Nathan Peck Tenure Dossier: Research & Creative Production

Evidence of

CREATIVEPRODUCTION

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Due to the nature of time-based and site-specific art many of my projects cannot be viewed in their original form. With this in mind, I chose to create a document that includes still images, text descriptions and a short collection of videos in order to provide a simulacrum with the ap-propriate contextual information.

Most of the descriptions in this document do not revolve around style or arrangement of content but rather how the artworks came about. I want to demonstrate how my extensive personal research, creative collaborations and various art scenes create the environment into which an extensive collection of artworks in many media and multiple formats are born.

TABLE OF CONTENTIntroductory Essay: About My Creative Process..............................

Multimedia - Intermedia .........................................................................

Learning & Teaching Digital Art ............................................................. Chicago Art Scenes ...............................................................................

Collaboration .........................................................................................

LIST OF EXHIBITIONS ........................................................................

MOST RECENT & IMPORTANT PROJECTS ......................................

OBJECTS .............................................................................................. Torn from Britannica

Film & Video Paintings

Video Art-Cade

Video Suitcase

Truck-Jector

Video Printmaker

Video Clothes

TV-Stick

Jigsaw Loop

PERFORMANCE .................................................................................. Rook - TV

Rook @ CMGF

Lollapalooza

Earth Day / Earth Night

Fashion Shows

Transamoeba

Super-Fun Movie House

Musical Performance

Travel Show

DIRECTORIAL ......................................................................................

LOOPTOPIA

PRDF@MCA

Montana Artist Residency

Red Cabinet Theater

Workshift

Fear of Falling

Privacy

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4 CREATIVE PRODUCTION

4

INTRODUCTORY ESSAYABOUT MYCREATIVEPROCESS

3.1

5CREATIVE PRODUCTION

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6 CREATIVE PRODUCTION - Introductory Essay

7Introductory Essay - CREATIVE PRODUCTION

An important distinction necessary to discuss the types of artworks in this book is the difference between intermedia and multimedia. Multimedia is commonly understood as the combination of several digital art making processes. Most of my classes are multimedia in nature. Students explore and mix photography, video, sound, animation and interactivity in different ways in every class. Most of my artworks are also multimedia. One example is the DVD that accompanies this book. DVD is a popular multimedia art-form combining interactivity, video and sound.

Intermedia can be defined as the mixture of art making process with the intention of creating a new hybrid medium. There is an added focus on generating a new repeatable technique. This crossbreed employs the most necessary elements of the parent media. This often requires as much invention in designing the process as the product. In many cases I either created a machine or a group of people that allowed me to produce additional artworks or performances using the same new media.

There are two distinct approaches to intermedia. One is collaboration the other is research and experimentation. If I was composing a multimedia performance, and decide that I want a viola, I have to either call a violist or buy a viola and start practicing. In many cases I begin looking for a specialist, to either collaborate or teach me. On more than one occasion I have collaborated with acrobats, surgeons, drummers, or fashion designers. I have, on other occasions, taught myself how to sew, silkscreen, solder, or rock, (danc-ing while playing the guitar and singing – loud and fast).

Multimedia is the combination of digital media; intermedia is the creation of new media. It is far easier to teach multi-media because it involves teaching techniques. Techniques can be practiced and mastered. The intermedia approach re-quires the student to have studied many media before they are able to understand how or why to merge them.

Through intermedia research and experimentation I have explored a wide range of art forms, learning only one or two techniques in some media and mastering others. Multimedia is the area that I have studied the most and is the area that I feel the most comfortable teaching. Many of the artworks in this book are examples of intermedia but every project in this book uses multimedia techniques.

IN THIS BOOKMULTIMEDIARook-TV - video-interactivity page 78Lollapalooza - video-sound-interactivity page 88Musical Performance - sound - video page 98Montana Artist Refuge - animation, video page 130

NTERMEDIA Video Suitcase - video-chat-sculpture page 60History Whistle - Video-printmaking page 68Video-clothes - annimatied-garments page 70Red Cabinet - tele-puppetry page 128Fear of falling - video-trapeze-viola-dj page 136

MULTIMEDIA & INTERMEDIA


Unlike other professional artists that keep their style or techniques tightly guarded as their trade secrets, I open up my bag of tricks for my students every day in class. Most of these ‘tricks’ are framed in lessons that teach my student’s how to learn. My approach is designed to offer basic prin-ciples and digital fundamentals that encourage my students to pursue a more sophisticated knowledge through personal research. This allows my students to learn while discovering how to learn. Students are then expected to teach the rest of us what they have discovered.

When I graduated from Mount Mercy College in 1997, digital art & design was in its infancy. Although the tools were available to create basic 2D digital compositions, there was little or no technical training being offered. I taught myself how to employ the theories of color and composi-tion discussed in class on the few Macintosh computers equipped with early imaging software. While studying these digital visual tools, I was also exploring a wide range of other approaches to art including music, sculpture, painting and theater. I discovered early on that I was uninterested in studying these disciplines independent of one another. I often created images, printed them out and combined them with paint and sculpture to create unique digital / analog artworks. I had a unique roll model in this arena in a profes-sor named Jane Gilmor. Her artworks often mixed sculpture with video and audience participation. She was also quite interesting because she was a successful artist and instruc-tor simultaneously. She taught us how to mix the structure of the academy with the improvisation that working with an audience or other artists requires.

I was specifically interested in pursuing a graduate degree for two reasons. First, I wanted to continue my creative research in the mixing of art media. I didn’t want to just study music or painting. I wanted to find a place where the instructors encouraged, or required, students to mix media. Second, I wanted to follow in Jane’s artist / academic foot-prints.

