Special thanks to Sandro Canavezzi de Abreu and everyone at UFSCar for making the 1º Contato festival a great success. I had a fantastic time, and was inspired by the creative efforts of everyone involved.

For the festival, we put together a weeklong experimental workshop which focused on exploring interactive connections between disparate media. We used Max/MSP Jitter for processing, iCubeX and Wi-micro devices for input sensing, video tracking, audio analysis and event detection, improvised electronic instruments, and synchronized OSC timing via a network server.

We were fortunate to have Tania Fraga bring her Java 3D virtual environments to the workshop, which created a beautiful lightscape when mixed in with the media.

The dancer Ivani Santana performed live improvisation with the piece using a wireless control glove and other body sensors.

On Saturday evening, I performed live video with Daevid Allen and Gong for the festival concert, which was a blast. Thanks to everyone who came out to the show for making the event such a wonderful time!

Over the next few weeks, I will be posting some more pics and videos from the festival and the workshop. If you have any materials, let me know and I will be happy to post.

I’ve shown this to a variety of people, and I think it’s a great interface. Addictive and fun. No learning curve. And I’ve been user testing it with kids to make sure it works right.

This interface was made with Max/MSP/Jitter, and the hi object, and I’m running it on a MacBook Pro. It uses full res dv files and can scratch, jump, loop, and do real time effects. I have tried to build it to suit the real world needs of VJ’s. It also uses a standard usb game controller. The one I used for the show cost $10.

Kid not included.

Below is an simple diagram of the button configuration. I went through a variety of configurations before deciding on this one.

A big thanks to Addictive TV, Amy Z, and everyone who made Optronica 2007 a big success. And to all the folks who came to see our show a the ICA London.

We had a great time, and were glad to meet so many super-xlnt people.

Addictive TV keeps getting better and better. If you get a chance to see one of their shows, do it! You wont regret it. Their stuff looked monumental on the massive Imax screen, and they played an amazing new remix of Willie Nelson’s “On The Road Again”. I think this one could be a big hit.

I also got to see two killer sets from Exceeda. I had never seen their set before. Fantastic stuff. Xavier rocked the house with his Phantom of Optronica set.

Peter Greenaway performed a spectacular live mix of his films in the Imax theatre.

And Coldcut performed a beautiful tribute to Robert Anton Wilson.

So, all in all, and wonderful experience.

Post and Kane in 3D. If you get very close to the monitor and stare at this picture for a long time, you will get an interesting effect.

Graham from Addictive

Exceeda, Addictive, VJ Anyone, Motorboy

Coldcut, Addictive, Brian Kane, Hexstatic

Peter Greenaway

Music by Joshua Kit Clayton

Created with MAX/MSP Jitter, 2002

This is a music video I made shortly after Jitter was released in 2002. I had used music which was created by Josh Clayton, so I sent him a copy, and he smiled on the piece. Thanks again, Josh.

It was shown at the Raindance Film Festival in England in 2004.