Image: Patterns in Practice Residency – Craig Scott. Image credit: Shamphat Photography

Funded by AHRC-UKRI, Patterns in Practice was a research project led by the University of Sheffield and the University of the West of England in partnership with Watershed. The project sought to enhance understanding of how human beliefs, values and emotions affect how we engage with data mining (the practice of analysing large databases in order to generate new information) and machine learning (computer systems that are able to learn and adapt without following explicit instructions, by using algorithms and statistical models to analyse and draw inferences from patterns in data). Erinma Ochu was the Arts case study lead and Impact lead for Patterns in Practice, which included the overseeing the qualitative research delivered by Postdoctoral Associate, Monika Fratczak and the podcast and dialogue series delivered by Research Associate, Sambourne Bush.

This interdisciplinary research project explored the beliefs, values and emotions of practitioners across three case studies (the arts, cheminformatics and higher education). UWE Bristol devised and delivered a series of practitioner dialogues and a podcast series.

Composer, improvising guitarist and sound artist, Craig Scott took up an artist residency responding to key insights and creating their own inquiry. For this residency, Craig explored built an automated guitar through which he examined the evolving human relationship with technological appendages, its effect on personal and collective mental health, perception of reality and how we relate to our own bodies, tools and each other.