cat power - maybe not

100 Coolest Science Videos on YouTube

http://onlineschool.net/2009/11/16/100-coolest-science-videos-on-youtube/

Rap Exegesis

http://rapexegesis.com/

Statistics

From the series Midway: Message from the Gyre

“These photographs of albatross chicks were made on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.” Courtesy of Chris Jordan.



http://www.chrisjordan.com/
http://flavorwire.com/45351/pic-of-the-day-2-4-million-pounds-of-plastic-pollution
http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=8

Vagina Cosmica by Otolab

Vagina Cosmica - by Otolab from celeste.prize on Vimeo.

Maryanne Amacher (1943-2009)

http://www.artsjournal.com/postclassic/2009/10/maryanne_amacher_1943-2009.html
http://www.maryanneamacher.org/Amacher_Archive_Project/Amacher_Archive_Project.html

Create a font from your own handwriting

At fontcapture.com

TRASH HUMPERS, new film by HARMONY KORINE

Claytronics - Physical Dynamic Rendering

http://singularityhub.com/2009/07/23/claytronics-or-gershenfeld-why-youll-be-able-to-make-almost-anything/

Talks Torsten ReilTorsten Reil: Animating neurobiologist builds better animations

By coding computer simulations with biologically modeled nervous systems, Torsten Reil and his company NaturalMotion breathe life into the animated characters inhabiting the most eye-poppingly realistic games and movies around.

http://www.ted.com/talks/torsten_reil_studies_biology_to_make_animation.html

World Pinhole Camera Day Camera

Download, print and build your own pinhole camera. Follow the instructions and enjoy!
http://www.corbis.readymech.com/en

PERSONAS - How does the Internet see you?

http://personas.media.mit.edu/

Enter your name, and Personas scours the web for information and attempts to characterize the person - to fit them to a predetermined set of categories that an algorithmic process created from a massive corpus of data. The computational process is visualized with each stage of the analysis, finally resulting in the presentation of a seemingly authoritative personal profile.

INTERMEDIA DANCE PERFORMANCES

Intermedia dance performances create peculiar, funny and unexpected movements. The interactive environment deforms the performers body in such an unconsious(?) way that it might not be created into any other setting. Such dance movements resemble to the movements of people with motion impairments and motion disabilities which they are so unpredictable that amaze the audience.

See for example Ursula Erdlicher's "Website Impersonations: The Ten Most Visited". This is a Live Performance Series choreographed by Web code. In these ten performances the "character" of a Website is embodied by (a) performer(s) who translate(s) the site's HTML code, which is fed in from the Web "on the fly",
Watch video explaning the setting of the project and video documentation of "www.yahoo.com" performance.

See also Palindrome, a performance group from Germany that uses Motion Tracking technology. They are known for its interactive dances. Using bio-sensors and motion tracking technology the music, lighting or video projections are controlled by the dancers' movement.

Watch "Movement controlling Lights" video into the "INTRO TO MO-TRACKING" tab of the videos section which is the best example related to the current post.

Sarah Maple

Interviewed in Flavorwire.


A post in Bitch Magazine.


Her official site

'SCHENGEN Control Observation Point' by Schauplatz International

taken from Laura Palmer Foundation project's description

Schauplatz International, one of the most interesting Swiss independent theatre groups of the moment, employs journalistic methods in its work. The artists always begin by conducting thorough research: interviewing people, searching for information on the Web, inspecting the site, and comparing various viewpoints. The result is a theatre that is community-oriented, political, and documentary. Schauplatz has, for instance, recreated onstage the interviews immigrants have to go through when applying for asylum in Switzerland, re-enacted live the movie Free Willy, and exposed tax fraud in the Swiss town of Zug through the active participation of tax experts and corporate managers. Poland’s admission to the Schengen zone and the fact that Frontex, the European Union’s external-border security agency, is located in Warsaw, were the reasons for Schauplatz’s interest in Warsaw and the 10th-Anniversary Stadium. In the middle of the field of grass that had overgrown the pitch the artists recreated a portion of Poland’s eastern border, which is also the EU’s Eastern border, on a scale of 1:1. A control observation point was constructed on the crown of the stadium, from which viewers were able to monitor the EU’s Eastern frontier. During the eight hour-long live installation, the artists picnicked on the pitch, held discussions about the abstractness of borders, the construction of national identity, and the meaning of the EU flag. Their voices were relayed to the crown of the stadium, and binoculars and telescopes were provided for the viewers to view the action.

