Fast Forward: Conversations with Machines

Fast Forward: Conversations with machines

From camera obscura to cybernetics: filmmaker Joost Rekveld outlines experimental cinema from its hidden past to a distant future.

By Joost Rekveld

Essay

Quote from essay
"In this essay I want to develop my thoughts about possible futures for what is now referred to as experimental cinema, inspired by some of the ideas behind expanded cinema. Experimental cinema is a marginal cinema, not in the sense that its purpose is to remain obscure forever, but in the sense that those filmmakers are called experimental who challenge the categories of mainstream cinema. These same artists often cross over from or into other disciplines, so in order not to lose ourselves in speculations concerning the future of everything, we will have to rewind until we find a starting point from which we can can try and extrapolate. "

View online at:
http://preview.instantcinema.org/essays/852/Fast-Forward-Conversations-with-machines

Joost Rekveld website: http://www.lumen.nu/rekveld/wp/index.php

RUSSIAN PIONEERS OF SOUND ART AND MUSICAL TECHNOLOGY IN 1910-1930

GENERATION Z
RUSSIAN PIONEERS OF SOUND ART AND MUSICAL TECHNOLOGY IN 1910-1930

June 9 - July 20, 2011

OSA Archivum and the authors of GENERATION Z exhibition cordially invite you to the opening which will take place on 9th of June at 6:00 p.m. The exhibition will run at OSA Archivum, Budapest from June 9 till July 20, 2011. 

ADDRESS: 1051 BUDAPEST, ARANY J. U. 32.
http://www.osaarchivum.org/
exhibition details at http://bit.ly/lSXejp

Variophone, theremin terpsitone, rhythmicon, emiriton, ekvodin, graphical sound – just to mention a few of the amazing innovations of the beginning of the 20th century in Soviet Russia, a country and time turbulent with revolutions, wars and totalitarian dictatorship.
While the history of Russian post-revolutionary avant-garde art and music is fairly well documented, the inventions and discoveries, names and fates of researchers of sound, creators of musical machines and noise orchestras, founders of new musical technologies have been largely forgotten except, perhaps, Leon Theremin, inventor of the first electronic musical instrument, the theremin.

This community of creators, however, was inherently incompatible with the totalitarian state. By the late 1930s it became effectively written out of histories, wiped out from text books.

Many of their ideas and inventions, considered as utopian at that time, were decades later rein vented abroad. We still use them today not knowing their origin.

This exhibition is an attempt at reconstructing and understanding the Russian artistic utopia.

The exhibition runs from June 9 till July 20.

June 24, 2011, on the Night of Museums, 10:00 p.m.:

Multimedia theremin concert: Najmányi László, visual artist, performer, theremin specialist.

Thanks to CVM for original post: http://www.centerforvisualmusic.org/

Oskar Fischinger Painting Exhibition - Santa Fe, New Mexico

Oskar Fischinger (1900-1967) Major Painting Exhibition at the Peyton Wright Gallery - Santa Fe, New Mexico
Opening July 2011

Oskar Fischinger - Layers of Sound

Oskar Fischinger's paintings are being exhibited at the art dealers gallery - Peyton Wright Gallery.  These paintings are a real treat to view.  Peyton Wright Gallery have put many of Oskar Fischinger's paintings online, many of these have probably not been seen before, as they have not been put online before.

Some of these paintings have strong musical themes.  There are several that I really like and a beautiful one for me is, Layers of Sound.  However, there are many others and Fischinger's very distinct artistic and aesthetic style is really apparent.  A great treat to be able to view these paintings online via the Peyton Wright Gallery, and if you are lucky enough to be near Sante Fe, a treat to see in reality.

View Paintings online at:
http://www.peytonwright.com/art/main.php?g2_itemId=9200 

'Raumlichtmusik' - Early 20th Century Abstract Cinema Immersive Environments.

"'Raumlichtmusik' - Early 20th Century Abstract Cinema Immersive Environments."
Essay by Cindy Keefer (Director Center for Visual Music)

"Leonardo Electronic Almanac, Creative Data Special Issue. Leonardo: The International Society for the Arts, Sciences, and Technology, and MIT Press. October 2009."

This is an important historical visual music essay on Oskar Fischinger and Jordan Belson's early experiments in creating abstract cinema for immersive projection environments. It traces the origins in their work of what is more common today - the immersive multimedia environment. Information about plans Fischinger had to present a multimedia performance for the Farblichtmusik shows (started by László) has been researched and documented in this essay and is very exciting information to check out for the scholar interested in accurately tracing the origins of visual music and in particular, its links to contemporary multimedia performance. The vortex concerts, are discussed in detail. These concerts are important to check out for both historical visual music but also in relation to tracing the origins of using projected visuals alongside electronic music, which is so common today, in relation to video projection with electroacoustic music. This article traces these connections and provides an introduction to its history. Do go and read.

Abstract

"Filmmakers Oskar Fischinger and Jordan Belson created cinematic multimedia experiments from 1926 to 1959; three of these events are predecessors to immersive environments: (A) Beginning in 1926, Fischinger's multiple projector shows combining abstract films, colored light projections, and painted slides; (B) Fischinger's 1944 (unrealized) concept for a dome theatre with center film projectors filling the sphere, creating "endless space without perspective" and (c) Belson and Henry Jacobs’ 1950s Vortex Concerts at Morrison Planetarium, utilizing multiple projectors and 38 speakers, with
“no separation of audience and stage or screen; the entire domed area becomes a living theater of sound and light."

