4th Clark Bursary
Formality
by Duncan Speakman
(Select the image above for video)
Formality (1): Tag
Posted Wed 20 Feb 02
(Select the image above for video)
   
(Select images above for larger view)
First day, so mostly concerned with getting the initial version of
the software up and running. Working OK, had about 30 contributions to the
database so far. A few small problems in terms of data sorting,
but all to be resolved!
Current issues:
Honesty - there is no guarantee (and it is also unlikely) that everyone
contributing to the database is answering the questions honestly. There
is no enforcement procedure for this, but it also raises a new
point. How can any census / opinion poll be guaranteed of its honesty?
The question to ask seems to be what makes people avoid
being truthful? It is an anonymous submission but people have
to trust us on that fact, interesting to note that people may not
be happy giving their personal information away willingly,
even though most of the information we are asking for is being
collected/estimated on a daily basis.
Representation - the visual display of the database is not completely
mathematically correct. At the moment this is
not a problem for two
reasons. Firstly the data may not be accurate in itself (see previous
point), and secondly I like the idea of the graph/display
being 'suggestive' information rather than 'categorical'. This
is something that may be developed further.
Next developments - improve the data sorting system (a few bugs
to iron out). Look at possibility of merging
images with similar data (audience suggestion).
Posted Thu 21 Feb 02
(Select image above for larger view)
African drumming in Weymouth.
Falling in love in Nether Cerne.
Posted
Fri 22 Feb 02
   
(Select images above for larger view)
Started testing the voice recognition software today (for Document )...
these are the first results. I guess you can
make up your own mind as to how accurately they transcribed what we said.
" Visa's EU were teeth for because it hot-hatch other
and are not gate you are an honest bowl you what a real sex machine
used years it there and another as an art and am a recital just
that and it is what he will pick the manner and an
ear you on it all you want reels excuse if you to fool if he gave her
a virus in the bars took him a friend last seeding he wages down
here to talk to season and we meeting her later warned that
if it won understanding is a solicitor have unquote fastness your
spare thank am I like a senior police ascetic a Catholic and
beer here that the kid and can be either a virus Callaghan and
I have a theory a 30 it and he and Hick a heat and some will have
my of those you themes in a thin week end even the book that
they anything interesting because it is the 8th the best sense
that there are sick and tries and no wins it is only so much been
meaning that it gives him a Ming he's done on who it Pooh at its
peak became one it will it leave a it that the Hello might yowl I
said Marleyadded working in a couple more in Wick chic of the baby".
Posted
Sat 23 Feb 02
   
(Select images above for larger view)
Saturday, Saturday and people people everywhere. Today has produced
some of the most interesting questions and suggestions. A
lot of interest into why salary is one of the questions.
This was because salary is a very common survey statistic.
In this piece, that information is contrasted with
the images that have been contributed. Which is more revealing
about a certain age/gender/location of contributors, the
pictures they draw or the salary they earn? A certain doubt is
cast on the validity of all the information because of this, but
also a doubt is cast on traditional statistic collection. The other question people
have asked is whether the images themselves are being analysed.
This is currently far beyond the technical capabilities I have
at my disposal, but it does lead towards possible future analysis.
I think it may be a flawed direction though because many contributors
are having difficulty getting used to the graphics tablet.
On Sunday I may add an audio element to the piece.
A busy weekend as we were besieged with visitors. Children greatly
enjoyed seeing their pictures fly about on the big screen,
(often submitting numerous pictures), their parents were
often more reluctant to contribute, but many people have engaged
with the point of the piece. Response has been positive and
feedback gratefully accepted. Many people have been interested
in what will happen to the data next. Well, the database will
reopen during the next action, and the next stage
for me is to develop audio interpretations of the data. I
built a basic synth today that reads the images and makes sounds based
on them, there is plenty of room for development in this area.
The term that has a emerged over the last few days is ' suggestive
statistics'. You cannot look at the projection and
gain an accurate correlation of the pictures / contibutors,
but you can quickly get a feel of the types of people
who participated (obvioulsy dependant on honesty though, > see
the entry for wednesday).
There have been a few suggestions for putting something like this
in public spaces as a way of displaying other data. This
would be an ideal development for the work. A
few people have also suggested putting submission booths in other
locations, the i-points around bristol spring to mind.
Thanks to everyone who came down and contributed, you have signposted
multiple avenues.
tak.
duncan.
Formality (2): Document
(Select the image above for video)
Posted Mon 25 March
  
