CHAIN REACTION
COURSE DESCRIPTION This class will explore the dynamics of collaboration. Students will build their own projects, then combine them together into a massive chain reaction. Kinetic sculpture, media projections, dynamic architecture, sound, or any media that has interactive sensibilities will be arranged so that when activated, a domino effect will ensue. The catalytic agents could range from the primordial to the digital. The governing principles or group behavior will be decided through class collaboration and informed by research into such topics: as swarm intelligence, missile guidance, alchemy, dominos, and artificial life. The resulting chain reaction could resemble an exquisite corpse, an anarchist wet dream, ant colonies, the Mouse Trap game, or a premeditated sequence of events that would of made Hitchcock green with envy.
CHAIN REACTION 2006
WEEKS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Wiki
Chain Reaction 2004
W1 1/20/06^
Chain Reaction Goals:

The goal of this class is create a collaborative multistage chain reaction as a final project. The project will consist of a self-sustaining series of events in which each element induces or influences the next element. The chain reaction will be a series of reactions in which one product of a reacting set is a reactant in the following set.

Parameters:
While the ultimate chain reaction will be determined by the class we are going to impose a few limits/parameters to ensure a successful event.

  • The chain reaction needs to take place in one contiguous space
  • The elements needs to be plug and play (this means that it should be something you can bring to each of the chain reaction labs. If its somewhat large or unwieldy we can try to figure out a way to store it)
  • The piece needs to remain within the overall structure reacting to or generating local or global triggers.

We will be working with the Collaboration class to create salient intersections.

There will be chain reactions with other institutions such as Maryland Institute College of Art via the internet.

Starting Points for discussion:

  • What are some of the potential triggers/connective tissue that will drive the Chain Reaction:
  • Physical actuation between machines, between people, between machines and people.
  • Phenomenological (light and sound) interaction/repulsion between work via media traces/vestiges
  • Time and Transformation
  • Remote control
  • Performative catalysts
  • Other suggestions?
  • How will these triggers/ connective tissue be incorporated into the network collaboration with MICA and potentially Parsons?
  • Does the chain reaction recognize humans and if so do they get to intervene/participate? (See links to the discussion about reactive vs. interactive art below)
  • A subset to the above question is do we want to allow remote users to influence or control aspects of the chain?

Class Structure:

  • Discussions will be led by students, the rest will prepare a list of questions, vectors or comments. Each Presenter will use the assigned reading and will supplement their presentation with research of their own. They will post links prior to their presentation day on a Wiki specifically set up for the network of classes and institutions involved.
  • Labs – group effort- bring props related to each chains theme.
  • Micro Labs – students are grouped to research and develop potential linkages for a self sustaining chain reaction

Lab 1 – Create a chain reaction using gravity as a trigger

Links :

We will all build the links for this semester through the Wiki.

  1. Rube Goldberg
  2. Fischl and Weiss' film "The Way Things Go"
W2 1/27/06^
Split Class:
  • Introduction to Max/MSP for students unfamiliar with the program
  • Veterans will meet to familiarize themselves with the Max/Jitter network objects and TCP/IP and UDP protocols to set up a collaborative network with another institution over the internet

Note: Todd will not be at class in order to attend a workshop

W3 2/3/06^
Discussion: Art and Technology collaborations specifically EAT

Reading: Pavillion

0.5 HOUR MEDIATED BY:

Alfredo

Kyle

Liam

Lab 2 - Physical Trigger– Switches and Relays

W4 2/10/06^
Discussion: Networked Performance

Reading: Network Performaces Empyre Archive

0.5 HOUR MEDIATED BY:

JP

Theo

Split Class:

  • Max/Msp/Jitter 2
  • Veterens: Lathe and Mill workshop
W5 2/17/06^
Discussion: Space: Real/Measured/Virtual

Reading: Mananging Multiple Spaces(pdf)

0.5 HOUR MEDIATED BY:

North

Erin

Jonah

Lab 3 - Light and Shadow Trigger– Sensors and IO’s

W6 2/24/06^
Discussion: Sound as Sculpture

Reading: Acoustic Voices: Deboned Sound

0.5 HOUR MEDIATED BY:

Noahs

David

  • Max/Msp/Jitter 3 - Sound and analysis
  • Lab 4 - Sound Triggers – Sensors and IO’s
W7 3/3/06^
Discussion: Presentations towards the Final Solution

Reading: Information Arts

0.5 HOUR MEDIATED BY:

Brian

Lab 5 - Network Triggers - Max/Jitter network objects

W8 3/10/06^

From now on bring your contribution to each Lab. Your homework will be to communicate with each person your collaborating with towards developing the connective tissue that binds your work. The Labs will consist of setting up the work then setting it off. Critique and discussion will ensue towards the ultimate elaboration.

