"HELICOPTER BOYZ IN YOMIURI LAND"

I have been hoping to use Pico Projectors in my own work for a while now.

Found on Slashdot via Engaget here is an interesting possibility for them in a dance application.

Exploring the Moon

Media Theory Pressure Project 4.

Exploring The Moon from Alex Oliszewski on Vimeo.

Exploration of the Moon | a 2 minute audio centric narrative

Video of the moon at the end of the work was provided by Artist/Composer: Garage

provided through Creative Commons license: Attribution

Video of Apollo 11 provided by NASA.

The "found sound" in this piece is comprised of works available within the public domain.

This video in turn is available through a Creative Commons license of: Use with Attribution.

Media Theory: A Day in Observation

This image was created as my response to a pressure project assigned in my Media Theory class. We were prompted to observe - over the course of one day - the different ways in which our movements and actions were recorded or other wise surveyed. We were then to create a graphic image representing our observations.

In retrospect, I chose to approach this project from a more artistic gaze then some of my colleges. You can find examples of my classmates work here: http://ame4.hc.asu.edu/blog/mediatheory/?m=200910&paged=4

On Saturday, the day I took in observance of this pressure project, the only leave I took of the house was to go to the Fry’s market a few blocks from my house. The 1UP represents an acknowledgment that Fry’s provides me with food, the extra life points to make it through another day, and that this "health boost" was recorded by "the system.".

A virtual day? A day sitting before the LCD? A sky obscured with hyperlinks? A digital extra life?

I have received a number of questions about the subject sitting at the computer (representing me) with the submarine. I can only say that the placement of the submarine's para-scope in my colon represents the invasive and intimate nature of contemporary surveillance technology.

Interview With Frieder Weiss

Find more videos like this on dance-tech.net


I just found this interview with Frieder Weiss at European-tele-plateaus.eu. I have been following his work and found this interview very informative, both on where Weiss is headed, and where he has been. As I have mentioned before he is the developer of Eyecon a motion sensing software technology as well an algorithmic artist who has collaborated with a number of different dance companies. One of his collaborative works with Chunky Move, Mortal Engine, is slated to for a series of performances at BAM's Next Wave Festival this December 9th - 12th.

Research Methods: MindMap

Below are two snapshots of the current state of a mindMap / purpose journal that I am keeping for Thea 500: Theater Research Methods.

You should be able to zoom in and get a sense of the contents.

FOLDED:


UNFOLDED:

Media Theory: Pressure Project 2

~ from Alex Oliszewski on Vimeo.

Pressure Project 2: A non-verbal gesture based and encoded transmission of one of my first memories.

Media Theory: Preasure Project 1

Pulp Fiction Translation from Alex Oliszewski on Vimeo.

My translation of the "Cheese Burger Royal" scene from Pulp Fiction through Google Image searches of the key words and phrases of the conversation.

-a

Chunky Move: Mortal Engine

You can find here a brief and very positive review of Chunky Move's new piece Mortal Coil from The Dance Journal.

Cultural Media Isolation

Among others, Sam Stein from the Huffing Post has pointed out that Fox News Channel has now twice been found mislabeling Republican politicians as Democrats durring a national election. The more recent example coming from their coverage of SC Governor Mark Sanford's trysts. The final lines of Stien's short post reads: "There is, of course, a small danger to these quick journalistic missteps. They get repeated. Look, for instance at this Google News finding for 'Mark Foley, D-Florida.'"

Though it may seem anti-intuitive at first I have a sense that our current networked communication technologies are able to isolate individuals and perhaps groups of people from good information.

A market saturated with a pervasive Cultural Media - that can be targeted to individuals - can be tailored to mislead specific individuals and thus exert cultural influence.

Second Skin: Low Cost Motion Tracking of the Body

An Image of photo-sensors embedded into a fabric sleeve and a visualization of the tracking information generated bye the Second Skin system.
Photo from the Technology Review, found here.

Besides falling below the one thousand dollar mark Second Skin is notable for using a novel method of projected light and photo-sensors in conjunction with a vibration base bio feed back element. The idea being that this device is designed not only to the sense the body of the performer in space, but also effect a form of control over their performers body. There are a number of interesting comments in the Slashdot article where I first found the article linked above and this video which demonstrates the Second Skin technology, both hosted by the MIT Technology Review.

