Archive for January, 2008

technical pleasure

Published
by
seth.keen
on January 31, 2008
in critique, forecasts
. 0 Comments

In responding to a comment today I realised there is a “tension I believe that we work with as larger entities aim to simplify things to get a mass user base while the alternative-independent media community and artists work on more personal control which comes with more technical skills.” With this in mind I was introduced to project Warum 2.0. In reading the about I came across a similar perspective:

This arena 2.0 stands for the tension between the consumer in us (wanting tools & services and wanting them cheap and fast) and the producer in us (wanting access, open source & content, upload capacity, privacy and personal freedom to move and set up as we please).

Here we are then, in between parts and values, midst the logics which determine our lives and those we try to disrupt; between us and the digital, between those who have the skills and those who don’t; in between that which happens without our knowledge and that we do know and succeed in changing.

hammering vlogs

Published
by
seth.keen
on January 30, 2008
in online video, video vortex and vlogging
. 4 Comments

Jay Dedman and Ryanne Hodson packed a bit into their workshop session as part of the Videodefunct and Showinabox: Hitting vlogging with a hammer workshop at montevideo in Amsterdam. The showinabox community are frustrated with the way a blog content management system handles video. The video clips posted chronologically cause a big part of this frustration as it makes it difficult to find and access video that are not featured as the latest post. In other words the vlogger may what the user to view clips that have been posted some time ago. They are also wanting more aesthetic control, where as media producers they should be able to alter how there video looks and is published online. The idea in addition to this is to provide simple open source tools that follow the YouTube model of accessibility and ease of use. Showinthebox is a response to these objectives where a number of tools are brought together into a type of package, a box.

To get their point across about being able to archive and locate videos in a more open-ended manner on a vlog, they showed a number of examples that people are working on, in response to this issue. Each of these examples demonstrate varying approaches towards customising the index page interface.

Lost in Light 8mm film project. The number of categories demonstrates in part the process of archiving on a conventional vlog. A file Directory has been added to provide alternative access to the posted clips.

Swanjana Life in India On this vlog the conventional sidebar attributes have been dropped, the interface simplified with a video thumbnails at the bottom that lead to a video archive page. The vPIP plugin is being used to provide a range of online video formats for download. These are featured at the bottom of each poster. (as a side note it was interesting to learn that mefeedia created an early plugin now defunct, to create video archive pages on vlogs.)

Shadow World uses a chronology blog drop down archive.

Columbia Migration Project This vlog has had an HTML makeover. People are the key focus and they have been represented on the index page in simple videowall type layout.

Jay then moved to the blip.tv showplayer. The showplayer is like a self-contained video display window that has thumbnails down the side as a list of videos. What is displayed and searched can be customised to a certain degree. But the feature has limitations in terms of making associations across clips and breaking the self-contained nature. The showplayer Jay argued breaks away from blog functionality. i.e comments; permalinks etc and action scripts are an issue. Using this a key focus the vPIP community are interested in maintaining, utilising and developing this blog functionality.

Moving back to showinthebox, vPIP they stated is one of the few players that offers all the online video formats including open source with the facility to add HD formats. Looking for another way to make connections across clips beyond categories and dated archives there is the related videos feature on YouTube. This type of feature has been added to the Showinthebox index interface. An example is Ryan is Hungry. There is also a recent video strip on the bottom of the page. The related videos are created using a showinabox developed plugin by Charles Iliya Krempeaux called “VideoPress Related Videos”.

Ryanne then went through using vPIP. The process was very labour intensive in regards to setting up compression files for each online video format and then inputting a url address for each uploaded video file. But the plugin provides a lot of flexibility and room for choice.

Following using blog functionality the semanal.org project they are working on provides a function to video comment. The vlog uses comments as a way to post to the vlog. This recent project along with the other features being developed by the showinthebox community demonstrates re-working a vlog to suit video - while still keeping the features which make a blog a blog.

They also pointed out the http://havemoneywillvlog.com/ project where the vlog community are encouraged to raise funds to support each others vlog projects. This project reflects some of the P2P Foundation research into differing types of economies.

Finally, in talking with Ryanne afterwards I was fascinated with her http://revlog.blogspot.com/ revlog project. Here hours are put into selecting and posting chosen vlogs in a revlog as a form of personal vlog archive. A process I am familiar with in delicious only this applies to vlogs, using delicious RSS.

banter

Published
by
seth.keen
on January 24, 2008
in videodefunct
. 0 Comments

Banter http://www.videodefunct.net/banter/ The Banter prototype is an audiovisual report on the videodefunct project that provides a critique and background details on the system. Banter will evolve as AV material is collected and added.

banter.jpg

bull market construction

Published
by
seth.keen
on January 24, 2008
in videodefunct
. 0 Comments

construction_hk.jpg

As I arrived in Hong Kong on my way back home they had their biggest share loss in 6 years. It was a tightrope as ‘the fed’ dropped interest rates to keep things afloat globally. All a far cry from Amsterdam. I recorded some huge construction activity which I think (on transfer) will be good for a small experimental defunct prototype.

