Overview of preperation week ending 11th NOV

In previous weeks' preparation for the learning agreement, I came across the ITASC project:(Interpolar Transnational Art Science Constellation: Official project of the International Polar Year 2007-08) , which led me to the work of Marko Peljhan digital media artist: founder of MAKROLAB and currently the Fall 2007 SFAI Centre for Art and Science Fellow.

I will be attending a symposium 'POLAR: The Art and Science of Climate Change' at the British Library, London on Monday 19th November , where Peljhan will be talking at a 'show and tell' of different ice libraries along with other senior scientists and artists who will debate how these archives might well claim to hold the world's knowledge. This wil be a great way to see how the dynamics of contemporary ART/Science collaboration are developing using digital media.

Via the Peljan/INTERPOLAR connection, I came across the Media Shed in Southend on Sea (UK) who are offer raw weather data samples from the Antarctic region to download and re-sample at DataJAM sessions. Unfortunately, my timing was all out and I missed the opportunity to use Opensource software to graphically programme visual effects using 'blocks'. Nonetheless, It is possible to download these LINUX PureData/ ZIP files. Here I was able to source Zipped AUDIO WAV files of Emperor Penguins.

The link to bird imagery is important, as this has formed part of a shadow/ object theatre tableau I have been jointly creating as part of a puppetry performance course at NPT. The image of a bird eye (SEE IMAGE) is constructed from water, glass, a mirror, and an OHP. My course partner and I had orginally focused upon 'metamorphosis' as a theme, however, the improvisatory element of the course lends itself to investigation through experiment - so this was the strongest imagery we developed using the materials to hand. We will continue over the coming weeks to investigate transparency and light effects, as well as trying to define a performance style, puppets/ objects, sound and lighting.

[IMAGE ABOVE] Transparency and lighting effects are used to magnify 'arctic' conditions inside this snow globe.

This coming week: I hope to have a speaker which transmits thorough any flat surface delivered ( its called a Nimzy Vibro blaster ;)). Hopefully this will be in time for my Tuesday Performance course, so i can test the data/audio file of the emperor WAV in the theatre space. I hope to have amassed more glass recepticles (we're trying a pyrex dish and a small fish tank this week) to 'frame' the birds eye within ripples. I have already bought a Piezo transducer (for the value price of 69p!) in the hope that PA can tell me what to connect it to in order to transmit sound through liquid. I have a feeling that it wont be powerful enough - (PA suggested the Nimzy Vibro blaster speaker and amp ). It would be nice to check whether water (or oil) can transmit resonance patterns at all - ahead of altering the frequency and looping- (which i will need to do in the SOUND workshop). Anyway regardless i want to build the Emperor tableau into something beyond a resonance pattern - so all is not lost if the delivery man isn't on time.