KIT intermedia

this is a summarize of the last two brainstorms we had on the TV project:

C O N T E X T
There are several practices of artists and cultural producers engaging with TV practice, broadcast and streaming. On one hand such developments since 5 years became expanding as there is certain convergence going on between Internet, mobile technologies and television, as well as since few year the bandwidth required is provided. On the other hand private enterprise gets a strong grip on these developments as well as on the TV implementing rigid politics of manipulation apparatus. So the past potential idea that TV has a future to constitute a public space is rapidly fading out. What can we do in this transitional situation on behalf of our artistic practices and research, being placed in such in a way privileged place as university for science and technology, which is one of a players in the recent developments of the convergence?

One of the first meetings with an inquiry to the possible dialogue with  NTNU was organized with Jorma from Medgaards media lab, who confirmed NTNU interest in a possible project that would result as “hybrid TV” or “TV in the expanded field”.
As a frame to continue dialogue it was decided to run informal round table discussions once a week (Fridays or Saturdays) at the SKY bar at KIT/NTNU, which partly could be added function of a experimental TV reading room, that would include hand made projector (production under supervision of Hans, Myskja and Morten), black board for instant notes, mapping wall tracing desires and references and library board with  collection of prints, copies, records and signs referring to the ideas investigated in the research. Such 3 dimensional research file (if you like) would be a meeting point and laboratory for brainstorming of the ideas. In parallel to this we should start a web log for such discussion to be continued as well as for the flow of after-thoughts.

Collaboration with Medgaards media lab
During the TV workshop week in March there is idea to invite experts from NTNU to present following ideas:

# streaming technologies and 3G phones: content / interactivity / standards / mobile devices / equipment side / etc.

# Digital rights management: benefits for the artists.

# working with DIGITAL Cinema, new digital film, possibilities for the artists.
possible participation at IMAGE: international workshop dealing with new digital film and digital media at cinema NOVA at the end of March. Possible screenings with 4K projector at NOVA, and possible collaboration in producing artistic content using hi-end facilities at NOVA HDTV and media studio.

Further we could discuss with Medgaards media lab plans of TV project
development in relation to DOKHUSET platform, that is scheduled to open in September 2006 with few back screen projections facing to Solsiden.

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C O N T E N T
Questions and concerns
I will try to provide with those recently recorded lines, that could be formed in a near future as sub-themes of our TV project. Again those could be called as SKINS (embodiments), so TV would introduce different title during each / different launch, i.e. EACH TIME TV as identity would be re-constituted.

3G: Girls, Games, Gambling.
There was certain criticism expressed towards the 3G technologies and whether it makes sense engaging them within this project. Although I could still see the otential to question those famous 3G and look for a ways to subvert it.
In short: what can be made artistically or/and critically in those domains like Games, Gambling and Girls???

There were several concerns noted on one of “G’s”during last meetings:
Pornography. What is to be made in this field? Could we say something creative and unexpected? One thing that seems quite feasible could be interviews / chats / diaries with  sex workers. This would touch upon trafficking problematic and would probably unfold many hidden aspects in Norwegian society.
I do believe there are many foreigners sex workers in Trondheim and they also experience certain tensions (racism?) with local colleagues, with law, culture.

miss Norway’95. Trondheim marriage magazine is published by the beauty
queen of nineties. Isn’t it interesting material? I think maybe we should start from  interviews, and that’s how we get hands on a content. From that we could see how to build something further.

IDOL girl. One who was eliminated from a contest lives in Trondheim.
We were discussing whether it would make sense to re-habilitate her through our project?
Yes, why not to give her a second life?!? Maybe we should re-launch IDOL with  contestant who were dropped?

GAMES
I mentioned El Gran Trueque / The Great Exchange project from Matthieu
Laurette, That was staged on TV in Spain offering viewers to bid who gives a highest price for thing offered every week, gradually diminishing value from a automobile to the set of pencils.
What games we could initiate or play, that would make sense to interact with  audience.

We were discussing idea of interactive TV. Think how you address that notion. What is interactivity, how does it work, how can we construct that conceptually, technologically.

Humoristic:
Look at the commercials, advertisement, commix. How can we address and
employ into our project this aspect. Art without laughing is…sad.
It should be good. It should work like a clown, as clown is most serious
character in a whole history.

BTW just recalling Roy Andersson and his film: Songs from the second floor.
http://www.royandersson.com/Rootfolder/English/Html/ProductionHtml/
SongsOpening.htm
Look at his humor and…speed. His time is so extended, so slow…

COOKING TV
Raimundas Malasauskas would be coming in March and working with us with workshow concept, which is merging workshop and talk show and introducing idea of one ingredient party.
For this we should prepare some archive footage, that shows ways of Nordic (Norwegian, Sami or Swedish ?) cooking and eating tradition.
Maybe it would make sense asking STATOIL people from Trondheim
headquarters to cook their recipes?
Maybe from this we could find a way working with STATOIL?

STATOIL TV
Statoil deserves I think separate section, as oil is reason of a national pride. Lets look at the canteen in Stavanger. Morten mentioned about their chef?

ADVERTISEMENT
What TV would survive without advertisement? Maybe we should introduce a call for best commercials for other artists? This could be worldwide competition?

PRAYER TV
Stig Tommy has told that Japanese emperor fell in love with Trondheim and
wrote a poem that was broadcasted in Japan nationally. We should not skip the fact with  pilgrims or St.Olavs well. What’s about a black market for a holy water?

NEWS
What is our role as commentators? Is the interview a feasible genre?
MC_Jason: master of ceremonies. What’s about the talk show format?

