Last day of 2009

:)

Gérard-Georges Lemaire, Lucrezia De Domizio Durini, 花魁 HuaHui Mobile Music, Sacs

Gérard-Georges Lemaire's blog on Biennale de Venise

"The most discreet and interesting part of the Biennale is an installation of 18 artists for the Project "Creative Rooms" at Certosa Hotel, Venise. The curator is Lucrezia De Domizio Durini."


Digital Guqin Museum's first real life outreach
花魁 HuaHui 2010
from March 21st 2010 - forever
Launch party: concert and performance on 21st March 2010.


Sacs - this might be the Biennale of bags... lets see how each artist has fashioned their "bags".

Sacs
L’unique innovation de cette Biennale fut la distribution de sacs de toute sortes pour y glisser des communiqué de presse souvent inutiles ou incompréhensibles et des DVD. Cela évitait de donner des catalogues aux journalistes et provoqua une frénésie de collection. On avait appris à New York que Yoko Ono avait dessiné elle-même le sac promotionnel de son exposition. Tout le monde se précipita. Sans doute est-ce pour ce fameux sac qu’elle a reçu le Lion d’or. Ce n’est en tout cas pas pour ses films….

Digital Guqin Studio 2006, Cecilia Linqvist book w new pics in PRC edition

New Qin information, notably details of the Shosoin Qin in color from both end views
the colors are gold and light blue on chestnut rich brown - this qin shows such richness and glory, pleasure in materials of gold and ivory inlaid without restrain, without the usual air of self-conscious auto-restrain, self-uprighteousness of proclaimations of upholding THE authentic bona fide traditional values.









Archived Material to be reformatted and links activated

http://hosting.zkm.de/MIDIguqin/stories/storyReader$39
Entry in 2006 for Digital Guqin Studio

Presentation of DGM studio.

002137 Site Meter

Digital Guqin
Digital Guqin Interactive Art Research-Creation Studio

Home

Digital
Guqin

Walk-in
sculptures

Curator
:: China, France

Conference

Digital Guqin
research creation studio

Installations

Exhibitions

Fly Me
to the Moon

Children
players

Press:Video
clips

Links


Members
Join Now
Login



Digital Guqin research-creation studio
Posted by Sg, 2/20/06 at 9:03:22 AM.



Welcome to the Digital Guqin Studio

--------------------------------------------------------------

Who are we? What do we do?

Serious about having fun with the Guqin, while promoting Guqin

and guqin culture, authentic Chinese music, experimenting with

music instrument, text and images, environmental conditions for

enjoyment of this music, we want to :

A/ to preserve, promote and develop the art and culture of the

Guqin and 3000 year heritage of humanity, and

B/ develop contemporary music proper to our own time which maybe

exploring parallel paths, extending new lineages for the guqin.

In our creations, we compose delicate nuanced sound tableaux for

our contemporary listening pleasure by including other sounds.

We aim for subtle contrasts and variety to fully bring out the

enjoyment of the rich timbred music of the guqin reflecting colors

and brightness proper to our own world

C/ create an accessible sexy, fun guqin culture deploying

currently available art and technology, not necessarily the latest

technology but rather the most commonly available technology - for

example our work is on PC which is more affordable than Apple.

I like the elegant design of linex, which is free, so maybe later a

version on linex.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Shuen-git Chow ( Dr. Arts and Sciences of Art, University of Paris 1, Pantheon-Sorbonne, visual artist)

and team 2003-present:

Teo Kheng Chong (guqin player, musician, Professor at Academy of Performance Arts, Hong Kong)

Wang Duo (Master guqin player, musician, Professor and Research

Head of Wu Sheng Qin She Research Centre, Suzhou Science and

Technology University, PRC)

Etienne Durand (software developper, freelance, Paris)

News!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Co-presented by:

Shanghai DOLAND Museum of Modern Art

The Art Museum of Zhu Qi Zhan

Digital Guqin + fly me to the moon

15-31 Oct.05 extended till 7 November.2005

INVITATION (Chinese)
INVITATION (English)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Digital Guqin + fly me to the moon

Zhu Qi-Zhan Art Museum,

580 Ou Yang Rd., Shanghai, China.

-tel:86-21-56710743 tel: 65876901.

