The modul8 Team wishes you an exciting and productive new year. With it we bring several announcements.
We are pleased to announce update Modul8 2.6.1 and Modul8 2.5.10.
The following changes have been made in Modul8 2.6.1:
- Improved assignment of live video capture feeds. - Fixed minor problem when updating images in a Movie Folder and added the ability to load an empty folder. - Fixed a potential problem with DMX when quitting modul8.
In both Modul8 2.6.1 and Modul8 2.5.10:
- Fixed some small problems with the authorization/de-authorization process.
You can download the updates by using your serial number to access the 'yourspace' page located at the following address:
If you experience any problems with modul8 please be sure to contact us at support - at - garagecube - dot - com.
HomeVJ loops!
As a special thank you gift to those who purchased modul8 within the last year, or upgraded to modul8 2.6, we present to you a selection of free video loops from the HomeVJ label.
You can access the yourspace page to download the loops.
The HomeVJ label specializes in a unique flavor of quality designed VJ loops.
For more information about the HomeVJ label visit their website at http://www.homevj.com.
Initially planned for January 4th the deadline has been extended to January 15th.
You can apply through the Mapping Festival website at http://www.mappingfestival.com with your proposals, be it a VJ set, AV performance, theater, dance, installation or lecture/workshop/presentation/demo.
If you want to present your products and/or activities (hardware, software, collective, agency, company, etc) in a space dedicated to VJing professionals, please contact them for more information at: pro - at - mappingfestival -dot - com
posted by ilan katin @ Tuesday, January 05, 20101 comments
Mapping Festival / Vision´R open for submissions!
While we are in entering the hibernation of caves of winter this is the perfect time to start planning what we will do to celebrate the return of Spring. Those projects you have been working on for many months should be given a proper public airing. And just now the deadlines for two of these opportunities have sprung.
Most readers of this blog know that the birthplace and home of Modul8 is also home to the Mapping Festival. Next years edition is now set on the calendar for May 6th through the through the 16th. Unlike previous years where we required applicants to send in DVDs we have converted the entire process into an electronic one. Instead of having to mess around with a DVD we require that you submit your project using the now ubiquitous Vimeo. If you do not already have an account with Vimeo obtaining one is free of charge. The time to submit your project is now and the deadline is January 4th, 2010.
Slated for around the same time as the Mapping Festival is the Avit affiliated Vision´R in Paris. More didactic, Vision`Rs mission is seeking "radical *here and now* live images." The initial proposal deadline, to be followed up with more extensive information, should be submitted via email by December 10th with the following information:
Name: (group/artist) + number of participants Contact: email + cell phone City + State: A short presentation txt about intention and content. Pictures (if possible): photographs, video Proposal type : (performance, speech, workshop, showcase...) Proposal duration: Website: url
Send all of the above to: vision-r(AT)reseaux-creation.org (Mail object "vision'r 2010").
Personally I always look forward to seeing all of the submissions. It is kind of like receiving lots of gifts from people all over the world.
posted by ilan katin @ Thursday, December 03, 20090 comments
B-seite Festival looking for submissions
B-Seite2010 from pixelschubser on Vimeo. It is probably a bit too soon to start thinking about Spring. But it is never too late to find reasons to get together with your peers and present the work you have been toiling away at. After a one year hiatus, My friend Benjamin Jantzen has been working hard on providing an outlet for such things with his B-seite festival in Mannheim, Germany. He is looking for you to fill that outlet with your a/v sets, vjing skills and installations. It is not a VJ festival per-se just as much as Modul8 is not strictly a VJ tool. In the parlance of those days when music would be played using that medium now only favored by DJ's and audiophiles, B-seite looks to present an eclectic side audiovisual exploration.
posted by ilan katin @ Monday, November 23, 20090 comments
Come Play with Fire!
