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Institutions Palindrome teaches Motion Tracking
-- this means using sensors and computers to allow human movement to control
music, lights, text, sounds, video,... actually anything you could
think of! 1 you learn how to track motion 2 you learn why to track motion This means, we look at how human movement functions with other media.
It concerns technology, yes, but equally it is a matter of psychology
and art.
Equipment -- What you need to track motion
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Individual Artists Many choreographers and solo performers come to us wanting to learn how to use interactive technology. We are happy to help you! It is one thing, of course, to make the equipment work and quite another to make artistic sense with it. I say this because many artists mistakenly think that if only they had the equipment and a manual that they can immediately make some amazing piece. Its not that simple. We offer private and group sessions. You can come to us, or we travel to you. We bring everything needed. We'll also help you get your machines working. Every artist works in his her/his own way; some very slowly, some very fast, some want to focus on software and hardware, others on issues of choreography, others on sound, others on light, etc. Here is a list of topics we can cover. To finance the workshop, you might look into grants for further education or advanced training. Many of those that have come to us have gotten help from their governments and universities. This is easier than you might think -- motion tracking is a catchy theme these days! |
COST
Price in euros
per artist/instructor, per hour 150 per artist/instructor, per day (up to six workshop hours) 600 per artist/instructor, per week 2000
* - plus travel and housing.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS, LOGISTICS
What we Require
Group size
The maximum size of the group is normally limited to 12 persons for one teacher and 20 for 2 or more teachers.
Space 8x8 meters minimum - for 12 people. less for less people. more for more. One large table One grounded electrical outlet + extension cord extension cord has to reach the table. Stereo sound system with auxiliary input (good-quality sound is important!) If you are unsure about the qualit of your sound system, please let us know what you have. Video projector and projection surface If there are more than 8-10 people, then a video projector is useful so that everyone can see the screen images. Set up time 20 min minimum (assuming the video projector is already set up!) 8
Flat computer monitor a standard flat desktop computer monitor (VGA, XVGA, etc.)
Equipment that participants can bring with them (none of it is required!)
Everyone laptops, video cameras (webcams, camcorders, etc.), microphones
Media-saavy participants
short media files (from a few seconds to a few minutes). particularly *.wav files, but also *.bmp and *.avi
things you want to trigger or influence with human motion
Cracks
devices, programs, patches, etc. capable of real time control. This would include work you have done on MAX/msp, Pure Data, SuperCollider, Director, Flash, etc. -- any system that can be controlled by OSC/UDP (via ethernet). If you work with such things, then we can collaborate at the workshop. Please prepare in advance one or more parameters within your composition which you would like to control. Our motion tracking software streams named OSC packets with floating-point values ranging from 0 to 1 via ethernet (standard computer network). You need to know how to import OSC (see also here)-- but if you are up for it, let's do it!
Additional equipment that you can provide for us ... helpful, but not required
-- roughly in order from most to least useful
A video projector + screen or clear wall surface. If we have 8-12 participants, then this helps everyone to see the screen (we show many short videos in the workshop as well as software images) extra video cable E.g. 1-2x 10 meters, co-axial 75 Ohm (RG-59/U or similar) 1-3 additional video cameras with analogue output Digital camocrders are fine. Just make sure they have an analogue output (most do, but many require a special cable) additional computers (MAC or PC; Laptop or Desktop) These are used for additional motion tracking systems, or for recording and editing sound or video. We will supply the software. If they are MACs, then they need to have windows (parallels or similar) installed on them. See here for additional info. LED Theater Lights (DMX) with DMX cable Sub-woofer loud speaker Extra Set-up Time With 2 hours set-up time, a fancier demonstration is possible.
Equipment we generally bring with us
PC portable desktop (shuttle) outfitted with industrial framegrabber, various media software 1-2 laptops
1-2 CCD cameras
includes zoom lens (4-12mm), manfrotto magic arm and clamp, 5 meters video cable, 3 meters power cable 1-2 video camcorders, webcams, etc. 1-2 additional industrial frame grabbers
DMX interface for light control
Electrode-based bio-sensors (touch system)
Ethernet hub, ethernet cable
Flat screen not always! 11 Misc. auxiliaries and cables 12 Digital audio interface, DI box, RCA cable
6 meters
References -- past workshops (partial list).