The starting point for the performance was the reflection that stadiums and borders are meant to build national identity. While stadiums are concrete architectural objects whose construction takes several years to complete, borders are products of our imagination, involving contracts, symbols, and potential violence. Both borders and stadiums are supposed to tell us who we are. Until recently, Frontex had its offices near the Stadium. The agency, in collaboration with the police, the military, and the secret services operates rapid-intervention teams and organises people-hunts and charter deportations. As a result, illegal immigrants resort to ever more dangerous ways of crossing borders. On their way to work every day, Frontex employees passed the Stadium, a place that, like national borders, used to divide people between legals and illegals. Schauplatz’s one-day live installation required close observation. When the artists saw the 10th-Anniversary Stadium for the first time, they immediately realised that their performance had to dialogue with scale, with dimension — ‘large’ vs. ‘small’, the hugeness of the stadium vs. the littleness of the individual within it. They wanted to give the viewer the possibility of different views. One of those was looking through binoculars at an ordinary piece of grass, where nothing happens. The artists did not force themselves on the stadium; instead they created a situation of live exhibition, turning themselves into objects of display. They also invited special guests.

One of those was software expert Hubert Kowalski, who in a matter-of-fact manner described the functioning of software that makes it possible for border guards to tell whether it is a human or animal crossing the border. He described robots that can recognise movement, objects, or the presence of living organisms, and explained the functioning of heat-sensitive cameras installed along borders. He also added that his hobby was re-enactments of historical battles. A little earlier a refugee from Chechnya, Aslan Dekaev, had appeared on the pitch, followed by someone who re-enacts events from World Wars I and II. The artists then wondered out loud whether fifty years from now military-history enthusiasts will be re-enacting the events in Grozny. The situation of obliqueness, uncertainty, and non-action created by Schauplatz was intentional, as the artists consciously renounce control of the situations they set in motion. With their subdued inaction, they provoked viewers to stroll about the Stadium, to enter the field of action — as if the artists’ presence were not important, and they were the reason the viewers were there. ‘We had the impression we had become a sonic background for the audience. It may be somewhat disappointing for an actor, because it means he has failed to attract viewers’ attention. But the Stadium seems to have simply been more important than us.’

http://www.schauplatzinternational.net/

Alternative Economic Cultures in Pixelache

The alt.econ.cult Seminar of Pixelache’s morning KEYNOTE session chaired by Perpetuum Mobilε:


Alternative Economy Cultures part 1 from pixelACHE festival on Vimeo.


Alternative Economy Cultures PART 2 from pixelACHE festival on Vimeo.


Alternative Economy Cultures PART 3 from pixelACHE festival on Vimeo.

Invincible Cities by Camilo José Vergara

Re-posted here form Flavorpill Daily Dose:

"Mapping the shifting landscape of urban America
An interactive website created by sociologist and photographer Camilo José Vergara, Invincible Cities presents "A Visual Encyclopedia of the American Ghetto."

Vergara travels through time. Invincible Cities captures more than three decades of changing streetscapes in Harlem, NY, Richmond, CA, and Camden, NJ. Trace shifting communities via photographs shot from the same vantage point throughout recent history.

The site encompasses multiple journeys. By incorporating ingenious mapping software and thematic tags, Invincible Cities makes it possible to explore many facets of each urban area. Categories include religion, vegetation, people, and junkyards, along with panoramas, artifacts, and census information.

Its interactive potential is just emerging. The ability to post comments beneath each image allows both current and former residents to discuss their neighborhoods. However, the project's future lies in its utility as a tool to inspire community-centered revitalization."

Read a profile on the Richmond project

One Flat Thing, reproduced

Synchronous Objects is a joint project of William Forsythe and OSU's Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD) and the Department of Dance.

"From dance to data to objects, Synchronous Objects reveals the interlocking systems of organization in the choreography of William Forsythe's 'One Flat Thing, reproduced (2000)"

I re-post here from 'Great Dance Blog'
"The main focus of Synchronous Objects is to develop a set of data visualization tools for capturing, analyzing and presenting the underlying choreographic structures and components of Forsythe's "One Flat Thing, reproduced" (OFTr), which premiered in 2000. These visualizations in the form of information graphics, 2D and 3D animations and visual dance scores will provide audiences, students and researchers with new approaches to thinking about and studying Forsythe's intricate, counter-point work.

Two extended clips of "One Flat Thing" video choreography

One flat thing reproduced 1

One flat thing reproduced 2

To see a variety of data visualizations, visit:

- Information Aesthetics

- EagerEyes.org

- Flowing Data

- Visual Complexity

And also take a look at Many Eyes collaborative visualization application from IBM. Anybody can upload their own data, create a visualization and share it with others."

Exploring William Forsythe's "Synchronous Objects" Website

The Zeitgeist Movement: Orientation Presentation

The Zeitgeist Movement is the activist arm of The Venus Project, which constitutes the life long work of industrial designer and social engineer, Jacque Fresco.

