Thursday potluck?
ya'll into it? I'll bring some fruit. Comment with what you'll bring.
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April 28, 2009
This Week in MAW
Hey MAW people,
An outing to here:
View Larger Map
My hope is to bring a relatively small setup, 2 projectors, 1 generator, 1 laptop, speakers and to rig up a giant version of live-draw with the big light panel so lots of hands can get in there.
If people have other work they would like to try in this space, just be sure to have it prepared on a laptop of your own.
If it rains, as it may, we can either call it a work day at the Regis, or perhaps a tunnel outing, or a little of both?
April 26, 2009
Midtown Greenway Outing 04.16.09
here is the finished product of our first official class outing on the greenway, oh the memories.
April 25, 2009
Telephone number for Minneapolis Park/Rec. Board
So I found a number online that we should call for the witch's hat tower outing. The general contact number is 612 230-6400. I was looking at the website and a permit may be (hopefully not) required to do projections but we can figure that out when we call. They're probably closed on the weekends so Monday would be a great day to call.
Michael G.
April 24, 2009
maw.text-show
April 23, 2009
First Spring Outing
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
April 21, 2009
Final Project.
So I have a couple ideas for my final project. First, I was thinking about a map of the world composed of faces. I could find pictures of people indigenous to every modern day country creating a sort of collage of every continent in the world. Then when clicked on, every continent can have it’s own view which includes names of the countries as well (it wouldn’t be on the larger scale for sake of aesthetics). This way, whoever is interacting with the project can pick a country, see what the people who are from there look like, and write something. I was also thinking about having a fact or just something interesting about each of the pictures/places. The idea of this project would be to see a cool color scheme across the world of faces, and have the immediate ability to point out where you (as the viewer) are from or what have you. I was thinking that if there were any way to use google earth as a tool for the project things could get a lot more interesting. As far as a way to develop this project—I am thinking maybe there would be some way with livedraw? I’m sure talking to Ali or Andrea would help. I would like to project it somewhere South maybe at Franklin and Cedar. Somewhere with a lot of different colored faces to make things more interesting.
Other idea-- several faces all in the same place making different “faces” accompanied with poetry. For this, I think a building with lots of curves would be the coolest. Weisman maybe (would that work with the metal)?
April 20, 2009
This Week in Art on Wheels and Beyond
Hello,
Congratulations to all for a good outing on Thursday night. It is worth mentioning that though we've done over 70 outings with MAW, last weeks was likely the most ambitious in terms of the number of works shown, the number of projectors deployed, and the number of participants present. As the outing went quite smoothly nonetheless, I feel confident that it's time for you to begin making outings on your own.
We have three more Thursday meetings left this semester. We will spend Thursday night on a local outing, the back of Barker Dance Center and Regis; by the end of that night I would like everyone to get closer to being totally independent in terms of getting the public project instrument fired up and deploying his/her work. Beyond those meetings I would like everyone to take part in at least two outings. Andrea is available to give access to the equipment; please plan a few days ahead.
Andrea is also planning some outings of her own (like this one on Wednesday). I expect everyone to be present at this outing; I also encourage you to take up Andrea's offer to show some work. Please take advantage of this and other similar occasions to get more comfortable with the outing process.
I will also be discussing your final project prospectus with you this thursday, one-on-one. I expect everyone to arrange for an outing to deploy their final project idea; this outings may be group so as to include 2/3/4/5 students' work.
Greetings and until soon,
Ali
April 19, 2009
Open Play Session: 3rd Ave Bridge WEST
This Wednesday, April 22, I am organizing a performance/play/hangout time under the 3rd/central ave bridge WESTSIDE! I'm inviting some collaborators and have a specific agenda. If any of you are interested in showing/performing work in this location :
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| From Blog Pics |
AND are prepared to be very self-sufficient please let me know. Also, feel welcome to just come and hang out and bring friends. I intend to leave Regis around 8pm and have lights on cement around 9pm.
April 15, 2009
Voting Closes.
at 6pm, today, for Thursday location.
Do it up, people.
