PROGRAMME [TEXT VERSION] LOVEBYTES INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF DIGITAL ART 2003 SHEFFIELD, UK EVENTS AT THE SHOWROOM CINEMA 20,21,22 MARCH EXHIBITIONS AT SITE GALLERY 14 FEBRUARY - 22 MARCH 1. INTRODUCTION 2. PROGRAMME SUMMARY 3. EVENTS SCHEDULE 4. EXHIBITIONS 5. WORKSHOPS 6. BOOKING and TRAVEL INFORMATION 1. INTRODUCTION Lovebytes International Festival of Digital Art 2003 takes place in Sheffield between 15 February and 22 March with a 'hot weekend' of activity 20-22 March. Lovebytes creates a unique environment to explore and enjoy digital culture at its best - a dazzling, inspiring and informative event. The programme includes exhibitions of new work by international artists with panel sessions, presentations, workshops, film screenings and performances. Events are open to everyone, some have a limited number of places so please book tickets early. Booking Hotline 0114 275 7727 Programme Enquiries 0114 221 0393 info@lovebytes.org.uk www.lovebytes.org.uk For further information about venues and booking see 6. BOOKING and TRAVEL INFORMATION (below). 2. PROGRAMME SUMMARY Exhibitions Motoshi Chikamori and Kyoko Kunoh (Japan) Chris Evans (UK) Tina Frank (Austria) Aardman Animation (UK) Dextro (Austria) Lia (Austria) and Miguel Carvalhais (Portugal) Nullpointer (UK) Kurt Ralske (USA) + many more Live Performances Carsten Nicolai (Germany) Nobukazu Takemura (Japan) General Magic + Tina Frank (Austria) Chris Watson (UK) @c + lia (Portugal/Austria) Nullpointer (UK) Kurt Ralske (USA) DJs A+R [Evol] (Spain) Alex [Team Doyobi] (UK) Ryoco [Melange] (UK) Pelican Neck (UK) + others tbc Presentations Aardman Animation (UK) Stormfront (UK) Tom Betts [Nullpointer] (UK) Lia and Miguel Carvalhais (Austria and Portugal) Kurt Ralske [242.Pilots] (USA) Workshops Aardman Animation (UK) Apple Computers (UK) Kurt Ralske (USA) Redundant Technology Initiative (UK) Lego (UK) Film Screenings Channel 4 (UK) Film Council (UK) One Dot Zero (UK) SIxpack (Austria) Search Engine Cinema (Singapore) Warp (UK) + many more 3. EVENTS SCHEDULE ALL EVENTS AT THE SHOWROOM CINEMA UNLESS STATED OTHERWISE. DAY 1 THURSDAY 20 MARCH 5 pm FILMS: CGI Shorts A compilation of computer generated shorts including films from Channel 4's MESH scheme for cutting edge digital and interactive animation. Shown here are the first eight films that have been commissioned through the scheme, along with a selection of other CGI shorts compiled by Lovebytes. 6.15 pm FILMS: Film Council Digital shorts A special selection from the Low Budget Digital Shorts Scheme. Established by The Film Council's New Cinema Fund, in partnership with eleven regional short film partners, the scheme supports a new generation of filmmakers who are stimulated by the creative possibilities of Digital Video. The programme generates 100 short films a year, each of which must follow three simple rules: be under ten minutes, shot digitally and cost no more than £10,000. 7.30 pm FILMS : Search Engine Cinema #2 Last year SEC1, a collection of films downloaded from the web, was described in The Independent as "a subversive trawl through the subcultural fringes of the system". For Version 2 expect more bizarre weather from the internet's vast skies. Slick mixed with raw, the accidental and the designed, sometimes inspired and frequently deranged. 8.45 pm FILMS: Warp 03 A new and exclusive compilation of short films curated and created by Warp Films/Records including Chris Morris's BAFTA nominated 'My Wrongs 8245-8249 and 117' about a man who stops using his name because he decides he no longer deserves one, as well as the Cartel Communique remix of the film. 9.45 pm FILMS: Animated Audio A compilation of short experimental films employing electronic audio soundtracks with closely choreographed computer generated imagery including work from Lia, Tina Frank and Ryoichi Kurokawa. 10 pm EVENT: All Things Electric. Charles Street £4/£3 (concs) on the door Live set by Roger (Finnish/Mancunian synth band) DJs Jim Electric, Ralph and the Ralphettes plus guests. Visuals and projections by General Electric and Phosphere. ____ Day 2 FRIDAY 21 MARCH 10 am PRESENTATION and SCREENING: Aardman Behind the Scenes A "behind the scenes" presentation looking at how Aardman have used CGI, with a focus on the realities of business of CGI animation (illustrated with examples) presented by Michael Carter, Head of CGI. 12 pm PRESENTATION and SCREENING: CGI Masterclass Ben Smith, of Sheffield based CGI FX company Stormfront, will give an in-depth insight into his work on the short film 'My Wrongs 8245-8249 and 117', which is being shown as part of the Warp 03 screening. 