As of November 1st I will be visiting my old home town of New York City for the entire month. Most of my colleagues here in Europe say 'nice' and it is. But it is no vacation. I have arranged for several events to take place. The most relevant one to Modul8 users will be a two hour presentation of Modul8 on November 15th at Harvestworks as part of the Play With Fire Festival that has been most efficiently curated by Kristen Trethewey.
Two hours is not a lot to get very deep into Modul8. Its simplicity is deceptive. I did a two day workshop in Barcelona last year and besides feeling a bit exhausted I felt that I was able to cover almost everything beyond getting entangled in Python scripting, something I have yet grapple enough with to be able to conduct a workshop on.
I will take a consensus of the attendees level of experience with Modul8. If the majority says 'we have no idea what this about' then it will be fairly basic. However as we are nearing the release of Modul8 2.6 I will pepper in some of the new features we have and how to use them. In particular Sound Analysis, a brief demonstration of DMX control from within Modul8 featuring the mighty ENTTEC DMX USB Pro interface and as I always did prior to WACOM support, some live drawing using the Paint module. Even if you are a well seasoned user, you might want to show up just to say hi or give me that promo DVD you never got around to sending us via post.
As for the performances and discussions, some notable Mapping Festival participants from previous editions will be present. In particular the inspiring and heart warming Artist and Professor Raphael Di Luzio and the renegade film maker and audio visual performer Rafaël. There are also some close friends from my SHARE days such as Paris Treantafeles, Mary Ann Benedetto and Adam Kendall. There are also quite a few names on the bill that are either vaguely familiar or completely foreign to me. Whoever they are I look forward to meeting them.
Do have a look at the Play With Fire site for further, in depth details about the performances, workshops and talks.
Look forward to meeting you there on November 15th!
posted by ilan katin @ Saturday, October 31, 20090 comments
AVIT Kezmarok, Slovakia
Closing of my 2nd day at the AVIT:Kezmarok, License to Screen festival. As I write this I am one hour from the first of my two part modul8 workshop here. My demonstration materials are all set up and I am always a bit giddy.
We arrived after an eight hour drive from Berlin. Two cars speeding along the highways of Poland. As the sun went down we arrived in the hills just before the Tatra mountains and finally the greeting party in the woods just outside the town of Kezmarok complete with a nearby stream, cookout and camp fire.
I am very excited about this festival. The initiative began as a conversation between a group of friends in Berlin who were discussing the tensions between Hungary and Slovakia. There idea was to try to do something cultural that would bring people together. As David Szauder was one of the persons present during this conversation the cultural element lead to VJing and the AVIT network.
AVIT was one of the first large international events dedicated to the VJ medium. This became VJ Central and the AVIT network has been adopted by LPM in Rome, Visionare in Paris, Visual Berlin and now extends east with Kezmarok in Slovakia.
Actually this festival was supposed to make its debut in 2010. But the mayor of Kezmarok was eager and asked if there could be a festival already in 2009. In less than three months arrangements were made as quickly as possible to include workshops in the Kezmarok House of Culture, outdoor performances in the main square and a club party in the basement of Castle Kezmarok.
So why am I here? Besides doing a workshop I will be doing some VJing in the square with some of my peers, David Szauder (recently re-christened pixel noizz), Benjamin Jantzen, Luci Benson and others. Beyond that I feel like I am part of something much larger. As individuals we are tightening our lines of communication within the community. As a group are trying to show how this medium can smooth the rough edges of communication within the European Community. All positive acts ripple on to other positive ones.
I am looking forward to posting some photos of some of the upcoming events.
posted by ilan katin @ Thursday, July 23, 20090 comments
Arbertura 3
As noted in my previous post I am on sort of a working vacation right now. Vacation to me is going to a small festival somewhere and performing a bit. In this case I am joined up with my long time collaboration Lance Blisters to perform two shows in Portugal.
We performed at last years Arbertura and were welcomed to return by them for the third (and last) edition. This year reads like a small deck of the usual suspects such as A-li-ce collaborating with Monkeyfish, Toby Spark and VJ Theory.