Proposal & Patch Request
With my recent prairie burning videos, I began contemplating the question of destruction versus rehabilitation—what, really, are the positive and negative aspects of complete destruction, such as in a nature conservation effort to revitalize and maintain a space? This concept applies differently to public space, infrastructure, and housing, for example, with many economic and social factors tied in. Obliterating a building to begin anew might provide the opportunity for new technological innovation, greener production, etc. However, the consequential costs of the new structure, be it housing, for example, might exclude various classes of people who were previously experiencing sustainable-living in the area.
Going back to the prairie burn, the thought always pops into my head as to what’s happening at the micro-level during the fire. What we see are spreading flames, billows of smoke, black, singeing… The activity at the micro-level must be equally as excited—desperate I suppose. I’d like to imagine this level, explore it and see what it looks like. The hand-held microscope we were introduced to a few class periods ago could be incorporated into what might be an experimental set-up, with dirt, controlled flame and other works.
I initially began simply with aesthetics in mind—how to combine images from nature in more of an abstract, pattern-illuminating exercise. From that, the fire in the prairie burns delivered quite an obvious statement, one that led me to the considerations above. With the abstraction led to the idea of what kind of things in nature are apparent versus those that are not revealed, which then led to a consideration of the more unseen aspects of urban areas. For example, often while refurbishing efforts go into more visibly public spaces, involving leisure, “thematizing” districts with convention centers, sports complexes, the more underlying structure might experience neglect, such as roads, sewer systems. The question then: what allows for a space to be favored, whereas another might sit, unused, and what can we do to transform this? Should there be any transforming? How can we reinterpret a space to serve artistic purposes? For an interesting geographical read, the novel Tropic of Orange looks at space and its potential from a really unique perspective.
Some ideas for the patch that I would like to incorporate into a composition would be flipping videos horizontally, upside down, as they would help to create new levels of abstraction.
April 14, 2009
Due April 16, Preparations for First Outing
Hello,
A few things to help our first outing go smoothly:
-please come to class a bit earlier than 6 if you can as we have much to prepare. sunset is at 7.58pm, at which time we must be on-site, generators fired up, projectors/computers connected and ready to play
-please organize all the media you need for your performance: 1) if using video, please bring them on a jump drive or put them on one of the check-out laptops ahead of time; downloading things the night of will take too long; 2) if using paper, plastic, film, or any other material, please have it organized and in an easy to transport container 3) if using live camera input CONSIDER THE LIGHTING (it's dark at night, so bring light or else, our headlamps)
-if you want music accompanying your work, please bring the track on an iPod or such
In later outings, roles may be filled more implicitly, but for the first I would like to select the following people for the following specific roles:
-documentation (video/stills):
Maj
[you won't film the whole time, and you will still perform]
-dj:
Michael
[please bring an ipod for a few hours of music, a mix would be much appreciated!]
-scouts:
John and Kara
[select route, ride in the front and the back of the posse, help navigate];
Order of performances:
1) Sinan
2) Michael
3) Brittany
4) Ryan
5) Lyric
6) Inna
7) Kara
8) Stephanie
9) Danika
10) Maj
11) Timothy
12) John
As we will set up several projectors concurrently, performances may overlap/combine.
Things are looking up!
Ali
ps don't forget to VOTE!
April 13, 2009
Have a bike?
Hey all,
If anyone does not have a bike for Thursday please let me know. I might be able to help.
-Andrea
April 11, 2009
Thursday April 16th Outing Options
Some more info on the options....
1. Saint Anthony Main:
View Larger Map
2. Mill City Museum Silos:
View Larger Map
3. The Greenway
April 10, 2009
Maps, Maps and Maps
Some map-obsessed people:
-Strange Maps
-Cartographic Oddities
-Visual Complexity
-The Map Room
-Gapminder
-Chris Baker
-Stamen Design
-Mike Lombardi
-Nina Katchaturian
-Justin Stewart
and
-Counter Cartography Collective (invited to the Reworking the University @ UMN April 24-27, 2009)
Strange things on Google Maps:
-Maps of Strange
-Rodsbot
April 9, 2009
Project proposal
My project will involve lichens and bioluminescent creatures. I'm interested in self-generated light - like the light that trees and grass and all living things take on in the hour before the sun rises, preparing to bloom with their own inner light. Lichens are a familiar sight this far north, while bioluminescent algae come from further away, brought by sailors with tales of a "milky sea." I hope to invoke biorhythms and chronobiology as a way of understanding rhythm as a crucial element of life on earth.