The University of Iowa offered me an expansive set of tools but still relatively little technical training. The Intermedia program was founded on the principle of exploring hybrid-art forms through conceptual works of art. Media theory and critical analysis occupied most of the classes. While I was there, I taught myself how to animate 2D images in time and I discovered the basic principles of web development through an extensive period of trial and error. I shared my research and technical knowledge with my colleagues nearly every evening in the studio as we took turns directing major collaborative projects. These collaborative and self-taught lessons became my digital art courses and are the founda-tion for the classes that I teach at Saint Xavier.

After graduation, I have continued to study, experiment and create artworks in many media. With every breakthrough in my studio, a new lesson is formed for my classroom. Each new lesson offers another distinct opportunity to evolve that knowledge through the individual explorations of my students. As they use my new knowledge, they find new directions in which that knowledge can be used and in turn instigate further research.

LEARNING & TEACHING DIGITAL ART


I moved to Chicago in 2001 to take a position teaching com-puter graphics and web design at Saint Xavier University. I was teaching only half time and was spending the rest trying to figure out the complex workings of Chicago’s many art scenes. I had spent the majority of the preceding years in small rural Midwestern cities. I traveled to this hub several times for field trips and vacations. Each time I visited, the depth of possible entertainment options afforded a Chica-goan blew me away. Every night, it seemed, the museum, gallery and theater options were endless. I was sure that breaking into this creative scene was possible, but until I moved here I had no idea how inviting it really was.

When I arrived in Chicago, I knew two people. Jayne Hile-man and Ralph Barton. Jayne and I had worked on a sculp-ture selection committee at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 1999. When I began teaching at Saint Xavier, we carpooled for two years and she introduced me to both the inter-workings of Saint Xavier’s academic structure and the history of Chicago’s creative neighborhoods. Ralph and I studied together for several years at the University of Iowa. He introduced me to his art scene. On the day that I arrived in Chicago, he hosted an exhibition of my work at his Red Door Gallery in Bucktown. On that first day, I met dozens of artist with whom I still collaborate regularly.

Ralph also introduced me to the revolving door principle that defines many Chicago scenes. An example of this can be seen in the history of one Chicago rock band, the Smashing Pumpkins. In the early 90’s, The Pumpkins held a residency at The Metro, a north side rock club. During their reign of weekly rock shows, they played to larger and larger crowds

CHICAGO ART SCENES

as the Grunge style became popular. They helped estab-lish a stylized rock scene in Chicago that both reflected the style in other American cities and evolved it. Their success helped import other bands of similar style to Chicago such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana who were also just starting up. Eventually, they outgrew The Metro and moved on to larger venues like the United Center, Lollapalooza and compa-rable sized venues in other cities, thus opening the door for new talent to occupy The Metro stage. The fact that the venues constantly open up in Chicago is indicative of this scene. Ralph told me that, “Every Chicago stage can be yours sooner or later. The really interesting people eventu-ally move up to somewhere else making room for the next artist to have a chance.” This is not necessarily the case in places like New York or Los Angeles, where stars can oc-cupy the same stage for twenty or thirty years.

Regardless of whether it is style driven, media defined or venue specific, I cannot understate the value of the art scenes of Chicago to my development as an artist and art instructor. The scene functions as creator, audience, teach-er and student. This is even more valuable in the case of digital art. First, and foremost, digital art is an ever-changing art form. The digital art scene offers a regular opportunity to not only see this evolution but also to discuss the technical process with the artist. Many of the techniques that I teach at SXU came straight out of conversations with digital artists at these scene driven exhibitions.

A scene might begin as a niche clique of media or style specific artists, but through exhibition and critical evaluation, these groups sometimes grow into scenes as other like-


-minded artists join in. One example of this is PRDF, The PRDF (People’s Republic of Delicious Food). was both a multimedia art’s organization and a scene in itself. On one hand, PRDF functioned literally as a list-serve, (An art exhibition opportunity would be fed in and 5 – 50 people would turn out to present artworks) but on the other hand, there were dozens of situations in which PRDF’s events would function as recruitment opprotunities. These events fueled an internal appreciation for the collective conscious of the group. By making art together, showing art together, critically analyzing the artworks within a stylistic standard, PRDF established a style of improvisational multi-media per-formance happening, in which, audience members became participants and eventually ‘members’. On one occasion, described later in this book, PRDF put out a call to action that drew over one hundred creative participants - including many first-timers.

The PRDF scene was critical to my creative development by providing me with several of my most successful early ex-hibitions, but the VJ scene has given me the most useable technical insights. A VJ is a live digital video artist. I have learned more about digital art, both theoretically and techni-cally, from this scene than any other educational experience that I have had. I see at least one new video performance every month. Each show promises an oprotunity to view both new approaches to the media as well as each artists unique techniques and style. I know that I will also get a brief tutorial if I ask.

The artists and designers that make up the VJ scene are very important to one another for reasons beyond theory and technical discourse. All of us are familiar with com-mercial digital art. It surrounds us in the grocery store and

on TV. The photography in the advertisements that fill most mainstream print publications differs in both function and intent from the photography in galleries and museums. This difference is the divide between popular commercial digital design and contemporary experimental digital art. As an instructor at Saint Xavier, I teach digital founda-tions that can be employed in either of these arenas, and I know distinctly different groups of artists that meet to exhibit and discuss the nuances of each. It is quite necessary to look at and discuss each slightly differently. Without an art-ist community as robust as the one here in Chicago, these conversations often get muddled in value judgments, as to which is more pure, or more valuable. Both approaches exist for important reasons and must be discussed on their individual merit. I depend on two different groups of artists to help me stay abreast of contemporary issues in both of these categories.

I also rely on these artists as collaborators. As an artist with a background in theater, music and art, I thrive on artist and audience interaction. I often refer to it as ‘creative gasoline’ that fuels my production. The scenes described here are only a few of the many artists and audiences that refuel me.

I must appreciate that not all artists or students have this type of relationship with their audience, but for those who do, I have both experiences and venues to share. During the time that I have been at SXU I have learned how to use these scenes and have taken every opprotunity to first intro-duce my artowrks into these venues and creative circles and then introduce them to my students.