(Select images above for larger view)
Apart from the technical (and funny looks) issues of testing the
radio mics in flower pots, most of today was spent arguing
with Dane (anartist also working in the Café
this week with Joe Magee). The main debate centres around mark making,
and the level of authorship I have in these pieces. I
design a system, but can this system be considered 'the work'
because it lacks content, and when the content arrives I
have no editorial role in it. Obviously I am not going to
be fair and present any more of Dane's argument (it's my
bloody diary after all!, ask him yourself).
In some ways I am trying to the get the audience to become the
content of the work. When they see the printed text they
may assume it is important because it is being printed
out, but on reading it they may not see why. Once they become aware that it
is just bad transcriptions of what they said, they review their judgement
of its value.
Their appraisal of values in communication mediums and language
becomes the 'work'. I'll just have to see if this happens during
the week. I described the piece to Dane as a sentence rather than
an essay, in that it makes one simple point. Hopefully with the
culmination of the 3 pieces we may even get a paragraph.
Posted
Tue 26 March
The mics went into action today at a very noisy period in the
café, this wouldn't have been too bad were it not for our
first 3 'contributors'. At the 1st mic/table a lady
sat down alone, very little going on conversation wise there. At
the next table a very chatty couple sat down, unfortunately they
were speaking Cantonese, hmm, a little difficult for our
English recognition software. Finally a pair of English
gentleman sat down, only to begin communicating in sign language, it just
couldn't get any better (or funnier for that matter)
Eventually we did get people sitting and talking, but with
the background noise the software produced mainly words
beginning with 'H'.
More discussions about the nature of the work being done
this week. The general conclusion seems to be that
we are actually in the realms of performance
art. Experience of this piece seems to only be possible in the
venue as it is happening. Witnessing the printer working,
making a value judgement of what it's printing and then
changing that judgement on realisation of what's actually
happening (including the fact that you were possibly an unwilling
contributor). All these elements contribute to the
'live' feel of the work, and to the role of audience as
content. Not only does the piece respond and adapt to audience input
but without audience recognition of what is occurring it becomes
redundant. Documenting this piece will be difficult, I'm
not sure how well these actions will translate
Posted Wed 27 March
If yesterday was the day of 'h' today was the day of 'up'. Page after
page of 'up' s appeared dotting the printouts. Worked
with artist Carolyn Black today on a piece based
around the text from the printer. We selected some
choice snippets and then proceeded to try and
extract a narrative from it, shaping and twisting the
words in any way we saw fit. This will be turned into
a video (possibly interactive) that uses typography and audio
to represent the creative path we took (through literal
usage, metaphorical links and poetic license)
Just out of interest, does anyone actually read this diary
apart from me and the people at the Watershed? Am I
just typing away into the void? A question to
be answered...does it matter that there is no editorial control over
the printouts (and not even real authorship by me of
the generation system, i.e the dictation software), does
the content of the printed page matter, or is
the intent of the piece conveyed enough through the
very fact that it is printed matter?
Formality (3): Dialogue
Posted May 02 - Artist's Texts
(Select the image above for video)
(Select image above for larger view)
During the final stage of Formality, Duncan wrote a number of
texts examining the research and development of his ideas and the
experience of the residency. They are available to view and print
as PDF files below.
Audience
as Content
Text
Messaging and Personal Space
Socrates'
Fable
The
Digital Workshop as Exhibition Space
Text messaging services provided by Abundant Software
Limited, Bristol
Tel: (0117) 915 4561 www.abundantsoft.com
|