Shuen-git Chow: lecture, digital guqin live demo

Wang Duo: guqin demo

18 Oct.05, 14h00

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Opening of exhibition : 18 Oct.05, 18h00-

Exhibition: 15 oct.05-31Oct.05

1- Digital guqin live demo

2- 2 Guqin designs, 1 mini practice guqin

3- Fly me to the Moon, monumental walk in musical sculpture installation

4- Fly me to the Moon, soft sculpture, hotair balloon

surprise guests :

1

2

3

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lecture and concert program :

Master Guqin Player Professor Wang Duo :

Doland Contemporary Art Museum

18h00, 22 Oct.05

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Panoramic invitation card:

s: 83mmx25mm

l: 166mmx50mm



11sept05

Fly me to the Moon (fei fei zhao yue) :

a flying sculpture showcasing Flowers from earth.

Introduction :

The Voyager spaceship in 1977 carried a golden disc,

"murmurs of the earth" a collection of earth sounds,

music, words, culture of the earth.

It has flown very high, now outside of the solar system

in search of readers of extraterrestial intelligent beings.

Here, The fly me to the moon

(fei fei zhao yue) a flying sculpture - is an

ancient hot air balloon form, tested and proven that it flies

and likely to have flown in ancient times in Peru the

balloon itself carries on an Intangible Cultural Heritage

of aviators, expression and vehicle of an archaic

human dream of flying. Like the Voyager space vessel

made by NASA, fly me to the moon

(fei fei zhao yue) also carries information of this

earth, specifically Intangible Cultural Heritage images,

and RFID tags, they are linked to extensive bodies of

blogs on earth supported by examples of human

collective efforts of story telling in blogs and the wikipedia

intended first and foremost for intelligent terrestials

readers of our earth. Our balloon would be flying at a

height for human eyes and not designed for extraterrestials.

There are 400 circular vignettes of 1.3m diameter and

4 large vignettes of 13m diameter. Each vignette carries

a visual and electronic identity which are linked to earth

via the web.

For now, I have put giant flowers as a generic universal

symbol of culture for human enjoyment. These flowers

will be replaced by more specific symbols which represent

respective Intangible cultural heritages as time goes on.

The balloon would be flown on auspicious days, decided by

individual people, or groups of people - for example, during

a festive occasion for celebration.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

NEWS!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Musicacoustica Mix, Beijing, 21-30 Oct.05

The Electroacoustic Music Association of China (EMAC) and the China Electronic Music Center (CEMC)

based at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, annual conference Events organised by Zhang XiaoFu, Kenneth Fields (CEMC):

1/ Introduction of The Electroacoustic Music Association of China (EMAC) and the China Electronic Music Center (CEMC) (word file)

2/ Presentation (pdf) to be confirmed

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Digital Guqin Interactive Arts Research-Creation Studio

Creation of a digital guqin instrument, and digital guqin visual

interactive graphics to music play object using samplings.

An on-going work headed by Shuen-git Chow, begun in 2000. A small group

formed in 2003 for experimentations with guqin music/samplings as

manipulable material through visual handles and triggering device.

Started by a visual artist, members include 2 master guqin players,

and a software developer. Deploying Digital art work as interface,

samplings of guqin music are recorded and recalled through triggers

following specific designed musical rules set by guqin musicians.

Non guqin players could thus generate new guqin music through

playing with the graphics. The idea is to give access to rich

timbred guqin sound/music for an audience who could be reached

beyond standard passive listening. It is designed as an visual+

aural introduction to listening for non-guqin players, and non-

Chinese readers.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

On going site covering our activities :

1/ live demos, conferences, research

2/ exhibitions, visual art installation with Digital Guqin music

3/ documentaries of Guqin players, guqin culture, guqin related physical space, and others.

4/ experiments : virtual guqin - using software (Modalys by Ircam)

5/ press: other peoples texts, theories

-------------------

list of documentaries:

i) master players - (full list to come)

ii) children players - (full list to come)

iii) foreign improvisational playing using guqin playing techniques (coming)

iv) guqin song/ (qin ge, list coming)

v) making of guqin instrument (coming)

vi) making of guqin silk string (coming)

vii) scientific testing of vibration/resonance properties of an instrument (coming)

viii) experiments : virtual guqin - using software (Modalys by Ircam) (coming)

ix) guqin music environment, gardens, homes, sculptures, public spaces, all categories mixed (coming)

x) attendance/press Interactive arts events:

-------------------

links to Digital art and culture, events, press reports

Festival Emergences, Paris, 24Sept-2Oct.05
Maison de la Villette, Ircam, Ars Longa, Confluences

ichim 05, DIGITAL CULTURE & HERITAGE, Interactive installations, 21-23 Sept.05
Bibliotheque Nationale, Cite Universitaire, Paris, France (docu video) as journalist

video filmed/interviewed:

1/ Ted Nelson : zigzag, transliterature, transcopyright

2/ Steve Mayer: inventer of Pong, Atari

Video game panel: museum of video game in Berlin

3/ Sony music prototype - an software capable of "replying" musically

4/ weblog as archive

5/ Peter Samis : SF Moma - presented using Simpsons cartoon clip - v gd museum presentation

ars electronica 2005, 1-6 Sept.05, Linz, Austria (docu video), as journalist

1/ Toshio Iwai 's+ Yamaha's new Tenori-on

2/ Used clothing, Martin Maringer RFID

3/ Elves, small electronic sound devices

4/ Small revolts, knitting website

5/ Danube evening live cinema extravaganza, with fighter planes,firework, dancing girls, cranes, bridges w cars

6/ Daniel Lee 's photo/fine art work

7/ blanket robot

Digital Silk Roads intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Nara, 2003, as attendee

1/ special guqin w ivory inlaid

2/ Unesco policies

3/ Louvre big camera

Isea, Nagoya 2002, as attendee

video documentary 2 hrs.

1/ various interactive art installations

2/ outdoor garden
International Dapu Conference(Guqin), Changshu, PRC, 2000, as participant

presented and announced the conception of the "Digital Guqin Project" as Interactive art on dvd idea, a call for Guqin player participation.

video filmed guqin players and private concerts

10hrs.

-------------------

Pre-history : from MIDIguqin to Digital Guqin

collaborator: Professor Chen Changlin, Beijing, PRC, 2002

1/ MIDI Guqin Story

2/ The recognition and playing of digitised Guqin scores and the MIDIguqin

3/ "Promotion and development of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, case 1: The guqin", Beijing, Dec.2002

Live demo of "MIDIguqin" and paper presentation

Video documentary and publication

-------------------

bibliography, links

-David Weinberger, "When things Arent what they are.",

Hybrid living in Paradox, ars electronica catalogue,p76-78, Hatje Cantz, 2005

On differences of "knowledge" as classification of what we know in the age of the web as opposed to pre-digital age.

wikipedia on guqin : communal encyclopaedia
Excellent information on Guqin by John Thompson

rare book digitization in Taiwan

Paper: Analysis and Synthesis of the Guqin



Last update: Monday, February 20, 2006 at 9:05:00 AM.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas !

I just need to take a nap in the sweet open air, cocoon in my warm futon... zzzzz

QiQ Couture's new Cherries in the Sky

QiQ Couture is one of Swann's models of the QiQ fashion - she gets to wear all the fun fashions Swann made a new shawl collar for the Cherries in the Sky collection - QiQ Couture models it in high heels.

Venice in sl, "With"

Current Venice sim

Inspired by Venise in real life, Swann Jie checks out the Venice in sl.

There used to be a very gd Venice in sl but it closed after 6 months. Here we have a much simpler Venice with a few Gondola. But not fancy cafe, no birds, no table cloth with nice chairs, all gone. The disappeared SIM was called "WITH". too bad too bad. Otherwise it would have been so fun to put a little real thing in the Venice sim.

Old Venise sim, no longer exists, called "With".



last day at the cafe

outdoor table at the cafe

farewell party masked ball

Snow globe, work and play in sl, degree of control in the Virtual World

In Secondlife if its not a work place, then what you see are "play" things; and that's somebodie's dream we are visiting. Including locking devices and all.

Here is a v pretty snow globe - you can choose to be "locked" here.

I have seen other purely depriving freedom type of locking devices, like a golden cage, a simple animal cage, a blade runner like giant size test tube, all set up to be avatar size for people to feel locked up.

This snow globe is a little like a tableau, the avatar as a treasured display and not "locked up" and deprived of freedom. A script gives a choice to be locked up and a menu offers duration and unlocking.

The avatars I met all have very intricate and fancy well made costumes.

The design of the set, the scenario are also very well made with interesting inventive choices for the players.

Degree of Control in the Virtual World

One of the players said they use an Emerald viewer instead of sl viewer, because using this viewer you could let another avatar take control of your tabs. So they could be the one who decide what your avatar can or cannot do. This is a viewer that gives control of your avatar to another avatar; a collaborative play thats one step further than an independant theatrical make believe game.

Better snapshots in sl

Better snapshots in sl, just what I needed!

http://ninewarrhol.blogspot.com/2009/12/taking-better-snapshots-in-sl.html

New cushions

Puffy cushions w a thin layer of soft gauze cushion on top - QiQ Couture enjoying the soft self pampering. Home: at Galileo Science Sim.

