Last Thursday saw DATA – the Dublin Art and Technology Association – # 28 at our temporary venue, Dublin’s Science Gallery. It was a great and energetic night with a diverse crowd and lots of dialogue, plus a few beers afterwards just down the road. Thanks to everyone for coming! All photos by Ralph Borland unless otherwise noted.
A recent graduate from DCU, Charlie von Metzradt is a software engineer by day and electronics tinkerer by night. He is irked by human-computer interface annoyances and any piece of technology that doesn’t read his mind. At DATA, Charlie presented a motion-sensitive iPod remote control, built into a set of headphones. The ‘Tiltphones’ measure what way your head is oriented and your iPod reacts accordingly. Charlie talked about his motivation for building it, how the system works and what you’d need to make your own. The audience tested them on various models, triggering music, video and photo iPods.
We flew in Michael Szpakowski – an artist, composer & educator – from London, to talk about his practice over the last few years. His music has been performed all over the UK, in Russia & the USA. He has exhibited work in galleries in the UK, mainland Europe & the USA. His short films have been shown throughout the world. He is a composer & video artist for Tell Tale Hearts Theatre Company & a joint editor of the online video resource DVblog. At DATA Michael showed some recent & not so recent work and talked about how it has not always had apparent roots in technology and the web. Pictured, he is in classic Michael excitement style, alongside a snap of a lovely video work about his father.
Joan Healy’s work is a playful interpretation of interactive technology and the objectification of the body in performance art. Her most recent work attempts to grotesquely imitate current scientific trends in bio-mimetics, using human body hair as a instrument to uncannily create sound and creating performances that parody computer touch-screen interface technology. The technological commodification of the individual/body is examined in her performances using props made from low-tech, DIY and found materials. The performer’s body becomes a tool or automaton used by indiscriminate audience members to be touched and played with. This invasive form of interaction is a transgression of social norms of respecting personal space and it toys with the feeling of embarrassment that is inherent in any performative activity. Video documentation on: http://www.vimeo.com/724001
Pictured above is the most popular of what she presented at DATA: dancing meat (powered by servo motors and activated through music).
(images from ciaraomalley.com)
Sven Anderson has been working with installation and performance art in Dublin since 2002. His projects focus on integrating sound and video within specific architectural sites and public spaces. His work has been installed and performed in Ireland, England, Germany, and the US.
At DATA, he spoke about ‘Streets: Past, Present, and Future,’ a community artwork realized as a collaboration with artist Ciara O’Malley, Fire Station Artists’ Studios, RPA (Railway Procurement Agency), and a collection of individuals and community groups in North Inner City Dublin. Combining video, text, and sound within two large-scale video projections and a multi-channel sound system installed within the Luas terminus at Connolly station, this project explores the relationships that exist between specific communities and the changing urban space that surrounds them. The artwork is currently in its final stages of installation. Sven discussed its design and technical setup, his experiences working in the community, larger issues concerning the project’s themes, and obstacles encountered bringing the project to its completion. He also addressed the dynamics that the project creates between the communities that it represents, the institutions that support it, and the public space in which it is experienced.
Great night – thanks again to all who came and participated!
