Photos From The Video Workshop

The video workshop Alex and I gave was one of the best I have delivered, all 15 attendees got to take home a working CHA/V module they built in the class, it's a hacked VGA signal generator that basically allows you to build a simple video synth by adding some home brew or off the shelf oscillators. We had a great mix of attendees and they were all from really interesting backgrounds and super engaged. Alex as usual did a nicely paced video synthesis tutorial and I then lead the theory and building part of the class. We rounded up with Alex leading a discussion around historical video synthesis work and then proceeded to enjoy the evening concerts that were also part of the fantastic Brighton modular meet. (Pics 3+9 here are from Fabrizio D'Amico who runs Video Hack Space) Thanks to Andrew for organising the amazing meet which hosted the workshop, Matt for making our panels last minute, George for helping us out on the day and Steve from Thonk for supplying some components for the kits.

Video Circuits Workshop 01/07/17

Alex and I are running another workshop, this time at Brighton Modular meet book here:
https://www.attenboroughcentre.com/events/902/video-synthesis-workshop/
We will also be running a video synthesis room all Sunday.
http://brightonmodularmeet.co.uk/brighton-modular-meet---about.html

Come hang out and enjoy the rest of the meet.

Some pics of the panels we had made by Matt for Jona's CH/AV project (which we will be making on the day). There is also a shot of some audio oscillators driving the CH/AV to a VGA monitor.

Video Circuits Room at Brighton Modular Meet

Alexander Peverett and I will be looking after a Video Synthesis room at Brighton Modular Meet this weekend. Come down to chat about video synthesis and our strange love for CRT tubes :) there will be at least 6 sony PVMs on display! along with a few systems and unusual bits of video gear. I am super excited that Nitin AKA Bradford Bahamas will be bringing his incredible playable CRT rig.

brightonmodularmeet.co.uk
Invited to be part of the 2016 International Conference on Live Interfaces (http://www.liveinterfaces.org/) at the University of Sussex, this years Brighton Modular Meet takes place in the newly renovated Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts (formerly the Gardner Arts Centre). We will be taking over a number of rooms in this Grade 2 listed building designed by Sir Basil Spence.

In addition to a large open access space where you can set up your synth and mingle with others, this year we will have a room for manufacturers and shops, a space for talks and live performances, and a video synthesis room.

Video Synthesis Techniques

So I am doing a talk at Raven Row as part of their very lovely exhibition of Steina & Woody Vasulka's work, will be demoing some of the techniques they used to make their work. Hopfully it will be interesting.

"Chris King: Video Circuits
Thursday 2 June, 6.30pm

Artist Chris King leads a live demonstration of early media art and video synthesis technologies, working with a selection of different techniques used by the Vasulkas and other video artists during the 1970s and 80s.Chris King: Video Circuits
Thursday 2 June, 6.30pm

Artist Chris King leads a live demonstration of early media art and video synthesis technologies, working with a selection of different techniques used by the Vasulkas and other video artists during the 1970s and 80s."
http://www.ravenrow.org/events/chris_king_video_circuits/

Synapse by Christian Greuel

"Christian GreuelFake Space Labs / CalArts (1992)

An abstract work of visual music, “Synapse” is a stylized interpretation of the inner senses as they are lifted from a state of despondency to find temporary asylum in a delirious

moment of lucidity. This mindscape takes us on a ride through the turbulence of the psyche using vintage real-time 3D graphics and electronic synthesis technology.

The base graphics were created at Fake Space Labs during an Artist-in-Residency (1991-92) and repurposed for this work in 2003.

Video and Music: Christian Greuel
A/D Transfer: Aaron Ross (2003)
Thanks to: Mark Bolas and Eric Gullichsen

Graphics created at: Fake Space Labs (1992)
Video processed at: California Institute of the Arts (1992)
Music created at: California Institute of the Arts (1991)

Software: Sense8 WorldToolKit 1.0, AutoCAD (3D models), ColoRIX (2D textures)
Hardware: i386 PC (4MB RAM), DS1 DVI video card, CRT display, 3/4" video tape and camera
Video Processing Hardware: Hearne/EAB Videolab, Fairlight CVI
Audio: Roland SH-5 analog synthesizer, Ampex 456 4-track 1/4" analog tape"

Psyché Tropes + Video Circuits

Here are a few images from the night we did a while back and some video shot by Video Hack Space! thanks Fabrizio!