12.45 pm FILMS: CGI Shorts A compilation of computer generated shorts including films from Channel 4's MESH scheme for cutting edge digital and interactive animation. Shown here are the first eight films that have been commissioned through the scheme, along with a selection of other CGI shorts compiled by Lovebytes. 1.45 pm PRESENTATION: DSP3 Artists Artists commissioned by Lovebytes to develop interactive audio works for the publication DSP3 discuss their approach to the work and the construction and development of it. The panel will include Tom Betts (aka Nullpointer), Lia and Miguel Carvalhais and Kurt Ralske. 2 pm FILMS: Film Council Digital shorts A special selection from the Low Budget Digital Shorts Scheme. Established by The Film Council's New Cinema Fund, in partnership with eleven regional short film partners, the scheme supports a new generation of filmmakers who are stimulated by the creative possibilities of Digital Video. The programme generates 100 short films a year, each of which must follow three simple rules: be under ten minutes, shot digitally and cost no more than £10,000. 3.30 pm FILM : Acousma (free) Screened as a work in progress. Acousma uses recordings of the electrical activity occuring within the brain during unconsciousness to create a unique sound composition, a kind of audio representation of dreams. This in turn controls a perpetually changing/morphing video-montage, made up of animated internal scans. The artists will be available for questions and answers as part of this screening. 4.15 pm FILMS: Search Engine Cinema #2 Last year SEC1, a collection of films downloaded from the web, was described in The Independent as "a subversive trawl through the subcultural fringes of the system". For Version 2 expect more bizarre weather from the internet's vast skies. Slick mixed with raw, the accidental and the designed, sometimes inspired and frequently deranged. 5.30 pm FILMS: Animated Audio A compilation of short experimental films employing electronic audio soundtracks with closely choreographed computer generated imagery including work from Lia, Tina Frank and Ryoichi Kurokawa. 6.45 pm FILMS: Warp 03 A new and exclusive compilation of short films curated and created by Warp Films/Records including Chris Morris's BAFTA nominated 'My Wrongs 8245-8249 and 117' about a man who stops using his name because he decides he no longer deserves one, as well as the Cartel Communique remix of the film. Showroom 8 pm PERFORMANCE: Chris Watson and Jon Wozencroft (UK) Previously a member of Cabaret Voltaire and the Hafler Trio, Chris Watson now works as a sound recordist specialising in natural history film, tv & radio. His recent work includes the BBC's Life of Mammals and a number acclaimed of audio releases on the Touch label. Jon Wozencroft is the editor of Touch, a filmmaker and photographer. He has worked with Chris on the CDs 'Stepping into the Dark' and 'Outside the Circle of Fire' as well as performing with him at Ars Electronica 2000. This live performance fuses Jon's film and photography with Chris' creative sound design through the theme of 'the weather'. 8 pm FILMS: J-star 2 The freshest contemporary style from Japan's finest moving image makers, incorporating anime, motion graphics, music videos and other brand new moving image adventures never before seen outside of Japan. A high-impact, highly influential and eclectic mix of the very latest innovations from both rising talentsas well as established masters. 