Chain Reaction
W9 3/17/06^
Chain Reaction Rehearsal (see wiki for specifics)
Spring Break
W10 3/31/06^
Chain Reaction Rehearsal (see wiki for specifics)
W11 4/7/06^
Chain Reaction Rehearsal (see wiki for specifics)
W12 4/14/06^
Chain Reaction Rehearsal (see wiki for specifics)
W13 4/21/06^
Chain Reaction Rehearsal (see wiki for specifics)
W14 4/28/06^
Chain Reaction Rehearsal (see wiki for specifics)
W15 5/5/06^
Chain Reaction SET UP (see wiki for specifics)
W15 5/6/06^ Chain Reaction
LINKS for 2006
UPCOMING EVENTS^
CHAIN REACTION 2005

WEEKS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

NORTH'S CHAIN REACTION SITE
ISSUES^ Reactive VS Interactive experience
Reactive art
Jim Cambell
Code as Art
www.runme.org
THE MUSEUM OF UNWORKABLE DEVICES^ http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/museum/unwork.htm
GENERAL LINKS^ Steve Wilson's List
Ken Rinaldo's Links
Max/MSP/Jitter object database
V2_Organisation, Institute for the Unstable Media^ Past Wiretaps
V2 Publications (Excerpts from some, all of some others are available on-line)
TEKNIKA RADICA^ TEKNIKA RADICA is an organization run by women and is committed to radical engagement with technology in the arts.
GENERATIVE^ GENERATIVE.NET
Generative art refers to any art practice where the artist uses a system,
such as a set of natural language rules, a computer program, a machine, or
other procedural invention, which is set into motion with some degree of
autonomy contributing to or resulting in a completed work of art. -Philip Galanter
rand()%
internetradiobot

------| rand()% is a realtime streaming generative internet radio station.

http://62.169.138.240:8000/listen.pls

It exists as a host for computer driven / user defined audio programming
that is entirely automated, where every programme transmitted is composed in
realtime by computer. All audio is generated on demand by a unique series of
artist / musician developed programs.

int rand ( void );

------| Currently featuring work by:
Alku [es] / Dieb13 [at] / Boris Hauf [uk] / Lia+Carvalhais [at+pt] / Mijim
[uk] / Nullpointer [uk] / Muio.org [uk] / Josepf Plank [uk] / Charlie
Ferrari [uk] / Thor+Runar Magnusson [is] / Andy Gracie [uk] / Dave Courbett
[uk] /

SWARM^ On the Implicit and on the Artificial v. ramos
ant-swarm morphogenese
machine elements v. ramos
swarm intelligence
swarm-bots
Suspect Applications^ http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99991563
http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/tech/article.jsp?id=99992242&sub=Hot%20Stories
Semi-Living Artists
MUSIC INTERFACE http://www.suac.net/NIME/NIME04/topics.html
FILM^

Wet Gate

Silt
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE^ Aesthetics + Computation Group
Sara Roberts
Ray Kurzweil
M.I.T. AI-Lab
VIDEO ART^ Radical Software
META-DATA^ Data Cloud 2.0
INTER-REACTIVE SPACE^ Water Pavilions
LANGUAGE INTERFACE^ Alice-bot
NETWORK^ The League of Automatic Music and The Hub
Roy Ascott
Interaccess's "the dinner party"
KeyWorx multi-user cross media network
jasch's interactive network software
C0_LABS^ E,A.T Experiments in Art and Technology
MEDIA KNITTING
KONTAKT
crevice
Homage to New York
Allan Kaprow / Happenings
artmusuem.net-Kaprow
Diller + Scofidio
Refresh
Eyebeam
Blur Building
U.S. Department of Technology
TGarden
tx0om
PERFORMANCE^ ANTENNA THEATER
SENSORBAND
TROIKA RANCH
CASUAL^ Arthur Ganson's Chain Reaction
Examples of the guidelines for a Chain Reaction
Fischl and Weiss' film "The Way Things Go"
Rube Goldberg
TRANSFORMATION Sonoluminescence
Sonification
WEB^ SodaPlay
Digital Interactive Artist Network
ROBOTS^ Robot Legs
The state of the art circa 1998 at NASA
LABS^ chain reactions:
physical
mechanical
phenomenological (light and sound)
electrical (makingthings)
networking
performative
W1 1/16/04^ Propagating Questionnaire
Intro to class
Present precedents / artists / groups
Collaborate on the structure / content of the class
Detail Research Projects