Final Project Proposal... Possible?
For my final project I was thinking of somehow incorporating recent still images with sound/music image manipulation/text, with an environmental theme. (I have no idea how to do this, but I think it might be possible??)
My initial idea is that there would be some sort of camera set up, taking continuous but timed apart images of people that are walking by. The pictures would then be projected in sequence, during which I would be able to manipulate the image by playing music (live). The specific notes of the sound would create different words and occasionally different photo manipulations that would also be on the projection. The texts that would appear would be different quotes or words relating to our current environmental crisis, and the manipulations would possibly distort or blur the images.
I was hoping that this project would be somewhat interactive, and that people could easily be aware of the placement of the camera and the fact that it is taking photos of them. This would mean that the projection would have to be placed in a place with high people traffic and congestion, so I’m not completely sure where I’d want to perform it but I was thinking like The Mall of America or somewhere by Coffman.
This entire idea came to me because from the beginning I knew that I really wanted to incorporate music and images, but also somehow make it live action and interactive. It’s also important me to have some sort of political or social meaning, and I feel that our current environment is the biggest and most important issue we currently face. I would hope that by showing this project I could communicate some environmental awareness in an unusual manner, while still making it entertaining and amusing.
I definitely have a lot of concerns about my ideas. It would most likely take some serious program creating and skills and such that I certainly do not possess. Does this project sound too farfetched? It could easily be altered as to make it a little more plausible and easier to do in the small amount of time given to create it. All I know is I’m going to need some serious help and guidance, but am excited to see any form of my vision come together. I also love to collaborate! :)
stop Motion mixer
stop motion of a audio mixer
Final project idea
Well Steph, I think you have a grand idea. I was also thinking of doing something along the lines of that project before I read your post. I think it would be hilarious to do something on fraternity row, but also a really strong statement. This should be something we discuss in class! I would like to also do more stop motion stuff. I had a great time making a short animation and I thought it would be fun to elaborate more on that and do more stop motion cartoon-like videos. Also, I think it would be neat to project under the St. Anthony main bridge area, where Andrea showed us her video where there was an actor also. So in combination with all these things,, I thought it would be rad to make a stop motion that would be projected underneath that spot because I like to hang out there a lot, and I have some friends in bands that I would ask to play under that spot but have the animation to interact with the band, kind of bother them a little bit. So it could be an interactive concert which would just be fun to watch.
But I have many more ideas, and would love to collaborate with other people (and Steph, we should talk about doing a public display of how women are treated, because that's something I feel strongly about)
Final Project IDEA
For my final project I would like to focus on a community involvement outing. People Serving People is an organization dedicated to helping families with emergency housing needs. I think an outing to their shelter would be a positive experience. I am thinking of focusing mainly on the kids who are staying there, so drawing and other simple things the kids will be able to pick up and try right away would be best I think. Maybe kids will want to make cutouts but I think just simple drawing projections would be cool.
It would be nice if we could introduce some other cool high tech things like a laser drawer. I remember when I was kid I was super fascinated with the long distance capabilities of lasers. If I could have used one to paint on a building I would have been blown away no doubt.
Other ideas would be to use live video projections that could have weird effects. Even simply using the built in effects in photo booth might do the trick. We could let the kids take pictures of themselves and then write on the pictures with the laser pointer.
I am envisioning my participation in this would be in setting up the opportunity for these other people to come and play with all the cool gear MAW has and offer an unexpected experience to the families.
The shelter is just down the street from the metrodome and the building itself may be a a good place to project onto.
http://www.peopleservingpeople.org/index.php
Assignment 1: Project Proposal
My final project idea is going to deal with life and cyclic motion that everything and body takes a complete part in. Wether is in Nature with the different seasons, life and death, the water cycle (perciptation, flow and evaporation), or the the "banal" cycle of our lives such as waking up, go to work (or school), eat, sleep, and repeat. For this theme, I would like trying to address both the beauty of the worldly cycle found in nature and in our lives, and also focus on the negatives that this cycle can produce, and what we can do to both respect and influence this cycle of life positively (or something of that nature.)
