J9 at New Greenham Arts + Catalogue Launch
Friday, March 19th, 2010
Archive for the ‘telenesia’ Category
Chameleon – Tina Gonsalves
Friday, October 30th, 2009
3rd October to 29th November 2009
Tina Gonsalves’ Chameleon project has been a few years in the making with this exhibition being the second show in Brighton, the previous being a kind of workshop/process talk and exhibit at the Lighthouse. The structure of the piece incorporates some significant computer vision software developed at MIT – essentially a camera records the face of the observer, the software interprets emotional state and plays back sequence from pre-recorded database of actors expressing joy, sadness etc. As an installation, this worked well with the large scale back-projection creating a powerful sculptural presence in Fabrica (a de-commissioned church) and suggested that the project had moved on considerably since it’s previous outing. The project, which received support from a number of agencies, seems to sell itself on the art + science ticket which like many of these projects tends to end up being something that is both questionable art and bad science. I was left feeling impressed by the stature of material that went in though underwhelmed by the output – examples being the inorganic jumps between the emotional states of the performers – a dynamic 3D model would help create a fluid sense of responsiveness. This is probably something that the boffins at MIT would be very pleased with for, as explanatory PR for recognition software it is extremely effective though as an art piece it is unconvincing – perhaps next time.
Video with National Characteristics – Alistair Gentry
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
Alistair Gentry’s 2007 video installation explores content and form is a subtle though powerful re-working of the PR documentary� – as an artist in residence in China he developed this work in response to the technical and cultural environment he found himself working in. “….With national characteristics” is a euphemism for the process in which the totalitarian state rationalises the adoption of capitalism without the associated benefits of liberal democracy. Working with the dysfunctional technology available to the domestic video market Gentry’s work develops an aesthetic out of the glitches and colour shifts of unreliable equipment as he creates a multiscreen rendering of the Shenzhen theme park.
Read more here and follow link to video: