April 2005 Archives

kô ikite iru mo fushigi zo hana no kage

this year (at least for me) hanami has come late, there are many things that have escaped my attention; now i have to go back.

at times, there are too many thoughts in my head. it is simpler to pass solutions onto others, rather than deal with them myself. often months and years will pass before they are communicated, but this is no matter; good ideas have longevity.

summer is on it's way, more sitting outside in the sun working, playing and resting. a chance to explore the campus grounds extensively. i used to walk the campus a lot when studying at UL along the banks of the shannon and the surrounding land. great memories.

i recieve mails from the labantalk list, it's been rather busy of late and very interesting. if Labanotation and Motif notation are your thing you can subscribe by sending an email to listserver [at] lists.acs.ohio-state.edu the text of the message should read " subscribe LabanTalk YourFirstname YourLastname "

much time hs been spent refactoring my technical report. i'm not sure that technical report is the right discripton anymore but that's what it's called. i was asked if it could be made into a paper, it's a paper in itself, and reasonably detailed. i must put together my uni web page to serve it from when done. i will upload my other work there too.

i'm wondering if Laban have wireless acess and if it is an open network, i will have to find out. it would be kinda neat to blog live from some of the events i am attending / presenting at.

how long is the journey, does it start with the destination, what happens after?

i think yde are considering using one of my images, that would be good, exposure for my work is so limited.

i'm lost in thoughts ...

nothing or all - all or nothing at all, a collection of somethings from preceeding days ...

rob gardener
i have been revisiting conceptual art as a position from which to discuss the issue of impulse - intention - action (iia). my books of choice for dipping into the subject are 'Conceptual Art: A Critical Anthology' [ISBN 0262511177] and 'Conceptual Art (Art and Ideas)' [ISBN 0714833886]. two segments of text by Sol Lewitt struck me as refractive to my current theoretical / practical position;

The concept and idea are different. The former implies a general direction while the latter is the component. Ideas implement the concept. [Sentences on Conceptual Art]

These paragraphs are not intended as categorical imperatives, but the ideas stated are as close as possible to my thinking at this time. These ideas are the result of my work as an artist and are subject to change as my experience changes. I have tried to state them with as much clarity as possible. If the statements I make are unclear it may mean the thinking is unclear. Even while writing these ideas there seemed to be obvious inconsistencies (which I have tried to correct, but others will probably slip by).
[Paragraphs on Conceptual Art]

in exploring the interface between the arts (dance) and science (computer) i realise that i often become unclear. this usually stems from a desire to explore the complex details rather than present my position. i am working towards clarity.

from the feedback on my presentation it seems that i also need to be clear about the reasons why a common interface between science and the arts should be found, and how this relates to dance and movement simulation. the presentation went well, here is an overview of my slides for esoteric motion texture [pdf 0.3mb]

when writing my undergrad thesis (50% choreography 50% theory) i was reviewing optical illusions and op art, my intention was to use 'composition by field' to generate optical illusions rather than the formal or emergent patterns we are used to seeing. i had a particular fascination with Bridget Riley initially just her monochromatic works before i came to appreciate the subtle richness of her polychromatic oeuvre. once i sat in the tate looking at one image for so long i had after images for about 20mins.

optical and perceptual illusions are once more a central theme in my work, both interpreting graphical notation and viewing 3d motion via a 2d display. the latter is very problematic, our bias for perceiving biological motion results in many false positives.

a utility aMong swAllows is theiR musiC. thEy produce it mid-air to avoid coLliding

i have been listening to Litany for the Whale for the last few days, it is in summer moments that i like to sit outside and listen to it whilst working and resting.

Marysia Zalewski's position of 'Theorising Through Practice' is at the heart of the fuller project. i'm very excited about what this project has to offer dance artists but, until i can talk about it openly [...].

recent photographic work, i can share very little with you due to the usual restrictions -

by-nc-nd Matthew Gough / South East Dance

if you need reportage style dance images of your work drop me an email. i photograph dance 'as it happens' rather than studio, or 'set' shots so if thats your need, i'm your man.

this week i have to give a short presentation at uea, given that i have a choice of topic i went with something i'm working on (possibly) for july. seeing as the audience is mainly out of my field/s i decided on expound on 'impulse - intention - action'.

it's only a 15min talk, with questions afterwards, so the above graphic is the talk in a nutshell. yet, i'm thinking of a more graphical treatment than my usual 'stand and talk'. don't worry, i'm not talking 'lame' powerpoint here but a beyond bullets approach. i'm powerpoint a novice so this is a chance to experiment.

Computer Interpretation of Labanotation within Graphical Dance Notation Scores - if you are going to ickl 2005 see you there. speaking of things laban, the new issue of dance theatre journal is out, articles of interest include

trio a: genealogy, documentation, notation
yvonne rainer

recording trio a in labanotation
joukje kolff

geometries of trust: some thoughts on manuel vason and photographic conditions of performance
dominic johnson

material for the spine: a three-way discussion
charlie morrissey, steve paxton and scott smith

material for the spine: a three-way discussion
charlie morrissey, steve paxton and scott smith
obviously i have a dual interest in the latter article, but i can't tell you how proud it makes me feel, a really positive boost to my week. if you are only going to read one article, then i would suggest the rainer contribution. if you are into your improv then 'material for the spine' is the only way to go.