Turbulence Commission: "SWM05: Distributed Bodies of Musical-Visual Form" by Troy Innocent and Ollie Olsen with the Shaolin Wooden Men and Harry Lee
July 18, 2006
Turbulence Commission: "SWM05: Distributed Bodies of Musical-Visual Form" by
Troy Innocent and Ollie Olsen with the Shaolin Wooden Men and Harry Lee
http://www.turbulence.org/Works/SWM05/
SWM05 features the distributed bodies of musical-visual form that are
inhabited by the Shaolin Wooden Men (SWM), a virtual band, a 'gang of
numbers' -- me(a)tacodeflesh. SWM require your assistance to manifest as
media creatures. They invite you to send them images of your local
environment in which they can appear. Sending images unlocks access to the
SWM05 mobile site which consists of downloadable micromusic ringtones and
small screen machinima performances. The SWM are everywhere. In a meshwork
of wireless entities, they are media creatures seeking a fragmented
existence to be consumed in the nanoseconds of play-time in the emerging
wireless net. SWM05 will transfigure the SWM by embodying them in a new
materiality.
"SWM05: Distributed Bodies of Musical-Visual Form" is a 2005 commission of
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc., (aka Ether-Ore) for its Turbulence web
site. It was made possible with funding from the Andy Warhol Foundation for
the Visual Arts.
BIOGRAPIES
The SHAOLIN WOODEN MEN are a 'gang of numbers' whose bodies are 'made of
sound'. In their various manifestations they have released three full-length
recordings - "S.W.M. " (1992), "The Hungry Forest" (1994) and "Supermindway"
(2001) - and a collection of singles and remixed released on the
Psy-Harmonics label. The S.W.M. work across image, sound and interactivity
and have performed at DEAF96 and exhibited at ISEA96. Typically, they
require the assistance of creative humans to manifest as media creatures to
be distributed across the net.
TROY INNOCENT has been exploring the 'language of computers' and the new
aesthetics of digital space since 1989. In recognition of this work,
Innocent has been described as "the first philologist of virtual reality".
His artificial worlds - Iconica (SIGGRAPH 98, USA), Semiomorph (ISEA02,
Japan), and lifeSigns (Ars Electronica 2004, Austria) and Ludea
(SIGGRAPH2006, USA) - explore the dynamic between the iconic ideal and the
personal specific, the real and the simulated, and the way in which our
identity is shaped by language and communication. He is currently Senior
Lecturer, Department of Multimedia and Digital Arts, Monash University,
Melbourne, Australia.
OLLIE OLSEN is an Australian composer, synthesist and sound designer who has
been producing and performing rock, electronic and experimental music for
the past thirty years. Projects include "Max Q," "NO," "Third Eye,"
"Orchestra of Skin and Bone," "Shaolin Wooden Men," and "I am the Server."
Some recent collaborations and projects include performing with Negativland
(from USA-2001); guest soloist with the Australian Art Orchestra (2002); and
recording with Japanese bands, BOREDOMS and AOA (2001-2002.
HARRY LEE is a web developer working with Macromedia Flash, SQL, PHP and
related technologies. Recent projects include database development for
lifeSigns, exhibited at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in
2004, in addition to numerous corporate and education projects. He lectures
in multimedia and digital arts in the Faculty of Art & Design at Monash
University.
For more information about Turbulence please visit http://turbulence.org
Jo-Anne Green, Co-Director
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org
New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856
Turbulence: http://turbulence.org
New American Radio: http://somewhere.org
Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog
Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade
Turbulence Commission: "SWM05: Distributed Bodies of Musical-Visual Form" by
Troy Innocent and Ollie Olsen with the Shaolin Wooden Men and Harry Lee
http://www.turbulence.org/Works/SWM05/
SWM05 features the distributed bodies of musical-visual form that are
inhabited by the Shaolin Wooden Men (SWM), a virtual band, a 'gang of
numbers' -- me(a)tacodeflesh. SWM require your assistance to manifest as
media creatures. They invite you to send them images of your local
environment in which they can appear. Sending images unlocks access to the
SWM05 mobile site which consists of downloadable micromusic ringtones and
small screen machinima performances. The SWM are everywhere. In a meshwork
of wireless entities, they are media creatures seeking a fragmented
existence to be consumed in the nanoseconds of play-time in the emerging
wireless net. SWM05 will transfigure the SWM by embodying them in a new
materiality.