I would like to thank all those who have started following our new twitter feed. Kind of surprised how many and how quickly people have caught wind of it.
Borja from the Sonom collective continues to pass on his creations to us. The above is a promotional video for a festival he is involved with called Tramuntanafestival. While he admits it is on a smaller scale then the Mapping Festival from the images on their site it looks to showcase a broad section of the definition of performance utilizing video. The significance of including this video clip is, as Borja notes, he used modul8 for it with a combination of other popular tools.
The festival dates are coming fast. July 16th through the 18th in Cadaqués (Alt Empordà - Girona), Spain. I like the dead fish construct.
posted by ilan katin @ Friday, July 10, 20090 comments
Cities that start with an 'A'
The Modul8 VJ Team (along with some of the Mapping Team) has been invited by 'The Erasers' to Athens to light up the Cyclorama Party. The Erasers were one of the highlights of Mapping Festival 2009. We will actually be in town from the 30th through the 5th so feel free to chat us up if you are in Athens.
For those of you based in the U.S.
Atlanta: From July 10th through the 12th Motion Graphics Festival showcases explosive artists and motion picture creators.
The ATL-MGFest will be hosting workshops and lectures about the shift in motion-picture audiences and explores the new technologies that motion designers will need on the video internet frontier. Motion design, sound design and interactivity, are all featured during July 11th and 12th, with daytime workshops at Atlanta's Adobe Certified Training Facility, Sterling Ledet. Evening screenings and live performances will be hosted at Atlanta's Internationally-renowned portfolio school, Creative Circus.
This festival in the fast moving field of design technology has opened it's Art & Entertainment events for only $7. Rather than charging the typical $500-$1500 conference fee, the Motion Graphics Festival encourages participants to stop complaining about the economy, and spend their money on something that will upgrade their tools, technique and aesthetics. Software, DVDs and music will be available at a discount rate throughout the festival week.
Silent Auction for over $18,000 in software, DVDs and training materials.
Finally, coming up next month will be an AVIT gathering in the town of Kezmarok in northern Slovakia. It will be a audio/visual feast of performances, outdoor and indoor, open jams, workshops, talks. I'll have more accurate details in the coming week.
Somewhat recovered now from the intense glory that was the production of the 2009 edition of the Mapping Festival. It was quite a ride. A bit smoother then previous years yet still leaving me almost completely exhausted but fully inspired.
One of the continuing benefits of the connectedness of GarageCUBE/Modul8 and the Mapping Festival is how we get to meet people in person who are working with our software in interesting ways. One such project was the work of the Spain based Sonom. I had some contact with Borja Alexadandre prior to his invitation to the Mapping Festival. In fact just before the festival we received a video from him.
The Sonom installation/performance entitled 'Symphonic lighthouse-phony' was a tad tucked inside the Bac but worthwhile to those that made the effort to see both the performance and the resulting installation. The Sonom team consisted of four people including Borja. The center of the room was occupied by a tall, steel skeletal tower outfitted with a projector and a rotating mirror that acted like a light house but one that projects images. Additionally there was a 2nd static projector and a smoke machine that created the etherial atmosphere that was the light house. The result was that the space of the room was redefined into something akin to a native american hot tent minus the heat.
Another group previously covered on this blog and that I was happy to have had the chance to meet is the Stuttgart based Frischvergitung. The energetic duo really enjoyed every moment of the Mapping and the following is their own self documented tribute.
This same night was quite a deck of cards being the Kompakt night (featuring Chaton, Burger/Voight and Tobias Thomas) along with the refined visuals of the legendary Okinawa 69 and the seasoned Bruno Tait. Added to this was Geneva's own Daschund and Superposition.
On a less mainstream count the following Thursday featured the high powered punch of the Berlin based VJ duo Sans Culotte with the live Breakcore masher Electric Kettle.
