Where are u when wandering online? Same place as when on the fone, which scientists finally located last week just west of Katoomba, atop a towering hunk of rock. As well as attracting the world’s collective conversational headspaces, the rock was also remarkable for the density of jet black ravens circling it, and the smoky violin billowing up+over. Girl below had mountainbiked to glimpse these shifting shapes, another pilgrimager in search of mutation. Clicked her way to http://meta.am once, home of wonderfully tweaked web experiments. And the molecules that make ‘meta’, typed these replies:
What tools and software do u use 4 your gfx/vid/sound/web/other?
Max / msp / nato / director + various other commercial, share, and freeware apps. whatever is appropriate & available is used. the work determines the software used – not vice-versa.
If software is a flow, what’s the most fluid at the moment?
Human thought. ( can also be the most rigid. )
What attracts u to the generative approach of art-making?
The sense of discovery. i don’t like dictating all the parameters of a project in advance.
having a specific final form in mind. so tedious. i have never ever worked that way. would much rather wander, explore, discover. be surprised. grow and evolve in directions unforseen by myself. would rather grow a building than assemble it brick by brick.
How are you trying to transcend limits of the computer screen?
No fear! i love the digital realm & the internet. the possibilities – the plasticity the nullification of time & physical distance. but ultimately – hardware / software / operating systems / programming languages all of these things are unimportant! i can’t stress that enough.
One should not be intimidated by these things. one should not allow them to govern ones behavior or creativity. they are transient. impermanent. on their way to obsolescence – always. creative drive & vision, transcending your own limitations, that is what is important.
How much do u consider outputting for different mediums / resolutions while making art?
Concerned – but not overly. i try to support as many different platforms / browsers as i can. However, this is art – not commerce. i don’t have to cater to everyones needs & desires & will not compromise my work to do so.
Ever had any software related dreams?
No. i know others who have, however.
What do u see yourself doing in 5 years time?
Growing buildings.
3 Inventions the world needs today?
Organic technology (computers / architecture / vehicles / manufacturing) co-existing with nature instead of replacing it. fully sustainable environmentally friendly sources of energy. anti-violence gun.
Some urls u’d recommend for exploring different creative tools and processes?
the tools are not going to do it for you. there is no magic bullet. all of the software i use can just as easily be used to produce the mundane, or misused – to produce something interesting.
url’s – you’ll just end up looking at all the same links everyone else is influenced by all the same things everyone else is making all the same art as everyone else is. a circular process which is responsible for creating and destroying ‘scenes’ at record speed these days. instead -i would recommend that one looks at and tries a great variety of things with an open mind.
Different forms of art & music from all different cultures & time periods. books, sculpture, architecture, cinema… don’t be overly influenced by any one thing. keep quiet and observe everything around you. ask questions. spend some time alone. think – but don’t think too much. follow your instincts. explore. ( if u do crave web-exploring, check meta’s 😉 – jp )