Active Ingredient was an award winning artist-led collective founded by Rachel Jacobs,Matt Watkins, Gareth Howell and Zini Pandya in 1996, later joined by Robin Shackford. Active Ingredient created interactive artworks that toured nationally and internationally between 1996 and 2013. They were pioneers of digital and web art in the early days of the internet, creating a precursor to YouTube through their live streaming video channels developed between 1999-2007 and their early locative mobile phone games, developed with the Mixed Reality Lab and Hewlett Packard from 2005-2007.

They collaborated regularly with other artists, musicians, researchers, workshop facilitators, galleries, curators, scientists, technologists and designers.

Active Ingredient is no longer active although the ethos and vision continues as the members of the collective continue to make artworks, cook, write, lecture, be part of communities and engage communities. Rachel and Matt are in the process of archiving Active Ingredient’s work, with more to come soon…

Key Artworks 2007-2013

Key Artworks 2000-2006

Key Artworks 1996-2000