Intro to Max/MSP/Jitter

MakingThings

Read: Overture on the Art Museum website

W2 1/23/04^ TECH: Intro to Max/MSP/Jitter (for new users or for a refresher)
W3 1/30/04^ Presentations / Machinations:

Barney: Haptics and Generative Process

North: A-Data and aesthetics + computation

TECH: Control

1/31/04 SAT^ TOTALLY optional: Field trip to Triangle salvage (10am on campus)
Sheldons Hobbies 11ish to 11:15
TRIANGLE 11:15 to 1:00 or so
HSC Halted
W4 2/6/04^
0.5 HOUR DISCUSSIONS MEDIATED BY:

Dorsey:
Crowd Control w/ Video and Sensors

This presentation is shaping up to be primarily about video tracking, and
how such tracking can augment an installation environment.

"The concept of expressive gesture includes musical, human movement, visual
(e.g., computer animated) gesture. Modelling and communication of expressive
and emotional content in non-verbal interaction by multi-sensory interfaces
is receiving a raising interest from research and industry communities.
Music performance and full-body movements are first class conveyors of
expressiveness through gestures. Automatic analysis and synthesis of
expressive gestures can open novel scenarios in the field of interactive
multimedia, especially in artistic contexts, and represent at the same time
an opportunity and a challenge for interactive systems designers."
-STEIM

QUESTIONS
What’s meaningful in the pursuit of interactivity? Ditto immersive
environments?
What kinds of subtlety are required to avoid a theme-park experience?
What interaction distinguishes the better audiovisual installations?
We need an interesting approach to the tracking/sensor game, keeping the
space free of gadgetry/wiring.

BACKGROUND
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/1.01/creating.html
Stewart Brand on the illusion of new technology in art.
http://www.interlog.com/~drokeby/erkki.html
on David Rokeby and “interactive art”
http://www.ntticc.or.jp/pub/ic_mag/ic027/html/178e.html
Proliferating books, and a Library of Babel installation at ICC.
http://mitpress2.mit.edu/e-journals/LEA/AUTHORS/ASCOTT2.html
The Cybernet – reality or illusion?
http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~swilson/papers/wilson.body.infoarts.html
Disinformation on the irrelevance of the body.

SYSTEMS/SOFTWARE FOR VIDEO TRACKING
http://www.iamas.ac.jp/~jovan02/cv/
Jean-Marc Pelletier’s Jitter-based externals. -- This is the one I am
pursuing.
http://www.infomus.dist.unige.it/sito_inglese/research/r_current/eyesweb.html
EyesWeb, a PC-based system.
http://www.sp-intermedia.com/taptoolsmax/
Tap Tools, with tap.jit.motion. $45.
http://www.interlog.com/~drokeby/softVNS.html
from David Rokeby.
http://www.cycling74.com/products/cyclops.html
Eric Singer/Cycling74 video tracking package. $350.
http://www.steim.org/steim/bigeye.html
from STEIM.
http://www.bootsquad.com/nato/nato07.html
The NATO solution, perhaps somewhat dated. $$$

SOME EXAMPLES
http://www.interlog.com/~drokeby/vns.html
Very Nervous System
http://www.ntticc.or.jp/Collection/Icc/CAVE/index.html
Realtime sensor+audiovideo environment. See artist statement.
http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jonmc/projects/edenMiff.html
Eden
http://www.voyd.com/grid/bwo.htm
The Grid. Note the use of proximity sensors to control volume.
http://creativity.bgsu.edu/art/extremism/space.html
sample layout of a pressure-sensor environment
http://www.sensorband.com/soundnet/index.html
because it looks so cool...