"SWM05: Distributed Bodies of Musical-Visual Form" is a 2005 commission of
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc., (aka Ether-Ore) for its Turbulence web
site. It was made possible with funding from the Andy Warhol Foundation for
the Visual Arts.
BIOGRAPIES
The SHAOLIN WOODEN MEN are a 'gang of numbers' whose bodies are 'made of
sound'. In their various manifestations they have released three full-length
recordings - "S.W.M. " (1992), "The Hungry Forest" (1994) and "Supermindway"
(2001) - and a collection of singles and remixed released on the
Psy-Harmonics label. The S.W.M. work across image, sound and interactivity
and have performed at DEAF96 and exhibited at ISEA96. Typically, they
require the assistance of creative humans to manifest as media creatures to
be distributed across the net.
TROY INNOCENT has been exploring the 'language of computers' and the new
aesthetics of digital space since 1989. In recognition of this work,
Innocent has been described as "the first philologist of virtual reality".
His artificial worlds - Iconica (SIGGRAPH 98, USA), Semiomorph (ISEA02,
Japan), and lifeSigns (Ars Electronica 2004, Austria) and Ludea
(SIGGRAPH2006, USA) - explore the dynamic between the iconic ideal and the
personal specific, the real and the simulated, and the way in which our
identity is shaped by language and communication. He is currently Senior
Lecturer, Department of Multimedia and Digital Arts, Monash University,
Melbourne, Australia.
OLLIE OLSEN is an Australian composer, synthesist and sound designer who has
been producing and performing rock, electronic and experimental music for
the past thirty years. Projects include "Max Q," "NO," "Third Eye,"
"Orchestra of Skin and Bone," "Shaolin Wooden Men," and "I am the Server."
Some recent collaborations and projects include performing with Negativland
(from USA-2001); guest soloist with the Australian Art Orchestra (2002); and
recording with Japanese bands, BOREDOMS and AOA (2001-2002.
HARRY LEE is a web developer working with Macromedia Flash, SQL, PHP and
related technologies. Recent projects include database development for
lifeSigns, exhibited at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in
2004, in addition to numerous corporate and education projects. He lectures
in multimedia and digital arts in the Faculty of Art & Design at Monash
University.
For more information about Turbulence please visit http://turbulence.org
Jo-Anne Green, Co-Director
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org
New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856
Turbulence: http://turbulence.org
New American Radio: http://somewhere.org
Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog
Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade
Turbulence Commission: "My Beating Blog" by Yury Gitman
July 3, 2006
Turbulence Commission: "My Beating Blog" by Yury Gitman
with technical assistance from Benjamin Bacon
http://turbulence.org/works/beatingheart/blog/
"My Beating Blog" is an attempt to take the journaling aspect of blogging
into a surrealistic future in which the author literally and metaphorically
bares his heart. For three weeks, a series of posts contextualizing
heart-rate visualizations, GPS-maps, and personal journal entries will give
online users a rare entrance into personal medical-grade statistics,
stalker-level location tracking, and the private thoughts of the blogger.
Inevitably, issues regarding privacy, exhibitionism, and voyeurism playfully
emerge as the blogosphere is infused with biofeedback and location
technology. Rather than play into a dystopian or Orwellian future, blogs and
biofeedback are given poetic license, reframing our awareness of our own and
each others' beating hearts.
"My Beating Blog" is a 2005 commission of New Radio and Performing Arts,
Inc. for its Turbulence web site. It is supported by the Jerome Foundation
in celebration of the Jerome Hill Centennial and in recognition of the
valuable contributions of artists to society.
BIOGRAPHY
Yury Gitman is a designer, inventor, and award-winning artist. He has
exhibited at the Biennale of Electronic Arts, Perth, Australia; Isle de
France, Paris; Ars Electronics, Austria; and Eyebeam, among others, New York
City. Gitman was one of the first people to use the Internet from inside the
New York subway. He did this by employing a network of his "Magicbikes"
("wireless bicycle hotspots"). He was awarded the Ars Electronica Golden
Nica for Net Vision in 2003. In 2005 he opened Banana Design Lab, a product
design company focusing on lifestyle designs to entertain the soul.
Gitman has worked with non-profits such as NYCWireless, the Lower Manhattan
Cultural Council, and the Downtown Alliance to promote open Internet policy
and New Media Art practice in New York. He teaches an Electronic Toy Design
class in the Design Technology MFA program at the Parsons School of Design.