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I M P L E M E N T A T I O N
As a starting point to facilitate this interest into TV it was decided to go on a research trip to Rotterdam to kind of map recent practices, as part of IFFR  and Satellite of Love exhibition at WDW SATELITE OF LOVE
http://www.wdw.nl/project.php?id=116

You will find more on  a research  trip in the second letter

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W H A T  I S  T O  B E  D O N E :

Hans has mentioned open source forum?..
What are the options? We need a server space as well. Midgaards media lab is still repairing their server?

SKY bar space:

production of the hand made projector under supervision of Hans, Myska and Morten,
black board / mapping wall tracing desires and references in a form of instant notes;
library board for copies, books, magazines.
curtains: Ivar is planning to buy a curtains…

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P R A C T I C A L  F O R  R O T T E R D A M :

Travel 
As I understood the research group traveling to Rotterdam consist:
1.Cathrine
2.Morten
3.Hans
4.Jason
5.Linda
6.Erik
7.Kristin
If there are any updates or changes please let me know,
as it is essential in many respects.

Accommodation
Waiting for the answer from  our friends in Rotterdam, although it would make sense if you book some decent place just in case.

Equipment
Try to take ALL you might need for making recordings of still and moving
images and sounds: cameras, mics, cables. Take also computers, as we might be streaming or/and performing as DJ or/and VJ. Prepare so you are fully equipped during the trip.

Security
Take some cables or wires with locks (if you have such to secure most valuable equipment: laptops and camcorders.

Meeting
We will meet at the entrance of Witte de With, just before the opening of
SATELITE OF LOVE.
 
Working
Each day we meet for a working session to discuss current matters.
It is hard to say when (10.00 maybe), as we need to get there and see
all the program and how its organized and placed. So it will be much
improvisation, but what is certain, that we have from 15.00 each day talks and workshops that directly relate to the subject of TV. We ALL are already confirmed  at the SILENT TV workshop on Saturday 28th starting at 15.00.
We will be working in pairs, as they lack parts for all of us. Its free – coffee, biscuits, and transmitter parts supplied…They wrote: “you might wish to bring a camera for documentation” Do you hear Jason?
In the evenings (27/28/29) we would join with HOT spots program, but also leaving some options open if there valuable things going in other venues.

nu&gu 

Workshop on new ways of artists practice re-approaching TV.
It seems as if there are new developments nearly every day in and
around the medium that a few years ago was known simply as ‘television’.
There are lots of artistic activities an agencies engaging these days into new modes of TV production, that is transcending the TV DIY fashion known from sixties. On the other hand it comes with the development of technologies, as satellites, digital channels, new applications for cable connections, home cinema, reception via computer, mobile phone, PDA – the possibilities seem boundless, and are the cause of a perpetual turbulence in the media landscape.
What is the future of the talking and moving picture, and the way in which it is distributed. Can we reinvent the medium? Can we ourselves make a television?

Focus on TV, could be framed as larger scale workshop, starting with
Raimundas MAlasauskas lecture and presentation on CAC TV and methods of making TV together. From this probably the first episode of KIT TV could be created. Lets see. First we should somehow frame group of participants or so called “correspondents” of possible KIT TV. So this is an open invitation to the intermedia group first, although it is not limited only within the group and could grow larger in the school or outside. But first of all and most importantly it is approachin you.

Some further reading sources:

Peter Watkins: introduction to media Crisis
http://www.mnsi.net/~pwatkins/Intro_medCr.htm

Copenhagen Free University project TV-TV:
http://www.tv-tv.dk/index.php/Manifest

http://www.tvch.org/
look at the down link “text”

nu&gu

background
The TV research group is formed within a course “Media as constructed space: design, structures and navigation” as part of Intermedia program
(tutors Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas) at KIT/NTNU Trondheim.
The TV research group is started from the emergency to re-read artistic
practices engaged with  TV, as constituent of public space.
The TV research group aims to form a pilot for a TV project at KIT/NTNU
Trondheim in a dialogue with other students and teachers ant KIT, NTNU and Medgaards media lab. 

Participants, mainly from Intermedia group, staged few brainstorm sessions in search of a group consciousness within the moment now, current time, that can constitute such (TV) project, unfolding in a process of collaborative work.

beta version
SLOW TV.ORG was suggested as a beta version title for a pilot project.
There is no manifesto written yet on what is SLOW TV about, but
the intentions and desires of participants lead to idea that SLOW TV would work with idea of multiskins, allowing project to be folded and unfolded, reconstituted and re-launched each time in different places with different titles and forms of broadcast, including internet streaming and local broadcast .

objective of the trip
experiencing the urge to map the current artistic practices engaging with new ways of producing and disseminating TV, the group of KIT students together with tutors will travel to Rotterdam during the days of IFFR-International Film Festival Rotterdam January 26 – 31 and join with the several events in the film festival as well as V2-Institute of Unstable Media,  and  WDW- Witte de With contemporary art center.

During the research trip participants of the project will hack the IFFR and WDW activities by installing SLOW TV.ORG stand within different venues of the festival, workshop at V2 and international exhibition at WDW, infiltrating, parasiting and finally joining with artists groups making television.
Participants of TV research group will be rapidly constructing the identity of SLOW TV during the days of the film festival by making interviews, recordings, cooking and performing Beta episodes of pilot project. The first skin (beta version) will be streamed online and back home re-launched at the SKY bar with a help of hand made wooden projector.

The TV research group consider Rotterdam trip as substantial point in an extended ongoing TV workshop that is planned in a dialogue with KIT, NTNU Midgaards media lab as well as with visiting professors and staff at KIT during this spring semester.