You will need to work collaboratively alongside developers from partner organisations in the UK, in particular, the University of Nottingham's Mixed Reality Lab. You will be asked to deliver and maintain software for public presentations and will have opportunities to travel with the work on presentations around the world.

Person Specification

You:

• can write clear, well documented and versioned object oriented code
• can show experience in following procedures for software QA
• have a good understanding of network security and issues in the design of secure networked applications
• can demonstrate an awareness of the issues of collaborative development
• have good communication skills and can give examples of experience of on working collaborative projects
• have experience in managing their schedule and working to deadlines
• are self motivated and can show ongoing interests in the technologies that Blast Theory works with
• have an interest in art and artistic activities in the area of new media

Essential technical skills:

• application server programming (Java, Python or C++)
• database development and administration (preferably MySQL)
• collaborative versioning software (preferably CVS)
• set-up and administration of commercially hosted, Unix based servers

Preferred technical skills:

• application development on iPhone and/or Android
• experience with Flash and media streaming servers (RED5, Wowza, FMS)
• experience with the set-up and administration of Asterisk PBX software
• competence in network management and network monitoring utilities
• experience with integrating third party APIs for web based media, location and messaging services