Posted in Announcement on October 5th, 2022 by admin
We are proud to announce the streaming program of the Vector Hack conference and open call screenings, which runs from 5-7 OCT 2022. Vector Hack is a biennial international festival devoted to experimental analog vector graphics.
Vector Hack gathers researchers, developers, and artists from around the world to investigate experimental audiovisual works using oscilloscopes, lasers, and a variety of other media-archaeological techniques and devices. In a true community spirit, Vector Hack participants share ideas and develop work together alongside a program of talks and performances.
Our evening program of live performances from the open call will not be streamed live. They will be recorded and archived on our YouTube channel later.
30 second trailer for my upcoming talk at SIGGRAPH 2022 in Vancouver
Scan processing is an analog electronic image manipulation technology, typified by the Scanimate (1969) and the Rutt/Etra Video Synthesizer (1973), which revolutionized commercial animation and inspired a generation of experimental video artists. This paper looks at the histories, functions, and uses of scan processing and proposes a contemporary reenactment.
TUE 9 AUG 2:15pm – 3:45pm PDT: Art Papers_Roundtable Session: Visions: CV and Image Capture
Posted in Announcement on October 4th, 2020 by admin
Over the weekend of 2-4 OCT 2020, I have been remotely co-organizing the Vector Hack 2020 festival in Rijeka Croatia with Ivan Marušić Klif and Chris King. This event is a result of my involvement in the areas of media archaeology and audiovisual synthesis, and features presentations and works by a variety of contemporary and historical figures in computer and electronic arts.
All talks have been live streamed as well as archived on YouTube for later viewing. There is also an evening streaming program of work screenings.
Featured artists and presenters include:
Francesca Franco, Tomislav Mikulić, Paloma Kop, Rue Bainbridge, Potar Anar, Skooby Laposky/Ben Laposky, Benjamin Heidersberger/Heinrich Heidersberger, James Nolan Gandy, Eric Lennartson, Charles Deluga, Anthony Elliott, Derek Holzer, Ivan Marušić Klif, Alberto Novello, Bernd Ulmann, Stefanie Bräuer, Ted Davis, Andrei Jay, Joseph Hyde, Michael Honeycomb, Shojiro Nakaoka, Miha Vipotnik, Tadej Droljc, Optokoppler, Sofy Yuditskaya, Branimir Štivić, Hrvoje Radnić, Antti Tenetz, David Francus/Hrvoje Nikšić, James Lehman, Dirk de Bruin, and David Françus
Please visit the following sites for further info:
Posted in Announcement on September 29th, 2020 by admin
with DEREK HOLZER and VASULKA KITCHEN BRNO
Tuesday, 20 October, 2020 – 18:30 to 20:30 Thursday, 22 October, 2020 – 18:30 to 20:30 Tuesday, 27 October, 2020 – 18:30 to 20:30 Thursday, 29 October, 2020 – 18:30 to 20:30
The Vector Synthesis workshop, led by audiovisual artist and researcher Derek Holzer, investigates the direct relationship between sound and image. It draws inspiration from the work of artists such as Mary Ellen Bute, Nam June Paik, Steina and Woody Vasulka, and Gary Hill; from the media archaeology of computer graphics; from obsolete technologies such as the Cathode Ray Tube monitor, the Scanimate, and the Rutt/Etra Video Synthesizer; and from contemporary laser display techniques. This workshop is ideal for musicians, sound artists, animators, and visual artists who want to work with oscilloscope and laser imagery.
DATES: OCT 20/22/27/29 2020
TIME: 18:30-20:30 Central European Time
MAX PARTICIPANTS: 12
COST: FREE
Participants will learn how to draw Lissajous figures, render simple two- and three-dimensional shapes, and process photographs and video into vector artwork which can be displayed on oscilloscopes and ILDA laser displays using audio signals. These vector shapes can animated and further modified in real time using external audio sources such as voice, amplified instruments, or electronic synthesizers provided by the participants.
The core of the workshop will be ready-to-use examples written in the Pure Data programming language.
The language of this workshop is English.
The maximum amount of participants is 12.
REQUIREMENTS
No experience with Pure Data is required to participate, beginners are welcome.
A background with either digital audio or digital moving image is helpful.
Participants are required to attend all four days of the course, and to complete three assignments in total between the sessions.
Participants should have their own computers, with software installed according to pre-event instructions sent by email.
Participants may wish to use an external audio interface or MIDI controller, however neither are required.
TIMETABLE
All sessions from 18:30-20:30 Central European Time.
Pre-workshop: participants should make sure all software required is installed and configured before the first session. Detailed instructions will be sent once participation is confirmed.