For a projection space, I would want to try to do it on the witches hat tower in prospect park. What I have in mind for my projection is to encircle the entire perimeter in projections and then have all the projections display a figure (not sure what, but it has to move) and have that figure 'circle around all of the projections in a fluid and proportionally correct manner in order to exemplify the sense of cycle, literally. Each projection background would then have a different setting that this figure would travel through, such as nature background, cityscape, and other backgrounds to show that there are many unique (even down to man made cycles, such as cities with traffic) cycles, and how they are possibly all attached. I am sure this might be confusing, but i am thinking that the idea itself might work.
Obviously there are some logistical things that need to be resolved, the biggest one probably being the use of multiple projections to project a cycle of one figure through every projector. I am thinking this might be possible through livedraw, but it could definantly be tricky. Also hauling that many projectors out to one area and have them all attached to computers could also be extremely cumbersome. I would not know what to do if it rained or if the weather did not permit, as there would be no 'centralized' operating area.
I am not sure if this is even a plausible feat, but one can dream!
April 8, 2009
projected project two that got erased!
ok, second time, because this one got erased. this is a second idea for a project that enables the viewer to be part of an interactive audience with the videos and manipulating images, i am incorporating this idea in my live drawing presentation. sorry for the vagueness, but i'm truly still brainstorming the idea of doing the live shows and what venues they would be on.
prospectarmus
Focusing on the idea of identity in a public sphere, bringing the private ideas and inner workings of who we are, to the forefront of a space is what I wanted to focus on. Often times storytelling is how we accomplish things, or the things we wear or how we speak. These things not only exciting me they want to be the emphasis of my final project. This is a very tentative prospectus because I feel like this idea has only manifested itself recently to me.
“How do I incorporate this?” is better asked in the question of “how do we represent ourselves when it is what we want to be portrayed as?” I would like to program the Max Patch to do a program similar to the projecting faces onto bigger buildings or something like a portrait that the person can alter while they use the audio to tell stories about themselves and their experiences. When you get people to talk, they will tell you a whole lot of information about their lives. I was thinking of doing this projection either at the Obama show in collaboration with Sinan’s piece or… on a cultural center spot in Minneapolis.. what about the public library downtown?
GMS The Gestural Music Sequencer
For my final project I would like to do a performance using the GMS, a gestural music sequencer that I've been developing in Processing (processing.org). The application samples video and displays it inverted so it looks as though you’re looking into a mirror. Each frame is analyzed for brightness, then the X and Y data of the brightest pixel is converted into a MIDI note. The X axis is used to select a pitch, while the Y axis determines the dynamics. As users move, dance, gesture, or draw, notes are generated based on a predetermined scale. Currently the available scales are pentatonic minor, whole tone, major, minor, and chromatic, all of which can be dynamically selected during a performance. Other dynamic controls include transposition, sustain, duration selection (manual or randomized with probability distributions), BPM adjustment, and note randomization. A "free" mode allows the durations to be manipulated by the mean brightness of the video input. The application works especially well in dark lighting while using a light source to control the sequencer.
Using this tool for an outing may produce some interesting results. I would like the piece to be collaborative involving a minimum of two artists and potentially the involvement of passers by. This way someone can be producing the visual input while another person is controlling the software. The controller can then react to the visual input by changing the key, speeding up the tempo, or manipulating the duration and color of the notes. Currently the software is still under development, so I have not yet written in any video processing. If this remains the case it will be important to either use a camera that has built in effects, or prepare visuals that work in the piece without the need for processing.
The sound will be an integral part of the performance; therefore, amplification and location are important factors for the success of the piece. On Main Street, Northeast under the Hennepin Avenue overpass by St. Anthony Main might be a good location. The sound is likely to reverberate prominently with plenty of volume. Another important factor is rehearsal. Although anyone can make music instantly with the GMS it takes some practice to understand how to use it effectively.
Thanks to Ali for all his suggestions including the use of probability distributions, Markov chains, vectors, and loads of other brilliant ideas that made my head spin. More details on the GMS including images, video, sounds, and writings about the development process can be found here:
Kitty Cat Klub Outing
Hi everyone. I'd like to invite the class to come to the Kitty Cat Klub ,315 14th Av. SE. Minneapolis on Wednesday, April 8 after the make up class (and McNamara outing). My group Keston and Westdal are playing with Graham O'Brien on drums.