He received a Masters degree from New York University's Interactive
Telecommunication Program and a Bachelor of Science in Science, Technology,
and Culture from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Gitman's work has
featured in local, national, and international media including BBC, The New
York Times, Newsweek, NPR, New York 1 TV, Tech TV, CNET, ID Magazine,
Readymade, Village Voice, Adbusters, and Utne Reader.
Jo-Anne Green, Co-Director
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org
New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856
Turbulence: http://turbulence.org
New American Radio: http://somewhere.org
Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog
Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade
Turbulence Commission: "My Beating Blog" by Yury Gitman
with technical assistance from Benjamin Bacon
http://turbulence.org/works/beatingheart/blog/
"My Beating Blog" is an attempt to take the journaling aspect of blogging
into a surrealistic future in which the author literally and metaphorically
bares his heart. For three weeks, a series of posts contextualizing
heart-rate visualizations, GPS-maps, and personal journal entries will give
online users a rare entrance into personal medical-grade statistics,
stalker-level location tracking, and the private thoughts of the blogger.
Inevitably, issues regarding privacy, exhibitionism, and voyeurism playfully
emerge as the blogosphere is infused with biofeedback and location
technology. Rather than play into a dystopian or Orwellian future, blogs and
biofeedback are given poetic license, reframing our awareness of our own and
each others' beating hearts.
"My Beating Blog" is a 2005 commission of New Radio and Performing Arts,
Inc. for its Turbulence web site. It is supported by the Jerome Foundation
in celebration of the Jerome Hill Centennial and in recognition of the
valuable contributions of artists to society.
BIOGRAPHY
Yury Gitman is a designer, inventor, and award-winning artist. He has
exhibited at the Biennale of Electronic Arts, Perth, Australia; Isle de
France, Paris; Ars Electronics, Austria; and Eyebeam, among others, New York
City. Gitman was one of the first people to use the Internet from inside the
New York subway. He did this by employing a network of his "Magicbikes"
("wireless bicycle hotspots"). He was awarded the Ars Electronica Golden
Nica for Net Vision in 2003. In 2005 he opened Banana Design Lab, a product
design company focusing on lifestyle designs to entertain the soul.
Gitman has worked with non-profits such as NYCWireless, the Lower Manhattan
Cultural Council, and the Downtown Alliance to promote open Internet policy
and New Media Art practice in New York. He teaches an Electronic Toy Design
class in the Design Technology MFA program at the Parsons School of Design.
He received a Masters degree from New York University's Interactive
Telecommunication Program and a Bachelor of Science in Science, Technology,
and Culture from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Gitman's work has
featured in local, national, and international media including BBC, The New
York Times, Newsweek, NPR, New York 1 TV, Tech TV, CNET, ID Magazine,
Readymade, Village Voice, Adbusters, and Utne Reader.
Jo-Anne Green, Co-Director
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org
New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856
Turbulence: http://turbulence.org
New American Radio: http://somewhere.org
Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog
Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade
UPGRADE! BOSTON: NISBET, FRID-JIMENEZ, AND EXCHANGE 2006
1. UPGRADE! BOSTON: NANCY NISBET AND AMBER FRID-JIMENEZ
2. EXCHANGE 2006
3. NEW MEDIA AND THE POETICS OF COMMUNICATION
1. UPGRADE! BOSTON: NANCY NISBET AND AMBER FRID-JIMENEZ
WHEN: June 29, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
WHERE: Art Interactive, 130 Bishop Allen Drive, at the corner of Prospect
Street, Cambridge. [Red Line to Central Square]
<<<< NANCY NISBET >>>>
http://www.turbulence.org/upgrade/archives/06_29NN.html
Nancy Nisbet is a Vancouver-based artist. From a disturbing paintball gun
performance enacting the chaotic fluctuation in the cost of crude oil during
the lead up to the US-led War in Iraq/War on Terror to the surgical
implantation of 'identity' microchips into her hands, much of her work
considers the political, the technological and the personal. Of specific
consideration in her mixed-media work are issues of power, economics, and
surveillance and their cultural influences on entertainment/leisure,
identity and community. Exchange 2006 is a large scale project currently
underway. Nisbet received her MFA in Photography from the California
Institute of the Arts. Nancy Nisbet is Assistant Professor of Visual Art in
the Department of Art History, Visual Arts & Theory at the University of
British Columbia.
