11 -23 May 98 - Quote of the workshop
IMMEDIATISM
All experience is mediated - by the mechanisms of sense perception, mentation, language,etc.- and certainly all art consists of some further mediation of experience.However, mediation takes place by degrees. Some experiences (smell, taste, sexual pleasure, etc.) are less mediated than others (reading a book, looking through a telescope, listening to a record). Some media, especially "live" arts such as dance, theater, musical or performance, are less mediated than others such as TV, CD's, Virtual Reality. Even among the media usually called "media", some are more and others are less mediated, according to the intensity of imaginative participation they demand. Print and radio demand more of the imagination, film less, TV even less, VR the least of all - so far.
Immediatism. Essays by Hakim Bey. AK Press. Anticopyright 1994.
During these two weeks we aim to cover one hell of a load of ground. We'll be taking a look at possibilities of interaction within a hybrid performance/installation genre. We'll be experimenting with projection as both scenography and "virtual" performer, and building some small robots which will also act as performers. Make sure you have a little screw driver and a pair of scissors with you. We'll try and make seamless connections between physical performance sessions and hands-on computer work, so bring some lightweight clothing. We'll be looking at how to connect a host of different spaces, both digitally generated and otherwise, and we'll be crashing applications together in the process.We'll be in the midi-mode for much of the time, so bring your patience. At the end of the two weeks we shall present our collective work to an open forum as a performing installation! However, the main aim of this workshop is not the final presentation, but rather to leave you with a diversity of skills, resources and concepts. So, we hope to be able to expand your scope with regards to concept, while leaving artistic content in your hands.
Okay, so we'll be doing some CU-SeeMe stuff. I can't guarantee that you'll meet Elvis though. Sorry. Here's a few of the elements we'll be considering with regards to performance and CU-SeeMe video conferencing. |
Space | Be conscious over the space that the camera creates for you. Use close-up and far away to create depth in your video picture. Spend time watching others work in the camera space, and pay attention to the quality of movement created by the technology filter. Consider how best to make visual connections to the remote locations you are connecting with. Play around with the video window placements for projection, and the space and material used as a screen. |
Time | Consider the element of time with regards to the rhythm of your work. Become aquainted with the variations of time-lag between connected locations. With fast connections, this may be fractions of a second, but remember that when using CU-SeeMe information is not necessarily passing in the most direct route between these locations. The technology is manipulating/mediating the dramaturgy of your work. Do you want to make this MORE visible? |
Chat | Projecting the talk window in CU-SeeMe performances is a bit like showing the script of a play while the play is in progress. If you've been to the Norwegian Opera when an Italian piece is showing, you will have seen the translated libretto scrolling across a lightboard over the stage. How much attention do you, as an audience member, pay to this? How much can you expect your audience to pay attention to the talk window text? If you want to make the text important, what methods can you use? Do you need to project the talk window at all? |
ICQ | When the talk window is actively used and projected as part of a performance, we have found it useful to use ICQ paging for practical messages between split locations, especially useful when things get out of hand, and you need to enter a practical dialogue with your fellow performers, eg, when you get kicked out of a reflector, and need to find a new one where you all can meet, or when one location is responsibile for initialising a new phase of a performance. Think of it as intercom, a textual cueing codex, or whispering stage directions. |
Sound | Sound transmission and reception in CU-SeeMe is dodgy, to say the least. We recommend finding other methods of transmitting and receiving sound if this is an important feature of your work. We often use the telephone. Mic-up the phone and plug it into your sound mixer. Consider using common apps like RealAudio. Don't limit yourself to one system, or lock out the possibility of using acoustic sound. Remember your in-house audience, and the intentions of your work. Each local space should function as a complete individual performance/experience, despite its connected dependence. Use ANY method to make your performance work for your audiences in all locations. |
Planning | Working between split locations ultimately involves an element of chaos and chance happenings. You cannot entirely plan a linear, faultless event on the internet, and if this is your intention, then you're working with the wrong medium! Leave pockets of freedom for improvisation and surprise between the locations. Make sure everyone is clear over the basic framework, and keep the framework as simple as possible - you can do complicated things within a basic framework. Have a stratergy for computer crashes and connection failures. They happen! How many applications are you intending to use? How many computers do you have available? Make a conscious decision on whether to hide or make visible your technology/equipment/cables, and remember that when working in split locations, there are many options to choose from: each location can be alotted its specific aesthetic and function. |
Here are a few reference links that may come in handy,
as examples of net-based projects and applications,
information resource, or just stuff to play with.