David g johns/collaborative research seminar

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David G. Johns
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Touch Paper: Collaborative research seminar

Touch Paper is an experimental format for work sharing and group feedback. Strict time and format constraints spark initial reactions from the audience, feeding a unique energy to the research process.

Date: Saturday 12th December
Location: Bizbar (meeting room)
Time: 15.00-16.30

Speakers

David G. Johns & David Strang

Helen Pritchard

Format

The first presentation will take 10 minutes, after which, all participants will pair off to chat about what they've heard and note down any constructive criticisms, further references and/or other suggestions.

After this brief period of paired chat, the notes will be fed back to the presenter(s) by one member of each pair. During this feedback, the presenter(s) will just take notes. Once all pairs have given their feedback, the presenter(s) will respond to the comments he/she feels they would like to open up for discussion. 

The second presentation will follow the same format.

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David Johns and David Strang present a failed proposal of their work in progress: Public Sound Space, for Plymouth Arts Centre's 'Performance Market', where Marina Abramović will select seven artists to develop a site-specific durational performance work around Plymouth City Market. 

"Plymouth’s City Market is in flux – from current urban regeneration strategies to everyday
interactions between market users, the context of the site continually adapts through
relationships of macro and micro performance.
With its physical structure engaged in a shifting urban and economic landscape, we are
approaching the market’s interpersonal relations as a key value within this ecosystem. The
work explores these processes through individual and collective movement within the
space - an intervention that sonifies the everyday performance of market users.
Beyond initial technical installation, our presence in the space would be semi-visible,
conscious of public/private contexts surrounding both market life and urban development.
By observing the reception of the sonic system in-situ, we make ourselves available for
those wanting to find out more, without directly approaching market users. In an area
synonymous with boundaries, flow, and exchange, we exert an adaptive framework of
control, whilst affording the fluidity of individual freedom.

The proposed site-specific work is one that explores the soundscape of the space in real
time with input from the movement of people throughout the space. As the public move
around within the space their movement is captured through an overhead camera using
motion tracking in openFrameworks. Once captured, the movement becomes data that is
used to create audio through the process of sonification. The audio that is created is then
filtered back into the market space and mixed with the existing sound.
This work sets up various feedback loops throughout the system from the individual user
and the software/computer system through to the history of the market space. As the
performers/public move within the space the soundscape they create becomes another
sonic layer for them to react to. The physical energy output from the performers/public is
relayed back to themselves and others as acoustical energy.
We will be using openFrameworks to build the system as this provides us with a powerful
environment that will suit the flexibility required to react to the social environment."

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Helen Pritchard

Working out rules for collective research with Brass Bands and Bad Drawings

"What we make and what (we think) we are co-evolve together" Katherine Hayles (2008)

In 2009 I set up "The Institute for Accidental Information" in an attempt to address some questions
I had about non lab based computation (computation written by artists, outside researchers, viewers) and
collective research/action.

I am currently working on a research project which engages with computational drawing and writing practices
and I am particulary interested systems and in the relationship between the body,formal language (code) and drawing. Drawing which creates writing and writing which creates drawing.

This has recently resulted in computer and non-computer based instruction works (for example working with
a Brass Band to complete computation protocols, initiating a rule based space for art education and a weekly
radio show in which the audience are invited to follow computational instructions for drawings)

Recently I have been thinking about my personal connection to computation and my memories of the LOGO TURTLE.
Currently I am developing a Robotic project based on the BASIC logoturtle which was developed in the 80s for education at MIT.
It uses a very simple programming language to create live drawings.

For touch paper I am going to present some thoughts which have arisen from these for discussion.

The Institute for Accidental Information is a practice based research project which is dedicated to systems
based art and writing enquiries through collective, computational activities. It aims to investigate implications 
of computation as both a means and a metaphor in relation to the possibilities of rethinking constructions of 
subjectivity in contemporary art and writing practice.