Ana: Public / Private

1. Disembody Art
http://www.dismbody.demon.co.uk/home.html
read also 'What is the Disembodied Art Gallery?'
this link is http://www.dismbody.demon.co.uk/waitlist.html
and also read 'Culture jamming'
this link is http://www.abrupt.org/CJ/CJ.html
2.Wireless Park Lab Days
http://nywireless.net/labdays
3.The Public Broadcast Cart
www.ambriente.com/WiFi/
4.Bass-Station
http://www.bass-station.net/ (check out photos, pretty cool)
5.Inconversation
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/slade/inconversation/berlin.html
6.Free Radio Berkeley
www.freeradio.org

Mike_R: Moving Video

www.dimension7.com
www.tonyoursler.com
www.claudiaxvaldes.com
www.billviola.com

W5 2/13/04^ 0.5 HOUR DISCUSSIONS MEDIATED BY:

Sean:

TELEPRESENCE THEORY

http://www.ekac.org/Telepresence.art._94.html
http://www.telepresence.com/
http://telematic.walkerart.org/telereal/kac_telepresence.html
http://www.utexas.edu/coc/rtf/318b/Reading_Guide/lectures_2004/KAC_STELARC_files/frame.htm


ARTISTS

Ken Goldberg
http://www.ieor.berkeley.edu/~goldberg/
Eduardo Kac
http://www.ekac.org/
Adrianne Wortzel
http://www.wiggedproductions.com/html/news/wortzel.html
Eric Paulos
http://www.paulos.net/

Kwong;

Project: Identity, Database, + Web Monitoring
http://dada.cca.edu/~kli/chain-reaction/index.html

Brook: Cellular sonification

With Air Time, an ongoing exploration of how wireless technologies are fragmenting both public and private space, and creating new artistic territory. look at Ben Rubins "917: code with out an area"
http://creativetime.org/airtime/mtaa.html

examples of wireless installation:
http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/2001-December/004430.html

Research finding could lead to vaccines effective against a range of cancers and protein markers, that alert the immune system and draw its fire http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2001/09/12_tcells.html

New Scientist article (read this*)
https://people.cca.edu/blane/snap.rtf

The Machine Speaks the World 's Thought
https://people.cca.edu/blane/themachine.rtf

W6 2/20/04^ 0.5 HOUR DISCUSSIONS MEDIATED BY:

Jennifer:

1.)early video and performance art theory and practice
http://nomadnet.org/massage1/video/index.html
(please read sections B,C,D in Chris Hill's article)

2.)Video feedback:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/turbulent/exhibit/feedback.html
http://members.tripod.com/professor_tom/galleries/video/howto.html
http://well.com/user/jaron/waterbed.html
http://www.auroramultimedia.com/web/?section=products&product=btl

3.)performance artists using technology:
sonami.net

4.) performers using surveillance cameras
www.notbored.org/the-scp.html

Liam: Mechanical linkages

An interview with Allen Rath
http://www.sfgate.com/eguide/profile/

about machine art?
http://www.qbox.org/DCalkins.shtml

A conversation about Machine Aesthetics
http://amsterdam.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-9701/msg00069.html
Note: there is a bug in this page so click Previous thread to
go to page 2 or:
http://amsterdam.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-9701/msg00068.html

SRL
http://www.srl.org/

Interview w/ Mark Pauline
http://www.conceptlab.com/interviews/pauline.html

Jean Tinguely
http://www.tinguely.ch/english/museum/col/collection.html

Amorphic Robot Works
http://www.amorphicrobotworks.org/

Erin: Ye Olde Overload
http://www.theremoteviewingsite.com/
http://www.trnmag.com/Stories/2003/032603/3D_holo_video_arrives_032603.html
http://skepdic.com/kirlian.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/kirlian.html
http://parc.web.fm/PARC%20CD1.htm
http://www.futureharmonix.com/resonance/magazine/matrix.html
http://www.tifareth.com/tmagick.html

Project Proposals / Plotting / Fomenting

W7 2/27/04^ 0.5 HOUR DISCUSSIONS MEDIATED BY:

Ben: Duration as Critical Element
The Library of Babel’, by Jorgie Borgie:
http://jubal.westnet.com/hyperdiscordia/library_of_babel.html

NY Times interview with John Simon:
http://www.numeral.com/articles/041797mirapaul/041797mirapaul.html

Here is the Every Icon applet:
http://www.numeral.com/everyicon.html

 Roman Opalka:
http://www.jointadventures.org/opalka/index.htm

More Opalka [check out the MP3s]:
http://www.ubu.com/sound/opalka.html

 Descartes' Disease
[Be sure to hit the NEXT button at the bottom of the page. Continue to read until you get sick of it. There is pertinence, however subtle.]:

http://mtsu32.mtsu.edu:11072/EvilGenius/Notebook/March/3-8-2004.html

Momoko:REALtime cel-vid
video examples:
http://www.year01.com/
www.6168.org
Similar Project:
http://www.cresitt.com/thierry/rtc/presentation_eng.html

Angela:

