I enclose my draft below, ready to send really unless any overnight
objections.
But do we have a whomever_at_toplap.org e-mail to send this from?
to send to both:
postbox_at_clubtransmediale.de
info_at_transmediale.de
Dear Madam/Sir,
We, TOPLAP, enclose an entirely digital entry for the
transmediale award and club transmediale, considering the medium of paper a
little old fashioned.
We hope this is fine with you and will not disqualify us from
participation.
With thanks for your upcoming judging efforts,
TOPLAP
application form details:
institution: TOPLAP
address- virtual, contact via www.toplap.org. For instance, join the
mailing list and talk.
title of work: TOPLAP authors: TOPLAP
three keywords: interactive performative instrument
URL: www.toplap.org
Country: at least 5 Year: 2004
accompanied by proposal/explanation below, plus the site itself.
We agree to the conditions of entry and wish to enter the work for
selection in the award as well as for club transmediale.
http://www.toplap.org/?TransmedialeSubmission
Some computer languages allow a programmer to change a running process on
the fly by rewriting the code that defines it. If the output of that code
is a process being revealed to human senses, an interactive performance is
possible. Applied to live computer music this means sound compositions can
be heard as they form, and musical algorithms adjusted while already
playing.
TOPLAP is the Temporary Organisation for the Promotion of Live Algorithm
Programming, set up to explore the application of live programming to
composition and performance. TOPLAP advocates treating algorithms as live
artistic material, allowing them to be written and manipulated while they
create music or video, perhaps in front of an audience.
The interests of the TOPLAP membership encompass live coding performances
with output in both audio and visual modalities, the possibilities of
immediate feedback given by prototyping compositions in interpreted
programming languages and new languages for on-the-fly programming. This
international organisation is gathering membership and profile. Recent
performances and demonstrations have taken place in Japan, USA, Sweden,
Germany, England and Denmark.
Further information on TOPLAP artists, events and theory is available at:
http://www.toplap.org
The site contains links to archived performances, papers on live coding
practise and history as identified by the group.
For the transmediale awards TOPLAP submits itself. In particular, we would
like to highlight the LUBECK04 Manifesto for Live Coding Performance, as
linked:
http://toplap.org/?ManifestoDraft
For instance, criticism of laptop performers is rampant (by an old guard?)
but it is quite possible to fight such rejection on a better surface:
projection of laptop screens to reveal the whole instrument. For audio
especially, it is vital that we confront the issue of a level playing field
between laptop musicians and conventional acoustic instrumentalists with
such full disclosure. Even whilst the immediacy of gesture is still open to
debate, the game is at least honest and education of audiences paramount.
(Those who worry about trivialisation of such pedagogy are ignoring the
possibility of closing your eyes whilst listening to music...). The
information can be discrete, not overbearing: but definitely available.
The organisation has identified many avenues of exploration for text based
interaction which we are seeking to address. Novel engagement with
adaptable level control of as great a flexibility as code affords is a
possibility too rich to ignore.
For club transmediale TOPLAP proposes a session of performances from live
coders, with both audio and visual outputs. The audience will see and hear
the created musical and visual material, and also the projected screens of
the participants so that the processes are entirely open and the craft
apparent. The coded improvisations show a novel blend of intellectual and
emotional content that challenges existing notions of both traditional
haptic instrumental and DJ like laptop performance.
Attendance of particular TOPLAP members would be negotiated, but the
organisation is happy to also talk about its work in an appropriate forum.
Particular TOPLAP artists are linked from the site, which the judges are
encouraged to explore to see the breadth of activity and enthusiasm in this
new field.
Received on Wed Sep 08 2004 - 19:08:26 BST