SprintCam

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I-Movix SprintCam v3 NAB 2009 showreel from David Coiffier on Vimeo.

Ryoji Ikeda’s ‘+/- [the infinite between 0 and 1]’: An Interpretation

Ryoji Ikeda: +/- [the infinite between 0 and 1] is the first major retrospective of Ikeda’s work, presented by the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT) and runs until June 21st 2009. The exhibition includes new commissions, large-scale audiovisual projections, sound, and Ikeda’s abstract celluloid landscapes.

Click here for a nicely formatted version of this article as a PDF file.

Ikeda has quickly earned himself an international reputation as a leading electronic composer and sound artist. His work is hailed by critics as the most radical and innovative examples of contemporary electronic music, earning him a Golden Nica prize in the Digital Music category at Prix Ars Electronica in 2001—one of the most important yearly prizes in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music.

Although best known for his sound installations, Ikeda has extended his activities and compositions into the visual arts, and these activities have caught the attention of MOT’s chief curator Yuko Hasegawa. “Previously, we have held exhibitions of veteran and midcareer artists as solo shows,” says Hasegawa, “but we really want to focus on the younger generation and represent them in solo shows.”

Ikeda has been intensely active in sound art through concerts, installations and recordings since 1995. Described as an ‘ultra-minimalist’, Ikeda employs cutting-edge computer technology to develop a unique set of methods for sound engineering and composition. His works feature computed, mathematically pure ‘microsonic’ tones, frequencies and noise that sometimes exists at the edge of perception.

These intense, exhilarating sounds are integrated in audiovisual installations, projected at cinematic scale in his concerts, in which each pixel is precisely calculated by mathematical principle. The vast scale of the projection heightens and intensifies the viewer’s perception and immersion in a world of pure objectivity. Acoustics and sublime imagery—derived from pure mathematics and from astronomy, genetics and other real-world data—are employed to create an experience of time that and be sped up, slowed down and frozen for analysis. Space too is like a field that can be traversed at high-speed, or sliced up for scrutiny.

Time and space, the vast universe of precision numeric data representation, and the limits of human perception are explored with precisely correlated and synchronized audio and video rhythms that sound and image fuse and become indistinguishable—resulting in a synaestheia-like experience.

Although usually described as an electronic composer, this retrospective demonstrates Ikeda’s talent as a visual artist too with large-scale photographic work and a 35mm x 10m abstract celluloid landscape known as data.film [nº1-a].

“My intention is always polarized by concepts of the ‘beautiful and the sublime’”, writes Ikeda, “To me, beauty is crystal, rationality, precision, simplicity, elegance, delicacy. The sublime is infinity, infinitesimal, immensity, indescribable, ineffable. The purest beauty is the world of mathematics.”

Consider how these sentiments are expressed in a pair of Ikeda’s artworks shown in his ‘V≠L’ exhibition. The work was inspired by his dialogue with Harvard mathematician Benedict Gross and explores the idea that perhaps nothing in the universe is random. Consisting of two horizontal panels, one is etched with a prime number consisting of over 7.23 million digits; in counterpoint, the second panel presents a random number generated by computer algorithms, also consisting of over 7 million digits. From more than a few inches away, the panels appear as a random, concrete-like grey texture. But close-up they reveal a mind-boggling array of 0.8mm-high digits, daunting in their vastness and precision. For comparison, consider that the estimated number of atoms in the observable universe is a number only 80-digits long. Unlike the random sequence, this prime number is like a jewel, a mathematical diamond that can be contracted into the sum of two squares and expanded. Its endowed with special properties which make it vital to data security. But change a single digit and this whole, delicate, seven-million-two-hundred-thirty-five-thousand-seven-hundred-and-thirty-three unit long system of perfection becomes unstable and collapses.

Such expressions of point and counterpoint abound in +/- [the infinite between 0 and 1]. Other examples include the white-light of SXGA projectors within the perfect black room. The 10 screens itself a play on the nature of the number 10 as representing the both the on-and-off of binary logic. The notion of [+/–] polar-opposites are found in the contrast of signal vs. noise as individual instances of discrete data and moments in time are plucked from the vast oceans of endless random data. Light and sound is used to freeze certain moments in time like unique snowflakes, only to dissolve back into a sea of data on the next beat.

Review and description of Ikeda’s work tends to stop short of interpretation. Indeed, with regard to the meaning of Ikeda’s work, curator Hasegawa’s says that Ikeda’s art, “doesn’t have any particular symbolic meaning; it is nonsignifying. He just wants to create a kind of matrix, or give the idea of the universe and infinity, for the visitor to simply enjoy. You can read whatever you like into the work.”

But while Hasegawa seems to believe the exhibition amounts to little more than audiovisual eye-candy, this writer found many clear, masterfully crafted messages, and believes that taken collectively, Ikeda’s work has the same power and potential as any work of great art to be a catalyst for profound personal transformation.

Spoiler alert: if you’re planning to visit the exhibition, I suggest you experience it for yourself before reading further.