Schule am Burkersdorfer Weg, Dresden
Außenstelle für merhfach-behinderte Kinder, Dresden
York University in Toronto, Canada
Goethe Institute, Toronto, Canada
Geneva SESSIONS '09 made in Lausanne
Traumfabrik, Regensburg, Germany (14x)
Missouri State University (2x)
Festival Hörzu, Schwankhalle, Bremen, Germany
AMBER digital arts festival, Istanbul, Turkey (2x)
Manes School of Music, New York
National Academy of Music and Theater, Tallinn, Estonia
TanzZentrale Nürnberg
Valladolid University, Valladolid, Spain (2x)
Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Spain
University of California at Irvine
CalArts, Los Angeles, California
University of California at San Diego
UCLA Hypermedia Studio (2x)
California State University at Northridge
Monaco Dance Forum (3x)
NILE2006, Edinburgh Scotland
University of Erfurt, Germany
Doncaster College, Hull University, England (3x)
KOINZIDANCE, Schule für interdisziplinäre Kunst, Hamburg
CynetArt, Dresden, Germany
Trans-Media-Akademie, Dresden, Germany (2x)
European CADE (Computers in Art and Design Education)
Malmö University, Copenhagen
Kyoto Art and Design University, Kyoto, Japan
NOMADE~s, Tokyo, Japan
ADE2004 München, Germany
Hochschule für Musik Dresden, Germany
AISB 2004 Convention: Motion, Emotion and Cognition, Leeds, England
V2, Rotterdam, Holland
STEIM, Amsterdam, Holland (2x)
Tanzerei, Nürnberg, Germany (2x)
Telford College, Edinburgh, Scotland
Public Schools (Gymnasium) Marienberg, Germany
Maison de la Culture Plateau-Mont-Royal, Montreal, Canada
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Societé des Arts Technologique (SAT), Montreal, Canada
Media Lab Europe, Dublin, Ireland
The Place (London Contemporary Dance School), London, England
De Montfort University, Leicester, England
Glasgow University, Glasgow, Scotland
Dresden International Workshop 'Realtime Presence'
Public High School for the Arts (Hochschule für bildende Künste), Hamburg, Germany
TMA, Hellerau, Dresden (3x)
Folkwang Schule Essen, Germany
Kunst und "Sport in Literatur, Tanz und...", Nürnberg, Germany
Kunstpädagogischen Tag, Dresden, Germany
Cast01 Conference on Communication of Art, Science and Technology, Sankt Augustin, Bonn, Germany
Schloss Birlinghoven, Germany
Bauhaus, Dessau, Germany
Buenos Aires Videodance Festival, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Centre Culturel Saint-Exupéry Reims, France
Städtisches Goethe-Gymnasium Bischofswerda, Germany
University of Northern Texas
"Dancing with the Mouse", Texas Christian University Workshop
CENTRO Petralata Rome, Italy
Reed College, Portland, Oregon
University of Colorado at Boulder
Connecticut College, New London Connecticut
Symposium FACHHOCHSCHULE für Gestaltung und Neue Medien Nürnberg
"Dance for the Interactive Stage" ATIK, Klagenfurt, Austria
7th BIENNIAL SYMPOSIUM ON ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY "Minds and Machines and Electronic Culture" Connecticut College New London, CT
Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
St. Olaf College Northfield, Minnesota
Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona
Hochschule für Gestaltung, HFG (in association with ZKM), Karlsruhe, Germany
American University, Washington DC
Robert Wechsler leads most of the Workshops. He is the artistic director of Palindrome Inter.media performance Group and is an award-wining choreographer, dancer and developer of interactive methods of performing with technology -- something he has been doing since the 1970's when he built electronic devices to generate sounds with his movements on stage.He has a BFA in dance and an MFA in choreography from State University of New York at Purchase and New York University respectively. He trained under Merce Cunningham in New York City for ten years and was selected for a Fulbright Fellowship as well as grants from the NEA, Marshal Fund and others. From 2004 to 2006 he directed England's first masters degree program in digital performance at Doncaster College (Hull University).
He is the author of articles concerning dance and new media for Leonardo Magazine, IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, Ballet International, Dance Magazine, Dance Research Journal, Der Tanz der Dinge and others. He has also written a book on motion tracking: "Motion Tracking -- a practical guide for performing artists".
"Robert Wechsler belongs to an avant-garde made up of those finding new paths for artistic expression and radically redefining dance…" -Süddeutsche Zeitung