Also, Oliver Grudem is going to be doing projection art in the space as we perform. Oliver was the projection artist who was performing at the Spark Festival during the Pole concert. The performance starts at 10pm and it's free. More info is available here:
http://www.unearthedmusic.com/
Thanks!
-John
Leggy
Here's my stop motion video. I added sound effects and music at the end. The sound at the beginning is a wind up toy I recorded that follows the motion of "Leggy". I also have some backyard ambiance I recorded with a set of binaural microphones and a cave sound that's pitched down water dripping with lots of reverb on it. I composed the music at the end in Ableton Live. More about the the music is here:
http://audiocookbook.org/sound_design/processed-rhodes-pedal-noise/
April 7, 2009
Final project idea
I actually have two projects in mind:
The first project shares the aesthetic qualities of the “heads on barb barker” outing we did in the class earlier this year. As a trans person, I am interested in change and fluidity in people’s identities and bodies over time...
I am interested in how these transformations may be effected and shaped by the person’s environment as well as their inner struggle and strength. Also, how the same set of transformations may shape the person’s surrounding and emotional landscape. What stands between you and your potential to realize yourself? How is that different for people with different levels of privilege and access to resources in society? What kinds of possibilities get blocked off and what opens up for you as you assert yourself over what is forced down upon?
My vision for the piece was via using the stop motion technique, having myself transform into many different identities and make it look like it is just happening on its own. In other words, think about a bunch of heads possibly starting at the same state and then transforming towards various different tangents. The obvious transitions are related to gender, hence various “drag” identities. However, the renowned documentary Paris is Burning by Jennie Livingston (1990) makes it clear that drag is not only about gender. People sometimes revolt against the obstacles of the real world by engaging in drag performances that allow them to become anything and everything that they cannot possibly become in real life. One of the characters in the documentary Dorian Corey says (she is amazing really, if you haven’t seen it already, i would highly recommend seeing it):
“In real life, you can't get a job as an executive unless you have the educational background and the opportunity. Now the fact that you are not an executive is merely because of the social standing of life... Black people have a hard time getting anywhere. And those that do, are usually straight. In a ballroom, you can be anything you want." -- Dorian Corey
Now, of course it would be better if the audience could somehow interact with these heads as they go through their individual transformation. Maybe they will be able to disclose their support and hostility towards the ones they feel strongly about. Given the level of transphobia in society (note: stupid MS Word does not recognize the word ‘transphobia’ for instance), maybe it is a bad idea to encourage people to publicly show such sentiments. Then again, in her brilliant performance “Cut Piece”, Yoko Ono allows the audience to engage in some sort of “violating act” by letting them cut a piece of her clothing, while she passively sits on stage. As time passes by, Yoko Ono gets more and more naked and uncomfortable as the members of the audience continues to cut yet another piece. Well, guess who gets most engaged in the act of cutting and races for the scissors? Yes, men. Using nothing but her passivity, she exposes brutal qualities of power and throws one of the best fucking slaps in the face of patriarchal hegemony that I have seen. Hurray for Yoko. In conclusion, I still need to think about a good way to allow the audience to interact with the heads… Maybe.
Second project is for District 202 and TYSN (Trans Youth Support Network). Instead of projecting on to walls, I think I want to have a big piece of cloth hanging in the air and project from behind so people see this floating canvas with objects that changes, moves on it. I would like it if there was also a white board like set up where people can brainstorm, collaborate, make art together. I mean look how pretty our brain storming session with a brown marker and a white board turned out for the Mississippi river outing ideas. I guess I need to figure out how to back lit a board like that and then use a camera and blow it out of proportion (make it big) and reflect the content either on the floating canvas or on a building of choice in downtown. Since the camera can also record, people would be free to erase and restart content and we could project overlapping images across time, do some sort of image collage I dunno. If you guys have better ideas to spice it up or have references/resources that you think I should check out for inspiration please do let me know.