The flash of revelation happens once you make your way down to the basement where a second level of the exhibition has been constructed. Here a through-the-looking-glass counterpoint to the entire exhibition upstairs has been ingeniously constructed. This alternate exhibition is identical in size and layout, but whereas the former space was set in pitch black darkness, we now face a negative-image in the form of a pure white room, Great care is taken to make it work. The expansive floor is covered in delicate white felt, and visitors don fabric slippers so as to not scuff the floor with their shoes. The felt doubles as an acoustic absorption material, helping to create an anechoic-chamber-like silence in the room. The entire room is lit from above by a grid of large panels which produce a soft, uniform and continuous light source.

Instead of 10 video projections, we find ‘the irreducible [n_1-10]’: 10 static, black panels composed of a large—but finite—set of numbers. These numbers of so tiny, they are barely visible to the naked eye. Whereas before we explored the unbound vastness of space, the limitless expanse of discrete moments of time, and the infinite range and precision of data representation with god-like objectivity, now we arrive at the polar opposite: the single, here-and-now subjective experience of the only one true universe. Here all the hypothetical possibilities collapse into a single instance of the world having a specific form and state. Our subjective perception of this particular place, the one-and-only world in which we inhabit, is enriched and is much more reified by its contrast with the inverse, counterfactual world of pure objectivity[1].

The experience is supplemented by ‘matrix [5ch version]’, a 5-channel audio installation composed of five Meyer Sound Laboratories SB-1 parabolic long-throw sound beams. Exploiting the directional behavior of a parabolic reflecting surface, the SB-1 provides the ability to propagate precisely focused sound waves while maintaining a narrow beamwidth.

Listeners who traverse, and disrupt, the soundscape created by these 5 speakers, encounter a highly-subjective hearing of the work. There is no objective position, only one vastly entangled system as the act of observation itself disrupts the sound waves and the acoustics are highly dependant on the position and direction of the listener’s body, head and ears within the field. This further solidifies our conception of space as a uniquely subjective experience.

Venue details:
http://www.ryojiikeda.mot-art-museum.jp/

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[1] The ‘White Room’ mise-en-scene in the movie “The Matrix” plays an analogous role. The stark white, horizonless background, and anachronistic setting reinforce the emptiness and artificiality of the Matrix. By contrast, the subsequent transition, made without physically leaving the ‘white room’, to a scene on the outskirts of New York City, reinstates the theme of simulation versus reality in the film.

One is also reminded of the “white room” scene in “2001: A Space Odyssey”, in which Dave Bowman ages rapidly. Devoid of doors and windows, this room too plays counterpoint to the ordinary perception of space and time.

Canon 40D Hacked to Record Movies

http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/09/23/canon-40d-hacked-to-record-movies/

Tonchidot: Sekai Camera

Canned demo vaporware, or possibly the greatest advance in the integration of mobile location-based contextual video-driven telephony with user contributed content the world has seen?

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/17/tonchidot-madness-the-video/

Thanks Haru-chan!

The Monkees - Porpoise Song (Theme From HEAD)

SLR camera shoots high-def movies, too

When I first got my Canon 5D DSLR I was disappointed to discover that it couldn't shoot video. Why could my $750 Panasonic LX1 with Leica lens shoot 640 x 480 video at 30 frames-per-second, but my $2500 Canon can't I wondered.

Enter the Nikon D90



New Nikon SLR camera shoots high-def movies, too
By PETER SVENSSON – 1 hour ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Nikon Corp. on Wednesday launched the first digital still camera with interchangeable lenses that also shoots movies.

The D90 single-lens reflex camera, or SLR, takes 12.3 megapixel stills, but can also shoot movies in the high-definition 720p format. It will be available in September for $1,000 without a lens.

Compared to a consumer digital movie camera, the D90 will provide extra versatility for a videographer, since different lenses have different looks and applications.

TED: Chris Abani: Telling stories of our shared humanity

Really powerful TED Talk. Enjoy!

China's All-Seeing Eye : Rolling Stone

China's All-Seeing Eye : Rolling Stone
Now, as China prepares to showcase its economic advances during the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, Shenzhen is once again serving as a laboratory, a testing ground for the next phase of this vast social experiment. Over the past two years, some 200,000 surveillance cameras have been installed throughout the city. Many are in public spaces, disguised as lampposts. The closed-circuit TV cameras will soon be connected to a single, nationwide network, an all-seeing system that will be capable of tracking and identifying anyone who comes within its range — a project driven in part by U.S. technology and investment. Over the next three years, Chinese security executives predict they will install as many as 2 million CCTVs in Shenzhen, which would make it the most watched city in the world. (Security-crazy London boasts only half a million surveillance cameras.)

kyoteizinc

Jean Snow posted this the other day. It's so wonderful I wanted to pass it along:



Video directed by Hiroshi Kizu, featuring dancer Masako Yasumoto. From Warren Ellis’ blog:

OMODAKA is the name of the project developed through a trial-and-error process of mutational fusion of music and motion graphics.

eat less meat

Take responsibility for your own health and diet. No one is going to do it for you. (^_^)v

TED talk by Mark Bittman: What's wrong with what we eat

Japan sings for Turkey

Take a look at these films. They are each just one minute long. They feature a choir in one country singing another country's national anthem: a simple idea that packs surprising emotional power.
--Chris Anderson, TED Curator

Japan sings for Turkey
France sings for USA
Kenya sings for India

UNIQLOCK

fixed link

FRONTLINE Special - Bush's War

Two part Frontline special “Bush’s War”

absolutely remarkable in it’s grasp of the entire picture of how and why we are in Iraq. This special will undoubtedly be viewed as the definitive account of the Iraq War.

