[Pdmtl] workshop at interaccess

[Mathieu Bouchard]

This announcement includes a Pd workshop in Toronto, taught by David 
McCallum & Dafydd Hughes.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2006 18:03:22 -0400
From: Dana Samuel <d_samuel at sympatico.ca>
To: "artlist at artengine.ca" <artlist at artengine.ca>
Subject: Registration now open for Fall Workshops @  InterAccess, Toronto



I wanna mix video, be a VJ, create a synthesizer on my laptop, build a
circuit, make stuff move, crack open electronic gadgets and see what's
inside, play with teeny-tiny computers, stage a performance where the audio
and video react to my movements, hook up a motion sensor, control the
universe using only my cellphone, and impress all my friends! I wanna make
interactive art! InterAccess, show me how!



Registration is now open for the InterAccess Interactive Art Workshop
Series: Fall Edition

InterAccess¹s Interactive Art Workshop Series provides artists with the
tools needed to begin exploring the creative uses of technology.
Participants gain a solid technical foundation for realizing their artistic
vision. Our workshops demonstrate how a computer can communicate with and
integrate visuals, audio and electronics. InterAccess emphasizes production
strategies for artworks that take place in real space and real time,
including performance, interactive installation, audio, video, and kinetic
or robotic sculpture and installation.

The 2006 Fall Edition offers a focus on software and open source:
Wireless technologies, open source programming for artists and simple
electronics strategies using everyday materials, plus a special free
demonstration in spatial surround sound by composer Darren Copeland.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops and equipment where
applicable. Those who do not bring their own equipment can use InterAccess
equipment, but must expect to share with other workshop participants.

WORKSHOP FEES (includes materials)

SPATIALIZED SOUND DEMONSTRATION
October 25, 2006, 7-10 pm
Beginner and up: one evening
PWYC - free to members of InterAccess and New Adventures in Sound Art

PD SERIES - WORKSHOP SUITE A
November 25, December 2 & December 9, 2006, 12-5 pm
Beginner level: three days
- Visual media with pd and gem
- Sonic Media with pd
- Pd and the real world
$275 total

WIRELESS SERIES - WORKSHOP SUITE B
November 6 & 8, 2006, 7-10 pm
Beginner level and up: two days
Wireless Worlds I & II
$175 total

PYTHON SERIES - WORKSHOP SUITE C
November 14 & 16, 2006, 7-10 pm
Beginner level and up: two days
Python I & II 
$175 total

TOY HACK for the HOLIDAYS - SPECIAL WORKSHOP D
December, date tba
Beginner level and up: one day
$25 total

THE WHOLE SCHMEAR 
all four workshops for only $575
To receive the package discount, all fees must be paid upfront. Please refer
to our workshops policy online at http://www.interaccess.org. By registering
for workshops, participants agree to the terms of this policy. Workshops are
open to InterAccess members only. Memberships start at $35 per year.

CONTACT
Visit the InterAccess workshops homepage at
http://www.interaccess.org/workshops/

To be the first to hear about new workshops, subscribe to Axon by emailing
axon<at>interaccess.org. For any other queries about the workshops, email
studio<at>interaccess.org.

OPEN STUDIOS
Get assistance with your workshop projects and other works in progress! Come
to our open studios this fall. They're a great way to meet members, keep
current on what people are working on, troubleshoot and discuss your
projects - and best of all, they're free for InterAccess members. Visit
www.interaccess.org for current Open Studio dates.


WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

SPECIAL DEMONSTRATION
Sound Spatialization Demonstration by Darren Copeland
October 25, 7-10pm
Artistic Director of New Adventures in Sound Art Darren Copeland will
explain how his new 12-channel real-time spatialization system (used in
SOUNDplay performances) works and give those attending the workshop a chance
to try their hand at moving sound around a space using a physical
controller. New Adventures in Sound Art is a non-profit organization that
produces performances and installations spanning the entire spectrum of
electro acoustic and experimental sound art. Included in its Toronto
productions are Deep Wireless, Sound Travels, Sign Waves and SOUNDplay.


WORKSHOP SUITE A
Interactivity for artists: the Most Awesomest PureData Workshop... ever.
Instructors: David McCallum and Dafydd Hughes
November 25, December 2, and December 9, 2006, 12-5 pm

Want to make software for your art that behaves the way you want it to? Are
you frustrated by the limitations of existing software and keen to create
tools to suit your own artistic purposes? Then PureData is for you. PureData
(pd) is an audio- and video-based graphical-programming language, similar in
use to the well-known program Max/MSP, but free and open source.

PureData allows artists to create small "patches," or programs, that take
information from the real world, such as live-camera feeds, audio, video,
motion sensors and other sources, and analyze this data to create any
desired output - such as video or audio playback and effects and more.
Graphical programming is most commonly used in immersive and interactive
installations as well as live video mixing/VJ events.

Participants learn the basics of audio programming, including sample
recording, playback, manipulation and synthesis, and video programming using
the "GEM video environment," including video mixing, manipulation and simple
3D rendering. Instructors tailor workshop content to suit the needs of
participants as much as possible.