I could go on about all of the little moments. If you have ever organized a festival you probably know how exhausting this can be. Staying up all night and then hopping on a train to nearby Lausanne to do a radio interview and then returning to Geneva to conduct a four hour modul8 workshop. But when you see all the people who come to have a good time and do just that, so happy with the results that they produce nice video clips that capture all those little moments, each in their own unique way? This is where it all comes together.
posted by ilan katin @ Thursday, May 07, 20090 comments
Mapping (for Europe) and MGFest (for U.S.)
The gears are turning. There will be updates on the news section of the Mapping Festival site. Some photos have already been posted of some of our local promotional work and the printing of the boxes. Above is an e-flyer sample.
While not everyone can make it to the Mapping Festival there are plenty of other festivals going on that are well worth the time.
Motion Graphics Festival 2009 New Motion + New Sound + New Code Austin, Texas :: May 11-22 http://www.MGFest.com
"Weird Technology and the Big Screen"
Austin is known for supporting Indy Artists and Alternative Cultures throughout the year, but specifically, this month the Austin Motion Graphics Festival brings independent culture creators to the big screen. From filmmakers to musicians, MGFest unites artists across the divides of genre and medium to celebrate the weird, imaginative and other-worldly visions that use the technology of sequential images and the illusion of motion.
The studies of motion design, sound design and interactivity, are featured during the weeks of May 11th through 22nd. The apex of festival activity takes place during May 14 through 17 with entertainment events across the city, including: an art showcase with the Austin Museum Of Digital Art (AMODA), studio tours at top Austin design companies, screenings of local and international motion artists, a full-day educational conference, an open collaboration summit, and two weeks of industry workshops on creative software.
This festival in the fast moving field of design technology has opened it's Art & Entertainment events for only $7. Rather than charging the typical $500-$1500 conference fee, the Motion Graphics Festival encourages participants to stop complaining about the economy, and spend their money on something that will upgrade their tools, technique and aesthetics. Software, DVDs and music will be available at a discount rate throughout the festival week.
posted by ilan katin @ Wednesday, May 06, 20090 comments
Festival Fever: towards Mapping 09
Firstly we are now almost a week away from the beginning of the 2009 edition of the Mapping VJ Festival. The site has launched, the schedule is up! 10 days of VJing, clubbing, performances, workshops, talks, installations and outdoor projections on the facades of several major historical buildings in Geneva, Switzerland. While I am very satisfied with the overall program that the Mapping team, of which I am a member, have come up with I do have my favorites.
In particular are the visual antics of Sans Culotte coupled with the Breakcore mashing sounds of Electric Kettle. In general this night is dedicated to the offbeat with acts Xerac and Mec. Not for everyone. Sometimes we curate for ourselves. I think we deserve it.
I will be documenting the festival video wise. It is probably the best way for someone who is involved with the festival to actually see everything.
Now to back track a little the weekend before last I was jumping around from town to town doing modul8 workshops. Somewhere along the way I saw some things of interest. Firstly there was the Sound:Frame festival. The festival itself lasts a month. The exhibition of the festival took place at the Kunsthalle located almost square in the center of Vienna. Events don't take place every day of the festival. Each weekend was devoted to either parties, a/v performances and workshops with the exhibition in the Kunsthalle open to the public for the entire month.
The exhibition itself was quite impressive comprising of installations that revolved around the theme of audio visual culture in its myriad forms. Surprisingly for me there were also some drawings and paintings that pointed to a desire for audio visual festivals to become more inclusive further blurring the lines between art, performance, commerce and VJing's common trappings of the night club. There were some new works and quite a few familiar ones, especially in the screening areas, of Pfadfenderei, Luma Luanisch, 4youreye and V-atak, all veterans of the Mapping Festival.