As I mentioned several times already, collaboration is a key component of my art. Perhaps, I learned this growing up in a small house with lots of siblings or maybe in the front yard with a baseball. With only one person a baseball is ter-ribly inert. If somebody else joins you, a game of catch can ensue. As more and more neighbor kids pour into the yard, a full baseball game can occur, and regularly did.

I enjoy painting by myself and making music with one or two other people, but if I intend to create a live performance dozens of collaborators are often necessary. With the addi-tion of each new artist, it becomes increasingly necessary to compromise. Not every body can play pitcher, for instance. A good team, with a good coach (director) will choose the best pitcher to play this role. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to play many different positions in my collabora-tions. Sometimes, I am the star, sometimes I am building the stage, and sometimes I am the director. In each project, I look for the necessary balance between the scale of the project and my creative contribution.

I have discovered in my studio that collaborators are not only necessary to create large-scale productions. Some-times, it is simply the merger of expertise that makes a collaboration beneficial. I have experienced this quite often with music. Many times the person with the best rhythm plays the drums in order to keep time, regardless of whether that person is a ‘drummer’ or not. A simple beat is sufficient to drive the music. When a ‘real’ drummer enters the scene, suddenly his range of skills with the instrument can dramati-cally alter the options available to the band.

This principle is often the driving force behind my atten-dance at jam sessions. I can audition many musicians

while improvising. One example was the famous Midrange Traffic Jam. At five-o-clock on a roof twenty yards from the freeway, ten to twelve musicians ranging in skill from bedroom-rocker to members of the Chicago symphony or-chestra collaborated to entertain stranded passengers. This particular session taught me that the most skilled musician is not always the best collaborator, the ability to share the collaborative experience is equally important.

Learning how to collaborate and the ability to identify good potential collaborators are lessons I want my students to know. As many of my students intend to pursue digital design careers, they should understand that most profes-sional multimedia projects require dozens if not hundreds of artists to work in union with their egos in check. After years in theater and multimedia events, the director / sub-director method for producing large-scale productions is not only ef-fective, it is often absolutely necessary.

COLLABORATION

Sometimes you have to createthe collaborativesituation wherefire spinners & Baptist choirscan meet and enhance each other’s art.

Earthday2006page 72

CHRONOLOGICALLIST OF

EXHIBITIONS

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International Electronic Arts Festival - Skopia, MacedoniaVideo Screened - Drive Thru Fly Thru, Thassaloniki, GreeceVideo Performance - Fear Show - Links HallVideo Performance - Equalize the Arts - Wicker ParkVideo Performance - UnderShorts Festival - Congress TheatreSculpture Exhibition - Faculty Show - SXU

Video Performance - Chicago Motion Graphics Festival - Society for the Arts Video Installation - Looptopia: Living the River Green - Wabash & WackerDirector - Looptopia: Underground Art School - Palmer House HotelPhoto Exhibit - Photo Frames - Chicago Art DepartmentVideo Performance - The Last Analog - Galapagos Art Space - New York City

Video Performance - Zoo Station - Folsom Dance Hall - Folsom, CAVideo Performance - Zoo Station - 21st Amendment - San Francisco, CAVideo Performance - Gross Anatomy - 4ArtsVideo Performance - Zoo Station - Slims - San Francisco, CA

Video Performance - Chicago Motion Graphics Festival - Daily Planet - NBC TowerVideo Installation - Wander Lust - Cell Space - San Francisco, CAVideo Installation - Dressing Light - 1 North WackerVideo Performance - Earth Night - with DJ Spooky - Hot HousePainting Exhibition - Around the Coyote - Flat Iron Building - Wicker ParkVideo Screening - A+ Videos - Hyde Park Art Center

Video Performance - Zoo Station - Slims - San Francisco, CAVideo Premier - Privacy - DePaul UniversityPainting Exhibition - Faculty Show - Chicago Art Department Video Performance - Earth Day: Edge of the Earth - Edgewater Solo Exhibition - Analog Boy Meets Digital Girl - Mount Mercy College, IAVideo Performance - Flavor for Fashion - Chicago Cultural CenterVideo Installation - Hostel Audience - Florence, ItalyVideo Screening - SAIC MFA Fashion Show 2006 - Marshal Fields Video Exhibition - Dressing Light - Chicago Cultural CenterVideo Performance - Gross Anatomy - Transamoeba / 4Arts Inc

CHRONOLOGY OF SIGNIFICANT EXHIBITIONSBY NATHAN PECK

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Video Installation - Version 03: Rook vs. Rotten - MCAVideo Performance - Persistence of Vision - BuddyVideo Performance - ROOK vs. LOOL - Emory University - Atlanta, GA Video Screened - Philly from Philly (Her Coma Soars) - Philladelphia PAPerformance - Summer Solstice - MCAVideo Performance - Summer Media Jam - Helena, MTVideo Performance - Track Side - Billings, MTVideo Performance - Codes and Secrets - Basin, MTVideo Installation - Vision of Labor - SXUVideo Performance - Broken Clown Interlude - Buddy - Chicago / Atlanta

Video Exhibition - Introducing ROOK - Red Door GalleryVideo Performance - ÜBER-SETZUNG - Dortmund GermanyMFA Exhibition - The Sexton at Irish Valley - Museum of Art - Iowa City, IA Video Performance - Lenny Dee show - Old Brick Church - Iowa City, IAPainting Exhibition - Area Faculty Show - Cornell College - Mt. Vernon, IA

Video Composition - Reasons To Dream - Fred Woodard - Bucharest, RomaniaExhibition - ÜBER-SETZUNG - Museum of Art - Iowa City, IACD ROM - Catalog - Science Fair Exhibition - Museum of Art - Iowa City, IAExhibition - Adjunct Faculty Show - Mount Mercy College - Cedar Rapids, IAInstallation - Composite - The Checkered Space - Iowa City, IA