Oh, there is one other thing: I saw a dance piece at the walker called thin air where they used surround wrap and projected image/video on it so the image and video wasn't visible until someone started using a white paint and paint the surround wrap, the gradual appearance of image was cool. But that is very much an indoors set up I think. And there was another instance, where they projected on some loose clothing on a dancer, the projection was a video of the same dancer. They matched the body ratios, so it was these overlapping bodies doing their own thing, it was trippy. I am not sure if I liked or hated it, but I know for sure that I got nauseous.
Is drag choice or genetics? :)
Assignment 3: Stop Motion Video
Tin Bird Can't Fly
Assignment #1: Project Proposal
Sooo. I have a concept, but I'm not really sure how I want to/can effectively portray my ideas/frustrations/ticks.
recent events have stirred my frustrations with how women are treated, alineated, sexualized, [insert adjective here], when we are attempting to interact with the world. As a couple instances, just so we can more clearly identify what sort of things I'm thinking, at work (I'm a barista) many of the women have complained to me about being called "sweetie" "honey" "babe, by total strangers and apparently crappy people. Recently we've had a guy in there asking to take pictures of the girls at night, and taking "guerilla" pictures of them w/o them knowing it.
Absurd.
But so whatever, I've always wanted to do some public display of how the condition of women is such that we have to actually be quite aware when we are walking home at night because we all know the dangers of not being aware, or that if we are walking down the street we have to worry about the insecurities that come up when we are cat-called, or when we are standing at a bus stop on a cold MN day when we all know we've had too much pizza just to stand next to a couple of sexy chicks holding Modelo beer and wondering why we don't look like that.
This shit, and then the fact that we are supposed to accept it because that's how things are and when we're trying to talk about our frustrations with a brother we are told we're oversensitive and that we need to get used to it.
You know....but I dunno how we get used to it when we pick up the MN Daily and find out another girl has been raped but then we immediately think: well, she must have been wearing something too slutty, or women shouldn't be walking alone at night.
OK!
So there's a lot of contradictions, and because of work events I'm kind of diggin the idea right now.
I'm not sure what programs i want to use, I don't know how to incorporate live play, and I have no idea what the content will be whatsoever.
Images, text, I need some ideas folks!
I do know that I would like to project somewhere that reeks of misogyny, so i was thinking frat row on a warm thursday night.
This would be:
A) admittedly, funny
B) a cite where many women have been sexually abused/harassed
C) interesting with all the stones on the buildings
D) most likely a large audience
the problems with this site, is that it is quite alienating, and it is a direct backlash against what fratrow stands for in the eyes of a lot of college kids.
As an individual, I'm fine with this, but as MAW, i think it is worth a conversation.
McNamara Outing
andrea and i are going to take the trikes out and project on the mcnamara center on east bank on wednesday night after the river meeting for class.
we will be laser tagging and experimenting with livedrawing and other projects. please join us on the bicycles too.
HOW-TO use MediaMill
MediaMill as a lot of very well done online documentation, including tutorial videos by Colin "MediaMill Man" McFadden himself.
Start with these three video tutorials:
1. General Overview
2. Uploading videos
3. Creating derivatives
The MediaMill help pages have all you need to know and more...
April 5, 2009
Mississippi River Discussion Panel
Hello all,
We have finally found a time that works for all the participants of our Mississippi river trip advisers.
The time and place are:
When: Wed. April 8th, 4.30pm-6.30pm
Where: In-flux space, Regis Art Center, 405 21st Ave. S, Minneapolis, MN 55455
This meeting is one of the two make-up classes for the two class-periods we have missed and is thus mandatory for all students.
Ali
media is the massage
stop motion using media is the massage by marshall mcluhan.
Due April 9th, Assignment 3: post stop motion on blog
Please post your stop motion animations from last week on the blog.
After you have exported the stop-motion from maw.stopmotion, and trimmed it as needed in quicktime, please upload your video to MediaMill and post an embedded flash video on the blog. Please select the "Assignment" and "Stop-Motion" categories to the post.
Ali
Due April 9, Assignment 2: Live Drawing composition
Please compose a short live-performance etude (1-3 minute) with the maw.livedraw application. This etude should be sufficiently terse to give the viewers a clear idea of the strengths of its approach/idea and how the performance could potentially develop in the future.