The book of the movement: THE ZEITGEIST MOVEMENT - OBSERVATIONS AND RESPONSES - Activist Orientation Guide

Mr. Fresco’s background includes industrial design and social engineering, as well as being a forerunner in the field of Human Factors.

A documentary, titled Future By Design, on the life, designs and philosophy of Jacque Fresco is now available.
The film Zeitgeist Addendum featuring Jacque Fresco and The Venus Project produced by Peter Joseph was recently released. It can be viewed at www.ZeitgeistMovie.com
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/dloads.htm

Is this a nightmare or a joke?
Is this a new-retro recovery of the ever-evolutionary/progressive positive-thinking of monternism or is this a blooming branch of the emerging hypermodernism?

Faceless-The film

FACELESS was produced under the rules of the 'Manifesto for CCTV Filmmakers'. The manifesto states, amongst other things, that additional cameras are not permitted at filming locations, as the omnipresent existing video surveillance (CCTV) is already in operation.
directed by Manu Luksch, voice over: Tilda Swinton, soundtrack: mukul, piano music: Rupert Huber, www.ambientTV.NET

The 4th Radiator festival. Going Underground - Surveillance and Sousveillance.

A very interesting exhibition regarding the city serveillance systems and its counterpart 'sousveillance' (Sousveillance - the counterpart to surveillance, where the ‘observed’ turns around, to face and watch the ‘observer’, recording the observers actions and movements.) of the 4th Radiator festival.
Read a review on Furtherfield

Microcodes by Pall Thayer

Microcodes are very small code-based artworks. Each one is a fully contained work of art. The conceptual meaning of each piece is revealed through a combination of the title, the code and the results of running them on a computer. As works of art these are the creative work of Pall Thayer. As programs they may be copied, distributed, modified and used under the terms of the GNU General Public License v.3 or (at your option) any later version. GPL v.3. If you're interested in running any of these but don't know how, see a brief HowTo. Also, see Rob Myer's review of Microcodes.

You are the moon - Remix (on Open Source Cinema)

r a d i o l o g y a r t - The Inner Beauty of pop objects and foods: A Cultural Scan

In the summer of 2007, artist and medical student Satre Stuelke started the Radiology Art project. Dedicated to the deeper visualization of various objects that hold unique cultural importance in modern society, this project intends to plant a seed of scientific creativity in the minds of all those inclined to participate.

Stuelke acquires the images on an older four-slice CT scanner that is used for research. Most scan parameters include a 120kV tube voltage, 100mA current, 0.625mm slice thickness and interval, 1:1 pitch, 1.25mm beam collimation, and a speed of 1.25mm/rotation. The resulting DICOM images are then processed in Osirix software on a Macintosh iMac computer. Colors are assigned based on the varying densities of materials present throughout the object. Depending on the spread of densities within a particular subject, black or white backgrounds are chosen. Images are further processed in Adobe Photoshop for proper contrast and balance.

Satre Stuelke lives and works in New York City. He has shown his work across the globe in numerous gallery and museum exhibitions and has also sold work through Sotheby's ArtLink. He has an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has taught at many prestigious institutions including the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan.

http://www.radiologyart.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/24/science/24scan.html

Harold Cohen

Harold Cohen, former director of the Center for Research in Computing and the Arts (CRCA), was an English painter with an established international reputation when he came to UCSD in 1968 for a one-year Visiting Professorship. His first experience with computing followed almost immediately, and he never returned to London. Cohen is the author of the celebrated AARON program, an ongoing research effort in autonomous machine (art making) intelligence which began when he was a visiting scholar at Stanford University's Artificial Intelligence Lab in 1973. Together, Cohen and AARON have exhibited at London's Tate Gallery, the Brooklyn Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Amsterdam's Stedelijk Museum and many more of the world's major art spaces. They have also been shown at a dozen science centers, including the Ontario Science Center, the Boston Science Museum and the Los Angeles Museum of Science and Industry. Cohen represented the US in the World Fair in Tsukuba, Japan, in 1985. He has a permanent exhibit devoted to his work in Boston's Computer Museum.

One of the few artists ever to have become deeply involved in artificial intelligence, Cohen has given invited papers on his work at major international conferences on AI, computer graphics and art technologies. His work is widely cited in the literature, and it is the subject of Pamela McCorduck's AARON's CODE: Meta-Art, Artificial Intelligence, and the Work of Harold Cohen (Freeman).