C.E. Burnett

A recent article on Paleofuture brought to my attention the work of C.E. Burnett an engineer at RCA's  research lab during the 1930s. This must be a very early example of cathode ray tubes being used for pattern generation and certainly predates many more well known media art pioneers. I wonder if he ever spoke to Ben F. Laposky another early pioneer in a related technique.

sources:
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=vSgDAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-Craft/1930s/Radio-Craft-1938-07.pdf

Gieskes 3TrinsRGB1

Gieskes has come out with a lovely little closed architecture video synthesizer with a small break out bread board which opens up the whole thing to more interesting exploitation. Beautiful stuff.

http://gieskes.nl/instruments/?file=3TrinsRGB1

Analogue Video Workshop

So the Video Workshop went really well, we are planning to do more but I also have a bunch of other related projects going on at the moment, so if you want to host one send me an email and I am sure we could work something out. I currently have a diy sync-gen on the workbench and have been generating a lot of footage, theres nothing like meeting a bunch of people and getting them enthusiastic about video art to scare you into finishing some of your own work. Thanks to all who were involved in putting the workshop on including Encounters, Seeing Sound, Arnolfini and Bath Spa University.

oh yeah and one of the attendees wrote us a very nice review, which I think is a really kind thing I should do more often when I go to talks.
http://mydylarama.org.uk/spip.php?article252

Here are two shots of Alex's video synthesis lesson.

Chromaton 14

Chromaton 14

"The Chromaton 14 was designed and manufactured by Ralph Wenger in 1977, and released by BJA Systems

http://chromaton14.tumblr.com/http://www.audiovisualizers.com/toolshak/vidsynth/chroma14/chroma14.htm

Carlie don't surf

Matt Levy and Nick Ciontea on elektronA4 and makenoise 6u respectively.
video patch from the brownshoesonly archive

Reality TV Video Synth Test

Art électronique

As a British person from 2014 I have never wanted to be a young French kid in in a polo neck from 1978 until now, this is pretty much my dream audio visual studio, featuring some lovely  shots of the EMS Spectron video synthesizer in action as well as a whole host of other nice EMS and custom rack gear for sound and video experimentation. http://www.ina.fr/video/CPA7805092804
Thanks to Jeff my good friend from across the seas for digging this video up!

Tiny Dazzler (Andy Puls)

 Tiny Dazzler (Andy Puls) has some awesome video things going on over at his blog and here

The first video is of an impressive CMOS based video pattern generator 

Mars an Optic Aspic

From youtuber electromedia

 "Bill Etra's real-time live performance from The Kitchen in 1968 was recorded on Color 16mm film by Woody Vasulka. Woody had that film transferred to DV in 2003, and sent one to Bill. Eventually, Bill gave me a copy of the DV with the hope that I could restore MARS to something similar to its original incarnation. Mars an Optic Aspic was originally performed on 9 B&W monitors, but the 16mm film added some unexpected and welcome color effects that lend themselves to the composition. The choice was made to leave them in. So, this is my restoration (and color correction), with no change to the original sound, and for the first time since the original performance we can see the work in a 9-way split."

Pia Van Gelder

I have been meaning to post up some of Pia's work for a while now I originally found it through Stephen Jones as she has worked with him in the past (see videos below) she has ome interesting pieces
http://piavangelder.com/



Gelder
on Vimeo.

Jane Wright

"A series of over 40, 8 minute video landscapes (which can be shown in different combinations, and as an installation) that represent a spiritual experience, meditational, and soothing."

photo from VIVO Media Arts Centre

Narrat1ve New Video Synth Prototype

Todd Bailey's new video synthesizer prototype looks amazing!
http://narrat1ve.com/

see Todd's site and this post for more on his video experiments

Sunflower Geranium Don Slepian

Don Slepian

Some really nice vids from T00bed

http://www.youtube.com/user/t00bed
some audio osc and audio effects as filters used I believe