VJ-U http://www.vj-u.net we teach live visual performance Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:47:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 en John Whitney’s optical/analog effects computer http://www.vj-u.net/2008/03/21/john-whitneys-opticalanalog-effects-computer/ http://www.vj-u.net/2008/03/21/john-whitneys-opticalanalog-effects-computer/#comments Fri, 21 Mar 2008 15:47:13 +0000 dan http://www.vj-u.net/2008/03/21/john-whitneys-opticalanalog-effects-computer/

Lately I’ve been talking with my high school VJ-U students about the differences between analog/optical methods and digital techniques: forced perspective vs. green-screening, papier-mâché and clay vs. 3D modeling, et cetera. On [CreateDigitalMotion](http://createdigitalmotion.com/2008/03/20/videos-from-the-dawn-of-video-mechanical-effects-and-oscilloscope-games/), I saw John Whitney’s “Catalog” a demo reel of his optical effects work from 1961, made with an “analog computer” that Wikipedia says “was built in the late 1950s by converting the mechanism of a World War II M-5 Antiaircraft Gun Director.” I went to Wikipedia’s source to verify this claim, Gene Youngblood’s seminal **Expanded Cinema** (the whole book is [available from vasulka.org as a PDF](http://www.vasulka.org/Kitchen/PDF_ExpandedCinema/ExpandedCinema.html)). Sure enough,

> An M-5 Antiaircraft Gun Director provided the basic machinery for Whitney’s first mechanical analogue computer in the late 1950’s. This complex instrument of death now became a tool for producing benevolent and beautiful graphic designs. Later Whitney augmented the M-5 with the more sophisticated M-7, hybridizing the machines into a mammoth twelve-foot-high device of formidable complexity upon which most of the business of Motion Graphics was conducted for many years.
> Similar to the analogue device built by Whitney’s brother James for the production of Lapis, but far more complex, the machine consists of primary, secondary, and tertiary rotating tables, cam systems, and other surfaces for pre-programming of image and motion sequences in a multiple-axis environment. [Youngblood, p. 208]

Sort of like the world’s largest [Spirograph](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirograph)! Grab the PDF and check out pages 207 to 216 for some pictures of Whitney and the computer.

]]> http://www.vj-u.net/2008/03/21/john-whitneys-opticalanalog-effects-computer/feed/ Inspiration: Light graffiti with artificial intelligence in Torino, Italy http://www.vj-u.net/2008/01/14/inspiration-light-graffiti-with-artificial-intelligence-in-torino-italy/ http://www.vj-u.net/2008/01/14/inspiration-light-graffiti-with-artificial-intelligence-in-torino-italy/#comments Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:12:49 +0000 dan http://www.vj-u.net/2008/01/14/inspiration-light-graffiti-with-artificial-intelligence-in-torino-italy/
ARTIFICIAL.DUMMIES from todo.to.it on Vimeo.

This outdoor installation was made by [TODO](http://www.todo.to.it/), a group of Italian “designers musicians geeks stalkers”. It was made with [Processing](http://processing.org), which is free and comes with excellent tutorials.

Found on [Bruce Sterling’s blog Beyond the Beyond](http://blog.wired.com/sterling/2007/12/urban-processin.html).

]]> http://www.vj-u.net/2008/01/14/inspiration-light-graffiti-with-artificial-intelligence-in-torino-italy/feed/ Pics: Eclectic Method visits VJ-U class http://www.vj-u.net/2007/11/28/pics-eclectic-method-visits-vj-u-class/ http://www.vj-u.net/2007/11/28/pics-eclectic-method-visits-vj-u-class/#comments Thu, 29 Nov 2007 02:40:33 +0000 dan http://www.vj-u.net/2007/11/28/pics-eclectic-method-visits-vj-u-class/ Jonny Wilson from [Eclectic Method](http://eclecticmethod.net) visited our 10th and 11th grade VJ-U classes at [UAMA](http://uamusicandart.org) to give a hands-on show ‘n’ tell with the students. Check out the Flickr set linked below for more pictures of the kids scratching video. :) Thanks, Jonny!

image: Jonny Wilson from Eclectic Method visits VJ-U at UAMA. photo by dan winckler, on Flickr