TUE 22.10.20: Installation questions, introduction to Vector Synthesis principles (vector vs raster images), introduction to Pure Data environment, working with signals to generate sound and image, first assignment.
THU 24.10.20: Viewing of first assignments, assignment questions, working with 2D and 3D image files, external audio inputs, second assignment.
TUE 27.10.20: Viewing of second assignments, assignment questions, working with digital image and video files (scan processing), MIDI and presets, third assignment.
THU 29.10.20: Viewing of third assignments, assignment questions, working with hardware (oscilloscopes, vector monitors, Vectrex consoles, ILDA laser displays), capturing with video cameras, conclusions.
By the end of the workshop, participants will have written at least three Pure Data compositions, one of which will be chosen and recorded to video for public presentation on the Vasulka Kitchen website.
HOW TO APPLY
Please write an email to Vasulka Kitchen vasulkakitchen@gmail.com with the subject line VECTOR SYNTHESIS WORKSHOP by the end of 04 OCT 2020 (23:59 CET). In this email, please describe:
Your artistic background.
Why you are interested in taking this workshop.
Any experience you have with the creation of sound, moving image, and/or interactive media on the computer.
We will make a selection to ensure the most diverse group possible, and inform the selected participants by the end of 06 OCT 2020.
WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR
Derek Holzer (USA 1972) is an audiovisual artist, researcher, lecturer, and electronic instrument creator based in Stockholm. He has performed live, taught workshops and created scores of unique instruments and installations since 2002 across Europe, North and South America, and New Zealand. He is currently a PhD researcher in Sound and Music Computing at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, focusing on historically informed sound synthesis design.
Posted in Announcement on February 14th, 2020 by admin
The Vector Synthesis workshop, led by sound and light artist Derek Holzer over three full days, investigates the direct relationship between sound and image. It draws inspiration from the media archaeology of computer graphics, and from obsolete technologies such as the Cathode Ray Tube monitor, combined with contemporary laser display techniques. This workshop is ideal for musicians, sound artists, and visual artists who want to work with laser imagery.
Participants will learn how to draw Lissajous figures, render simple two- and three-dimensional shapes, and process photographs and video into vector artwork which can be displayed on oscilloscopes and ILDA laser displays using audio signals. These vector shapes can also be further modified in real time using external audio sources such as voice, amplified instruments, or electronic synthesizers provided by the participants.
The core of the workshop will be ready-to-use examples written in the Pure Data programming language.
A presentation of pieces created in the workshop is planned for the final evening, where participants will show their creations on the laser with sound.
The language of this workshop is English. The fee for the participants is EUR 50. The maximum amount of participants is 12.
Requirements
• Experience with Pure Data is not required to participate, beginners are welcome. • Participants are required to attend all three days of the course • Participants are required to bring their own laptops with software installed according to pre-event instructions sent by email. • Participants should bring any external audio interface or MIDI controller they would like to use, however neither are required.
Timetable
28.2–1.3.2020, 12–18 daily The first day is devoted to a technical overview of possibilities, and the following two days to experimentation and development of a demo to be projected on the final evening. 1.3. 18–20 public presentation
How to apply?
The participants are chosen in order of enrollment. To apply, send mail (in Finnish or English) to valotaiteenseura@gmail.com, including your full name and phone number. The first applicants will get confirmation and instructions for paying the course fee. The fee must be paid in three days and is non-refundable.
There’s a quota of 50% for members of FLASH (the Finnish Light Art Society Helsinki). This only applies to members, whose membership fee has been paid. Please state your membership status, if you’re applying in this quota.
Workshop Supervisor
Derek Holzer (USA 1972) is a sound + light artist based in Helsinki & Berlin, whose current interests include DIY electronics, audiovisual instrument building, the relationship between sound and space, media archaeology, and participatory art forms. He has performed live, taught workshops and created scores of unique instruments and installations since 2002 across Europe, North and South America, and New Zealand. http://macumbista.net
Holzer will be assisted in this workshop by sound and visual artist Jani Hietanen, who is also a student of Sound in New Media at Aalto University.
Posted in Announcement on January 15th, 2020 by admin
I’m proud to announce the next Vector Synthesis workshop, taking place Feb 08-09 2020 at New River Studios in London.
The Vector Synthesis workshop investigates the direct relationship
between sound+image. It draws inspiration from the media archaeology of
computer graphics, and from obsolete technologies such as the Cathode
Ray Tube monitor, combined with contemporary laser display techniques.
This workshop is ideal for musicians, sound artists, VJs, and visual
artists who want to work with oscilloscope or laser imagery.