<<< AMBER FRID-JIMENEZ >>>
http://www.turbulence.org/upgrade/archives/06_29AFJ.html
Amber Frid-Jimenez is an artist and researcher working towards a masters in
Media Arts and Sciences with Professor John Maeda in Physical Language
Workshop at the MIT Media Laboratory. Prior to beginning her degree, she
spent a year as a research designer in the Cognitive Machines Group at MIT,
where she designed software systems visualizing large bodies of literature.
Frid-Jimenez was a visiting artist at the Banff New Media Institute in 2005
and artist-in-residence at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in
2003. Her work has been exhibited in galleries in New York, Washington D.C.,
and Boston. She has received grants from MIT Council for the Arts for her
collaborative work with Joe Dahmen, Ben Dalton, and Noah Fields. She has won
awards from the Art Director's Club, the American Association of University
Presses and the Smithsonian for her book and exhibit designs.
2. << EXCHANGE 2006 >>
http://www.turbulence.org/upgrade/nisbet/nisbet.pdf
http://www.turbulence.org/upgrade/nisbet/Upgrade_nisbet.doc
Upgrade! Boston and Turbulence.org, in partnership with Art Interactive,
proudly present a performance of EXCHANGE 2006 by Nancy Nisbet. Trade your
goods for Nancy's!
WHEN: June 29 - July 2, 2006
WHERE: in the parking lot opposite Art Interactive, corner of Bishop Allen
Drive and Prospect Street.
EXCHANGE 2006 replaces the studio with roads, truck stops, border crossings
and cities. For 6 to 9 months Nisbet's Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
tagged and inventoried personal belongings are being hauled in a commercial
shipping container to be freely traded throughout Canada, the United States
and Mexico. The performance includes the day-to-day travel and activities
associated with driving a commercial transport truck and the contact with
people and communities along the way.
"At each scheduled stop on the route, the team parks the truck, lowers the
ramps, unloads at least half of the crates and invites viewers to peruse the
goods. If a person happens to find something that tickles their fancy, they
take it to the "mini house," temporary tech centre that operates on wireless
technology, where the customer checks out the item while checking in
something of theirs to replace their "purchase." Each item is tracked using
RFID technology and logged into a database. In addition to the object
exchange, the customer also relays the story behind their giveaway object to
the crew, which is saved as an audio file, and in exchange Nisbet tells them
the story behind their newly acquired item, sort of like an anecdotal gift
wrap."* (National Post, canada.com)
The trip and exchanges are being extensively documented and published at
http://exchangeproject.ca.
3. < NEW MEDIA AND THE POETICS OF COMMUNICATION >
http://www.turbulence.org/upgrade/archives/08_01SIGG.html
WHEN: August 1, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
WHERE: Art Interactive, 130 Bishop Allen Drive, at the corner of Prospect
Street, Cambridge. [Red Line to Central Square]
A panel discussion with Adam Brown, Martha CC Gabriel and Michael Takeo
Magruder, moderated by Bonnie Mitchell.
If you no longer wish to receive these notices, please reply to this email
with "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject line.
Jo-Anne Green, Co-Director
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org
New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856
Turbulence: http://turbulence.org
New American Radio: http://somewhere.org
Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog
Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade
2. EXCHANGE 2006
3. NEW MEDIA AND THE POETICS OF COMMUNICATION
1. UPGRADE! BOSTON: NANCY NISBET AND AMBER FRID-JIMENEZ
WHEN: June 29, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
WHERE: Art Interactive, 130 Bishop Allen Drive, at the corner of Prospect
Street, Cambridge. [Red Line to Central Square]
<<<< NANCY NISBET >>>>
http://www.turbulence.org/upgrade/archives/06_29NN.html
Nancy Nisbet is a Vancouver-based artist. From a disturbing paintball gun
performance enacting the chaotic fluctuation in the cost of crude oil during
the lead up to the US-led War in Iraq/War on Terror to the surgical
implantation of 'identity' microchips into her hands, much of her work
considers the political, the technological and the personal. Of specific
consideration in her mixed-media work are issues of power, economics, and
surveillance and their cultural influences on entertainment/leisure,
identity and community. Exchange 2006 is a large scale project currently
underway. Nisbet received her MFA in Photography from the California
Institute of the Arts. Nancy Nisbet is Assistant Professor of Visual Art in
the Department of Art History, Visual Arts & Theory at the University of
British Columbia.