9.45 pm PERFORMANCE: General Magic and Tina Frank (Germany / Austria) General Magic is a duo consisting of Ramon Bauer and Andi Pieper, co-leaders of the Mego label (along with Peter Rehberg). GM's favourite "playgrounds" are software exploration, ski pistes and motor sport circuits, whilst they also brilliantly demonstrate how to create post-modern hymns with shards of popular music. GM play here with a visual accompaniment - Tina Frank, a graphic artists with uniquely pixelated visions, previously collaborating with GM and others on Mego videos and a former member of the audio/visual band SKOT. 9.45 pm FILMS: Wow and Flutter 2 A shift from previous one-dot-zero editions with more narrative and documentary work and techniques. There's also a wide spectrum of styles spanning animation, motion graphics and abstract experimentation from a wider geographic spread. Many of these works have been specifically produced for one-dot-zero. 8 pm -1 am DJs : Showroom Bar TPWNN, Alex (Team Doyobi), A+R of Evol, Ryoco (Melange) _____ Day 3 Saturday 22nd March Day 3 11 am PRESENTATION: The Morphed Artist St. John Walker (Director of The Finishing School, the National Film and Television School's Digital Compositing and 3D Animation training centre) introduces a panel of film makers looking at more innovative and experimental approaches to computer generated imagery. 12.30 pm FILMS: Animated Audio A compilation of short experimental films employing electronic audio soundtracks with closely choreographed computer generated imagery including work from Lia, Tina Frank and Ryoichi Kurokawa. 1.45 pm PERFORMANCES : DSP 3 Four artists commissioned for Lovebytes' DSP3 publication perform live audio/visual sets: @c and Lia (Portugal and Austria) @c + Lia present a live generated audiovisual performance using computers as their instruments and sound and image programming that allow them to improvise over pre-defined composition structures. Nullpointer Nullpointer mixes generative composition and synthesis, using the Pure Data DSP system, utilising a number of live triggers to manipulate and direct the composition which is then translated into geometric visual forms. This creates a unique audio-visual environment for each performance and forms a direct relationship between realtime generation of sound and image. Kurt Ralske "rriot" -- a real-time audio-visual improvisation by Kurt Ralske, created with his Auvi software. a revolution - a revelation - a reversal. revision / fo-rever / revulsion. 3.30 pm FILMS: Search Engine Cinema #2 Last year SEC1, a collection of films downloaded from the web, was described in The Independent as "a subversive trawl through the subcultural fringes of the system". For Version 2 expect more bizarre weather from the internet's vast skies. Slick mixed with raw, the accidental and the designed, sometimes inspired and frequently deranged. 4 pm PRESENTATION: Minim++ Artists Talk. VENUE: SITE GALLERY (free) Motoshi Chikamori, Kyoko Kunoh and Yasuaki Kakehi discuss their exhibition in Site Gallery looking at the inspiration and development of their interactive installations. 4.45 pm FILMS: J-star 2 The freshest contemporary style from Japan's finest moving image makers, incorporating anime, motion graphics, music videos and other brand new moving image adventures never before seen outside of Japan. A high-impact, highly influential and eclectic mix of the very latest innovations from both rising talents as well as established masters. 6.30 pm FILMS: Film Council Digital shorts A special selection from the Low Budget Digital Shorts Scheme. Established by The Film Council's New Cinema Fund, in partnership with eleven regional short film partners, the scheme supports a new generation of filmmakers who are stimulated by the creative possibilities of Digital Video. The programme generates 100 short films a year, each of which must follow three simple rules: be under ten minutes, shot digitally and cost no more than £10,000. 7.45 pm FILMS: Wow and Flutter 2 A shift from previous one-dot-zero editions with more narrative and documentary work and techniques. There's also a wide spectrum of styles spanning animation, motion graphics and abstract experimentation from a wider geographic spread. Many of these works have been specifically produced for one-dot-zero. 8 pm PERFORMANCE: Nobukazu Takemura (Japan) As a composer and musician under the keyword of "child's view", Nobukazu Takemura flows freely back and forth across the world of music from experimental and contemporary classic to jazz and hip hop. Alongside his huge output of recordings, including "Scope" and "10th", he has also provided sound design production for a number of other artists projects and clients including the internal voice of Sony's AIBO. More recently he has been concentrating on creating imagery and graphics. 