combined jam with TAREK ATOUI
{ January 12, 2010 @ 4:16 pm }{ Comments (1) }
Something else I missed: before I came in, Tarek was collecting audio samples from the Cambodian participants – old songs, etc. This evening, at CKS, he’s offering us the opportunity to jam.
While everyone else was having dinner, he, Zul and Andy were laying out an interactive electronic installation. He explains to us the variety and application of sensors: those sensitive to light, motion, current, temperature, humidity, presence, pressure, distance.
Tarek: Now sensors are becming more and more popular. You have sensors in a room so the light turns on, you have sensors in rice cookers, so these things are not as new as we think and not as complicated as you might think.
He favours infrared sensors, measuring distances between 10 and 80 cm, as they allow for motion. What he’s not as crazy about are the bendy motion sensors that you paste to your body.
Tarek: The more I bend it, the more data it sends. So this was used by a lot of dancers to put on the wrist, on the knees, on elbows, on many parts. I don’t like it much because I don’t like it when technology constricts the performer, and you alwyas have to know where the sensor is, and seomtimes the technology becomes more important than the dancer himself.
He’s had only three hours to cut together the song clips, so the audio isn’t comprehensive. Three kinds of sensors laid out on the floor: sonars near the door, sine waves.
The kicker is, even though he’s a sound artist, he’s also hooked up an interactive video linkup, controlled via a Wiimote.
Tarek: See, that was my feet. I recorded my feet. and here is you. And here is my feet and you.
The participants are split into three groups. Time to party.
[Insert videos here. Sorry; Youtube uploads require speedy connections, which I do not have in this hotel room. In fact, I’m being consistently given hotel rooms with iffy connections. I surmise that a TheatreWorks Associate Artist is sabotaging my blogging efforts as part of an interventionist work. Ooh, here we go:]
https://youtu.be/wAPpSQFd2pg
Tarek’s not initially pleased – it’s okay for kids to monkey around with noise, he says, but we’re artists. Are we actually listening to the music?
[Insert more videos, because there was a distinct improvement in melodics after this advisory.]
https://youtu.be/CXj_l-Ck-bo
Breakup at 9:30pm. Tarek’ll also be coaching participants in building sensor equipment and programming using open-source software. Oddly enough, the folks who signed up for this were the Amrita dancers – the Bhopana video guys must be comfortable with their niche.
Final day with the Cambodians tomorrow. KS isn’t sure they’ve made use of the visiting artists enough yet – don’t ask big questions, he says; ask about specifics. How do you put together a dance solo? How do you put together a festival?
Ng Yi-Sheng