<<< AMBER FRID-JIMENEZ >>>
http://www.turbulence.org/upgrade/archives/06_29AFJ.html
Amber Frid-Jimenez is an artist and researcher working towards a masters in
Media Arts and Sciences with Professor John Maeda in Physical Language
Workshop at the MIT Media Laboratory. Prior to beginning her degree, she
spent a year as a research designer in the Cognitive Machines Group at MIT,
where she designed software systems visualizing large bodies of literature.
Frid-Jimenez was a visiting artist at the Banff New Media Institute in 2005
and artist-in-residence at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in
2003. Her work has been exhibited in galleries in New York, Washington D.C.,
and Boston. She has received grants from MIT Council for the Arts for her
collaborative work with Joe Dahmen, Ben Dalton, and Noah Fields. She has won
awards from the Art Director's Club, the American Association of University
Presses and the Smithsonian for her book and exhibit designs.
2. << EXCHANGE 2006 >>
http://www.turbulence.org/upgrade/nisbet/nisbet.pdf
http://www.turbulence.org/upgrade/nisbet/Upgrade_nisbet.doc
Upgrade! Boston and Turbulence.org, in partnership with Art Interactive,
proudly present a performance of EXCHANGE 2006 by Nancy Nisbet. Trade your
goods for Nancy's!
WHEN: June 29 - July 2, 2006
WHERE: in the parking lot opposite Art Interactive, corner of Bishop Allen
Drive and Prospect Street.
EXCHANGE 2006 replaces the studio with roads, truck stops, border crossings
and cities. For 6 to 9 months Nisbet's Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)
tagged and inventoried personal belongings are being hauled in a commercial
shipping container to be freely traded throughout Canada, the United States
and Mexico. The performance includes the day-to-day travel and activities
associated with driving a commercial transport truck and the contact with
people and communities along the way.
"At each scheduled stop on the route, the team parks the truck, lowers the
ramps, unloads at least half of the crates and invites viewers to peruse the
goods. If a person happens to find something that tickles their fancy, they
take it to the "mini house," temporary tech centre that operates on wireless
technology, where the customer checks out the item while checking in
something of theirs to replace their "purchase." Each item is tracked using
RFID technology and logged into a database. In addition to the object
exchange, the customer also relays the story behind their giveaway object to
the crew, which is saved as an audio file, and in exchange Nisbet tells them
the story behind their newly acquired item, sort of like an anecdotal gift
wrap."* (National Post, canada.com)
The trip and exchanges are being extensively documented and published at
http://exchangeproject.ca.
3. < NEW MEDIA AND THE POETICS OF COMMUNICATION >
http://www.turbulence.org/upgrade/archives/08_01SIGG.html
WHEN: August 1, 7:00-9:00 p.m.
WHERE: Art Interactive, 130 Bishop Allen Drive, at the corner of Prospect
Street, Cambridge. [Red Line to Central Square]
A panel discussion with Adam Brown, Martha CC Gabriel and Michael Takeo
Magruder, moderated by Bonnie Mitchell.
If you no longer wish to receive these notices, please reply to this email
with "UNSUBSCRIBE" in the subject line.
Jo-Anne Green, Co-Director
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org
New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856
Turbulence: http://turbulence.org
New American Radio: http://somewhere.org
Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog
Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade
Turbulence Commission: "Monolith[s]" by Michael Takeo Magruder
June 7, 2006
Turbulence Commission: "Monolith[s]" by Michael Takeo Magruder
http://turbulence.org/works/monoliths
Requirements: The technical specifications are detailed on the Setup/Help
page. Please read them before proceeding.
"Monolith[s]" juxtaposes two icons of British culture: stone circles
(Stonehenge in particular) and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
"We are in a gravitational pull of past and future." (1)
Lacking declarative evidence of its original purpose, Stonehenge is a site
of contested meaning. "It suffers from polysemia, in that it signifies a
range of meanings, discursively contested through image and text." (2)
Visitors are kept at a distance, no longer permitted to walk among the
stones and physically experience their immense scale.