9.30 pm FILMS: CGI Shorts A compilation of computer generated shorts including films from Channel 4's MESH scheme for cutting edge digital and interactive animation. Shown here are the first eight films that have been commissioned through the scheme, along with a selection of other CGI shorts compiled by Lovebytes. 9.45 pm PERFORMANCE: Carsten Nicolai (Germany) Using electronic sound and visual art as a kind of hybrid-tool Carsten Nicolai creates his own microscopic view of creative processes. His world looks more like a laboratory - constantly morphing in space and time, influenced by the impulses of this media world, sound the message as code - becomes the primary theme via his visualised sound performance. 7 pm - 1 am Djs : SHOWROOM BAR: error deejays (UK) Moonlighting from their day jobs in Manchester, the error deejays find themselves mostly occupied with the boomkat.com website, the Pelicanneck records shop and Baked Goods distribution. Members have been most recently sighted playing tunes in Berlin, Switzerland and to rave reviews at sonar 2002. 4. EXHIBITIONS Title minim++ Artists Motoshi Chikamori, Kyoko Kunoh and Yasuaki Kakehi Format Interactive installations Venue Site Gallery Dates 15 Feb to 22 March This is the first major international exhibition for the Japanese group minim++. This exhibition consists of four interactive installations using simple everyday objects and events which are altered in some way through the interaction with the audience. minim++ combines traditional Japanese iconography with computer software, producing mysterious shadow images which react with the visitor as they touch, walk over or play with the objects in front of them. The artists were born in Tokyo. Currently Chikamori lectures in the Department of Imaging Arts and Sciences, Musashino Art University and Kunoh is based at the Research Centre for the Arts and Arts Administration, Keio University. For this exhibition the artists have worked in collaboration with Yasuaki Kakehi a masters student at Tokyo University studying engineering. Title: Lovebytes DSP3 Commissions Artists: Nullpointer, Kurt Ralske, Lia.mc, Dextro Format: Interactive Installations and CD ROM Publication Venue: tbc Dates: 20 - 22 March DSP3 Digital Space is an ongoing programme of commissions, publications and events exploring interactive art. The artists commissioned in this round include Nullpointer, Lia.mc, Dextro and Kurt Ralske and their work results in the third publication in the DSP series to be released and exhibited during the festival. Nullpointer - Bitmap Sequencer The Bitmap Sequencer is a sound synthesis tool that uses bitmap images as audio wave-data. The application consists of a multichannel step-sequencer which creates a direct connection between sound and image, allowing users to create experimental/abstract audio-visual compositions. Kurt Ralske - Pentograph v.0.1 Petrograph v.01 is a software device that outputs synchronized audio-video art. Petrograph can be enjoyed either passively (with no input) and/or interactively. Left to run on its own, Petrograph will produce an infinite amount of unique a/v art. In its decision-making process, the software traverses a web of possibilities modelled after actions that Kurt Ralske might take during his real-time video performances. Lia.mc - LMLB03 On the screen two layers of audio/visual elements evolve, with contrasting size and dynamics, reacting to each other and to the user interaction with unspecified rules. These two layers can be individually switched on or off, achieving different combinations of foreground and background elements. Dextro 4 interactive pieces with sound. design/programming/audio: dextro. Title: Multimedia Gallery Artist: Various Format: Various Venue: Showroom A selection of recent digital work in interactive multimedia, film and the internet including additional work from artists taking part in Lovebytes. The Multimedia Gallery includes: Fuzzy Motion (DVD) by Tina Frank and interactive work by Dextro. There is a chance to view the Film Council's Viro Shorts (see www.channel4.com/viro) as well as Files and Folders by Thomas Keller and 1/800 by Low Brow Trash. Title: We Will Destroy You Artist: Chris