Your composition should be performable in-class; so bring your props and the folder of movie files with you to class. Use of the camera as an input source is strongly recommended. As the performance is much easier with one person behind the computer, and the other manipulating objects and the camera, collaborative performances are strongly encouraged. You may hence work in a groups of 2 or 3, in which case 2 or 3 different performances are required.
As usual, give sufficient thought to where the appropriate location for the performance would be, and why.
Due April 9, Assignment 1: Initial Proposal for Final Project
Please write a 1-3 paragraph paper describing your initial direction and/or inspiration for a final project. The final project for Art on Wheels will be a projection outing, in a public space, were each student will present a work for video. Works that use real-time technologies (camera, live-drawing, live performance of a real-time patch) are strongly recommended. Work that purposefully invite participation by viewers are also strongly recommended.
The description should include at least:
-The location you have selected and its connection to the content of your final project
-The instruments you wish to use for the projection
-Your primary concerns/needs/worries/forecasts about what will make the project successful.
Please post your proposal to the blog as an entry (not as a comment to this post); please assign the category "Final Project" to the post. Feel free to use images/google-street-views/drawings to strengthen and clarify your proposal.
Ali
April 3, 2009
River stories, magic, etc
Below is what we have in terms of content themes research so far:
I emailed Pat Nunnally at the UofM's river stories project and he said he could meet tomorrow 2pm or next week Tue or Th. Apparently, Ali also contacted him and will meet next week, Pat said we could join that session, I am available Friday 2pm or Tue/Th after 2pm. In the brainstorming session, there were a few issues discussed:
Themes and content generation: First of all, we ultimately decided that we will gather as much information on the river heritage as possible but will not get obsessed and/or try to replicate stories. Rather, this background information will hopefully help us connect to people in our path and help us initiate productive conversations that may lead to spontaneous content. We decided that we should have more artistic flexibility in general. During the trip, we will be creating and incorporating new content while trying to engage local artists and communities in that process (i.e. making and showing art as we go) but we also mentioned that we should have some core work done so that we can plug new content and produce an end-result quickly. In other words, we may have to figure out how to pull that together. Maybe some sort of framework already in place and then creating content real-time. The main point is creating art as we go is brilliant and engaging but a. we should have certain ready-made
things to show as fall back and b. generating art on the go requires skills and speed, so we should at least identify the tools we will use and become very comfortable with them.
Kara found some links on river pirates and caves, we thought that may be an interesting lead. Someone also mentioned the highway 55 controversy and people's resistance to protect sacred lands, which I find intriguing and a great potential lead as well. I also found this link: http://www.hoover.archives.gov/exhibits/Mississippi/8legends.html has some pop-culture looking info on certain river legends and spirituality. Tracing some mentioned names may (or may not) lead to more interesting finds. Of course Miss Rockaway Armada was mentioned (http://www.missrockaway.org/). Alyssa (the local artist friend who had the throat piece at the riverside outing) apparently hosted them in St.Louis and is interested in our project and are willing to contribute in whatever way that she may. If we'd like to learn more about her experience with rockaway armada as a local artist, we can always invite her to a class. In addition to heritage, we should also look at contemporary stories/magic/culture related to the river. On that note, see the article about a latter-day punk-anarchist Ahab, who captains a makeshift raft down the Mississippi River :) (link: http://www.divshare.com/download/6258160-c10)
Themes and respect:
We said that we should make sure that we are inclusive (try to at least be aware of various cultures, peoples and living situations around the river), respectful and we don't co-opt things that are precious to others. For this reason, we said that if we ever decide to play on a specific theme that may come out of a certain line of heritage/community, we should make sure to have some members of that
community onboard hopefully as contributors but if not, at least as consultants.
April 2, 2009
Alice and the Unlikely Suitor
This is the preliminary of my stop motion video. I want to add music and possible a sequel or two at some point. I also have a faster version but I thought this one makes it easier for the story to be portrayed...
Let me know what you think/If you have any ideas!
-Lyric
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Media Mill Video
maw.livedraw
Twelve simultaneous channels of video/live-camera playback, looping, auto-transparency, scaling and positioning....