Positive Technology Journal

Solar - by Rejane Cantoni and Leonardo Crescenti

(under development)

Solar is a robotic installation, immersive and interactive, designed to simulate qualities and measures of solar light in relation to man-space time.
 The interactor can agency the machine in two ways: he can control his geographic position with his feet and/or he can speak with it. 
Agencying via positioning make it possible for the interactor to inform his geographic position to a data bank. One possible example of this type of user-system interaction could be: 
You enter the machine – a black rotunda of 6.30 in diameter x 3.50 high. In the center, there is a movable platform. Upon stepping on it, the gravitational force of the body is interpreted by the system that, in function of the relative latitude and longitude, alters the original setup.

For example, when you step in front of the platform, the system advances to the north, i.e., it produces, on the plasma wall, visual feedbacks that appear as modifications in the latitudes of the imaginary lines which, in this case, advance from Equador to the North Polar Circle (see on video an example of navigating in the inverse direction, south). 
Agencying via voice command, on the other hand, makes it possible for the interactor to particularize a date and a moment of an event. For example: when the interactor says “August 03 at 3 p.m.”, the system associates to this command the information to his relative position, which makes it possible to simulate the solar light intensity relative to the space-time solicited. 
To the eyes of the outside observer, without movement or without the interactor’s voice command, time, in this machine, stops.

Rejane Cantoni and Leonardo Crescenti

Nice video of magnetic liquid (ferrofluids) created by Sachiko Kodama and Minako Takeno that reminds me to some sort of artificial life

Earthquakes are complex natural phenomena that are difficult to predict but also to understand.

German artist Franz John created an online installation - Turing Tables - that makes earthquakes easier to fathom while reminding us how alive the Earth is.

Inspired to the work of matematician Alan Turing, The Turing Tables gathers data from a multitude of small earthquake sensors (called “fingers”) stationed around the globe into a real-time, online installation before converting the data into image and sound. Green-and-black moving wallpaper—composed of numeric data and the locations and times at which the readings are taken—fills the room, along with a grating yet melodic soundtrack courtesy of Oakland-based sound artist Ed Osborn.

Via Idearium

Californian artist Reuben Margolin creates complex kinetic sculptures. His artworks are made using different materials - salvaged wood, metal, cardboard, and other recycled stuff - with sculptures ranging from tiny to looming, motorized to hand-cranked. Elegant and hypnotic.

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DXARTS | PROFESSORSHIP in HYBRID ARTS PRACTICE
www.dxarts.washington.edu

Pending budgetary approval, The Center for Digital Arts and Experimental Media (DXARTS) at the University of Washington is seeking to fill a tenured or tenure track faculty position in HYBRID ARTS PRACTICE. Rank is open, and we will consider hires from Assistant to Full Professor with tenure.

Established in 2001, DXARTS is a pioneering experimental arts unit with exciting undergraduate and doctoral degree programs. DXARTS brings together faculty from Art, Music, Dance, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Biology, History of Ideas, and Design in a hybrid research environment dedicated to the invention and exploration of new forms of digital and experimental art.

The successful candidate for this position should be an artist hybrid engaged in advanced generative digital and experimental arts practice, as well as integrating research on the epistemological and ontological questions raised by the broader art, science and technology discipline.

Applicants for this position should at minimum hold a Masters Degree or equivalent experience and present a well documented career of significant creative accomplishments. The ideal candidate will have a strong and deeply integrated background blended across numerous creative, interpretive and technical fields such as art, music, film, design, dance, theater, computer science, cognitive science, engineering, history, psychology, and philosophy.

Applicants should be prepared to pursue innovative art and technology research, as well as teach introductory and advanced courses in comprehensive studio practice, and the history and analysis of digital and experimental arts.

Applications must include: CV, artist statement, statement on pedagogy, and a cohesive portfolio of professional creative work. Support materials must include three references with phone numbers, mail and e-mail addresses, samples of previous course design and recent student work. Portfolio work should be formatted for viewing on any platform. Please include a SASE for return of materials. Also inform us if you will be attending the CAA conference in Los Angeles, CA.

Application materials should be addressed to: Chair, HYBRID ARTS PRACTICE Search Committee, DXARTS, 207 Raitt Hall, Box 353414, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-3414. Priority will be given to applications received before January 15, 2009. The University of Washington is building a culturally diverse faculty, and strongly encourages applications from female and minority candidates. The University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer.

A competitive recruitment and selection process is being conducted and if a U.S. worker is not selected pursuant to this process, an application for Alien Employment Certification may be filed on behalf of an alien to fill this job opportunity. Any person may provide documentary evidence bearing on the application (such as information on available workers, wages, working terms and conditions, or other pertinent information) to either:

Employment Security Department
AEC Unit
P.O. Box 9046
Olympia, WA 98507-9046

OR

Employment & Training Administration
Region VI, U.S. Department of Labor
Certifying Officer
P.O.Box 193767
San Francisco, CA 94119-3767

Via Networked Performance

Electrohype 2008 will present works by 5 - 8 artists or artist groups. To give the exhibition a broad perspective we are looking for Nordic as well as international artists. Electrohype has since the start in 1999 focused on what we choose to call computer based art. Art that runs of computers and utilizes the capacity of the computer to mix various media, allow interaction with the audience, or machines interacting with each others etc. in other words art that can not be transferred to “traditional” linear media. This might seem as a narrow approach but we have discovered that it gives us a better focus on a genre that in no way is narrow.