In more than two decades AARON has produced many thousands of drawings, to a few dozen of which Cohen has added color. The goal of his current research -- by far the most difficult to date, he says -- is to have AARON do its own coloring. This phase of the project is now well under way. The painting machine with which AARON colored real drawings in the real world was premiered at an exhibit at the Computer Museum in Boston in the spring of 1995.

http://www.viewingspace.com/genetics_culture/pages_genetics_culture/gc_w05/cohen_h.htm

Intersections of Art, Technology, Science & Culture - Links

Steve Wilson's Intersections of Art, Technology, Science & Culture - Links is a database in which systematically documents which artists have explored each area of science and technology
"These links are part of the research for Wilson'sbook Information Arts (MIT Press,2002) and Art, Science, and Technology Today. See the book for more details about the artists, organizations, and texts listed in these links and for extended analysis of the relationship of art and research. The links are constantly being revised and suggestions are welcomed. Feel free to use these resources but please attribute source".
Copyright, 1999-2009 Stephen Wilson.

Art after Crisis

Art After Crisis is a website by traveling writer Chris Keulemans. Ever since his first visit to wartime Sarajevo, he has been fascinated by the way artists reinvent their work, their city and their life after a period of war or dictatorship.
The next year, Keulemans will continue his trips through these cities. Sarajevo, Sofia, Algiers, Beirut, Prishtina, Tirana, Jakarta, Kabul, Buenos Aires, New York, Baghdad...
Along the way, all the material he collects will be on the site. Travel stories, audio interviews, video shots, the photographs of his girlfriend and co-traveler Riette Mellink. And of course, the new art of all these cities itself.
Each city tells its own story through the artists who live there. But it seems that art also follows universal patterns when reinventing the place it comes from: from the original euphoria through the emotional backlash to the emergence of truly new places and ideas. Check out the Beirut Metro Map, the Tirana pyramid, the erotic imagination of Jakarta, the Anne Frank of Sarajevo and all the others...

The Philtre by Boris Nordmann

"Have you ever see yourself with the eyes of someone else ? This is
now possible, with the Philtre! The Philtre is an art installation and also
a patent."
www.lephiltre.com
Boris Nordmann

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa the creator of 'The 99'

Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa is the creator of THE 99-the first group of superheroes born of an Islamic archetype. THE 99, has received positive attention from the international media including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Newsweek Magazine, Wired, Elle, The Washington Post and The Guardian. Recently, Forbes named THE 99 as one of the top 20 trends sweeping the globe.
http://www.al-mutawa.com/?Biography

The story of 'The 99' the comic
As the leader and mentor of The 99, Dr. Ramzi Razem directs the quest to find the lost Noor Stones of Baghdad, which is the comic book’s main plot line.

As legend has it, when the Mongols sacked Baghdad in 1258, they razed the largest library in the city, Dar al-Hikma. To erase any record of the civilization, they threw the books into the Tigris River, which ran black with ink. But the caliphate guardians, in a desperate attempt to save the vast knowledge of the library before it was destroyed, concocted an alchemical solution that would absorb the contents of the books. The solution solidified into the 99 Noor Stones, which supposedly contain the lost knowledge of the Library of Baghdad.

Ramzi believes the legend, including the idea that the stones activate superpowers within certain people. He conducts his search through the nonprofit 99 Steps Foundation, and although possessing no superpowers of his own, he helps other characters to use theirs.

Darr-The Afflicter (one of the characters), an American paraplegic who manipulates nerve endings to transmit or prevent pain.
http://www.the99.org/the99/
http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0619/p04s01-wome.html

Superflex

“The work of Superflex is about
social-economic practice. Unlike many visual artists, we don’t offer
criticisms or critiques, we propose real solutions to real problems”
http://superflex.net/

Bjornstjerne Christiansen, Rasmus Nielsen, Jakob Fenger form the Copenhagen based art collective SUPERFLEX. They have worked together for fifteen years. The focus of SUPERFLEX’s exhibition at ARTSPACE, If Value, Then Copy is on copyright issues. Exploring concepts around branding, ownership of products, images and ideas, their ongoing practice in this area includes projects such as Guaraná Power. For this project SUPERFLEX worked with farmers in the Brazilian Amazon to create a drink called Guaraná Power, this involved the formation of a new brand that closely followed and yet subtly challenged the leading brand, whose monopoly on the market was impinging on the rights and conditions of the local farmers.

SUPERFLEX are committed to questioning dominant world power relationships and developing economically viable structures for specific communities. Their strategy includes what they describe as tools:

“The work of SUPERFLEX is about social-economic practice. Unlike many visual artists, we don’t offer criticisms or critiques, we propose real solutions to real problems.” Says Bjornstjerne, who is in Auckland till the end of October. “Our fundamental premise is that there is too much ownership in terms of intellectual property, trademark and copyright laws, and this excess of power needs to be challenged.”
http://www.artspace.org.nz/exhibitions/2008/superflex.asp