December 2010
Vox Novus is inviting composers/sound artists to submit recorded works 60 seconds or less in length to be included in its ninth annual 60x60 project. 60 compositions will be selected to be played continuously in a one-hour concert. 60x60 is a one-hour-long show made by sequencing 60 pre-recorded pieces by 60 different composers, each piece a minute in length or shorter. Highlighting the work of a great many composers, 60x60 testifies to the vibrancy of contemporary composition by present a diverse array of styles, aesthetics, and techniques being used today. 60x60 has received thousands of submissions from over 30 countries, produced radio shows, created multimedia and multidisciplinary events, and released several albums. During the concert each of the 60 pieces selected will begin precisely at the beginning of the minute, this will mark the end of one piece and the beginning of another. There will be no pause between the pieces. Works may be less than 60 seconds in length, but may not exceed 60 seconds. Works selected that are less than 60 seconds long will be “padded” with silence either before, after, or surrounding the composition. Please note that the total duration of the work including silence may NOT exceed sixty seconds. The 60x60 project’s definition of a record work is as follows: any work created as a musical composition which is captured on recorded media, which does not require live performers for its production in broadcast at concert halls, radio, multi-media, etc. Its creation can include but not limited to acoustic instruments, voice, environmental sources, and computer (Sampling, MAX MSP, MIDI, C Sound, ProTools, etc.) All works submitted should be with the understanding that it is their recording that is of prime importance and is what will be used to determine its selection. 60x60 is a project of “signature works” and short works created specifically for the this unique project. Excerpts of larger works are strongly discouraged. Works generated from procedures (i.e. mathematical matrices, organizational systems, or computer programs,) remixed works, or themes and motives recomposed from other of the composer's own work are acceptable. The call is open to composers of any nationality, age, or career stage. Submission Deadline: Deadline for 60 second compositions for 60x60 is December 31, 2010. For full submission guidelines please visit voxnovus.com/60x60/submission. |
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In creating a foundational piece of software infrastructure Ben Fry and Casey Reas have done myself and countless peers a great service and helped launch thousands of arty new-media applets. In Form+Code (F+C) Reas teams up with Chandler McWilliams and LUST design studio to produce a slim introductory text on procedural and code-influenced art and design. While the book makes only the briefest mention of Processing, a good percentage of the work documented in it can be traced directly or indirectly to the platform that emerged from the MIT Aesthetics and Computation work group. F+C also includes historical precedents, from loving documentation of green Cathode Ray Tube Spacewar!, to one of Sol LeWitt's wall drawing instruction cards (presented here as code only — LeWitt's typed out gallery proposal). There are a few other nods to post-minimalism and other pre-P5 projects. Additionally, F+C also breaks out of the screen-based ghetto, including images from proposed and built architectural investigations, art installations, design prototypes and sculptures. The book itself is broken down into conceptual chapters that explore techniques that are code-like or only practically achievable with code-based tools: repetition, geometric transformation, parametrization, visualization, simulation. Each chapter includes spare descriptive pages which introduce overall themes and very briefly discuss the documented projects. F+C is a fairly no-nonesense machine -- it moves briskly through its functional structure of chapters, never pausing to dwell on any one project or image. Yoshi Sodeoka's 2004 video work based on presidential State of the Union addresses is presented in much the same way that Marius Watz's beautiful software generated abstractions are. Both sit alongside a Rafael Lozano-Hemmer installation, an elegant Cory Arcangle data-vis deconstruction, images of a Morphosis tower project for Paris, news-stream visualizations, and Mark Lombardi inspired diagramming. To some extent all these projects (and many others) are being stripped mined for the illustration of a technique or concept. This undifferentiated treatment of a really diverse set of work and ideas is, for me, the primary weakness of the book. Even with some notable omissions in the projects covered, there's likely to be a items here most of us haven't seen yet – I discovered many. If you are looking for an overview and introduction, or a catalog of interesting work, Form+Code will be a useful resource. Ultimately, though, it leaves me hungry for a more focused and critical approach to this incredibly interesting subject. It's clear that Reas, McWilliams and LUST would be particularly well qualified to produce exactly that sort of text. |
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Vague Terrain contributor Ben Baker–Smith just released Vaudeo Signal an 'album of sound and light' (collaboratively produced with musician Evan Kühl) on archive.org. An excerpt from Ben's announcement: Vaudeo Signal was recorded in the summer of 2010, and debuted on DVD at the GLI.TC/H festival this past October. Since then we have sold out of the first edition of 50 copies, and are currently working on a second printing which will be available soon. Contact me at bitsynthesis at gmail dot com if you are interested in a physical copy—including unique, hand-printed cover art—for cheap. I received a DVD from the first batch and I highly recommend ordering the hard copy of the project as (ironically) Ben's analog feedback is best viewed in high definition. This 'full length' is a compelling series of immersive video vignettes that range from abrasive signal warfare to an affirming Rothko-like warm bath (the last track "light being" is as beautiful as anything I've seen/heard this year) – check this great work out! |
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[CaptinCaptin and Parag K Mital / Responsive Ecologies] To coincide with the Olympics in London in 2012, Watermans is pleased to announce a unique opportunity to present a series of groundbreaking installations exploring interactivity and participation in New Media and Digital Art. Much New Media / Digital Art is increasingly aimed at interaction with the audience and artists are continuously exploring new ways of viewer participation. This year long project proposes to showcase the work of distinguished artists from all continents, including a British artist, with an interest in projects concerned with ways of participation, interactivity or collaboration and consider the use or importance of technologies in their work. With this we are hoping to initiate and enable a series of discussions around the meaning, possibilities and issues around human interaction and engagement in New Media art and bring in responses from artists, academics, students, art professionals and visitors in the UK and internationally. Open Call: Artists and art collectives from all countries working with new media and digital technologies are invited to submit proposals of existing or new projects. Interested artists can propose to show more than one installation or projects and we will welcome applications from individuals, art collectives or collaborations between artists. We would like to invite artists to propose imaginative, ambitious and inspirational projects that will transform our understanding of art and the way it can be experienced. We will particularly focus on installations with an emphasis on participatory activity (interaction with the audience) in order to engage visitors in a creative, exploratory and inspirational journey prior to and during the Games. Please send your proposals including:
Budget: Each selected artist/art collective will receive a fixed fee of £3,500 to cover fees & project costs, installation and work transport. In addition, Watermans will cover travel and accommodation costs in London and will also provide technical assistance and exhibition promotion. Submission Deadline: February 24th, 2011 A judging panel will select the six projects which will be announced in March/April 2011. The exhibitions will run throughout 2012 (January - October) and the project will provide an opportunity for presenting a series of innovative and interactive digital/new media art installations never before staged in London. With this project we hope to engage and challenge artists and audiences in new and unexpected ways. For full submission guidelines please note this PDF. Questions may be directed to Irini Papadimitriou |
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You may need: Adobe Flash Player. Our fourth VT Audio Edition has been released! Contributed by Toronto-based Michael Duncan McArthur (aka Gorf), "Moving Along" is a recording of a live mix of his studio output from the last year. Jump through to the release page for more info and a download link. |
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