Currently watching Sonic Acts XII, which has a remarkably similar theme and concept to something else I know of running soon. The festival couldn’t really be further from the theme / concept of networks this year but then last night when Leafcutter John was performing with a friend (unlisted?) I started to think about how networked a ‘band’ needs to be sonically, how they interact and react based on the site and event. Usually in an atypical band this is evident but here the network even became visual at moments (see images above) when both performers interacted with each other and a laptop using various objects, instruments and so on.

I posted about some work of Rodrigo Derteano’s last week (here) but this third work I omitted as it didn’t quite seem suitable to include with the other two works.

recomputing space (image above) is a sound installation which employes field recordings as a psychogeographic study of urban sound.

Following the commands and rhythm imposed by an algorithm, two persons walk around in chosen locations in the city, recording a mix of noise, language, music and the sound of their own steps. The chosen locations are public places, such as public squares, parks, tram stations etc.

The algorithm they follow is composed of a number of simple commands (left, right, forward, back, stop) and a metronome. It is rendered into sound and received on headphones. It tells the two microphone operators how to walk and provides the walking rhythm which structures their recordings . Both recorded soundtracks are later played back at the soundscape-installation, which consists of 30 loudspeakers ordered in a 5×6 matrix, placed on the floor approximately 2 meters from each other. The sounds “move” from speaker to speaker, reconstructing the paths of the microphone operators at the time of the recording.

Tagged in Motion (images above, video below) is a work that has been doing the rounds of a few weblogs recently. It uses ARToolKit developed at the Human Interface Technology Lab (HITLab) at Washington University which employes a datamatrix type technology.

Tagged in Motion is one of several works developed as part of a wider research entltled Nextwall (image below) exploring graffiti, distributed / mobile media, datamatrix tags, RFID and augmented environments (a previous post on augmented reality).

Seen at Digitalexperience.

Bestiario, a Spanish based company thats specialise in:

computer-based applications in the domains of information visualisation, social networks, creative collaboration and expositions where there is a link between art and science

will be exhibition some of their latest work, The Atlas of Electromagnetic Space at AV Festival 08 in Middlesbrough on 04/03/08.

The radio part of the electromagnetic spectrum is something which can’t normally be seen with the naked eye, but the innovators of Bestiario will put it on view, by deploying the forces of art, science and technology. Displayed on several large plasma screens located in the central foyer of Middlesbrough’s brand new Institute for Digital Innovation, this impressive new installation enables visitors to interact with the electromagnetic spectrum, and learn more about it. Visitors can choose to see the structure and topology of the spectrum and find out what kinds of activities happen there, from television and radio, to mobile telephony and wireless internet. The Atlas of Electromagnetic Space will also show the assignation of frequencies to different communication protocols, and the cultural, social and artistic interventions that are currently taking place in the spectrum.

Both AV Festival website and programme suggest that Bestario’s work Mnemosyne (images above, video below) is indicative of their new work but that remains to be seen.

Related work includes: the Wifi Camera Obscura.

I never do announcements here about events but live performances concerning networks seem reasonably appropriate and it seems selfish and a shame to just report about them after the event. Æther9 are doing a performance tonight (16/02/08) and if the last performance I saw was anything to go by it’s worth a look. Full details below.

æther9 remote realtime storytelling
TODAY 16.02.2008 @ 21:00 Central European Time (UTC/GMT +1)
http://1904.cc/aether/live/

You are invited to attend the newest aether9 online performance:

CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Key)

Performers:
N3krozoft Group Brussels (BE), Nathalie Fougeras (BE), Audrey Samson (NL), Paula Velez (CO), Judy Nylon (USA)

Live audio:
Judy Nylon, Jonathan Goldstein (USA)

Original screenplay:
Nathalie Fougeras

In the frame of the “Stream On You” event at iMAL, Brussels.

Online location:
http://1904.cc/aether/live/

Physical location:
iMAL, Center for Digital Cultures and Technology
30 Quai des Charbonnages / Koolmijnenkaai 30, 1080 Brussels
(metro Comte de Flandres / Graaf van Vlaanderen)
http://www.imal.org

Performance duration: ca. 20:00 min.
Performance time: 9pm Central European Time (UTC/GMT +1) - noon in =20
California - 2pm in Colombia - 11pm in Moscow - 4am in Tokyo.
Check your local performance time here: http://tinyurl.com/2v9dhj