In "Monolith[s]," Magruder has appropriated the perspective that many images
of the monument give: that of the majestic site at a distance, the glow of
the sunset or moonrise radiating from the horizon, its backdrop. But
Magruder's virtual world IS approachable-indeed, the user may immerse
herself in it or fly above it. As she does, the temporal and spatial
dimensions of her own immediate environment are absorbed and rearranged into
a constantly evolving virtual realm in which the history of the Information
Age materializes.
Formulated according to motifs and proportions of ancient architecture,
infused with fundamental mathematics of modern digital communication
systems, each genesis of the artwork's geometry is unique. Variables such as
the time of day, the viewer's location on the Earth, and the position of the
Earth around the sun are incorporated into the artwork, thus instilling into
the realm functions of a rudimentary clock, global positioning system, and
solar calendar.
"Monolith[s]" is a 2006 commission of New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.,
(aka Ether-Ore) for its Turbulence web site. It was made possible with
funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
BIOGRAPHY
Michael Takeo Magruder is an American artist based in the UK who received
his formal education at the University of Virginia, USA, graduating with a
degree in biological science. His artistic production has been exhibited
worldwide and encompasses an eclectic mix of forms ranging from futuristic
stained-glass windows, digital light-screens and modular sculptures, to
architectural manipulations, ephemeral video projections and interactive
net-installations. His work seeks to reflect upon the dualistic nature of
media as both information source and cultural stimulant.
References:
(1) Jeanette Winterson, "Weight"
(2) Andy Letcher, Jenny Blain, & Robert J. Wallis, "Re-viewing the Past:
Discourse and Power in Images of Prehistory."
For more information about Turbulence, please visit http://turbulence.org.
Jo-Anne Green, Co-Director
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org
New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856
Turbulence: http://turbulence.org
New American Radio: http://somewhere.org
Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog
Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade
Turbulence Commission: "Monolith[s]" by Michael Takeo Magruder
http://turbulence.org/works/monoliths
Requirements: The technical specifications are detailed on the Setup/Help
page. Please read them before proceeding.
"Monolith[s]" juxtaposes two icons of British culture: stone circles
(Stonehenge in particular) and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
"We are in a gravitational pull of past and future." (1)
Lacking declarative evidence of its original purpose, Stonehenge is a site
of contested meaning. "It suffers from polysemia, in that it signifies a
range of meanings, discursively contested through image and text." (2)
Visitors are kept at a distance, no longer permitted to walk among the
stones and physically experience their immense scale.
In "Monolith[s]," Magruder has appropriated the perspective that many images
of the monument give: that of the majestic site at a distance, the glow of
the sunset or moonrise radiating from the horizon, its backdrop. But
Magruder's virtual world IS approachable-indeed, the user may immerse
herself in it or fly above it. As she does, the temporal and spatial
dimensions of her own immediate environment are absorbed and rearranged into
a constantly evolving virtual realm in which the history of the Information
Age materializes.
Formulated according to motifs and proportions of ancient architecture,
infused with fundamental mathematics of modern digital communication
systems, each genesis of the artwork's geometry is unique. Variables such as
the time of day, the viewer's location on the Earth, and the position of the
Earth around the sun are incorporated into the artwork, thus instilling into
the realm functions of a rudimentary clock, global positioning system, and
solar calendar.
"Monolith[s]" is a 2006 commission of New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.,
(aka Ether-Ore) for its Turbulence web site. It was made possible with
funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
BIOGRAPHY
Michael Takeo Magruder is an American artist based in the UK who received
his formal education at the University of Virginia, USA, graduating with a
degree in biological science. His artistic production has been exhibited
worldwide and encompasses an eclectic mix of forms ranging from futuristic
stained-glass windows, digital light-screens and modular sculptures, to
architectural manipulations, ephemeral video projections and interactive
net-installations. His work seeks to reflect upon the dualistic nature of
media as both information source and cultural stimulant.
References:
(1) Jeanette Winterson, "Weight"
(2) Andy Letcher, Jenny Blain, & Robert J. Wallis, "Re-viewing the Past:
Discourse and Power in Images of Prehistory."
For more information about Turbulence, please visit http://turbulence.org.