Immersive learning experiences, Judy Brody's Life Drawing classes in sl, sharing in a Virtual World, Digital Hollywood Graduate School

Collecting books for the DGM library, I found a copy of "Big Book of Clothing version 2" somewhere a long time ago (dont remember where!) which is already 5 years old by Judy Brody.

Googled the author more, and she has life drawing classes in Secondlife! Now thats interesting, how did that experiment work?
People draw offline and share the results in secondlife - inworld.

There is a sharing value in Virtual World lessons which is a precious quality in real life learning situations not possible in at home self learning sessions. Apparently a lot of at home courses now has conference sessions through chat, sloodle, moodle etc. online Whiteboards. All these tools are for expediency purpose, are they better than real life old fashion sitting together?

We could always learn almost everything by ourselves, but the sharing part is only possible if you do "share" a common visual and textual language.

The same goes for language lessons and any other immersive world experience.
If you were all by yourself, you are in your singular one person world, once you share a common context, you have exchangable language for transmission based on common raw data.

Life drawing classes in secondlife! This entry dates from 2005. We are entering 2010 soon. How did that experiment go?
I am amazed, but it does work with the tools and system that the teacher sets up. :)







What else could we teach through the Virtual World platform?
The advantage is, no limits to geographical location and time zones.
If you wished you could.

The teaching that I am talking about is teaching and learning as a game, as in playing.

These could be Role Playing, Creativity Play, and StoryTelling Play.

In real life, you might not come across "the right ones" for whatever games you wish to play; this is also true in a Virtual World. But, people who enter the Virtual World share something in common - the curiosity or necessity to enter a Virtual World - and thats already one level of "screening" done.

Secondly, "the right ones" that you have chosen in Secondlife usually works best in the Virtual World, once exported into the Real World - once again, it might not work.
Contextually each "perfect fit" is not independant.

Human relations come with all the layers of references and co-ordinates without which nothing can exist with any degree of richness, not in real life and not in Virtual World Secondlife.

Digital Hollywood Campus in sl- its a real life Digital Hollywood Graduate School in Tokyo! Owner In Yan

QiQ #1, 2, and 3

Whats Next? What do avatars wear when they go to a concert, a party, an "elegant gathering" - for example; a yaji?

QiQ #1, 2, and 3

QiQ #1 Is the Head of the new experiment, setting up 3 lines of research-creations in fashion.
QiQ Litt Litt = Literature, bookish, intellectual erotic

QiQ #2
QiQ Folie Folie = extravagant, hedonistic, laid back sexy

QiQ #3
QiQ balbal balbal = silliness, freedom, fun, energy, creative, current events and atheletic, action oriented

QiQ #4
QiQ revival (ongoing recurring one) Revival with a twist = remake of historical models, vintage, classical, Hanfu... etc


What do all the QiQ's have in common ?

QiQ = pronounce together as "Chick"

For the coming year, the "QiQ"s focus on:

BBB EEE LL =
Beauty, Bubblies, Well Being; Esthetics, Elegance, Enjoyment. Love & Life :)

QiQ #1 , QiQ balbal sofa

QiQ balbal sofa

QiQ is a new family sent to work on Science Sim as there is no limit of prims.
Here we have a QiQ #1 sitting on a new sofa.

The sofa is a sculptie with transparent texture.
Due to the unexpected distorsions rendered by the sculpties we often get very beautiful patterns.

Then you must adjust and re-adjust, come back, until you get it just right.

In the Science Sim, there is very few things to buy, so you have to make your own.

If you want a specific skin, you must make it yourself.

QiQ #1's outfit is made from a HuaHui House photo, again adjusting the texture to make the pattern hit the right places.

Shoes were freebies by Fashion Research Institute, curtesy of Shenlei Winkler.

Science Sim

ScienceSim OpenSim Wonderful we could make anything and it supports 22,000 prim!

Habitat for Humanity Toronto, aluminum can collection drop off pts

If you are in Toronto
Deposit your aluminum cans here;:

Habitat for Humanity Toronto

Triple M Recycling
80 Sinnot Road (South of Eglinton, 2 blocks East of Warden)
Hours of Operation:
M-F: 07:30 am-4:45 pm
Sat: 07:00 am-11:30 am
Proceed to right side of the building, they will bring you a bin in which to empty the cans. They will then be weighed and you will be given a receipt to take to the front office. Tell them you are collecting cans for Habitat for Humanity Toronto to have your drop off credited to us!

