Chris Joseph Electronic writer and artist

22Dec/072

Back from Interactive Futures

Update 22 December 2007: Garth Rankin’s documentation of every event from IF07 is now up at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21815811@N03/.

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I’m back from Interactive Futures, and sufficiently recovered to blog a little about what a great event it was! Huge thanks to all the people involved in putting it on, in particular Steve Gibson, Randy Adams and Julie Andreyev, but also all the team at the OpenSpace gallery, and the other artists and speakers who made it such an interesting 3 days. And extra thanks to Randy and Jim Andrews for putting me up before and after the main event, enabling me to see some of the beautiful countryside in that part of the world.

Below are just a few of my event photos – if you are interested in seeing more, all my photos from the trip and event are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/391/sets/72157603313539200/.

Lilia Pérez Romero's Frontera, Interactive Futures 2007 in Victoria, British Columbia, CanadaInteractive Futures 2007 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada


Interactive Futures 2007 in Victoria, British Columbia, CanadaFiona Bowie's Slip/host, Interactive Futures 2007 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

For even more photos and gossip there is an ongoing documentation page on the IF07 site. Christine Wilks (part of our “Devil’s Journal” CD/performance trio) has also written a great report of the event here.

And finally…

Photocollagen, Interactive Futures 2007 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada here is the online version of Photocollagen, the piece I created at the event with the help of photographer Garth Rankin, that was beautifully projected in the entrance of the OpenSpace gallery… an ever-changing collage of the presenters and artists that attended IF07.


21Dec/07Off

IOCT Salon: Andy Campbell and Dreaming Methods, Leicester, 31 January 2008, 6.00pm – 7.15pm



www.ioctsalon.com

Andy Campbell: Dreaming Methods – Digital Fiction

Doors open at 5.30pm for drinks. This event is free and open to the public, however places are limited – email info [at] ioctsalon.com to reserve a seat.

Download the flyer for this event (PDF)

Since the 1990′s Andy Campbell has experimented with the possibilities of writing fiction for the computer screen and, although most people still consider fiction something they’d read from a book, an explosion of blogs, online journals, text-based “web art” projects and the introduction of electronic portable reading devices has generated a new wave of mashed up narrative experiments and intrigued (often confused) audiences.

Andy Campbell’s website Dreaming Methods combines fictional narratives with other media such as film, photography, animation and music. The results are highly challenging but compelling reading experiences that explore dream inspired states, the subconscious and the deterioration of memory. Projects are often visually haunting and atmospherically immersive where the text itself floats, mutates and gets entangled with motion graphics creating powerful ‘scenes’ throughout the ‘story’.

  Dreaming Methods by Andy Campbell
Dreaming Methods by Andy Campbell
Dreaming Methods by Andy Campbell

Experience recent Dreaming Methods projects on a big screen, including a preview of a new project “Clearance”, an apocalyptic digital fiction created by Andy Campbell and film-maker Judi Alston. The talk will include discussion around the possibilities of new forms of electronic narratives – from full-blown cinematic multimedia to exciting new e-book standards.

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21Dec/07Off

First Transliteracy Workshop – De Montfort University, Leicester, 28 January 2008



At the Transliteracy Unconference in September 2007 the general consensus was that participants wanted a workshop day in which they could begin to make transliterate objects. The fact that no-one could actually describe what these might be like added an extra frisson to the idea. We have now set a date to try to explore this further.

The first Transliteracy Workshop will take place on Monday 28 January 2008, in the Institute of Creative Technologies at De Montfort University, Leicester. We will begin at 10.30am with coffee and registration and end at 4pm. Beyond that, the structure of the day will be planned by the participants. Lunch will be included and, weather permitting, perhaps an IOCT stroll.

There are a small number of spaces available so we are making them available to readers of this blog on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are interested in attending please email Bruce (bmason01 at dmu dot ac dot uk) or Sue (Sue dot Thomas at dmu dot ac dot uk) as soon as possible to reserve a place.

The question of the materials required to make transliterate objects is obviously an engaging one. Of course we will no doubt be using the digital, but we expect to work with other materialities too, so if you wish to come along we would like to know:
(a) what materials/equipment you will bring to contribute?
(b) what materials/equipment you would like us to try to source, bearing in mind we have a limited budget.

If you can’t attend but are interested in sharing ideas please add some comments to this post and we’ll see if we can find ways to add them into the day.

Transliteracy googlegroup – http://groups.google.com/group/transliteracy?hl=en

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21Dec/070

Critical Code Studies blog launched

Critical Code Studies – http://criticalcodestudies.com

The blog is dedicated to exploring interpretations of computer code within cultural contexts. Rather than focusing primarily on making code function or even the pursuit of “beautiful” code, critical code studies brings in critical theory to examine the ways in which the lines of code reflect, shape, and reproduce our culture including aspects of class, gender, race, sexuality. These criticisms include both the context for the code’s creation and the ways in which it circulates in culture. Rather than one specific lens, CCS names a growing collection of methodologies for making/finding meaning in code.

21Dec/070

Banff Story, Character, and Interactivity Workshop – deadline 10 January 2008

January 24 -27, 2008

Application Deadline: January 10, 2008 and ongoing as space permits.

The Banff New Media Institute’s Accelerator program, in partnership with Digital Alberta, announces the Story, Character, and Interactivity workshop.

The two-day workshop focuses on how to create successful interactive experiences that rival a movie’s level of depth and engagement. It will offer insight into several exciting topics including narrative in an interactive medium, idea generation and other storytelling techniques.

Key speakers include Gabe Kean from Belle & Wissell Co, Mike Laidlaw and Matt Rhodes from BioWare Corp and Tad Stones from Starz Film Roman Studios (subject to change).

Registration fee, including meals and tuition, is $280.00 CA.

More information

21Dec/070

The 22nd Prix Ars Electronica International Competition for CyberArts – deadline 7 March 2008

The 22nd Prix Ars Electronica – International Competition for CyberArts is open for entries now!

Prix Ars Electronica 2008
Online Submission Deadline: March 7, 2008
Contact: info@prixars.aec.at

Total Prize Money: € 115.000,-

Categories: Computeranimation / Film / VFX; Digital Musics; Interactive Art; Hybrid Art; Digital Communities; Media.Art.Research Award; u19 – freestyle computing

More details about all categories and online submission are available only online at: http://prixars.aec.at