Participants will learn how to draw Lissajous figures, render simple
two- and three-dimensional shapes, and process photographs and video
into vector artwork which can be displayed on oscilloscopes and ILDA
laser displays using audio signals. These vector shapes can also be
further modified in real time using external audio sources such as
voice, amplified instruments, or electronic synthesizers provided by the
participants.
Posted in Announcement on January 13th, 2020 by admin
The first 700 copy edition of the Vector Synthesis book has completely sold out. If you are one of the Kickstarter campaign supporters, or if you ordered a copy directly from me, I would like to thank you for making this book such a success. To keep it available, I have placed it as print-on-demand through the Lulu website.
Vector Synthesis: a Media Archaeological Investigation into Sound-Modulated Light is a computational art project inspired by theories of media archaeology, by the history of computer and video art, and by the use of discarded and obsolete technologies such as the Cathode Ray Tube monitor. This text explores the military and techno-scientific legacies at the birth of modern computing, and charts attempts by artists of the subsequent two decades to decouple these tools from their destructive origins. Using this history as a basis, I then describe a media archaeological, real time performance system using audio synthesis and vector graphics techniques to investigate direct relationships between sound and image using analog CRT displays. Key to this system is a didactic, open source approach which encourages reuse and modification by other artists. The conclusion of the book reflects on how the project and the research surrounding it has contributed to the larger experimental audiovisual arts community through events such as the Vector Hack Festival.
An Ebook PDF version is also available. Please note that Lulu is responsible for the shipping and handling of your order. For wholesale orders, please contact me directly for a discount.
Posted in Announcement on August 11th, 2019 by admin
Book designer Claire Matthews and I got a Vector Synthesis print proof back last week, and since then we have been working like mad to get this publication ready for the printer. We have made so many improvements to the layout and flow of both the text and images, and I have also done several more rounds of corrections based on feedback from various reviewers. So now we really believe this is the best possible state this book can be in for sending for the final print.
Over the course of this Kickstarter, the print run jumped from 100 to 700, and with that increase came a bit more concern from me over a few things–namely image permissions. I have sought permission to reprint most of the images in the book which came from other sources (something I would not have bothered with if it had remained a friends-and-family affair). This has lead to some interesting contacts with members of the David Tudor ensemble Composers Inside Electronics, or with Bill Etra’s widow Rozalyn Rouse Etra through the kind assistance of Benton C. Bainbridge. And in other cases I have redrawn or created new artwork from scratch (as with the Vasulka-esque scan processor examples at the start of this update) both to clarify images and to deal with the possibility that some image rights-holders may not answer in time (or ever!). This has caused a bit of delay in the publication process, but honestly I am very happy with the results and think that it is totally worth the wait and work.
We aim to send this book to the printers in the coming week. Once I have the definitive delivery date, I will arrange for the shipping of the book to all of you, likely in the start of September. Copies of the book can still be ordered through me by sending an email with your postal address to MACUMBISTA at the domain GMAIL dot COM. I thank you all kindly for your patience and support.
Posted in Announcement on July 21st, 2019 by admin
A massive thank you to the over 400 backers who supported the Vector Synthesis book Kickstarter. The final print run will be 600 copies. If you are interested in ordering one, please write me at
MACUMBISTA at the domain GMAIL dot COM
with the SUBJECT =
Vector Synthesis Book
Please include your postal address, and I will reply with further information.
Posted in Announcement on June 16th, 2019 by admin
PUBLICATION FUNDRAISER:
The VECTOR SYNTHESIS: a MEDIA ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION into SOUND-MODULATED LIGHT book describes my research into the military and techno-scientific legacies at the birth of modern computing, and how early computer, electronic media, and video artists of the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s attempted to decouple these tools from their destructive origins.
It also presents my Pure Data software library and live performance project which employs audio synthesis and vector graphics techniques to investigate direct relationships between sound and image using analog CRT displays. The book is 122 pages long, has 21 illustrations, links to several video examples online, and was fabulously designed by Claire Matthews.
I’m launching this Kickstarter to print and distribute at least 100 copies of the book, to get them to people who have assisted in its creation, and just as importantly to send them to organizations and schools who deserve one. Your support of this publishing project will help make that possible.
Derek Holzer (USA 1972) is an audiovisual artist, researcher, lecturer, and electronic instrument creator based in Stockholm. He has performed live, taught workshops and created scores of unique instruments and installations since 2002 across Europe, North and South America, and New Zealand. He is currently a PhD researcher in Media & Interaction Design at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, focusing on historically informed audiovisual synthesis.