For more information please contact:
Adrienne Finlay at 416 755 7353 ext. 34
afinlay@torontohabitat.on.ca

burbtv, Neville Mars, Confucius Institute, and Children Guqin Players, 动态密度, HuaHui Mobile Music cube number

burbtv : this is an interesting nodal concept of connecting information and people focused on the City as theme owned by Neville Mars. So I found a "Node" - 动态密度 - where I was able to upload some entries on HuaHui Mobile Music - the Digital Guqin Museum mobile prototype. I want to let more people know about this, its not about "collecting beer cans", its about a moving architectural/sculptural landmark where each cube houses a url - like a tiny abstract home of the person who made the cube.

Anybody could visit the url - all they have to do is to take a picture of the 2D tag and it links them to the url.

This HuaHui Mobile Music exists in the Virtual World and the Real World.

If you want an abstract home in the HuaHui Mobile Music, send me three beer cans (empty) of your choice! And your url, its free!

Leave a message below to get a HuaHui cube number.

Your home will be next to someone from another country, from far away and you could be neighbours!

Confucius Institute

I found the child guqin player clips were added by Confucius Institute. :)

Dreams of Shanghai in that Other Place

Have you ever had dreams where you visit entire cities with stories and architecture and then come back to the same scene after a few weeks or months or years as if you had just continued the story somehow without interruption. As if thats really another real place? But while I was in this secondary world (while in real life sleeping) I know that i have been there and when i wake i know its only in that other place. Initially, when i first had these continuous dreams, upon awaking i could be not sure of if the things that happened in the dream really happened - the lines of the two worlds are blurred.

But today, I had this dream and for the first time; i knew when i was in the dream that its that place and when I awake i know also i am in the real life place. Its the first time that I am totally clear and non muddled about the dividing line - since at least 10-15 years that i began having this continuous other place dreams.

Dreams of Shanghai
I woke up at 4h30 this morning, but having had very gd sleep.

And very interesting dreams... I keep on going back to a place that only exists in my dreams - the setting has been there for the last 10 yrs at least and sometimes I go there. Isnt this strange? It was scenes of Shanghai - I took the bus w houses thats like corbu era from the 30s, street is not ultra clean nor chic but v happy to take the bus there. Met P there too, I showed her these little enclaves of houses from the 30s and said, this was in the news paper you know it used to be very exclusive businessmen hotel but too exclusive it went bankrupted without much ever gone on. Now all the cooks are still here but no client. (the cook was sleeping on these expensive sofas as we walk through into the dining hall - there was however brkfst each table had the best puff cereal bread etc etc. I was definitely travelling - in my present day self - also something to do w caca - somehow my clothes are tinted w caca and i tried to wash it...

strange dream but a happy dream - I wrote down the details by hand in my little black book.

I woke up reheated the fresh soymilk i made yesterday (taste better w each reheating as the milk gets more and more carmelly)
then i looked in the fridge no more bonne maman jam
so i checked through the C specials - found a couple i decided to try the "strawberries from bj- the name of their homestead
and what a surprise, this is really the difference between heaven and earth compared to bonne maman.
C had whole wild strawberries and the taste! so marvellous!
well, glad i tried something new!
Usually i consider C jam for Swannjiejie, I dont like to deprive people of special foods... hahahahah
but she asked me last week if i still have enough jam etc and gave me a brioche to take home; said that way i will eat more bread.
because I said i am too lazy to go all the way to monoprix to get my favorite Poilane - which could keep days and as it dries it tastes different but always good; The other baquettes, if you dont finish within the day, it dries and you have throw it away and I hate to throw away bread especially when I had to go line up at the boulangerie to get it!!!

HH real cube wall in conceptual model, Kerrypets HuaHui rezzer, new ginger bread house

Took me one day to figure out how to align new panels to the existing rezzer that Kerrypet made for me for the conceptual model of the HuaHui House. Now; I had wanted to replace all the panels with real life cube panels... so I started with one panel. Took me a whole day!!!! to align re-align, i definitely dont enjoy doing this - because I am too impatient. For the same effect; I much prefer to use the existing panels and just change the cubes textures - even if i have to do it one cube at a time, and sometimes 6 sides per cube! This has the advantage of changing each unit and making a composition - its a little like painting. Whereas the other way, its coding and realignment. If i were able to read the co ordinates after I placed it correctly then thats great. But, seems like that i had to test and experiment w the numbers to the panel to fit closer and closer to the precise location. Is this true, isnt there another faster better way? Dont know how i could read backwards from the position - wonder if there is a way.

