Adam Guzman: Thesis Blog

Title graphic for my upcoming exhibition. December 11th 7PM Art...

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:37:00 -0800

Title graphic for my upcoming exhibition.

December 11th 7PM

Art Center College of Design

Blind Marker v2

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:27:19 -0800

Blind Marker Study

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:30:00 -0700

The blind marker study is the second version of the blind pencil study. In this version, I used a krink graffiti marker. In the original version, the user was confined to drawing on a small letter size page. I decided to re-do the project and make it large scale.

These images are from the show Notation.

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:50:00 -0700

These images are from the show Notation.

Meeting with Norman Klein

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:19:00 -0700

I met with Norman this past week to discuss my final 10 weeks of school. We talked about the background of my research- influences from John Cage, Oskar Fischinger, Andy Warhol, DJ Spooky and David Byrne. It is important to contextualize my work when I present my final projects. My project has become investigative research. I want my practice to be expressive, creating instruments for designers and musicians to be expressive in this medium.

When I worked on the synced visual show, I was starting directly with an instrument ( the computer) and creating at the same time the music was going on. Now I am investigating a different approach, perhaps a shared instrument. The goal is to harvest enough experimental data so I can refine it and bring it back into a concert setting.

When using visuals to create sound, it is not about how free the user is to create the sound, but how expressive the sound becomes. Therefore, the user should not be in reactive mode when generating content. They should be the author. The topic becomes authored chance, not pure chance. So the prompts must appeal to one’s expressiveness. As designers, we deal with the uncertainties inside the drive of the human condition. So we must develop new tools, new possibilities for discovery.

Oskar Fischinger

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:52:00 -0700

Oskar Fischinger

Fever Ray

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:53:00 -0700

Karin Dreijer Andersson’s theatrical persona is a great inspiration. She is known to wear masks on stage to downplay the relevance of appearance. In an interview with Pitchfork, she stated:

“We think it’s important to let the music stand for itself more than focusing on the artist or the person who is behind it. Music has the potential and the capability to create something much bigger… it has the capability to be completely free, to do anything. And I think you limit that idea when you put yourself in front of it, in a way.”

I missed a chance to see her at Pop Montreal, but I get another chance tomorrow night at the Henry Fonda. I heard the stage production is amazing. I can’t wait.

Nosaj Thing Visual Show Debut at Pop Montreal We arrived in...

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:39:00 -0700

Nosaj Thing Visual Show Debut at Pop Montreal

We arrived in Montreal Wednesday evening, picked up by a Towncar with Fourtet playing through the stereo. I was thrilled to be in a different country. I was even more excited to be performing the visual show. Up until then, we had only performed it live twice, once in Los Angeles, and once in San Francisco. Red Bull did it right. Their setup had two Hummer sized projectors and a custom built screen that reached from behind the performer and over the audience.

The day of the performance was Thursday. By sound check, Julia and I still had a handful of revisions and new clips to generate. We returned to the hotel after Jason tested his sound, and proceeded to work up until we had to perform. As with any project, there is always room for improvement. The more experience we get, the more we learn. We learn about our process, our practice, and our methodologies. I don’t want to ever stop learning.

Photos By David Lang

Relevant Discourse: Lucky Dragons

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:40:00 -0700

Lucky Dragons live show combines atmospheric meditative songs with live audience interaction. The performance looks and sounds a bit like a pow wow, but once you participate it becomes a whole new experience. The live show has a different feel to their recordings. The live show feels more like a family is contributing to the energy of the songs, whereas the records focus on the music and the atmospheric experience of listening. Sarah Rara said that the band’s live performances are created with the idea that they should “generate equal power-sharing situations between members of the audience and ourselves.” This technique was described as “radical” as it was said to “encourage connections between show-goers over the standard-issue connection between a band and their creation and the audience’s emotions”If you ever get a chance to see them live, go!

Nosaj Thing Visual Show Compilation

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:38:00 -0700

Blind Contour Drawing Study

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:36:00 -0700

Relative Discourse: James Houston

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:33:00 -0700

Sound to Image, Image to Sound

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:53:00 -0700

I have uploaded some experiments in translating sound and image. I used a program to read my sound file and generate a bitmap image based on the sound data. Iterations will be posted manana.

Meeting With Elise Koh

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:33:00 -0700

I had a meeting with one of my core advisors, Elise Koh. We discussed my two projects, Insistence of Vision and the untitled recursion project. The point of interest for my recursion project is addressing two questions: How can my music create visuals and how can my graphics create music? Answering these questions should be a process, without a finite answer. The goal is to have a myriad of experiments to address the questions, rather than trying to answer them. We discussed what form the visuals would take, and possibilites for interaction. She suggested looking into gaming as a possible motif. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about that, I don’t intend for this to be similar to guitar hero by any means. Iterations will be posted soon.

