Wednesday, December 3, 2003
Center on Contemporary Art, Seattle, WA

 

Speakers:

Gaspo, "Microcontroller Freak": recent Seattle arrival gaspo’s work focuses on bringing art and technology into a direct interactive experience, using sound, motion, light and radio to stimulate and scramble the senses. gaspo (aka Scott Gasparian) will be presenting an overview of using microcontrollers in art applications. Opening with a video of the mad-scientists project "L2K" which has been installed at the Burning Man festival since 1999, his presentation will include demonstrations of the "colour" version of the L2K protocol. To demonstrate the interactivity focus of his art, he will be showing the blades to the 10 foot "HypKnowTron" (http://www.1sky.com/hkt/) and a live deomonstration of the recently completed "minitron". This talk will be suitable for artists who have no idea about electricity but would like to include it in their art, and will illuminate the possibilities of computer controlling a variety of motors, lights, sensors, and toasters.

Steve Safarik, "Laser Spacewars": what could be dorkier than sharks with laser weapons mounted on their heads? Why, a video game drawn with a laser beam, of course! You may know how to make trippy laser images on your wall by mounting a mirror on your speaker and aiming a laser pointer at it, but tonight local electronics, computing, math and radio whiz Steve Safarik will show us how to exhibit finer control over the beam and draw the precise shapes needed for his multiplayer space combat game. Spacewars will be running and playable on the parking lot wall outside CoCA before and after the meeting (weather permitting, of course), so come a little early and stay a little late to play a few rounds. (http://www.stevesafarik.net/)

Jeremy Winters, "The Mood Channel and Beyond": Seattle-based composer, sound designer and computer programmer, Jeremy Winters, has been evolving his master project, the Mood Channel, for 7 years. Most of this time has been spent daydreaming and fantasizing about futuristic living where music, lighting and interior decor have blended together to interface with our emotions. Jeremy will be discussing some of the basic concepts behind the generative music that he uses, and share some of the Mood Channel’s inner workings. He will also be showing some of the newer programs that he is creating. (http://www.madnessmachine.com/).

After-speaker performance

Jeremy Winters plays some of his solo material using generative techniques on a virtual modular synthesizer, re-sampling the sounds and random melodies into sparse, hypnotic, relaxed and deeply chill layers and textures. Stay inside to listen and network, play Laser Spacewars in the parking lot, or both!

Join us for beer, cocktails, music, conversation and mingling after the speakers have spoken - and bring work-in-progress for peer review and comment during this last part of the evening if you like: we'd love to see what you've been working on!