Installation - Temple of Rites/ Rights - Iowa City, IAPerformance - For the Earth - music by Misha Burstein - Studiolo - Iowa City, IAInstallation - 2 Rooms - Bridge Space, U of I (main art building)Installation - 5 Ways to Exhibit Hanging Bricks - Bridge Space - Iowa City, IAPainting Exhibition - Jurors Choice - Purchase Prize - Perpetual Bank - Cedar Rapids, IAInstallation Exhibition - Jurors Choice - Davenport Museum of Art - Davenport, IASolo Painting Exhibition - Introducing Nathan Peck - Live Wire - Tipton, IAPerformance - close open close - Mount Mercy College - Cedar Rapids, IAExhibition - Regional College Art Show - Cedar Rapids Museum of Art - Cedar Rapids, IASolo Sculpture Exhibition - DOORS - Mount Mercy College - Cedar Rapids, IA

Video Performance - Version 02: PRDF vs. Mercaba - MCAVideo Performance - Workshift - Farmstead - Cedar Rapids, IA Video Installation - SOFA - Navy PierVideo Performance - Spundae - Vision

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16 CREATIVE PRODUCTION - Introductory Essay16


GEOGRAPHY OFSIGNIFICANTEXHIBITIONS

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1) BEVERLY - Saint Xavier University

6) SOUTH LOOP - Transamoeba - Hot House

10) WICKER PARK / BUCKTOWN - Rodan - Flat Iron - Smart Bar - Sonotheque - Subterranean - Society for the Arts

13) LINCOLN PARK - Chicago Historical Society - Park West

7) DOWNTOWN - LOOP - Grant Park - NBC Tower - Palmer House - Marshall Field’s - Wacker & Wabash - Chicago Cultural Center - Museum of Contemporary Arts

3) BRIDGEPORT -Texas Ballroom - Zhou Brothers

2) HYDE PARK - Old Hyde Park Art Center - New Hyde Park Art Center

5) BRONZEVILLE - Illinois Institute of Technology

9) NORTHLOOP - Kaleidoscope - Le Passage -Funky Buddha

8) WEST LOOP - Fulton Market

4) PILSEN - Chicago Art Department - Drive Thru - Pilsen Lumalive

14) LAKEVIEW / WRIGLEYVILLE - Lake Shore Theatre - Links Hall

15) SHERIDAN PARK / UPTOWN - Loyola University

16) EDGEWATER - St. Andrews Greek Orthodox Church

11) HUMBOLDT PARK - Catalyst

12) LOGAN SQUARE - Congress Theatre - Logan Square Auditorium

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97

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VENUES WHERE I HAVE CURATED,EXHIBITED OR PERFORMED

VENUES WHERE MY STUDENTS HAVE ALSO EXHIBITED OR PERFORMED

CHICAGO VENUESGEOGRAPHY OF SIGNIFICANT EXHIBITIONSBY NATHAN PECK

In many cases we have performed in the named venue multiple times.

NOTE:

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1) BEVERLY - Saint Xavier University

6) SOUTH LOOP - Transamoeba - Hot House

10) WICKER PARK / BUCKTOWN - Rodan - Flat Iron - Smart Bar - Sonotheque - Subterranean - Society for the Arts

13) LINCOLN PARK - Chicago Historical Society - Park West

7) DOWNTOWN - LOOP - Grant Park - NBC Tower - Palmer House - Marshall Field’s - Wacker & Wabash - Chicago Cultural Center - Museum of Contemporary Arts

3) BRIDGEPORT -Texas Ballroom - Zhou Brothers

2) HYDE PARK - Old Hyde Park Art Center - New Hyde Park Art Center

5) BRONZEVILLE - Illinois Institute of Technology

9) NORTHLOOP - Kaleidoscope - Le Passage -Funky Buddha

8) WEST LOOP - Fulton Market

4) PILSEN - Chicago Art Department - Drive Thru - Pilsen Lumalive

14) LAKEVIEW / WRIGLEYVILLE - Lake Shore Theatre - Links Hall

15) SHERIDAN PARK / UPTOWN - Loyola University

16) EDGEWATER - St. Andrews Greek Orthodox Church

11) HUMBOLDT PARK - Catalyst

12) LOGAN SQUARE - Congress Theatre - Logan Square Auditorium

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1211

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VENUES WHERE I HAVE CURATED,EXHIBITED OR PERFORMED

VENUES WHERE MY STUDENTS HAVE ALSO EXHIBITED OR PERFORMED

CHICAGO VENUESGEOGRAPHY OF SIGNIFICANT EXHIBITIONSBY NATHAN PECK

In many cases we have performed in the named venue multiple times.

NOTE:

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MY CHICAGO STUDIOSGEOGRAPHY OF SIGNIFICANT EXHIBITIONSBY NATHAN PECK

1608STUDIOS

600 SQ. FT.S

studio

CHICAGO ART DEPARTMENT

1,000 SQ. FT.M

TRANSAMOEBASTUDIOS

4,000 SQ. FT.L

CATALYSTSTUDIOS12,000 SQ. FT.