(crooksandliars)

DIY Law Enforcement: Shibuya Center-Gai Patrol

Is Japan turning into a police state or what? Check out this post from Japan Probe on Shibuya Center-Gai Patrol (SCGP) a volunteer group of authoritarian do-gooders who patrol the streets of Shibuya wearing imitation uniforms--resembling police and security guard outfits--and yelling and blowing whistles at anyone who isn't behaving like a model citizen--apparently they believe model citizens should also be in motion--never standing or sitting on the street.

If you understand a bit of Japanese, then you can see that their use of strong language is clearly offensive and harassing.

It's been reported that they sometimes bring German Shepherds (also in uniform) on their patrols.

Link with videos here

UPDATE:
My friend Jeff G. adds:

Anyone who's ever had any training with conflict resolution or policing
can see that these guys are doing everything wrong. You can read by the body language of these guys; the swaggering, getting into people's faces and personal space, they've been watching too many cop dramas.

Watch the scene with the foreigner smoking and you see them kind of circle around behind while the main guy stands in front. This is a move that is used to intimidate the subject. Police (real police, that is) would use this in the case of a threatening subject, because it can be used where you want to keep someone a little unnerved and vulnerable to a take-down. It's a definitely overkill in this case.

And the scene with the German Shepherd dog that they have - what's the point of that? As these guys are not police, I can't think of any legitimate reason they would need a dog to do their "patrol". The only reason you'd have a dog like that is to attack or take down a suspect, protect the handler or search for contraband, so I am assuming it is another intimidation tactic or just an accessory for their "freelance police" cosplay.

Yeah, aren't their anti-gang laws in Japan? What's the difference between the activities of SCGP and those of a street gang:
-both use intimidation to wield influence over a neighborhood
-both congregating in groups often loitering in the street
-both signify their membership in an exclusive group with the use of special clothes

SGCP are harassing and intimating people with strong language, the use of confrontational body language, uniforms, dogs and whistles.

How would the police react if a group of young males dressed up in some intimidating uniform and swarmed around drunken salarymen with dogs and whistles and berated them for being low-lifes and a nuisance to society?

(thanks to kmb for letting me know about this story.)

The Pursuit Of Happiness

Quite insightful look at the happiest place on earth--no, not Disneyland--Denmark. A bit slow at the start, but really hits it's stride in the second half.

Click the picture to play. Morley Safer reports for 60 minutes. Running time: 12 minutes.

RSA Films - TOSHIBA

Some nice work by Johnny Hardstaff of RSA Films for Toshiba.

Click here to watch Toshiba - Light Lighter UK Brand Only

PauseTalk Photo Pool

We recently setup a flickr Photo Pool for our PauseTalk design group.



What is PauseTalk?
PauseTalk is a monthly meeting of Tokyo-based creatives. We meet on the first Monday of each month starting at 20:00 in Cafe Pause in Ikebukuro. The idea is to create a forum where Tokyo-based creatives can share and discuss their current projects, meet other creatives for potential collaboration, and keep their thumb on cultural currents. PauseTalk was founded by Jean Snow who writes about design in Tokyo and works at White Rabbit Press where he is co-producer on a top-secret project.

Casio EX-F1 Ultra-high Speed Digital Camera

Casio Computer Co Ltd will release a digital camera "EX-F1" in March 2008. The EX-F1 is a totally new type of digital camera that delivers speed and digital functions never before available. This new concept in digital cameras lets you shoot photographs that capture every moment of a moving subject, and movies that open up a whole new world invisible to the naked eye.

Capturing up to 60 frames per second at full-resolution and a staggering 1200 fps if you drop the image size to 336 x 96, this innovative camera will also shoot 1920 x 1080 Full HD movies at 60fps.

From an interview with Casio's Jin Nakayama, general manager for QV Unit of Planning Department.

[the EX-F1] can shoot pictures that even a digital SLR with a high-speed auto-focus function cannot shoot and pictures that are invisible to the naked eye...

When it is difficult to take a picture of an object, take a movie of it. The wall between movies and still pictures is formed by immature technologies...

Whether it is a movie or a still picture does not matter. The (ideal) still picture might be the one taken from a movie....

Check out the super slow motion videos here

tech specs on dpreview

Money shot: will the EX-F1 breath new life into the porn video industry?

TED Talk: Secrets of success in 8 words, 3 minutes

I'm a huge fan of the TED conference (Technology, Entertainment, Design). I think Richard St. John really nailed it with his talk about success.

I ran into trouble embedding the video, so just watch it and then come back and share your thoughts ;)

Link to TED video: Secrets of success in 8 words, 3 minutes

The Story of Stuff - (must see video!)

A dear old friend from high school passed this video link along to me the other day. It's quite well done. Please have a look:

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.