##### Update
We’ve posted videos from Tuesday shot by Jorven (one of our students from last semester, actually) and Dan [on the Internet Archive](http://www.archive.org/details/EclecticMethodVisitsVJ-U-at-UAMA). They’re AVIs so your browser might not be able to play them — if so, let us know in the comments and we’ll put up some friendlier versions. :)

]]> http://www.vj-u.net/2007/11/28/pics-eclectic-method-visits-vj-u-class/feed/ Brother Islands http://www.vj-u.net/2007/11/15/brother-islands/ http://www.vj-u.net/2007/11/15/brother-islands/#comments Thu, 15 Nov 2007 15:57:57 +0000 dan http://www.vj-u.net/2007/11/15/brother-islands/ This Saturday at Eyebeam, Benton-C and Dan Winckler are performing in Brother Islands, a multimedia show about…the Brother Islands and all the terrible stuff that happened there.

[November 17, 8–11PM: MIXER performance and party](http://www.eyebeam.org/about/news/110607.html#article03)

Eyebeam, 540 W 21st St (between 10th Ave and 11th Ave), New York

Brother Islands (Places to Lose People)
Cost: $10
After 9PM: $5

[Limited tickets now available online](https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/528/t/4366/shop/shop.jsp?storefront_KEY=353)

MIXER, Eyebeam’s new quarterly series showcasing live audio and video performance, launches with Brother Islands, a haunting tableau integrating audio and video recordings, stereographic photos and live theater. Eyebeam Education Fellow Benton-C Bainbridge creates an expanded documentary of North Brother Island half a century since its abandonment, as it fades from New York City’s map and its bleak buildings succumb to nature.

This tiny South Bronx Island was once notorious as a harsh quarantine and locus of misfortunate legends like Typhoid Mary and the General Slocum ferry disaster.

Stick around at 9PM for drinks and an exclusive A/V performance by The Jesse Stiles 3000, Bill Etra and vade.

Brother Islands performance ensemble: Benton-C Bainbridge, Minou Maguna, Ross Goldstein, Ryder Cooley, Dan Winckler, Matthew Schlanger, Jesse Stiles.

]]> http://www.vj-u.net/2007/11/15/brother-islands/feed/ VJ-U netcast: Big visuals for big events: Circus of Now http://www.vj-u.net/2007/11/07/vj-u-netcast-big-visuals-for-big-events-circus-of-now/ http://www.vj-u.net/2007/11/07/vj-u-netcast-big-visuals-for-big-events-circus-of-now/#comments Wed, 07 Nov 2007 23:10:38 +0000 dan http://www.vj-u.net/2007/11/07/vj-u-netcast-big-visuals-for-big-events-circus-of-now/ The [Circus of Now](http://circusofnow.com) designs and stages large-scale, immersive multimedia events — past clients include BMW, Diesel, UNICEF, Berlin’s Love Parade, Burger King, Sony and Universal Music. Aleksej Schön, director of Circus of Now, joins us on VJ-U to show and tell how CON brings together bleeding edge technology and designer/artists to make jaw-dropping, synaesthetic environments for its clients.

[Watch this VJ-U netcast on Operator11.com](http://operator11.com/shows/1054/episodes/28453)

]]> http://www.vj-u.net/2007/11/07/vj-u-netcast-big-visuals-for-big-events-circus-of-now/feed/ VJ Giles Hendrix interview, video drum kit http://www.vj-u.net/2007/10/31/vj-giles-hendrix-interview-video-drum-kit/ http://www.vj-u.net/2007/10/31/vj-giles-hendrix-interview-video-drum-kit/#comments Wed, 31 Oct 2007 22:55:46 +0000 dan http://www.vj-u.net/2007/10/31/vj-giles-hendrix-interview-video-drum-kit/ Yesterday on VJ-U I interviewed VJ Giles Hendrix, a 10 year veteran of the visual performance world who’s done visuals with Paul van Dyk, Armin van Buren, and, surprisingly, no one else with “van” in their name. Giles is a prolific, dynamic artist who creates original content for every show to give it a unique look and feel. Check our interview below, which was the first at our new host [harvestworks](http://harvestworks.org/). Thank you, harvestworks!