BACKGALLERY

XL

lower upper

lower upper

lower upper

lower upper

1608 STUDIOSWEST PILSEN - STUDIO / RESIDENCE

Established 2003aprox. 600 SQUARE FEET3 STUDIOS - 3 RESIDENCESMAX. CAP. - 30

CHICAGO ART DEPARTMENTEAST PILSEN - GALLERY / STUDIO

Established 2004aprox. 1200 SQUARE FEET3 GALLERIES - 2 STUDIOSMAX. CAP. - 150

TRANSAMOEBA STUDIOSSOUTH LOOP STUDIO / RESIDENCE / GALLERY / THEATER

Established 2000aprox. 4,000 SQUARE FEET5 STUDIOS - 4 RESIDENCES - 3 GALLERIESMAX. CAP. - 300

CATALYST STUDIOSHUMBOLT PARK STUDIO / RESIDENCE / GALLERY / THEATER

Established 2007aprox. 12,000 SQUARE FEET6 STUDIOS - 4 RESIDENCESMAX. CAP. - 1000

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MY CHICAGO STUDIOSGEOGRAPHY OF SIGNIFICANT EXHIBITIONSBY NATHAN PECK

1608STUDIOS

600 SQ. FT.S

studio

CHICAGO ART DEPARTMENT

1,000 SQ. FT.M

TRANSAMOEBASTUDIOS

4,000 SQ. FT.L

CATALYSTSTUDIOS12,000 SQ. FT.

BACKGALLERY

XL

lower upper

lower upper

lower upper

lower upper

1608 STUDIOSWEST PILSEN - STUDIO / RESIDENCE

Established 2003aprox. 600 SQUARE FEET3 STUDIOS - 3 RESIDENCESMAX. CAP. - 30

CHICAGO ART DEPARTMENTEAST PILSEN - GALLERY / STUDIO

Established 2004aprox. 1200 SQUARE FEET3 GALLERIES - 2 STUDIOSMAX. CAP. - 150

TRANSAMOEBA STUDIOSSOUTH LOOP STUDIO / RESIDENCE / GALLERY / THEATER

Established 2000aprox. 4,000 SQUARE FEET5 STUDIOS - 4 RESIDENCES - 3 GALLERIESMAX. CAP. - 300

CATALYST STUDIOSHUMBOLT PARK STUDIO / RESIDENCE / GALLERY / THEATER

Established 2007aprox. 12,000 SQUARE FEET6 STUDIOS - 4 RESIDENCESMAX. CAP. - 1000

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BILLINGS, MT

HELENA, MT

BASIN, MT

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

FOLSOM, CA

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA

OSHKOSH, WI

NEW YORK, NY

ATLANTA, GA

LOUISVILLE, KY

CHICAGO, IL

IOWA CITY, IA

PHILADELPHIA, PA

DAVENPORT, IA

AMERICAN GIGSGEOGRAPHY OF

SIGNIFICANT EXHIBITIONSBY NATHAN PECK

CALIFORNIAFOLSOMZoo Station - Folsom Dance Hall

SAN FRANCISCOZoo Station - 21st AmendmentZoo Station - SlimsWander Lust - Cell Space

MONTANABASIN Montana Artist Refuge Codes & Secrets - Basin Cafe

HELENA Helena Summer Media Jam - Helena Quarry

BILLINGS Track Side - Billings Rail-Arts Compound

IOWACEDAR RAPIDSWorkshift - Frmstead Meatpacking PlantAnalog Boy Meets Digital Girl - Mount Mercy CollegeArea College Faculty Show - Cornel CollegeArt About Town - Jurors Choice - Perpetual Bank close open close - Mount Mercy CollegeRegional College Art Show - C.R. Museum of ArtDOORS - Mount Mercy College

IOWA CITYÜBER-SETZUNG - Museum of ArtThe Sexton at Irish Valley - Museum of Art Lenny Dee show - Old Brick ChurchScience Fair Exhibition - Museum of Art Installation - Composite - The Checkered Space Elements - Studiolo & International CenterTemple of Rites/ Rights - International Co-op House For the Earth - music by Misha Burstein - Studiolo2 Rooms - Bridge Space5 Ways to Exhibit Hanging Bricks - Bridge Space

DAVENPORTInstallation Exhibition - Jurors ChoiceDavenport Museum of Art

WISCONSINOSH KOSHEven Further - Osh Kosh Grand Opera House

ILLINOISCHICAGOChicago Motion Graphics Festival - Society for the Arts Looptopia: Living the River Green - Wabash & WackerLooptopia: Underground Art School - Palmer House HotelPhoto Frames - Chicago Art DepartmentChicago Motion Graphics Festival - NBC TowerWander Lust - Cell Space - San Francisco, CADressing Light - 1 North WackerEarth Night - with DJ Spooky - Hot HouseAround the Coyote - Flat Iron Building - Wicker ParkA+ Videos - Hyde Park Art CenterPrivacy - DePaul UniversityFaculty Show - Chicago Art Department Earth Day: Edge of the Earth - Edgewater Flavor for Fashion - Chicago Cultural CenterSAIC MFA Fashion Show 2006 - Marshal Fields Dressing Light - Chicago Cultural CenterGross Anatomy - Transamoeba / 4Arts IncVersion 02: PRDF vs. Mercaba - MCASOFA - Navy PierSpundae - Vision Fear Show - Links HallEqualize the Arts - Wicker ParkUnderShorts Festival - Congress TheatreFaculty Show - SXUVersion 03: Rook vs. Rotten - MCAPersistence of Vision - BuddySummer Solstice - MCAVision of Labor - SXUBroken Clown Interlude - Buddy - Chicago / Atlanta

KENTUCKYLOUISVILLEPRDF vs the Chef - Lower Louie Loft

PENSYLVANIAVILLANOVAPhilly in Philly - Villanova University

NEW YORKNEW YORK CITYThe Last Analog - Galapagos Art Space

GEORGIAATLANTABroken Clown Monologues - Red Cabinet TheaterROOK vs. LOOL - Emory University

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BILLINGS, MT

HELENA, MT

BASIN, MT

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

FOLSOM, CA

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA

OSHKOSH, WI

NEW YORK, NY

ATLANTA, GA

LOUISVILLE, KY

CHICAGO, IL

IOWA CITY, IA

PHILADELPHIA, PA

DAVENPORT, IA

AMERICAN GIGSGEOGRAPHY OF

SIGNIFICANT EXHIBITIONSBY NATHAN PECK

CALIFORNIAFOLSOMZoo Station - Folsom Dance Hall

SAN FRANCISCOZoo Station - 21st AmendmentZoo Station - SlimsWander Lust - Cell Space