We are not looking for “straight” video art (even if it is edited on a computer) or still images rendered on computers and other material that refers to more “traditional” media forms. Forms were the traditional tools have been replaced with computers and software.

Curators for the biennial are Anna Kindvall and Lars Gustav Midbxe.

Practical: You can submit with our online form or download the application form as PDF-file. You have to use one of these two forms to submit to our call. This can be found on this address. NOTE: Please do NOT send documentation material as attachments via e-mail. Put your material online and send us the download URL or ftp address, or send us a CD or similar in the mail. Do NOT send 8 pages CVs and only complement with enclosures if it is necessary. Please read the form and follow the guidelines. We receive a large amount of proposals and all of them are reviewed closely. To be able to do this we ask you to follow the structure in the application form and the topics mentioned above.

Financial: Due to a limited budget we will encourage everyone submitting material to look for possibilities for local funding to help cover costs for transport, travel and rent of technical equipment. This is not a requirement but a request; external funding can help us during the financial planning. The quality of the artwork will always be the determining element.

Electrohype covers all expenses, within reasonable limits, and also pays an artist honorarium to participating artists. Electrohype does not support development and production of unfinished artworks.

In previous exhibitions we have managed to keep a high level both in artistic content and exhibition design, even on a modest budget. It is therefore very important for us to avoid unpleasant surprises, so please keep this in mind when filling out the various posts in the form, especially when it comes to technical requirements, transport weight etc.

From Networked Performance

International Journal of Arts and Technology (IJART) - Call For Papers : Special Issue on Immersive Virtual, Mixed, or Augmented Reality Art : Guest Editors: Maria Roussou and Maurice Benayoun: Deadline: September 1, 2008.

For the past fifteen years, virtual reality (VR) and, more recently, mixed reality (MR) and augmented reality (AR) environments that immerse their participants in imaginary space, have emerged to define an area that blurs the lines between the seemingly different worlds of research, creativity, and technological practice, while exploring the interdependencies between the virtual and the physical. From the immersive, yet more esoteric, CAVE®-based projects of the mid-nineties to the contemporary open experiences spread out in virtual as well as physical space, creative VR / MR / AR applications are challenging the ways we perceive both digital art and the science and engineering behind them.

Early enthusiasm with the use of projection-based display structures and the development of authoring solutions for application-building has brought a level of maturity, characterized by the emergence of new technical and conceptual forms. It is this particular moment in the evolution of immersive VR / MR / AR art practice that this special issue seeks to capture. Hence, in this special issue, we aim to bring forth the topic of immersive art in its current maturity, present the newest developments and explore its evolving forms, aspiring to shape a framework that will help us to develop the next generation of environments.

Therefore, this special issue will not include contributions that deal solely with describing a narrow and specific piece of art or research without reference to a conceptual framework or a critical analysis; rather we encourage contributions that take a broad and integrative view of relevant topics, encompassing both theoretical and empirical perspectives of digitally-generated creative spaces.

Submissions are invited that touch on but are not limited to the following themes:

- Theoretical discourse on immersive virtual, mixed or augmented reality art environments.
- Novel design concepts, applications, implementations and experiences from the actual deployment of immersive VR / MR / AR art applications
- Research or empirical work addressing some of the open questions in the design of immersive art environments. For example:
- Issues concerning creativity and aesthetics, visual depiction, storytelling and narrative, triggering other senses, embodiment, etc.
- The fine line between designing for entertainment or for artistic pleasure
- Issues in the design of interactivity, interfaces, and interaction methodologies, such as navigation by and tracking of multiple users, meaningful group interaction, the integration of multi-modal interfaces (e.g. tactile and haptic displays, sensing technologies), etc.
- Issues concerning the design and development process of immersive artwork, such as the conceptualisation and collaboration challenges presented by multitalented interdisciplinary teams working together, the unavailability of resources and work environments, etc.
- Issues in the deployment of different display configurations, sizes, and installations, as well as challenges in the practical use with diverse audiences (e.g., the need to guide people in experiencing the artwork)
Contributions are encouraged from different disciplinary perspectives, including fine arts, computer science, performance art, theatre, design, architecture, communications and social sciences, philosophy, cognitive psychology, and enabling technologies.

Contributions should take a broad and integrative view of relevant topics, rather than merely describing a narrow and specific piece of art or research.

Important Dates

Submission intent (title and 300-word abstract): 1 September, 2008
Deadline for full paper submission: 31 October, 2008
Review results returned to authors: February 29, 2009
Deadline for camera-ready papers: June 30, 2009

Via Networked Performance

Via Networked Performance 

Locative Media Art: Towards New Types of “Hybrid” Places for Communicating Meaning - A moderated discussion on YASMIN beginning on December 3, 2007: with Dimitris Charitos , Martin Rieser and Yanna Vogiazou.

The convergence of new mobile telecommunication networks along with geographical positioning systems and interactive graphical interfaces on mobile devices, are beginning to extend the potential of media technologies for supporting communication among mobile individuals. The aforementioned technologies allow groups of people to interact with each other, while being aware of each other’s location at all times. By introducing context awareness and by supporting multi-user communication, these ICT systems alter the patterns of information flow as well as the situation within which communication takes place, thus bringing to light new spatial structures where social interaction will occur and novel forms of cultural practices will emerge.