(left) MIDI helmets - when you touch heads you create a sound (from DATA:BASE workshop (4/2003))
(right) Picture of DrawBots (from ElectroFringe workshop (10/2003))
PICTURES & VIDEO FROM PAST WORKSHOPS
Below are some pictures and video from past workshops including the building of instruments and the final performance. Check back for more clips soon. A DVD of documentation is available upon request and a clip from the DVD is below with footage from the MIDI Scrapyard Challenge workshop we held at Transmediale festival in Berlin in 2004. (Thanks to Candida TV for filming and editing)
DIY Wearable Challenge I & II @ ISEA 2004 Tallin, Estonia 8/14,18/04
This is an intensive one-day workshop where participants build simple wearable devices from found or discarded materials (such as cast-off clothing, fabric, conductive thread, old computer parts, electronics, gadgets, etc.). The focus is on the re-appropriation and interrogation of technology and its integration on the body. Each device will be connected to a MIDI output device that will generate either sound or visuals depending on the participant's intent. To conclude the workshop, participants will have a make-shift fashion show where they will demonstrate and present their creations. No electronics skills or any experience with technology is necessary for the workshop. The DIY Wearable Challenge is built on the premise of encouraging an open and collaborative space for creative ideas and hands-on prototyping. Street fashion, hacking, and DIY culture provide creative inspiration. Workshop attendees will learn how to build simple garments, by sewing, stitching, and hemming together found and/or discarded objects. Attendance by participants from multiple backgrounds and all skill levels are encouraged.
Pictures 66 Pictures from DIY Wearable Challenge I 57 Pictures from DIY Wearable Challenge 2
Hacking The Street @ Outside In Goteborg, Sweden 6/04
Hacking the Street is a hands-on workshop that focuses on re-appropriating objects found in the local city space. Participants form small groups, get a map of the city, and search for discarded objects or "junk" (such as old electronics, furniture, outdated computer equipment, appliances, turntables, monitors, gadgets, etc) that they find discarded in the city. They will mark the object's location and collect information about the local surroundings. They will then bring the object back to the workspace and deconstruct the object to create a simple controller (outputting to sound, network, screen, or other devices) that other city dwellers could use in a public setting within the city at the specified location.
The final outcome will be a city walk with workshop participants and members of the public where each group will demo their tool/creation at the location it was found, but within its new context. Participants are encouraged to bring their mobile devices (such a Wi-Fi enabled laptops or PDAs) to interface with the objects. No prior electronics experience is necessary. The workshop leaders will supply simple I/O boards to allow people to connect their projects to a computer or sound module.