You can find the home page for the Second Skin project here: http://cameraculture.media.mit.edu/secondskin

The two main folks behind Second Skin are Chris Bregler and Ramish Raskar.

Programming TimeMap

TimeMap Software Programming from ole kristensen on Vimeo.

I found this wonderful video which goes into some of the details behind the performances developed by Ole Krstensen and Frieder Weiss.

I found the original video here.

DIY: Multi Touch Sensor Surface

Maximum PC's Multitouch Surface Computer from Maximum PC on Vimeo.

I found this tutorial on how to build a multi-touch surface computer from MPC on Gizmodo.

Cirque Du Soleil Projection Workshop

This past Monday and Tuesday I had the opportunity to sit in on a large scale projection and lighting workshop held at the ATL&S building at the University of Colorado Boulder. The workshop was led by a representative from Cirque Du Soleil. It was presented by the head of the projections department currently running the Beatles musical retrospective "Love" which is currently running in Las Vegas.

While the workshop was mainly geared towards providing an introduction to projection technology the workshop did touch on a number of subjects which would be of interest to well established video designers. You can find a copy of my notes from the workshop here. (My notes are provided as a Free Mind file = .mm, you can download FreeMind for free here. Please forgive the horrible spelling and for the incomplete sentences in notes, they are provided as is;)

One of the more interesting tid bits of information I was able to glean in the workshop was a more detailed understanding of how the interactive projections from KA were accomplished. Also of interest was that Cirque is in general need for technicians. They are planning on opening three shows a year for at least the next three years and apparently are looking for between 1500 and 2000 new technicians in the same span of time.

-A

Gene Youngblood: Part 3

Comic by Gapingvoid.com

There are a number of issues that I need to start addressing if I am going to take my research into Youngblood's work seriously. I come from a background in theatre, and my own work has to date been scorched by the hallmarks of narrativity, drama, and audience manipulation. There are a number of claims which Mr. Youngblood makes that unsettle me. While he does make exceptions - impulsively, I do not want to accept that theatre and narratitivty nor drama and entertainment are indeed entropic and precluded from Art. The suggestion that no new ideas are created in these realms leaves my own work in a much less satisfying light then I prefer. I have no interest in generating further entropy in a media sphere of which I, like Youngblood, am also critical.

The real issue I seem to be grappling with is that I tend to agree with Mr. Youngblood. Yet I want to look forward to creating new works which will share and generate new ideas, feedback into my culture and Noosphere, and escape what Youngblood suggest are the myths of Art and Entertainment. While I am willing to abandon the conventions of theatre which include audience manipulation, drama (as Youngblood understands it), and truly open up my own psychology for the sake of raising the work above entropy; I am not so willing to let go of narativity, live performance, or the audience itself. I know that this is not prerequisite to meet those needs of Art which Mr. Youngblood puts forth, yet there is work yet to do if I am to rise to the challenge of responding to Mr. Youngblood in the creative process which I employ as an artist.

I am currently envisioning a new work, "The Survivor's Way". In this work I have broken my creative process into three sections: process, content, and technology. It is within the process that the content and technology are integrated into a live performance. There are quite a few ramifications Mr. Youngblood's thoughts have on this work as I am now conceiving it.

In my next post here on this subject I will try and elaborate on these haunting questions in relation to my new work. Indeed the chorus of voices grows loud as Mr. Youngbood pushes: Where are the new ideas? Lori Anderson asks me again: Does the world really need another multimedia show? And, the ghosts of my ancestors turn in their graves and ask: Are you just interested in the content of our mannerisms?

In short, for now, I say: good question, it is in the field of performance ethnography that I will begin to find a response in relation to my current process. Yes. And, no.

The Survivor's Way

This is a rendering of the stage and basic technology behind a detailed project proposal I have just completed and which I hope may represent the first steps towards my next work. You can find a copy of the proposal in PDF form, as well as two virtual tour's of the technology designs that I am hoping to implement here: tinyurl.com/oliszewski

For anyone following this blog you'll notice that the technology in this work is directly inspired by my research into the work of Frieder Wiess and Mark Conigilio. The content of the work however is very personal in nature.