MONTANABASIN Montana Artist Refuge Codes & Secrets - Basin Cafe

HELENA Helena Summer Media Jam - Helena Quarry

BILLINGS Track Side - Billings Rail-Arts Compound

IOWACEDAR RAPIDSWorkshift - Frmstead Meatpacking PlantAnalog Boy Meets Digital Girl - Mount Mercy CollegeArea College Faculty Show - Cornel CollegeArt About Town - Jurors Choice - Perpetual Bank close open close - Mount Mercy CollegeRegional College Art Show - C.R. Museum of ArtDOORS - Mount Mercy College

IOWA CITYÜBER-SETZUNG - Museum of ArtThe Sexton at Irish Valley - Museum of Art Lenny Dee show - Old Brick ChurchScience Fair Exhibition - Museum of Art Installation - Composite - The Checkered Space Elements - Studiolo & International CenterTemple of Rites/ Rights - International Co-op House For the Earth - music by Misha Burstein - Studiolo2 Rooms - Bridge Space5 Ways to Exhibit Hanging Bricks - Bridge Space

DAVENPORTInstallation Exhibition - Jurors ChoiceDavenport Museum of Art

WISCONSINOSH KOSHEven Further - Osh Kosh Grand Opera House

ILLINOISCHICAGOChicago Motion Graphics Festival - Society for the Arts Looptopia: Living the River Green - Wabash & WackerLooptopia: Underground Art School - Palmer House HotelPhoto Frames - Chicago Art DepartmentChicago Motion Graphics Festival - NBC TowerWander Lust - Cell Space - San Francisco, CADressing Light - 1 North WackerEarth Night - with DJ Spooky - Hot HouseAround the Coyote - Flat Iron Building - Wicker ParkA+ Videos - Hyde Park Art CenterPrivacy - DePaul UniversityFaculty Show - Chicago Art Department Earth Day: Edge of the Earth - Edgewater Flavor for Fashion - Chicago Cultural CenterSAIC MFA Fashion Show 2006 - Marshal Fields Dressing Light - Chicago Cultural CenterGross Anatomy - Transamoeba / 4Arts IncVersion 02: PRDF vs. Mercaba - MCASOFA - Navy PierSpundae - Vision Fear Show - Links HallEqualize the Arts - Wicker ParkUnderShorts Festival - Congress TheatreFaculty Show - SXUVersion 03: Rook vs. Rotten - MCAPersistence of Vision - BuddySummer Solstice - MCAVision of Labor - SXUBroken Clown Interlude - Buddy - Chicago / Atlanta

KENTUCKYLOUISVILLEPRDF vs the Chef - Lower Louie Loft

PENSYLVANIAVILLANOVAPhilly in Philly - Villanova University

NEW YORKNEW YORK CITYThe Last Analog - Galapagos Art Space

GEORGIAATLANTABroken Clown Monologues - Red Cabinet TheaterROOK vs. LOOL - Emory University

23


DORTMUND, GERMANYÜBER-SETZUNG

2001

FLORENCE. ITALYHostel Audience

2006

THASSALONIKI, GREECE Drive Thru - Fly Thru

2004

SKOPIA, MACEDONIAInternational Electronic Arts Festival

2004

BUCHAREST, ROMANIAReasons to Dream

2000

BUCHAREST, ROMANIAReasons to Dream - 2000Video Composition for Fred Woodard, Chair of the African American Studeis Program at The University of Iowa. The video / annimation accompanied his poetry in a performance in Bucharest. I was unable to attend.

DORTMUND, GERMANYÜBER-SETZUNG - 2001Video Composition created for ÜBER-SETZUNG (german word for translation) exhibition in Iowa.The exhibition, including work by Iowa and Dortmund artists was presented in both cities. I attended this screening and worked at the Universitat Dortmund for one month during the summer..

SCOPIA, MACEDONIAInternational Electronic Arts Festival - 2004Several videos from the gallery that I co-currated were selected for inclusion in this eastern European media festival. Several members of the gallery attended this event, although my wo

rk was shown, I did not.(see IEAF - Research book page 108)

THASSALONIKI, GREECE Drive Thru - Fly Thru - 2004While attending the International Electronic Arts Festival in Skopia, our gallery members were invited to guest curate a night of video in a Greek perfor-mance space. Several of my videos were among those shown.(see Drive Thru - Fly Thru - Research book pg 108)

FLORENCE. ITALYHostel Audience - 2006Three 45-minute improvisational Video perfor-mances in Florence, Italy. (see Hostel Audience - Research book page 106)

EUROPEAN GIGSGEOGRAPHY OF SIGNIFICANT EXHIBITIONSBY NATHAN PECK

24


DORTMUND, GERMANYÜBER-SETZUNG

2001

FLORENCE. ITALYHostel Audience

2006

THASSALONIKI, GREECE Drive Thru - Fly Thru

2004

SKOPIA, MACEDONIAInternational Electronic Arts Festival

2004

BUCHAREST, ROMANIAReasons to Dream

2000

BUCHAREST, ROMANIAReasons to Dream - 2000Video Composition for Fred Woodard, Chair of the African American Studeis Program at The University of Iowa. The video / annimation accompanied his poetry in a performance in Bucharest. I was unable to attend.

DORTMUND, GERMANYÜBER-SETZUNG - 2001Video Composition created for ÜBER-SETZUNG (german word for translation) exhibition in Iowa.The exhibition, including work by Iowa and Dortmund artists was presented in both cities. I attended this screening and worked at the Universitat Dortmund for one month during the summer..