The difficulty is : in relation to the rezzing object itself ; each panel radiates from the object - like so many satellites. Can we read the position starting from placing the object and reading the position somewhere? pooooooof what a waste of time.

One panel in place, the rest are scripted conceptual model which is nice too. You could play w it as a sign board
if the back ground is all silver, i could imagine somebody coming here and makign a sign, for example "I love you" to his/her gal friend.

In an overall view on Hanako land. Now that i got the rezzer working, just one click i could install it on command for special showings. One chunk of time used to save greater chunks of time later.

Now, I really want to go out and ride my bicycle.

This virtual world is wonderful amusing powerful inventive exciting... but but but, the awful part is you must be looking at a computer... when will they invent a better system ? Or a non-light emitting screen. Its really bad for our health to be sitting down and to be looking into a light emitting object like this.

As i see how the scripting works little by little, I appreciate how smart geeks are they have invented these cute animations, skin; painting, building speaking, all this... now, when will they think about the real person infront of the screen?

I have friends who work in graphic design and computer engineering - they just hate to look at a computer at home. At work already 8 hrs a day... no more no more they say no more.


For something different: a new Ginger bread house

Hanako as Christmas Babe, HuaHui Mobile Music testing

Hanako land w Hanako as Christmas babe. :)
and Wangxiang wrote a little blurb on the HuaHui House that I was testing on Hanako land.

Viewers : sl, Kirsten; Carla Broek , Dash Luga

2 snapshots by friends
Carla Broek who used a Kirsten shadow viewer - notice the rock colors are so vivid
Dash Luga who took the same composition to show me what a standard sl viewer looks like.

I should try the Kirsten viewer for pr photos.

花魁 HuaHui Mobile Music

1 花魁 HuaHui cubes close up

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Virtual Model for rw

Real Cubes in VW for RW use

Model-based sound synthesis of the guqin by Li HenBing and Marc Leman

Interesting paper by Li HenBing and Marc Leman

Institute for Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music, Department of Musicology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

Model-based sound synthesis of the guqin
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 120, Issue 6, pp. 4052-4063 (December 2006)
Issue Date: December 2006

peony pavilion at Lings Chinese School

peony pavilion at Lings Chinese School

New toy Gatya Gatya machine Hikki Hax

Gatya Gatya machine by Hikki Hax.

We could put our own objects into it and it gives randomly the object upon payment or no payment; limited play per day possible also.

This is an interesting object because it allows you to introduce surprised and ever changing elements. Could also be used as a group pool of fun object dispenser.

I had an Oracle Gumball machine made. And the custom script for random draw is much more precise; you have a truly random dispensing system - for example you wont be getting 5 times the same Oracle in a row. This one is maybe random but maybe not so random, we dont know but its fun and only 1 prim.

The colors and design are so good - has just the right old fashion look. Red and pale blue very beautiful.

Hundun dark plum lacquer and short qin table, Hundun half shiny, Locking your bike

Hundun half shiny plum lacquer


Following the comments of different preference of qin table height, I made one for this dark plum lacquer Hundun, a short table for "half lotus" position as some qin players prefers - as Stephen Walker explained to me.

Swann looks not bad sitting here like this, quite comfy in fact. No need to redo the animation. :)

Locking your bike
you get an A if you used 3 locks!
locks are just to buy time - thiefs will steal a less-locked bike. :(

one lock for front wheel to frame
one lock for back wheel to frame
one lock for seat to frame
you get an "A" for locking your bike!

High quality sim for good memories, limited ressource: life time, Franck Muller Dress

Swann in a Franck Muller dress from Clock Island at Fashion Research Institute



When is the Virtual World "real"?
When it could provide you with good memories.

When all the objects, the people (avatar) inside speak with authenticity in emotion and in practice.

Somebody who helped you go shopping for that Virtual Koto that you so badly needed is somebody who spent time - their real life time - to help you.

Time is a limited ressource and the person who spent time specifically for you, to be with you - in person in real life, and online via their avatar - has given you the gift of their time and is a real friend.

The Virtual World becomes "real" when the people inside invest their true selves in it. What is life if you are stripped of memories? We have only memories - to provide good memories, you must have high quality experiences.

This translates into high quality objects, scenarios and time - just like in the material world - immaterial world and material worlds are both components of real life.