The other project is inspired by synesthesia, but not limited to it. Insistence of Vision- referring to the persistence of vision and sound, and the interaction which takes place. The work is insistent with its point. You must be immersed to participate. It should be built and done by this coming week. Photos and project writing to come.

On Recursion

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:57:00 -0700

After completing the Nosaj Thing live show, I wanted to further investigate the possibilities of a live performance. As it stands, the musical content is created first, and graphics are created to accompany the music. During my meeting with Ben Hooker, I briefly talked about the idea of the recursive musical/visual performance. My question was how can I use visuals to create music and how can my music create visuals? The answer was to use a recursive algorithm to generating sound and graphics exponentially. If I just hit one note, the computer should take over and generate content until I choose to stop or play a different note. A chordal progression should yield a corresponding visual sequence. One method could be to use the Fibonacci Sequence or the Sierpinski Triangle (pictured above). I will have experiments done in the next couple weeks using this method.

Nosaj Thing Clips

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:45:00 -0700

I have uploaded the clips used in the live show for Nosaj Thing. These are the formatted for mixing in Modul8. Each clip belongs to a certain part of a song. We triggered and manipulated each clip live with 2 midi controllers. Our performance is focused around disorientation and using the projector as a light source. The first half of the show is dedicated to slowly building a visual style. The images are black and white lines and squares. The positive/negative space is used to create rhythm that is synced with the audio. As the set progresses, the imagery becomes less abstract and focused less on light. Patterns begin to form and space begins to open as if the two dimenions exploded into a third. The relationship the graphics create with the performer is interesting. As the graphics become more spatial, the performer flattens, becoming a 2-D cutout version of himself. This effect is unexpected, but pleasantly welcome.

Build x Flying Lotus

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:55:00 -0700

Interesting project concept going on at If You Could: Collaborate.

Switching the traditional role of a sleeve designer and a musician, whereby the designer interprets visually the music of an artist. This proposal aims to switch the role. The designer (Build) will produce a series of images that the musician (Flying Lotus) will react to and interpret into music to accompany the images. The images will be projected in the gallery space with the accompanying music played alongside.

Meeting with Ben Hooker

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:13:00 -0700

On Tuesday, I met with Ben Hooker, a member of the core faculty. I presented two ideas I have been working on for the last few weeks. The first is an installation- a further investigation of the project “small sounds.” I am making a 2 foot by 2 foot cube, lined with speakers and hard drives. The hard drives are modified to be a consistenly moving color wheel, based on persistence of vision. The speakers will be playing the amplified sound of the hard drive. I will achieve this by using ultrasonic microphones, the same microphones used in picking up bat’s communication signals. The viewer will step into the box, as if putting on a helmet. They will be immeresed in this barrage of sound and color.

Meeting with Chris Hamamoto

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:27:00 -0700

This weekend, I met up with my colleague and good friend Chris Hamamoto. We discussed the ideas I have for my thesis projects. Chris has always been very good at articulating ideas. He has the ability to see things in a different light. He pointed out that my work so far (including the new idea I have for this term) is a social commentary. The immersion of technology. Each project is about creating an immersive experience for the viewer, but is immersion the right word? It’s almost as if I am trying to engulf the viewer. Does it get to the point where my projects are so immersive that I am able to break down a conscious barrier? How can I seize the viewer’s control to the point where they cannot control their physical or mental reaction?

Meeting with Norman Klein

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:26:00 -0700

Norman Klein has been an influence on my work since I started working with Nosaj Thing. He has a way about his words that makes sense with my nonsense. His constant spewing of ideas is integral to articulating my thoughts. I come to him with a vision. I say “Norman, I’m making a project that does this.” He says a million and one things in response.

When I began synching visuals with Nosaj Thing, Norman supported my ideas with a myriad of references. Fischinger has done this, this reminds me of this novel, you are playing with the diagetic space, talk to this person, etc. Now I have approached him with a new project.

The subliminal physical. Why did rock and roll get so loud? It goes right through your spine and warps your brain. David Byrne was right. The body understands its. Music is a sensation. How does it affect senses other than your hearing?

When you watch a movie, the sound has become so intense and exaggerated, it is meant to make the experience more believable in order to make the viewer comfortable. If there is dissonance between the sound and vision, the movie becomes something else. I am playing in this strange zone.

So what are my intentions? What can happen if I really get to the bottom of things? I’m looking for a new direction in sound engineering and space. Performance and production. Musician and artist.

Praxis in my work is defined by goal-oriented actions. The action can be done for sake of being done, but will shape the end product.