On February 17, 2005 the University of Florida’s Digital Worlds Institute coordinated an unprecedented real-time global performing arts collaboration with partners representing Australia, Korea, Latin America, England and the USA. “Hands Across the Ocean: The Lost Chord” featured musicians, dancers, actors, engineers and video artists from five cultures working together to create a multidimensional perspective on world music. On April 29, ³Hands Across the Ocean" won the Inaugural Peoria Prize for Creativity in the Arts and Sciences.

In this updated homage to Through the Looking Glass, a schoolgirl wants to find out about the rich diversity of music found around the planet. Through the creative application of digital “looking glasses”, she is able to travel virtually to five different sites around the world. Her real-time interaction with musicians allows her to return to her starting point with a better understanding of diverse musical cultures. Global audiences were invited to follow her journey over the web and via large-scale public screen networks in the participating countries.

Katz Keily, Coordinating Executive Producer in the UK, commented, “The Lost Chord project brings together inspired artists and educationalists from around the world. It is a fusion of art and technology that will encourage global connections. The support we will receive from the BBC and other international broadcasters gives everyone the opportunity to witness this ground-breaking event and to see into other cultures.”

James Oliverio, Artistic Director and Executive Producer, USA, states, “We are proud to be able to showcase artists from five different cultures performing together in real time. The creative use of the Access Grid and Internet2 allows us to share and experience diverse cultures in a way that was never possible before. “The Lost Chord” is truly a global effort in research and education. It provides a glimpse into a bright future where students can effectively learn, interact and build relationships with others from across the globe without having to leave their classroom setting”.

Audiences from around the world viewed the premiere of this real-time distributed global collaboration “live” at each of the following partnering institutions: Doncaster College/Digital Knowledge Exchange (UK), the University of Florida/Digital Worlds Institute (USA), Queensland University/Australian Centre for Interactive Design (AUS), the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Miami’s New World School of the Arts.

The event was commissioned by the Digital Knowledge Exchange in the United Kingdom.

For more information in the USA, please contact James Oliverio at 1-352-294-2020.

Press Release (Adobe PDF)

List of Credits (Adobe PDF)