I have enclosed here a screen shot of a dress from a disappeared sim and a disappeared scenario.

The Dress came from Clock Island where a very beautiful set with falling numbers - indicating time drops from above. There was a treasure chest, and this dress in it as a gift. So beautiful, and such a lovelly, happy memory. The avatar who introduced it to me was an Italian girl from Sicily. She was an excellent shopper for high quality dresses. If she didnt help me, I would never have the patience to go look for these clothes - but I do want to dress nicely! Each dress has good memories because these are results of fun times between girl friends.

The setting was at the Fashion Institute where there was a Fairy Fashion show. Giant size flowers, and avatars all dressed up as fairies. It is a fun and happy moment. This scenario no longer exists as well.

In Secondlife, to keep a freshness often the land changes scenarios for a refreshed experience just like inventive gift shops in our material world.

When I presented the Digital Guqin Museum in a mixed reality event at Rennes, event organised by Hugobiwan, there was a session where real people visiting the installation could talk to me directly live through video - so the person would be talking to an avatar while I could see what they looked like -

a visitor; a young girl said through the video live interview that she is worried about not being able to tell the real from the virtual - afraid of falling into an addictive virtual world.

This is the same concern expressed by people I meet in real life, in the Big Draw event in London and in CHIME, Brussels; when I introduced this project. Not so much they find it "unbelievable" but rather "addicted and fallen in and cant come out afterwards". Once beyond the "not just a role playing game" stage, most people are afraid! Just like the young girl in Rennes

I am so surprised, actually the Virtual World is a little like a 3D telephone.
Would using a telephone make real life face to face conversation disappear?

Using a telephone is for those specific communications where you really dont need to physically move yourself to the location of your listener, that is all.

One time I got a person who called me to say they must see me in person to talk about some urgent matters - however my feeling was, if they couldn't reveal the nature of the urgency, even just a little, then I most likely would not be convinced to make the effort to spent time to see the person in reality.

That is the good use of a telephone!

Similarly, if you find someone obnoxious in the Virtual World, its likely that they are in that phase in real life too.

A friend asked me - a real life friend - how can I tell if the person is nice in the Virtual World and they turn out to be the opposite in real life?
I cannot.

But I think if people bother to use their precious ressource - limited life time - to be in the Virtual World, there must be something they find satisfying for themselves. In this way whatever they show must be "authentic" in someway. Whether you appreciate their expression or not that is a question of preference and style.

CHIME conf, Tan Hwee San, HuaHui cubes, François Picard, Claire Chantrenne, ICH, China Blossoms concert, pink, fmttm, a friend?or a not-friend?

poster session installation sample wall section

MIM venue, Brussels

Brussels HuaHui cube material

HuaHui Cubes
In Brussels on the street where Enr. lives, you just walk from the subway to his house and you would have collected a whole bag of beer cans. Since I was up v early I went out to just see what happens, and exactly that! From the evidence of the beer cans i saw on the street, people drink a lot of beer and energy drinks, and also scotch mixed w cola in small tins (like energy drink) v pretty cans sometimes; By far more variety than in France, also tropical drinks. lots of coke cans in various combination, light, zero, light w lemon, classic etc etc
I dont drink soft drinks normally myself.

Chime conference nuggets

François Picard - Sorbonne prof musicologist Sinologue specialist - said to me during coffee that after investigation w his colleagues on Qin research people, I am the only one in the world who is exploring computer music using Guqin instrument and if I like I am welcome to join their seminar at the Sorbonne. I am very happy to be invited and will surely go see what they do there! François Picard often poses v clear questions and feedbacks at the end of the sessions I see how the picky points could be delicate and there is a way to go about it, not only to do with intellectual capacity, but also an art that comes with practice and wisdom I think.

London woman in charge of an music museum is interested in the DGM Virtual World work, gd.

Johannus with long half way down his back hair, said about Secondlife, that he is afraid of going into sl because he might be addicted, and lost of time, doesnt really know what it is but afraid to be drawn into it and become addicted and lost.

After hanging around listening to my oratorial speech to the people around, Gloria said. with much excitement and animated facial expression that she is very interested in sl, fascinating, she wants to try it, but she wont be going in as herself, she wants to be incognito just to visit around. Which I think is great.