Article can be read online at:
http://www.leonardo.info/LEA/CreativeData/CD_Keefer.pdf

Visit CVM Library Page for more resources in relation to visual music.
http://www.centerforvisualmusic.org/Library.html

Andrew Hill - Flux

I have been coming across Andrew Hill's name in relation to visual music quite frequently recently. An up and coming artist and researcher in the audio-visual artwork genre. Flux is quite beautiful in its sound and image relationships - ordered, synaesthetic, gorgeous.

More info on Andrew Hill

"Andrew Hill is a composer from the UK. He studied electroacoustic music and music technology at Keele and De Montfort Universities electing to focus his studies upon audio-visual composition. He is currently conducting PhD research investigating audience reception of electroacoustic audio-visual artworks with Leigh Landy and Bret Battey at De Montfort University."
Source: http://vimeo.com/andrewhill

Flux


Flux from Andrew Hill on Vimeo.

"An audiovisual piece inspired by cyclic patterns, exploring sound and image relationships."
Source: http://vimeo.com/20174827

See also: http://visualmusic.ning.com/profile/AndrewHill

Understanding Visual Music 2011 - Conference - Call for Works

Call for works

Understanding VISUAL Music 2011

Hexagram-Concordia Centre for Research-Creation in Media Arts and Technologies
in collaboration with the Department of Music
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
Montreal - Canada
August 26th and 27th, 2011
Website for more information: http://uvm2011.hexagram.ca/index.html

INFORMATION ABOUT CALL FOR WORK AND SUBMISSIONS

CALL FOR PAPERS AND CREATIVE WORKS

*_DESCRIPTION_*

A two-day conference focused on developing an understanding of the
practice of visual music, its definition, related creative and
perceptual considerations, current trends, technological innovation, and
possible future directions.

The event will take place on *Friday the 26th and Saturday the 27th of
August 2011* and will include paper sessions, roundtable discussions,
and creative works presentations.

We are inviting researchers to present studies that address visual
music's multiple definitions and dimensions, questions around visual
music aesthetics and meaning, hierarchy and correlation of sound and
image in this context, and the audience's perception thereof. Artists
are also invited to propose visual music presentations -- both live and
fixed. Attendance is required in both cases.

*_SUBMISSION PROCEDURES_*

*Paper presentation*: please use the *online submission engine *at
http://uvm2011.hexagram.ca/ to send: [1] an *abstract* (250 words or
less)**and [2] a *short biography *ready for printing (250 words or
less). Additionally send [3] *a 3-page CV as a PDF file *to
uvm2011.concordia@gmail.com .

*Visual music presentation*: please use the *online submission engine
*at http://uvm2011.hexagram.ca/ to send: [1] the title of your *piece,
duration*, indication whether the presentation will be *live or fixed*,
[2] a *short description* of the proposed piece (250 words or less), [3]
a *short biography *ready for printing (250 words or less), and [4]
*detailed technical needs*. Also include [5] *links to audiovisual
sample material* hosted in a *non-expiring URL* (for this reason, please
do not send your audio-visual material using /yousendit/ or any similar
applications, and do NOT send your audio-visual material by email) and
[6] send a *3-page CV as a PDF file* to uvm2011.concordia@gmail.com
.

*_SESSION FORMATS_*

*Paper presentations*: each paper will be presented in person by the
author for approx. 20 minutes followed by 5-10 minutes of discussion.

*Visual music presentations*: creative works presentations will take
place in a visual music show that will conclude the colloquium and
between paper sessions throughout the day.

*Roundtable discussion[s]*: an hour-long open discussion on key issues
related to the main theme of the colloquium.

*_DATES_*

- *Deadline *for reception of proposals: *June 18th, 2011*

- *Notification* of acceptance: *June 30th, 2011*

- *Confirmation of attendance* by artist/researchers: *July 20th, 2011*

- *Colloquium* UVM2011: *August 26th-27th, 2011*

*_UVM-2011 ORGANIZERS _*

Ricardo Dal Farra (co-director)

Eldad Tsabary (co-director)

Luigi Allemano (collaborator)

*_CONTACT, INFORMATION and ABSTRACTS:_*

Email: uvm2011.concordia@gmail.com

UVM2011 website: http://uvm2011.hexagram.ca/

*Understanding**V**I**S**U**AL Music 2011*

Radio Dada by Rosa Menkman

Rosa Menkman's work is beautiful in how it works with glitch and artifact images in her video work.

"Every technology possess its own inherent accidents. ЯOSΛ MEИKMΛN is a Dutch visualist who focuses on visual artifacts created by accidents in digital media. The visuals she makes are the result of glitches, compressions, feedback and other forms of noise. Although many people perceive these accidents as negative experiences, Rosa emphasizes their positive consequences."
Source of quote: http://aboutrosamenkman.blogspot.com/

Radio Dada by Rosa Menkman
Video: Rosa Menkman
Music: Extraboy


Radio Dada from Rosa Menkman on Vimeo.

"The video-images are constructed out of nothing but the image created by feedback (I turned a high-end camera on a screen that was showing, in real time, what I was filming, creating a feedback loop). Then I glitched the video by changing its format and subsequently exporting it into animated gifs. I (minimalistically) edited the video in Quicktime. Then I sent the file to Extraboy, who composed music for the video. The composing process started with a hand held world radio. Extraboy scanned through frequencies and experimented with holding the radio in different parts of the room while touching different objects. Eventually he got the radio to oscillate noise in the tempo that he perceived in the video. The added synthesizer sounds were played live to further build on the non-digital sound and rhythm. This was later contrasted with drums which were digitally synthesized and processed through effects with a very digital sound to them. Just like with the video, the digital and analogue media and aesthetics of sound are mixed into one coherent whole."
Source: http://vimeo.com/2321833

Rosa's website is a homage to her aesthetic - wow! (with audio too and flickering favicon)

Website: http://rosa-menkman.blogspot.com/