SCOPIA, MACEDONIAInternational Electronic Arts Festival - 2004Several videos from the gallery that I co-currated were selected for inclusion in this eastern European media festival. Several members of the gallery attended this event, although my wo

rk was shown, I did not.(see IEAF - Research book page 108)

THASSALONIKI, GREECE Drive Thru - Fly Thru - 2004While attending the International Electronic Arts Festival in Skopia, our gallery members were invited to guest curate a night of video in a Greek perfor-mance space. Several of my videos were among those shown.(see Drive Thru - Fly Thru - Research book pg 108)

FLORENCE. ITALYHostel Audience - 2006Three 45-minute improvisational Video perfor-mances in Florence, Italy. (see Hostel Audience - Research book page 106)

EUROPEAN GIGSGEOGRAPHY OF SIGNIFICANT EXHIBITIONSBY NATHAN PECK

25

Introductory Essay - CREATIVE PRODUCTION

MOST RECENT &IMPORTANT

PROJECTS

3.3

27


OBJECTSTorn from Britannica ................

Film & Video Paintings .............

Video Art-Cade .........................

Video Suitcase .........................

Truck-Jector ............................

Video Printmaker .....................

Video Clothes ...........................

TV-Stick ..................................

Jigsaw Loop .............................

30

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56

60

64

68

70

72

74

29


Take a Number2008

30 CREATIVE PRODUCTION - Objects


TORNFrom BritannicaA giant stack of picture frames and encyclopedias inspired me to create the largest series of painting / collages that I have made in over ten years. The series that has driven this increased production is called TORN from Britannica.

All of the content in these works are derived in one form or another from the Encyclopedia Britannica. Text and image are glued to canvas or wood and stained with a rich brown and blue. In some, the information from the encyclopedia is very read-able and ironically interesting and in other cases, the data seems to be of little or no importance as your eye is drawn over the scaled surface that gets it’s pattern from the book’s architecture. (columns, binding, page numbers).

“Recycled messages and scraps of paper form the textured surface of these oil-collages.

Each one is a unique Intermedia Encyclopedia Remix ”

31Objects - CREATIVE PRODUCTION


32



Timed Eyes 2006


34 CREATIVE PRODUCTION - Geography

I was invited by my friend, Justine to show paintings in her studio during the annual Wicker Park Art Festival, Around The

Coyote at the famous Flat Iron building. I decided to use this as an opportunity to test drive this new TORN series. Thousands of painting enthusiasts visit the Coyote festival every year. I had hundreds of conversations, sold most of the paintings and was interviewed for a television show.

Over the past three years, I have created over one hun-dred paintings in this series. I decided that I would pur-sue this series as long as I still had raw material from this one particular 1968 volume of encyclopedias. I have experimented with variations in size, subject, matter and have developed 5 distinct sub-series.

35 Geography - CREATIVE PRODUCTION

One of the key factors in the evolution of this series was a studio change. I shared a 1200 square foot South–Loop loft with 6 artists for several years. In the past year, I moved into a much larger space on the north side of Chicago, in which I have approximately the same amount of space all to myself. The paintings have grown. The first paintings were small 5 inch by 5 inch squares. And the most recent are 5 foot by 5 foot monster canvases.

I have exhibited these paintings extensively. They have been shown at Catalyst (Humbolt Park), Flat Iron Building (Wicker Park), Park West (Lincoln Park), Transamoeba (South Loop), some cool little coffee shop downtown that closed up and turned into a Starbucks, and finally a solo exhibit at the Chi-cago Art Department (Pilsen). Many of my colleagues and students came out to join the regular 300+ Second Friday crowd.

Solo Exhibit: Chicago Art Department 2007


36

Series One: Small Squares THE SURFACE SERIES

These were the first studies for the Torn from Britannica Series. These paintings rely heav-ily on the use of the drilled binding holes, text columns and page numbers.

These paintings are 5 x 5 inches.


Series Two: Little Men- THE SOLDIER SERIES

The uniform and medical illustrations were always my favorite part of my old ency-clopedias. I decided that I had to at least experiment with them.

These paintings are about 4 x 6 inches.


Turn Learn Window Series2007


Mike Portal 2006


Series Three: The Abstracts THE WINDOW SERIES

These were the first large paintings from the Torn from Britannica Series. I started each painting by choosing a frame and work-ing backwards to the painting. My primary agenda with this series was to explore posi-tive and negative space. I wanted it to seem like you were in a brown room looking out a window into a blue world.

Knob Creek 2006


Tabloid Part One - MicrophoneSuper Size Series

2007



Tabloid Part Two - Microscope Super Size Series 2007



Series Four: ZoomSUPER SIZE SERIES

This series involved blowing up some of the images from the encyclopedia. My large drawing overlaid a surface composed with much smaller text. This created an effect of readability from very different viewing distances.

Internet Part OneTelephone 2007

45 Objects - CREATIVE PRODUCTION

Series Five: Irony REMIX & TWIST

This series also started with the frames. Each of the paintings uses page titles and illustrations from the encyclopedia to create an ironic or sarcastic twist. This was also the first series to include a couple of elec-tronic paintings, one that employed sound and the other video.

Thirty Year Cockburn 2007


High Court of HundredsRemix & Twist Series 2007



Superrnaturalism Supply & DemandRemix & Twist Series

2007



Series: Short Round FilmsTitle: VERY DIGITAL

(on a scale of analog to digital) 2006



For several years, my friend Trevor Arnholt has hosted the Chicago Un-derSHORTS Film Festival at the Congress Theater. The call for artist asked for short underground films. Trevor was very familiar with the video paintings that I did in Montana, (see TRACKSIDE BILLINGS) and asked me to design something with a similar sensibility for this festival. I decided to play with the idea of duration. In Montana, the idea was to present videos like paintings, projecting very short video loops onto the ten little gallery walls designed for paintings. For the UnderSHORTS Festival, I decided to flip it. This time, I showed paintings fashioned out of film and video paraphernalia on the walls at a film festival.

