BLOrkism

Friday and Saturday's BLOrk gig was quite fantastic - but for an unexpected reason. From the first BLOrk I visited to this one that I participated in, the programs have changed massively. Originally, it followed the script of a standard computer music program: piece-after-piece, focused on the presentation of new works, and limited audience (or even performer) interaction.

This gig was completely different; with dancers, a jazz band, computer works that included both the performers and the audience. I had a lot of friends (including my whole family) see the show, and everyone walked away smiling and discussing the wide range of programming that was included. Congrats to John Gunther for putting together a great show - digital vaudeville alors!

[ddg]

Experience

Experience comes in many different ways. Sometimes it is hard knocks. Sometimes it is through hard work. And sometimes it comes from working with great people on a noble task.

This last weekend, I got a chance to work with Woody and Steina Vasulka, two of the most wonderful people on the planet. They were the bleeding edge of video art, interactive media art and performance art - all while building their own hardware, software and support mechanisms.

Working in conjunction with Cory Metcalf (one of the best young art dudes I've had the privilege of working with), we helped reinterpret the classic Violin Power performance, building a Steina-specific interface between a KMI StringPort and the IMX visual effects software system. The result was performed on Wednesday, and I'm proud to have been a part of this work. The IMX software crashed 3 times, but our interface software was rock-solid, and I'm pleased to say that we allowed Steina to work with the visuals in new and sophisticated ways. What a blast!

Kristin was able to join me to see the performance. This was a special pleasure, since she doesn't get to see me in action very often. It's useful to let her in on some of the work I do, simply so she sees what it is that she is helping me accomplish.

What a great experience.

[ddg]

Patching Circle starts tonight!

More info here.

Just starting, but we should have a blast - or at least help people get up to speed on Art Coding Practice. Be there, or be a dodecahedron!

[ddg]