Evans Format: Installation Venue: Showroom Those who are brave enough to take on the challenge are invited to play on the old-style arcade cabinet in the Showroom Bar. Simple enough - but in this case the little green men are armed with a night-vision camera to expose the frustration and torment they inflict on you. __ 5. WORKSHOPS 20 March 10 am - 3 pm Showroom Aardman Animation Workshops for Teachers - Creating Characters Lovebytes are hosting a workshop with Aardman Animation (of Wallace and Gromit fame) for teachers and artists who are interested in using traditional and CGI animation techniques in schools. The workshop will include hands on development of animation skills as well as the examination of the role of computers in the curriculum and more specifically how the integration of computers and technology help to foster skills and attitudes to support lifelong learning. 21 March 4-6 pm Showroom Real Time Video Kurt Ralske demonstrates the tools and techniques used for real-time video improvisation. New software and hardware allows users to improvise motion graphics in a manner similar to how musicians improvise music. Software discussed will be the modular Max-based video environments (Nato, Jitter, softVNS, and Kurt's own Auvi), the Isadora modular environment, and MotionDive. 22 March 11 am-4 pm Showroom Apple Workshops (free) Get hands-on with Apple's latest digital video, animation and authoring systems. 22 March 11 am Showroom Lego Workshops (free) Drop into Legoland Studios and make documentary film, drama or maybe a tense horror using Lego and characters from the new range. 22 March 12-2 pm Access Space Pure-Data workshop Pure Data (Pd) is an open-source, real-time software system for live music and multimedia performances. It is in active development by Miller Puckette, and a close relation to MAX/MSP and JMAX. This workshop is an introduction to building Pd audio patches for modular synthesis, using the Linux free operating system. For more information about Pd: http://access.lowtech.org/e-gehirn To book a place, call or email Tamar Millen or Ed Carter 0114 2495522 email - tamar@lowtech.org ed@lowtech.org 6. BOOKING and TRAVEL INFORMATION IMPORTANT This programme maybe subject to change without further notice. Customers must be in their seats for the advertised start time or they may lose their seat. Please call 0114 275 7727 for latest information or email: info@lovebytes.org.uk You can add yourself to the Lovebytes mailing list on the web at http://www.lovebytes.org.uk/maillist Full programme available for download as PDF (2.2Mb) at http://www.lovebytes.org.uk/Lovebytes_Prog_03.pdf TICKETS Booking Hotline Tel: 0114 275 7727 (Open 16.00 - 21.00) Festival Pass: £50 / £35 (conc) Performance Pass: £7 / £5 (conc) For two performances in the same evening. Friday: General Magic/Tina Frank and Chris Watson / Jon Wozencroft Saturday: Nobukazu Takemura and Carsten Nicolai. All individual events: £5 / £3.60 (conc) except: * Events marked 'FREE' (All exhibitions, Minim++ talk Site Gallery, Acousma, Apple Workshop, Lego Workshop) * Thursday 20 March 10 pm: All Things Electric £4/£3 pay on the door (You cannot book this event through the Lovebytes ticket hotline). * Aardman Teacher's Workshop £10 * Access Space PD Workshop £15 - Book by calling 0114 2495522 (You cannot book this workshop through the Lovebytes ticket hotline). * A limited number of bursaries are available offering free admission for Yorkshire based companies and their employees. Please call 0114 221 0393 for further information. GETTING HERE By Road Take junction 33 off the M1 and follow signs for Sheffield City Centre and the Cultural Industries Quarter. Street parking is available near the venues and there is a car park to the rear of the National Centre for Popular Music accessed from Arundel Street. STAYING HERE Hotel Information Call the Visitor Information Centre for a full list of hotels, guest houses and self catering accommodation on 0114 221 1900. City Centre Hotels Holiday Inn 0114 2768822 Hotel Bristol 0114 220 4000 Grosvenor Hotel 0114 272 0041 Cutlers Hotel 0114 273 9939 Hotel Ibis 0114 241 9600 5-20mins out of town Harley Hotel 0114 2752288 Hunter House Hotel 0114 2662709 Arundel Gate Brown St Paternoster Row Arundel Street ___ (c)2003 Lovebytes Ltd.