As I was mainly at Sound:Frame to conduct a workshop and the weekend consisted mainly of workshops I sadly did not see much VJing. I was however very pleased to have been present for a performance by Claudia Rohrmoser & Ritornell. The performance took place inside Claudias installation in the Kunsthalle. Three projections of the same image. For the performance that was accompanied by the experimental music group Ritornell Claudia used modul8 in combination with a wacom tablet and a Lemur. Her imagery of dripping colors and dancing lines over filmic like washes of color was painterly and somewhat reminiscent of the work of Stan Brakhage. The lines and washes complimented the carefully improvised sounds of Ritornell.
The following day was the workshop. After a group announcement and introduction with all the participants and workshop hosts that included a variety of disciplines we all entered our assigned rooms and roles. The workshops took place at a facility called wienXtra-mediazentrum. Very nicely furnished and equipped I had an embedded VGA cable and a sound system. The class was filled (the maximum allowed registrants was 20 people) and I preceded with six hours of an in depth tour of modul8 rounding up in the last 45 minutes with, with the help of Florian of Luanisch, a quick and simple TripleHead2go setup.
There is no rest. In the morning early on the train to Brno via Breclav. The Multi-Place Festival is aptly named. Events, workshops, parties took place in Czek, Slovakia and Poland. From what I can gather its activities functioned in a decentralized manner. If someone somewhere had an idea and wanted to proactive it was brought into the fold and posted to the multi-place web site. Lena, a high energy person quickly escorted me to the arts school in Brno while also explaining to me life in Brno and how the Apple authorized reseller in Brno was glad to provide some support for the festival. It was still a bit early for the workshop so a small group of us gathered in the cafe next to the school, six or seven of us talking, about our respective endeavors and exchanging stickers.
Our workshop took place in a small room on the top floor of the school building. Lena improvised some blinds with a black cloth and a large piece of white foam core for a screen and away we went.
Back in Vienna that evening I was invited to VJ at a party at place called Ragnarhof. A former factory now an arts space where my hosts, the Do.Phunk party have their monthly soirees. This particular party consisted of the Do.Phunk crew but was actually a birthday party for one of their friends. And it was quite a party. Sharing the beamers with me that night was the designer and VJ Sito. With all of the videos I get to see as part of the Mapping Team, who does what can get a bit fuzzy so I was a bit embarrassed when I realized that we had actually selected him for the DubStep night for the Mapping Festival this year.
As I was watching Sito VJ I then remembered one of the main reasons we selected him. He has an extraordinary sense of how to use the particles in modul8 by creating clusters of his iconography and crowding them together into different compositions. I thought myself very lucky to be able to see a VJs work live before their performance at the Mapping. While documentation definitely helps, and we are seeing a lot more of that these days, there is nothing like the experience of the energy, the music, the audience. I am really looking forward to seeing him light up the Zoo.
posted by ilan katin @ Friday, May 01, 20090 comments
Festival Fever 2009
Festival season is now upon us. Next week I will be in Vienna to do a Modul8 workshop for the Sound:Frame Festival. This massive festival that is already under way stretches through a whole month with exhibitions, events, performances, workshops and parties hosted in nine different locations. Lets just say that the Viennese like to party and are also going the distance in broadening the public definition of the VJ medium.
My modul8 workshop will take place on Friday, 17.04. It will cover the basics and do some advanced output. As usual I like to focus on what is creatively possible with modul8. With a little bit of luck maybe even a little sneak peak preview of DMX capabilities.
The workshop is free and will take place at wienXtra-medienzentrum (Zieglergasse 49/II, 1070 Vienna). It will run from 16h00 through 22:00. It is recommended that you bring a Mac OS X based laptop running 10.4.11 or higher. A temporary license will be issued for each person who wishes to get hands on experience with modul8.
The following day I will be in Brno, Czech Republic for an almost identical workshop for the Multiplace Festival. I have to say that I am really excited about this. I have seen some really fun and creative work coming out of the Czech Republic. My connection with this festival was through Mapping 2008 veteran VJ Kolouch. A sample of his incredible video work here.