I am including as the primary resources for the content of the work a number of audio recordings, journals, and other media resources which come down to me from my grandfather and father. I am trying in this piece to bring the personal aspects of the work onto the surface. While my previous works have worked on the themes of violence and family, I have up until now used fantastical metaphors and analogies to deal with the content. Where the real life characters that inspired the work were transformed into fairy-tail characters and set in magical worlds.

I believe that this has allowed me to keep a distance from the personal emotions that come up when dealing with what can be painful memories and experiences. While I am sure that I will need to be careful in taking care of myself through the process of developing this work, I do believe that I am ready as an artist and mature enough as an individual to directly work with this rich fabric of stories handed down to me.

I am completely open to feedback that this proposal may illicit. I invite you, the reader of these words, to ask me any questions or provide any insight that you may have upon reviewing this proposal.

Designs of Henry Lowenstein: Denver Public Library

Image from the Denver Public Library's exhibition of
Hentry Lowenstein's theatrical designs and drawings.

January 21 - March 29,2009 The Denver Public Library is hosting an exhibition focused on the theatrical designs of Henry Lowenstein, a well known member of the Denver theatre community. The exhibition will be located at the Central Library on level 5 in the Gates Reading Room.

The Gate Reading Room at the main branch of The Denver Public Library

I had the opportunity to work with Mr. Lowenstein while I was in middle school. It was my honor to spend two summers while in middle school performing and working as a technician at the Denver Civic Theatre, which was founded and at the time operated by Mr. Lowenstein. I had the opportunity to work with him directly while hanging lights for The Mikado which was part of a series of plays Henry produced during the summer months and in association with the Denver Public School system.
One of Mr. Lowensein's theatrical drawings.

I am looking forward to this exhibition and the rare opportunity to see a selection of his drawings and theatrical designs.

CAVI Digital Experience - Living Runes

Interactive installation created in collaborations between MMEx, CAVI at the University of Aarhus and in cooperation with the Cultural History Museum in Randers.

The video above documents and explains an interactive installation which is currently on display at the Cultural History Museum in Randers, Denmark. While I originally found reference to this work on Gizmodo, there is also a wonderful write up on the piece available at the CAVI website.

As described on the CAVI website "Once a spectator approaches the stone, it immediately lights up and becomes a canvas for the narration. The first part of the sequence is an animation telling the dramatic story of Eskil and Thore, who drowned during a violent storm. The second part simulates the runes being carved by Eskil’s father, Åne, followed by a sequence of various effects that illustrate the passage of time and the different seasons. Eventually, the stone cracks and reveals the runes in flames."

This installation is very successful in engaging a museum patron with the story and personal meaning an artifact over 1000 years old. Here the juxtaposition between possible presentations, multimedia verses the more traditional use of an index card (or even a pre-recorded audio tour) presents a clear signpost pointing towards the future of multimedia design, application, and utility. Anyone involved in the crafts of storytelling who is interested in the use of multimedia should find a wealth of inspiration from this project. Through the narrative and interactive elements of the installation, the runic stone is given a performative life and spirit. The artifact now extends its influence beyond the mind and into the body of those interacting with it.

A few posts back I was contemplating the need of advanced projection techniques and other technologies in a production. I even quoted Lori Anderson asking if the world even needs another multimedia show. While this is an installation and not a multimedia show, it is a wonderful example of how the use advanced multimedia techniques can be directly utilized in the service of storytelling and revitalizing a personal connection with the content of a story. This work can directly inform theatre practitioners, as well as installation artist, and museum curators.

We are living in a time such as when Wagner and Adolpha were developing the use of light in the theatre. I strongly believe that the great new vocabularies and possibilities in performance and story telling are hiding within known technology and are slowly being revealed in the folds of work such as this interactive runic stone.

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Also of note from the CAVI website is this piece: Big Shadow

I am running out of time this morning to blog further, but I feel as though it is worth pointing out as it incorporates live performance, digital augmentation of shadow, and a web-presence aspect that are very intriguing. This work, as well as the interactive runic stone are very inspiring to me and directly speak to my core interests as a director, designer, and performance creator.