A researcher-professor who wrote a book on Cui Jian the Chinese rocker listened very carefully to me and then asked but what has this to do with music? Then i explain starting from simple analogies that, the way I use VW is like an architecture model for a client, we build a three dimensional computer image model to show contextual spaces and surroundings with the advantage that you could invite the client to come and physically immerse himself in the environment. Just like all real life buildings for exemple the Museum of Musical Instrument, such a beautiful art nouveau building it now houses musical instrument collections but it could also be a restaurant or a nightclub or a spa or a fashion showroom its the infill and how we make use of the infill that determines the musical content. Its a venue created to make things happen. Experiences lived in sl is just as real as in rl, you could also imagine it a little like playing with Barbie Dolls, the simulated play acting is very real. In fact, in real life we often live with our memories because without memories there is little progress and nothing could be elaborated and be built. And the HuaHui cube wall section that I show here is a real life model going from the Virtual World to the Real World. The Virtual World is an office I export buildable items from sl to rl.

Met a woman from San Francisco, a director of a music group. She talked about early immigrants and angel island and gave me a cd, i will look into this because there are very little interest on early immigrants when they too have their own culture - they came to work and build the new world but they also have moments of play, music and enjoyment. I am glad to have her cd. I almost wanted to start speaking in KaiPing just for giving her some shocking fun - as KaiPing is almost not used ever in the cities today, its a country dialect that most immigrants in early 20s used. But this might give her the wrong impression of who I am so i save it for later at a good moment.

Frank. the organiser has come to talk to me several times during the few days, how do i find the conference and if i liked it do i find it worthwhile coming etc. This is a group of people who has studied in china, age ranging from retirement to youthful phds, they are all in Asian-Chinese music . All spks more or less gd putonghua chinese, musicologists by profession. Whats interesting is that there are people from everywhere a truly unique one and only international group. I like the liveliness and variety of this most enjoyable event.

Learnt about the ICH policy in China and what others thought about it. Tan Hwee San spoke in great details about her investigations. I appreciated her clarity and the experience w people that she clearly demonstrated, esp how to negotiate different turns in conf gatherings.

Claire Chantrenne organiser from Museum of Musical Instrument is a bona fide jewel. Such kindness and thoughtfulness no chi chi is really a person who shines. Her assistant Mathieu is also wonderful, they made it possible to show with what we had at hand, under strict limitations of circumstances of downloading software issues, such professionalism and intelligence, esthetic sensitivity to what is the purpose of poster sessions, and an overall attention to the balance of the entire group for the session, we had a very good installation all the same. Diaporama and sample wall section of the HuaHui Cube, Youtube, and live questions and answers. Sound quality of the autditorium was good, to epouse the conditions of the context, I will prepare a high quality video for next event now that the rush is over.

Met Lucca improvisation of qin who played John Coltrane on the qin and his pretty wife.
Stephen Dydo and his qin w pickup.

Beijing Opera workshops and Singing workshops added a hands on dimension to the academia analysis discourse.

China Blossom concert
Three young pretty girls on Zheng.

A concert is a visual event. The music played is delicate sweet rhythmic tunes matching the presentation of three young pretty girls with slim supple arms that rise and fall in unison waves. Yummy girls are always wonderful attractions, but the costumes are a little ambiguous - they are red cache stomach bip like tops - these backless bips tied with a thin string. Two of the girls wore black monokini top under the bips called toudou in Chinese and a third one as designed without any under garment. Because toudou was the women undergarment in china of not so long ago.

At the China Blossom concert, as a result of the toudou costume and the curves revealed - pants lose and low waist revealing the beginning of hip curves, very stylish on an elegant skinny frame. I like it as an individual style, the girls had nice bodies, however as a result of the costume, the performance is tinted in pink - pink as in erotic films. These costumes were distracting from their music.

I also think the girls enjoyed the sexy fashion statements correct to their youthful bodies, thats why they picked this cute and sexy costume.

There is room for showmanship in Chinese ancient music too, how and what, its an interesting subject.


a friend? or a not-friend?

A question, when is a friend a friend?
In answer to my question, Enr said, a friend is when you give the other your time because, time is a limited ressource.
Enr is so right. I am much more conscious of how to not waste my ressource and make better use of my time.

What is the definetion of a friend to you?
When is a friend a friend ?


===
798

A gallery in 798 is interested in exhibiting the Mobile Music work which includes travelling of the Mobile Music at different venues and musical events with Guqin live music, Chinese art song singing as I have designed with real players and with our house permanent music maker, our continuous 24hour non stop computer generated guqin music - fmttm.
fmttm = Fly me to the Moon, a computer which composes guqin tunes on the fly following a custom made algorithm an installation created in 2005 for a permanent exhibition in a sculpture park.