As in Vienna attendees should bring a Mac OS X based computer in order to received a temporary license for use during the workshop. It will take place from 11h00 to 16h00, room 206 at udolni 19, Brno. For more detailed information you can contact akkamiau-at-gmail-dot-com or see the info page on the Multiplace Festival site.
That very evening I will return to Vienna to VJ at Ragnarhof for a party arranged by the Do.Phunk DJ team. It is a birthday party for a friend of my friend Nick Worthington who is one of the organizers of monthly party at this location. I really like the concept of Do.Phunk. They are a group of DJs and party people who really love getting together once a month and decided to make it an official non profit to keep things organized and flowing consistently. Reminds me a bit of our friends Broken Beat.
Just when you thought that things are relaxed and that there is plenty of time to prepare for next weeks adventures then stop. A whole bunch of us Geneva VJ crew people will be busy lighting up this years Electron Festival. The festival as is the title implies a rather large electronic music festival. I have been on deck for this festival for the last two editions. Always a lot of fun. This year is exceptional for me because a) I got to choose what nights I would play b) what artists I would mix for and most importantly c) all the participating VJs are credited on the website for their respective nights and venues.
Just to make it really easy for VJ enthusiasts who will happen to be in Geneva for this here is the VJs teams nights and venues:
Thursday April 9th: Palladium - KRMT + Tchernoboy Zoo - Decrepticon Kab-Ptr - Sigma6 Theatre De L'Usine - La Loutre + Akinetik
Friday April 10th: Palladium - KRMT + Tchernoboy + POSTBABYLON Zoo - Matt Kab-Ptr - Decrepticon
Saturday April 11th: Palladium - Azadeh + La Loutre + Akinetik Zoo - Matt Kab-Ptr - Decrepticon
Sunday April 12th: Zoo - Azadeh Kab-Ptr - POSTBABYLON
If you are wondering what the burnt weenie is about this is part of the concept developed by the founders of Electron that every edition would have the theme of the table of elements. This year is 'carbon.' Get it?
posted by ilan katin @ Wednesday, April 08, 20090 comments
Club Transmediale 09
Club Transmediale in Berlin was one of my first experiences of the European festival phenomena. I attended the 2004 edition as part of SHARE.mobile. It made a huge impression on me. Lots of experimental electronic music and art along with a public that was curious about such things. Modul8 did not exist yet.
(Using the speed slider) fast forward to now.
I have been attending the 'MAO' nights at club Maria. Some amazing performances by a variety of electronic musicians both new and seasoned. For those who are not familiar at all with club Maria there are as of this writing three major rooms. The first is the center stage. A very large space with a bar, lounge like seating area and dance floor area, its walls from the top of the emergency door all the way to the ceiling are entirely filled with projections that continue into and behind the stage. This room is the main stage. To the left of the stage, next to the end of the bar there is a passage way with a 'smoke room' on the right, leading into a smaller room that serves as 'quiet' space with a bar and another installation area. Turn right and then a sharp left passage into the smallest of all the rooms with another bar on your right, seating area and a more intimate stage.
It is here, during the two nights I attended that I became acquainted with vj teams Suicase on deck for Monday night and Tritamin for Tuesday night. Both happily running modul8.
Suicase oriented more towards using the transformer with the sphere with a lightly blurred matrix at low opacity. The performed for El Fog, NQ, Tillman Ehrhorn and Quip. It was mostly a blue mood but was a good compliment to the sound, especially with the vibraphone of El Fog.
The following night Tritamin provided a more image based accompaniment. Spiders were on order along with other organic matter. Again blue appeared to be a popular hue for this back room. As it so happens Visual Berlin member Jork who is a seasoned VJ and a constant at several clubs in Berlin was on hand and introduced me to Tritamin. They happen to be one of his favorites and he was eager to share his comments on what they do.