[Watch episode VENTITRE (23)](http://operator11.com/shows/1054/episodes/27529)

After the show, Giles and I headed to the Highline Ballroom, a fabulous new venue, for a party hosted by [Thwak.com](http://thwak.com) and [Boards Magazine](http://www.boardsmag.com/), where Jonny Wilson, a friend of VJ-U and member of the DVJ trio [Eclectic Method](http://eclecticmethod.net), performed a kick-ass AV set. If you’re not familiar with EM, [watch the Pioneer DVJ Kitchen Jam](http://www.eclecticmethod.net/video.aspx) (scroll down to find it). At last night’s show, Tony Verderosa debuted his video drum kit, which Jonny helped create. It was hot. They used MIDI drum pads to trigger A/V clips in [VJAMM](http://www.vjamm.com/). Looking forward to further developments there.

]]> http://www.vj-u.net/2007/10/31/vj-giles-hendrix-interview-video-drum-kit/feed/ VJ-U interviews http://www.vj-u.net/2007/10/26/vj-u-interviews/ http://www.vj-u.net/2007/10/26/vj-u-interviews/#comments Fri, 26 Oct 2007 15:22:45 +0000 dan http://www.vj-u.net/2007/10/26/vj-u-interviews/ Since we interviewed vade, we’ve had four great interviews that we’ve neglected to post here…until now.

* [dvadeset i dva: Applications in cross-modal media](http://operator11.com/shows/1054/episodes/27122) with Ray Sweeten
* [ishirini na moja: Missy Galore!](http://operator11.com/shows/1054/episodes/26088)
* [YOL-A-HUP: Interview with David Linton](http://operator11.com/shows/1054/episodes/24665)
* [Dezoito: On collaboration and grids with Lenara Verle](http://operator11.com/shows/1054/episodes/23805)

]]> http://www.vj-u.net/2007/10/26/vj-u-interviews/feed/ VJ-U interviews vade http://www.vj-u.net/2007/09/25/vj-u-interviews-vade/ http://www.vj-u.net/2007/09/25/vj-u-interviews-vade/#comments Tue, 25 Sep 2007 22:37:19 +0000 dan http://www.vj-u.net/2007/09/25/vj-u-interviews-vade/ Today on the VJ-U livecast Benton-C interviewed [vade (a.k.a. Anton Marini)](http://abstrakt.vade.info) about analog versus digital, realtime visual performance, the Rutt/Etra video synthesizer and vade’s hothot work.

[SYTTEN : VJ-U interviews vade](http://operator11.com/shows/1054/episodes/22574)

]]> http://www.vj-u.net/2007/09/25/vj-u-interviews-vade/feed/ VJ-U interviews artist/activist Jaime del Val http://www.vj-u.net/2007/09/18/vj-u-interviews-artistactivist-jaime-del-val/ http://www.vj-u.net/2007/09/18/vj-u-interviews-artistactivist-jaime-del-val/#comments Tue, 18 Sep 2007 21:10:00 +0000 dan http://www.vj-u.net/2007/09/18/vj-u-interviews-artistactivist-jaime-del-val/

[Watch VJ-U livecast episode DIECISÉIS](http://operator11.com/shows/1054/episodes/21261)

This week Marlon Barrios Solano interviewed Jaime del Val, the meta-composer, visual- dance- intermedia- artist, performer and queer activist.

]]> http://www.vj-u.net/2007/09/18/vj-u-interviews-artistactivist-jaime-del-val/feed/ Look inside the Rutt/Etra video synthesizer http://www.vj-u.net/2007/09/11/look-inside-the-ruttetra-video-synthesizer/ http://www.vj-u.net/2007/09/11/look-inside-the-ruttetra-video-synthesizer/#comments Wed, 12 Sep 2007 02:21:16 +0000 dan http://www.vj-u.net/2007/09/11/look-inside-the-ruttetra-video-synthesizer/ Today on the netcast show Benton-C and Dan Winckler looked at several disassembled Rutt/Etra video synthesizers and discussed their history and usage and, more broadly, analog video art with [Matthew Schlanger](http://www.lumpybanger.com/).

[FEMTEN : hands-on with the Rutt/Etra video synthesizer](http://operator11.com/shows/1054/episodes/19781)

]]> http://www.vj-u.net/2007/09/11/look-inside-the-ruttetra-video-synthesizer/feed/