David McCallum is the Associate Editor at Musicworks Magazine, a musician
and sound artist. His work has focused on improvised music, DIY electronics,
and locative media. Groups and projects have included the Warbike, a mobile
sonification of WiFi networks; Interaccess's I/O Media and the Live
Electroacoustic Research Kitchen improv groups; and You Say Potatoe, I Say
Potato: a study in the sonic properties of genetically modified potatoes.
Visit http://sintheta.org

Dafydd Hughes is an artist and music educator based in Toronto. He is an
instructor in Music Technologies and Ear Training at Sheridan College in
Oakville, Ontario, and is active as a performer, composer and arranger
throughout Canada. Dafydd's formal training includes studies at Mohawk
College and the University of Toronto, where he earned a degree in jazz
performance with a minor in composition in 1999. Since graduation, he has
worked extensively as a freelance performer, composer and arranger in
Toronto's jazz, popular and improvised music scenes. Through involvement
with new media organizations such as Toronto's InterAccess, Dafydd has
devoted considerable research to the relationship between technology and
art, concentrating on computer music and audio. He has developed several
computer-based musical systems using programming environments such as
PureData, Csound and Python. He has taught workshops in PureData and
synthesis for several organizations, including InterAccess.


WORKSHOP SUITE B
Wireless Worlds
Instructor: Gabe Sawhney
November 6 & 8, 2006, 7-10 pm

In this hands-on workshop for beginners and those more advanced, the
wonderful world of wireless technologies is demystified and participants
gain an understanding of the potential these new tools hold for art-making.
Tools will be provided but we encourage you to bring any wireless
technologies you may have on hand such as cellphones, Bluetooth devices and
global positioning transmitters. Enrollment is limited to 15 participants.

Starting with a survey of available technologies, this workshop will focus
on the question: Which wireless technology is most appropriate for a
particular situation? The survey will cover cellular phones, wi-fi,
Bluetooth, global positioning systems (GPS), radio frequency identification
(RFID), Short Messaging Service (SMS/mobile messages), Internet telephony
(VoiP), barcodes and more. The workshop provides participants with a
comprehensive technical grounding in wireless technologies and transmission
standards. Theoretical topics covered include licensed and unlicensed
frequencies, an overview of infrastructure and wireless platforms, and the
use of these technologies as tracking tools. The approach will be from three
angles: connectivity, location/tracking and interfaces, with lots of
examples from a wide range of new media practitioners.

Participants are asked to think of one or more scenarios in which they'd
like to use some kind of wireless technology. These scenarios (or "use
cases") should simply describe the desired outcome or interaction, not the
facilitating technology. The hands-on part of the workshop will be created
based on the scenarios submitted. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Use_case

Gabe Sawhney is a hacker working at the edges of code and culture. He is
co-creator of [murmur], a location-specific oral storytelling project that
makes accessible the hidden stories of cities in Canada, the US and the UK.
He is the co-founder of Wireless Toronto, a community group offering
free-to-use hotspots in public and publicly accessible spaces in the city,
each featuring its own "hyperlocal" community portal. Gabe is involved with
several other web, locative, video and installation projects bridging art,
politics and technology. His heart rests firmly with the simple, the
intuitive and the cheap.


WORKSHOP SUITE C
Introduction to Python
November 14 & 16, 2006, 7-10 pm
Instructor: Rob King

This workshop provides an introduction to this user-friendly and flexible
scripting language often compared to Perl and Java, though simpler to use.
It allows users to perform many functions, including working in 3-D
environments and controlling audio, video, webcams, instant messaging, game
spaces and MIDI or serial interfaces. Python is a cross-platform,
open-source scripting language that is easy to read and easy to learn,
making it ideal for artists. Python allows users to interface and control
Internet information, e-mail, web pages, simple graphical interfaces, 3D
graphic environments, MIDI audio devices, serial hardware devices, audio and
video playback, webcams, instant messaging and game spaces.

In this workshop, participants will be given an overview of the tools and
basics for using Python. Participants are encouraged to bring ideas for
projects that they might like to attempt in Python, and are welcome to bring
their own laptops on which to set up a Python environment.

Python is fun to use, and this is reflected in the origin of the name (after
Monty Python), in the common practice of using Monty Python references in
example code, and in an occasionally playful approach to tutorials and
reference materials. Google uses Python for many tasks, including the
backends of web applications such as Gmail and GoogleMaps, and for many of
its search-engine internals. For examples of large-scale projects using
Python, visit http://www.pythonology.org/python/success or visit
http://www.python.org for more information on the language itself.

Rob King is an artist, programmer and designer based in Toronto. Working
primarily in web and software art, he explores social networking software,
alternative interfaces, emergent systems, and the possibilities of wireless
and ubiquitous technologies. Visit http://e-mu.org


SPECIAL WORKSHOP D
TOY HACK for the HOLIDAYS!
December, 2006
Date and instructor to be announced.
Back by popular demand. Dissect common mechanical toys for new electronic
creations.

***

For more information about InterAccess workshops, email Dorian,
studio<at>interaccess.org

All workshops take place in the InterAccess Production Studio
9 Ossington Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6J 2Y8
Tel 416 599 7206
Fax 416 599 7015
www.interaccess.org

General inquiries: helpme at interaccess.org



InterAccess is a charitable artist-run centre that enables artists and the
general public to explore the intersections of art and technology. Our
mission is to expand the cultural space of technology.

Currently showing at InterAccess:
September 21 - November 4, 2006
Traps: Finnbogi Pétursson
Curated by Scott McLeod

The Finnbogi Pétursson Project is presented in partnership with Prefix
Institute of Contemporary Art