Video Art is a cat

Published
by
seth.keen
on January 23, 2008
in critique, forecasts and video vortex
. 0 Comments

Following is my immediate response to the opening presentation by Tom Sherman at the Video Vortex conference in Amsterdam. Vernacular Video: Nine Lives of Video Art. I made lots of notes as it was inspiring to see Tom speak in the flesh. In condensed form what interested me where these concepts, which could be developed more (and checked for accuracy) when the video recordings of the event are released and published on the INC website.

His view on the evolving death and resurrection of video art in its many variations as part of adjusting to developments in technology and the changing politics of the art scene. My understanding is that with the growth of what he called “video culture”, for example through YouTube, there is a real risk of video art being obliterarated. This ties in with the change in practice where video production and distribution is accessible to all rather than a few artists.

Historically, he pointed out that video has always been a medium of “process rather than product”. Also he stated that “…many of the challenges of video has been the semantic challenges…”. These are concepts that I would like to expand on as they tie in I think with his later point on video art needing to react to the Internet. Some quotes taken from the end of the presentation that follow this concept:

“…[disregards the] potential as a communication medium ignoring its cybernetic strengths”
“…video art will be the response to the web.”
“…as the web delivers plurailty it must deliver video art”

The concept that the term ‘new media’ is what he called commercially motivated not only for business but also for art institution funding and education purposes. The term provided the potential to pigeon-hole certain activities for the purpose of establishing “marginal” funding and as he described was seen as “a set of technologies that filled the space between other technologies”. It is interesting from my point-of-view that this term is now loosing the aura it had and in Australia has been made obselete (Feb-March 2005) by the arts council and folded back into visuals arts. In Australia and perhaps elsewhere there seems to be a kind of hiatus around the term ‘new media’, with the expectation that like the arts council example new media will be seen as part of existing established disciplines. Perhaps this is a display of maturity or new media is looking death in the eye?

The characteristics of ‘vernacular video‘ where outlined. These I have written about before in a previous post as part of extending some of these ideas and locating examples that are familiar. It is interesting to make a connection here between the text based characteristic and the Japanese Nico comment videos shown in the last presentation of the event by Dominick Chen. What is new is Sherman’s concept of a video being effected by the process of messaging. Tom suggested that, “the desire for interactivity will transform into message exchange sites”. I look forward to seeing more of his thinking and writing on this concept.

Vortex blogged on Masters of Media

Published
by
seth.keen
on January 21, 2008
in video vortex
. 0 Comments

opening-session-friday-january-18/
video-aesthetics-short-essay/
tal-sterngast-karasek-speaks-the-asthetics-of-videoblogging/
thomas-elsaesser-on-constructive-instability/
jan-simons-on-the-narrative-of-tagging/
dan-oki-cinema-as-research-database/
alternative-platforms-and-software/
participatory-culture/
video-vortex-curating-online-video/

video vortex conference

Published
by
seth.keen
on January 20, 2008
in video vortex
. 0 Comments

videovortex flickr photos

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Tom Sherman opening presentation

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The venue

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Alternative Platforms and Software session

vlog workshop report

Published
by
seth.keen
on January 17, 2008
in video vortex and videodefunct
. 0 Comments

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Photos on flickr of the workshop taken by Malka at montevideo.

The vlogging workshop went really well at Montevideo in Amsterdam as part of the Video Vortex II exhibition. There was a lively response from the participants towards the videodefunct project. The videodefunct 2-hour presentation went quickly, with a lot of conversation and debate. Jay and Ryanne’s presentation of showinthebox was excellent and tied in really well with many of the points raised in the videodefunct project. The panel session at the end concluded with Geert posing a question on the relationship between the development of WordPress in relation to search functionality. A question influenced by Anne Helmond’s current postgraduate research. It was great to have Laurene’s help and Malka at montevideo helped make the event run really smoothly.

screens @ 38,000 feet

Published
by
seth.keen
on January 15, 2008
in moi
. 0 Comments

video_inflight.jpg

Amsterdam

Published
by
seth.keen
on January 15, 2008
in moi
. 0 Comments

bridge_hotel.jpg

I arrived in Amsterdam after a long long flight from Melbourne. The planes where late at every transit which culminated in a huge sprint from one end of Heathrow to the other to catch the final BA plane to Schiphol, which meant my baggage did not arrive with me. Luckily my bag and warm clothes turned up later in the evening as I am making the adjustment from 30-40C. My room looks out over the Amstel which is beautiful. I lived here for a bit in the early 90’s and am remembering all the great things about this city. Good to be back!