On Wednesday night this back room was occupied by Raster-Noton.Rhythm_Screen. After two nights straight I was losing a bit of pace with things and I am deeply saddened to have missed the audiovisual work of Frank Bretschneider who is apparently as modul8 user as well. I hope to be able to catch his next performance or at least get a chance for a personal demonstration of how he is using it.
Overall I had a great experience at CTM this year. Besides being on hand to see some modul8 users at work I saw a lot of fun performances and met up with some old friends and probably made a few new ones. You can check out some audio recordings of the festival at Samurai FM including the performance of Frank Bretschneider. If you were not at CTM this year or have never gone before maybe next year can be your first. I'll definitely be there to say hello.
posted by ilan katin @ Monday, February 02, 20091 comments
MGFest 09. The great state hopper.
While I was not present last year and will not make it this year MGFest is THE festival for motion graphics in the United States. As with last year we are a proud sponsor of MGFest. There is nothing better then bringing together practitioners of the moving image in is myriad forms and presenting it as a whole so that people can be inspired by one another, learn new things and perhaps together evolve what is there into new directions.
Motion Graphics Festival 2009 Chicago Launch :: January 19-25 Various locations in the Chicago Loop http://www.MGFest.com
In its 6th year, MGFest stands as the premier US event showcasing creative motion picture design. The festival presents a year-long, regionally focused program of events focusing on motion design, sound design, and interactivity by hosting: art showcases, workshops, classes, panel discussions, studio tours, theater screenings and industry mixers.
Legendary Entertainment 2 Screenings :: Thr22 & Fri23 3 Studio Tours :: Mon19, Fri23 & Sat24 2 Art Showcases :: Sat24 & Sun25
The festival will go on tour this year as well: Chicago IL: Jan 20-25, 2009 Cambridge Mass: March 5-8, 2009 Austin Texas: May 14-17, 2009 Atlanta Georgia: July 2-5, 2009 Washington DC: Nov 19-22, 2009
The organizers of MGFest must be applauded for their efforts. Most events of this type are usually centered around major cities such as New York and Los Angeles requiring people to travel to these cities. MGFest is taking a different approach in that it is going out to the smaller cities so that the communities centered around motion graphics can come together and experience, learn and enjoy without having to take more then drive, bus or train into the center of their very own city.
GarageCUBE will be represented at the festival(s) via the MGFest staff. Stickers and other promotional material will be available as well as some raffled items. If you are already a modul8 user I highly recommend taking the opportunity to go and be inspired by the viewings and meet other like minded folks working in your field.
posted by ilan katin @ Tuesday, January 13, 20090 comments
Mapping Festival 2009 open call for submissions!
Mapping 2009 edition call for submissions are open now!
The dates are set for May 8th through the 17th 2009. Join us for our 5th anniversary.
We expect your projects and proposals for the following sections: - VJing - Audiovisual performances - Installations - Outdoor projections/performances - Lectures/Workshops/Presentations/Demos
The deadline for all submissions is January 26th 2009. The letter must be postmarked by that date.
To download the english version of the application please point your browser to: http://www.mappingfestival.com/mapping2009/inscriptions/
posted by ilan katin @ Monday, December 29, 20080 comments
Arbertura2
I have the delightful pleasure of joining in with the 2nd edition of Arbertura. The one night festival takes place in the enchanting city of Lisbon, Portugal and is curated by SHARE compatriot Elsa Veira and co-founder of VJ TheoryAna Carvalho.
As per the e-flyer above the event is free. Amongst the performers is Lance Blisters, the band I have been working with since 2004. We will be joined by 8 bit mad man GOTO80 visually accompanied by the bottomless energy of Raquel Meyers.
In addition to the performances, SHARE open jam and after party there will be a modul8 workshop that I will conduct as well as several round table discussions about the where all this audio visual culture is at.