Jo-Anne Green, Co-Director
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org
New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856
Turbulence: http://turbulence.org
New American Radio: http://somewhere.org
Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog
Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade
Turbulence Commission: "mobotag" by Marta Lwin
June 1, 2006
Turbulence Commission: "mobotag" by Marta Lwin
http://turbulence.org/Works/mobotag
"mobotag" reveals the hidden layers of a city through an active exchange of
location based media and text messages via the cellphone. It's collaborative
phone tagging of the city. Part virtual graffiti, part walking tour,
"mobotag" creates a spontaneous and easy way for tagging a neighborhood via
the cellphone. Send and view messages, images, videos and sounds. See art,
read stories, and watch a hidden layer of the city reveal itself. Respond
with your media and participate in the creative expression and mapping of
your neighborhood. By sending a text message to "mobotag", with your city
location, you begin an interactive tour of a neighborhood. Using a unique
geocoding feature, "mobotag" tells you what other messages exist in your
local area. In the near future "mobotag" will also feature art projects
including "flyHere," a mobile phone audio installation featuring native bird
calls; "bugBytes," collectible graphical bugs originating at major telecoms
around NYC; and "lookHere," a written work in short form by a native NY
writer.
"mobotag" is a 2006 commission of New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc. (aka
Ether-Ore) for its Turbulence web site. It was made possible with funding
from the Jerome Foundation.
BIOGRAPHY
Marta Lwin is an artist, technologist, and researcher who recently completed
her masters at the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU. Her
background is both in art and activism. In the early to late 90's she worked
with Greenpeace, UNEP, and Women's Environmental Network and Reclaim the
Streets (UK). After joining a loose network of artists at Backspace
(http://bak.spc.org/) in London, Lwin became interested in the creative use
of technology as it relates to biology. Currently, her work focuses on the
intersection of art and technology and includes projects that critically
challenge and subvert accepted perceptions of the relationship between
nature and technology. Her work has been shown at galleries in Europe and
New York. Publications covering her work including networked_performance,
Engadget, Core77, Treehugger, Cool Hunting, MocoLoco, WorldChanging, Rhizome
and We Make Money Not Art.
For more information about Turbulence, please visit http://turbulence.org
Jo-Anne Green, Co-Director
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org
New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856
Turbulence: http://turbulence.org
New American Radio: http://somewhere.org
Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog
Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade
Turbulence Commission: "mobotag" by Marta Lwin
http://turbulence.org/Works/mobotag
"mobotag" reveals the hidden layers of a city through an active exchange of
location based media and text messages via the cellphone. It's collaborative
phone tagging of the city. Part virtual graffiti, part walking tour,
"mobotag" creates a spontaneous and easy way for tagging a neighborhood via
the cellphone. Send and view messages, images, videos and sounds. See art,
read stories, and watch a hidden layer of the city reveal itself. Respond
with your media and participate in the creative expression and mapping of
your neighborhood. By sending a text message to "mobotag", with your city
location, you begin an interactive tour of a neighborhood. Using a unique
geocoding feature, "mobotag" tells you what other messages exist in your
local area. In the near future "mobotag" will also feature art projects
including "flyHere," a mobile phone audio installation featuring native bird
calls; "bugBytes," collectible graphical bugs originating at major telecoms
around NYC; and "lookHere," a written work in short form by a native NY
writer.
"mobotag" is a 2006 commission of New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc. (aka
Ether-Ore) for its Turbulence web site. It was made possible with funding
from the Jerome Foundation.
BIOGRAPHY
Marta Lwin is an artist, technologist, and researcher who recently completed
her masters at the Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU. Her
background is both in art and activism. In the early to late 90's she worked
with Greenpeace, UNEP, and Women's Environmental Network and Reclaim the
Streets (UK). After joining a loose network of artists at Backspace
(http://bak.spc.org/) in London, Lwin became interested in the creative use
of technology as it relates to biology. Currently, her work focuses on the
intersection of art and technology and includes projects that critically
challenge and subvert accepted perceptions of the relationship between
nature and technology. Her work has been shown at galleries in Europe and
New York. Publications covering her work including networked_performance,
Engadget, Core77, Treehugger, Cool Hunting, MocoLoco, WorldChanging, Rhizome
and We Make Money Not Art.
For more information about Turbulence, please visit http://turbulence.org
Jo-Anne Green, Co-Director
New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc.: http://new-radio.org
New York: 917.548.7780 . Boston: 617.522.3856
Turbulence: http://turbulence.org
New American Radio: http://somewhere.org
Networked_Performance Blog: http://turbulence.org/blog
Upgrade! Boston: http://turbulence.org/upgrade
