In another blast from the past we've just received an email from Angie Eng about a new visual music festival being organized in Boulder, CO. it sounds like an awesome time and you can find out more about the open call for works below.
But as a long time user of VDMX we weren't going to let Angie go without a quick interview of her own work as well...
Who are you and what do you do?
I’m a visual artist who predominantly works in moving image. I was introduced to live video using analogue equipment and co-founded the live video group, The Poool in 1995 with 2 other visual artists Nancy Meli Walker and Benton Bainbridge. All pieces were developed in an organic horizontal approach by playing with props and equipment and we jammed like a band every Sunday. This was pre-laptop VJing with the exception of a Fairlight that was used occasionally. Otherwise we had consumer grade video mixers, Tube cameras, 8mm cameras, teleconferencing cameras to shoot ‘Canal street’ stuff live. By ‘Canal street’ I mean raw material like rubber, plastic, garabage, toys, dried food all on oscillating motors, etc. We had lots of monitors of all sizes for previewing, but also for the audience. The set in itself was a spectacle, and it was one of the few live video groups in NYC during the 90’s to emphasize the process as the spectacle rather than the focus be on the end result on screen. We did not approach our work as visual accompaniment with beats of a DJ in a club setting like most artists doing live video. However we could not fall into experimental theatre because there were no actors nor a traditional narrative. ‘I don’t know what I’m supposed to be looking at’ was probably my favorite comment because it meant I was doing my job right as an artist.
What tools do you use in your creative work?
By 2001, I started directing my live video projects to expand the set design, yet be lighter by minimizing the equipment load. In 2002 I started working with a laptop and VDMX. I remember going to Troy in 2003 and meeting Johnny DeKam and David Lublin who were writing the software. The first piece I made with VDMX was with a project called CINSI. Not being a programmer, each time I wanted a different effect that didn’t exist on one software, I used a different one. (I’m not a very faithful with software.) With a Harvestworks grant I had Luke Dubois write me a patch in MAX so that I could have multiple channels in a piece called ‘Memobile’. It was a bit of a flop because at that time graphic cards were not fast enough to handle real time video effects. I would have to wait until 2005 to own a fast enough laptop to get desired effects and a decent frame rate. I added modul8 to my tool set because I wanted to be able to draw in real time. I was OK juggling software in between pieces because I wasn’t VJing per se, I was creating 1 hour scored out live video performances. For example, in 2011 I used all 3 software for a project called ‘Liminal’. Now I’m about to add Resolume to my took kit and improve my MAX skills. However, I’m a bit slow with programming, so I still rely on fast engineers and pre-programmed software. Last project I used VDMX was in ‘Echodes’ a duo with Rhys Chatham. I’ll probably use VDMX for a collaborative project in October with composer, John Gunther.
Tell us all about the new A/V festival in Boulder, CO, 'Visual Music Festival' that you are organizing!
In October I’m organizing with the Sonic Arts group a new visual music festival called ‘Visual Music Vortex’ at CU Boulder. I’m co-curating 4 evenings of A/V duos who are focusing on visual music. This year will be mostly national and hopefully we can expand it to international artists. The festival is inspired by one that Bradley Eros curated and invited me to at the Kitchen called ‘A lab, is a lab is a lab. He chose the duos in a round robin of 12 performers in a circle. I appreciated the frame because I got the opportunity to work with new people and a blank slate. I did a duo with Zak Layton and Andy Grayton, two great sound artists. So those interested in submitting a proposal should download and send the pdf by August 15th, 2018: https://www.colorado.edu/atlas/sites/default/files/attached-files/opencall_visualmusicvortex.pdf