For full info check out the site or get updates from the blog.
I will be arriving in Lisbon on the evening of the 18th. Can't wait!
As noted in the previous post about LPM (contrary to uncommon belief) is not just about performances. Included in its name is the word 'meeting.'
In part 1 of this report some familiar faces were present. While there were many new faces that would be impossible to recall fully there are some of note that I cannot help but mention.
The first would be Todd Thille. I had faint memory of his name here and there from the various articles floating around about his involvement in VJ'ing. We did actually initially meet in Berlin for the micro-avit but it was very brief. At LPM I got a chance to chat with him more about his adventures in VJ'ing and working in the VJ field. Until recently he was involved in the much talked about Artificial Eyes. His web site reveals that he is not only interested in the image but also in creating images with plants and rocks.
Todd was also very active at LPM. Taking lots of photographs and assisting with installing projectors and running cables as well as helping Toby in directing the chaotic energy of LPM into constructive talks that were followed by taped interviews.
On the 2nd day of the festival Todd mentioned that a directional video system was arriving. I had seen articles about this DMX controlled hardware and my thoughts about a mirror attached to a projector in order to control its beam were always 'we can finally use an image as light.'
This leads me to the presentation of the company Video Moving System or more commonly known in the VJ tech circles as VMS. CEO Thomas Kuhne and Kjell Bruno Tait delivered a very clear message that images could not only be moved within the screen but could also just plain move. VMS not only makes this simple yet dynamic piece of hardware but also publishes DVDs that showcase some of the best VJ talent working with these systems. Thomas was equally excited to meet up with Justine and I having a) known about the influence of the Mapping Festival for some time and and the fact that the majority of the artists that he has produced DVDs for use modul8.
I had the pleasure of getting to know Blanca Perez-Bustamante aka whiteemotion or for short whitee. Blanca is as she would phrase it the back ground bright energy of the VJ world in Spain and beyond. She is currently working on finishing her doctoral degree with her work focused squarely on the audio visual movement. She conducted interviews with all of the performers and when she interviewed me it was clear she knew what she was looking for and how to ask about it. She also teaches the upcoming generation about what we are doing and what tools we are using. We often focus our attention on the performers and festivals. As spectators we are not really expected to look beyond that. Its a blog such as this though that gives the possibility for highlighting the efforts of those unseen. My cup is raised high.
There were really a lot of other people but I just can't recall much more after that cup and I have a lot of other things to write about here so I will leave it at that. Ok... another big cup for the entire LPM team! You have me itching for next year.
posted by ilan katin @ Wednesday, June 18, 20080 comments
Modul8 Presentation and workshop at LPM Rome
We'll be doing a modul8 presentation and workshop at the massive LPM/Avit in Rome. May 28 through the end of the month. Ilan Katin will drive the thing. Also there were be licenses of modul8 provided for the festival that the festival people will be offering as prizes or raffles. Stickers and posters will be on hand as well. Put them on everything including your dog or cat.
posted by ilan katin @ Sunday, May 11, 20080 comments
GarageCUBE at State Of The Image Festival
GarageCUBE will be attending the State Of The Image Festival in Arnhem, Netherlands to do an hour presentation of the software in all it's multi-layer, multi-projection, high frame rate speed glory. On hand will be GarageCUBE co-founder Boris Edelstein at the controls with your humble moderator Ilan Katin chatting up a modul8 centric storm.
If you are in Arnhem on September 7th for the festival or just happen to be doing a gig in Amsterdam at the time come on down and check it out.
For full information about the festival go to http://www.stateoftheimage.com/
posted by ilan katin @ Wednesday, August 01, 20070 comments
Modul8 is a revolutionary MacOS X application designed for real time video mixing and compositing.
It has been designed for VJs and live video performers.
Playing a gig?
Posted a clip?
Made a demo?
Written a module?
Please feel free to contact us at info-at-modul8-dot-us and we'll post it.