"Knowledge is not passively recieved but actively
built up by the cognizing.."
"The function of cognition is subject; adaptive and
serves the organization of the experiential world not
discovery of ontological reality" -Von Glasserfield
www.film_philosophy.com/vol15_2001/n40herzog

Very cool stuff!
Nicolas Clauss, Reimaginings(commisions)
http://www.turbulence.org

color to sound
http://artbots.org/2002/participants/color_musically_yours/

http://www.artic.edu/%7Esdecke/Finstallations.html
wirefield piece

interesting bridge between the philosophical and the
"real" sections2.3, 2.61, 4.2, 5.07(hyprid perception
hyperplane as mapings of the space in between
perceptual states)...some good quuotes from focault.
www.basilisk.com/C/CineThressH_966.html

Color constancy
http://cvs.anu.edu.au/johannes/colconst.html

Color matters..strange web site
http://www.colormatters.com/

How does noise affect information..
www.matheory.info/chapter1.html
"The question about information and noise puzzled the
information theorists from the very beginning: "How
does noise affect information? Information is, we must
steadily remember, a measure of one's freedom of
choice in selecting a message. ... Thus greater
freedom of choice, greater uncertainty, greater
information go hand in hand. If noise is introduced,
then the received message contains certain
distortions, certain errors, certain extraneous
material, that would certainly lead one to say that
the received message exhibits, because of the effects
of noise, an increased uncertainty. But if the
uncertainty is increased, the information is
increased... It is therefore possible for the word
information to have either good or bad connotations.
Uncertainty which arises by virtue of freedom of
choice on the part of the sender is desirable
uncertainty. Uncertainty which arises because of
errors or because of the influence of noise is
undesirable uncertainty" {Weaver, 1949, p.18, ed.
1963}.

W8 3/6/04^ 0.5 HOUR DISCUSSIONS MEDIATED BY:

Aaron:

Noise - some definitions, some history
I believe that the use of noise to make music will continue and increase until we reach a music produced through the aid of electrical instruments. John Cage, 1937

http://www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn?stage=1&word=noise (#6)
http://dict.die.net/noise/
http://music.dartmouth.edu/~wowem/electronmedia/music/eamhistory.html (really detailed-after 1912 appertain to topic)
http://csunix1.lvc.edu/~snyder/em/russolo.html
http://www.geocities.com/lmc2124/larte.html

Secondary Topic
Network -
http://dict.die.net/network/

You know a network exists if you can be accepted into it. On the other hand, if you don't know that you are a part of it, you become aware of it if you can be alienated from it. (Access denied, ridicule etc.)

Off Topic:
http://www.takanishi.mech.waseda.ac.jp/flute/index.htm
http://www.nbb.cornell.edu/neurobio/land/STUDENTPROJ/2002to2003/lil2/

If anyone's interested-
http://ubuibi.org/wtbtn/
http://www.theshipbuilders.com/interactive/the_dronezone.php
http://www.andyw.com/ow.asp?SoundRaider

P.S.
I thought an additional question for class discussion under my subheading would be:
What makes a sound invasive/intrusive/rejectable vs. pleasant/inviting/acceptable.

Mike_H: Reactive human electron in conduit performace

This site provides information about the Theatre of the Oppressed- my
focus is on the Rainbow of Desire and Invisible Theatre

www.cardboardcitizens.org.uk/main/theatreoftheopp.php


This is a description of the Situationist theory of "the Derive," a
method for navigating urban spaces


http://library.nothingness.org/articles/all/en/display/314


This site documents the official MAC rules for human interfaces i.e. how
a human interacts with a computer's operating system. This might shed light
on the human machine relationship.


www.acm.org/cacm/AUG96/antimac.htm

mactonnies.com/sentience.html

Amanda: SoundScapes:

users.design.ucla.edu/projects/arc/cm/cm/staticE/page8.html

www.virginia.edu/topnews/releases2003/tree-music-july-1-2003.html

www-users.york.ac.uk/~aef3/homesite/aquaduct.html

www.albany.edu/~gluckr/projects.html

SP BREAK^
W9 3/19/04^ Chain Reaction: Bring nascent projects to first mixer
W10 3/26/04^ Chain Reaction Bring less then nascent projects to second mixer
W11 4/2/04^ Chain Reaction
W12 4/9/04^ Chain Reaction
W13 4/16/04^ Chain Reaction
W14 4/23/04^ Chain Reaction
W15 4/30/04^ Final Critique Chain Reaction
5/1/04^ Show