Re: conferences

Scott deLahunta (sdela@ahk.nl)
Tue, 08 Apr 1997 20:07:20 +0200

At 07:49 AM 4/8/97 -0500, you wrote:
>One of my ongoing frustrations in mt constant academic
>travels is not so much finding the talent, the hardware, and the
>enthusiasm, but the TIME and SPACE to seriously address this kind of work.
>A few hours here and there just doesn't do it (as well all know). We need
>dedicated spaces with dedicated equipment where we can work for weeks at a
>time, able to dive into work on a much deeper level. I sort of managed to
>set up such a space at Dartington - or thought I had, only to find it was
>still to be shared by other classes - thus making it impossible to leave
>complex setups in place for more than a few hours or a weekend. I am now
>trying to build such a facility at Oberlin. Yes, we need more fluid walls,
>and a more flexible approach to the academy. Above all, we need funding to
>bring in the necessary people at the necessary times.

Yes/ yes/ yes Richard -- we do need these dedicated situations. I have to
say here that I find it a slight irony that in some of those places like
Banff, ZKM and other places, where they seem to have the funding, time and
space -- in the end, the work can't be fully shown because it was designed
to run on the dedicated stuff --- I'm thinking here of Brenda Laurel's
placeholder and William Forsythe's cd-rom which is not really a cd because
it won't fit on one. That said -- these are the places that the most
interesting work gets done, and even if it can't be seen by anyone (hmmm,
sounds like theater/dance -- done and disappears into the ether) advances
are made which will effect future projects, future outcomes.

I know Terry does his best to pull together the necessary technology to run
innovative workshops, etc. and Dick in Rotterdam last year sweat blood
getting a local commercial motion capture facility to open up their studio
to dancers for 4 days. But this is not enough time -- or better -- what
situations do we need to create to complement these shorter forms... I'm
afraid the results of Dick's cyberstudio are lost now... drifted away,
nothing to pull the experience out into another manifestation somehow.

>I would be more than interested in supporting a summer school here in Ohio
>- two or three weeks of intensive work in a dedicated atmosphere. I think
>I might even be able to find the funding for a pilot program in 1998. Is
>there the interest out there to support such a workshop - and is this what
>we really need???

So -- yes, I do think we need something like this -- maybe without a big
conference or symposium connected directly to it so that you can focus on
the work itself. Important to find out from folks what other initiatives are
happening that time of year and tie them in... I think. For example, tying
into Terry's autumn digital dancing, or maybe that year dick does something
in Rotterdam in Sept., or I know Chris Butler is talking about something in
Chichester in 1998 similar to 'split screens' where Johannes gave a workshop.

So -- Richard, go for it !!

Scott
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Scott deLahunta and Susan Rethorst
Writing Research Associates, NL
Sarphatipark 26-3, 1072 PB Amsterdam, NL
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email: sdela@ahk.nl
http://huizen.dds.nl/~sdela/wra (WRITING RESEARCH ASSOCIATES)
http://www.art.net/~dtz (DANCE AND TECHNOLOGY ZONE )