FILM & VIDEO PAINTINGS



Short Video: GRIME - 2006



Each painting in the Short Film Series started with a still frame from a video in my collection. I cut the image to fit the center of the round canister and then attached a dial that gave the image a score on a scale from analog to electric to digital. I found one image to fit each score. My intention was for this series of paintings to show the range of artistic approaches in my videos. So, in addition to being a series of paint-ings, they were also a series of documents of my videos.

The Short Video Series was a little bit different because the paintings could be presented in two very different ways. In some exhibitions, I present them open on a wall like a painting. In other shows I have them closed and shelved like a video collection. Each one has a printed insert like movies at a video store and when the case is opened the viewer sees the ‘video’- a two page spread, like a book, made of a combination of photos and paintings.

After the Undershorts film festival, I was in-vited to my Alma Matter to exhibit my work during their annual Reunions Weekend. I presented the same series of paintings and photos packaged in video cases and film canisters and called the series 9 Short Round Films and 11 Short Videos. This time I also include a few new ones, includ-ing several electronic paintings. One had a video screen mounted inside and several others had little USB keys that I painted and glazed. These USB keys had the video from which the still image had been taken and inferred another level of interac-tion. Several computers in the gallery allowed the viewer to plug in and see the rest of the ‘painting’.

Short Video: MISS NG HISTORY - 2006



NTERACTIVE 2005


53Introductory Essay - CREATIVE PRODUCTION 53Objects - CREATIVE PRODUCTION 53


Solo Exhibition

Analog Boy Meets Digital Girl – Mount Mercy College, Cedar Rapids

Mount Mercy College



55



This sculpture’s interactivity is the result of years of investigation, starting in

1998 at the University of Iowa. Matthew Butler and I designed a program that would let a user call up videos from a library using the letter buttons on a high powered computer. Each key had a different video and the videos changed as rapidly as the user typed.

When I arrived in Chicago, I met VJ MINDTRAP, (Myles Fagan) who had been doing similar research in New York City. His system used MIDI, a hardware language usually used by musicians for assigning sounds to piano keys. The advantage of MIDI is that it opened up the doors to a wider range of interface devices.

VIDEO-ART-CADE 2003 - 2008

56



57

- 1998

- 1999

- 2000

- 2001

- 2002

- 2003

- 2004

- 2005

- 2006

- 2007

- 2008

First live video software research

with Matthew Butler@ University of Iowa

First performance using live video software

@ Old Brown Church in Iowa City with DJ LennyDee

Move to Chicago connect with several

video artists & sculptures

First MIDI research using piano keyboard

with VJ MINDTRAPaka Myles Fagan

Several performances using MIDI and live video

First research with Arkaos VJ (software)

Artist residency @ Drive Thru Studios

Video-Art-Cade - VERSION 1.0Debut @ SOFA - Navy Pier

Video-Art-Cade@ SXU, AVIT

Equalize the Arts & Undershorts

Video-Art-Cade @Transamoeba Studios

for dozens of eventsincluding ResFest

Video-Art-Cade - VERSION 2.0redesign using

much smaller Mac Mini

Video- Art-Cade is part ofAnalog Boy Digital Girl @

Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids

Video-Art-Cade - VERSION 3.0redesign using

Mixman (hardware)

“Video-Art-Cade is not really a game it is more like a funstory telling device.”



In the fall of 2003, I was invited to be a resident artist at a Pilsen gallery called Drive Thru. I created a regular monthly VIDEO JAM fea-turing local video artists and electronic musi-cians. I also had a solo exhibition of my paint-ings and videos at the January Pilsen Gallery Opening.

Another product of the Drive Thru Studios residency was a collabora-tive video sculpture project undertaken with the studio’s Artistic Direc-tor, Eric Medine. Video Art-Cade is an interactive video art game that allows the viewer to perform and modify a series of video clips that I prepared. Designed to imitate a 1980’s video arcade game, this sculpture entices the viewer to interact because it is an icon for play.



Version1.0

Version3.0This sculpture debuted at SOFA, the Navy Pier sculpture show as part of the ART BOAT ex-hibition that took viewers on a 3 hour yacht cruise onto Lake Michigan.

Art-cade has also been a part of several other sculpture and digital art exhibits including Persistence of Vision, the UnderSHORTS Film Festival, AVIT, The Chicago Interna-tional Video Performance conference, SXU Faculty Art Show and Analog Boy Digital Girl at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The Video-Art-Cade is made of two principle parts: the exterior - cabinet and the interior - electronics

The cabinet was constructed by sculptors, Eric Medine and John Dae, using wood, plastic and metal. It was built from scratch using blueprints downloaded from the web.

I designed the interior. I connected a TV to a computer via a scan converter. I then connected a small piano key-board & Phatboy knob box to the system by using a MIDI switch.

The Video-Art-Cade has seen 3 distinct versions.

Each offers more user control and requires less hardware.



I had just purchased two tickets for a Smashing Pumpkins concert in San Francisco, (they had just reformed the band after 5 years off), when I was reminded that I had agreed to contribute to the Language of Travel exhibition at CAD. I decided to capitalize on the conceptual twist that I would be in a San Francisco on the evening of the Chicago travel exhibit.

I immediately began exploring video, software and network systems. I wanted to find an efficient and portable way to create an interactive communica-tion sculpture. I chose to use old suitcases as an obvious icon for travel. I installed a computer, video

monitor and a telephone handset into the suitcases and began testing consis-

tency of communication from different locations in my house to different locations in the city. I arrived at a suitable solution and then installed one in the CAD gallery on 18th street in Chicago and got on an airplane.

In San Francisco, I contacted a friend of mine in The Mission District. She arranged an exhibition at the arts education gallery called Cell Space (which coincidentally is also on 18th street). All evening, audience members in Chicago got live reports from my vacation. from 1500 miles away two 18th street educational art galleries were connected via travel sculpture.

LANGUAGETRAVELof


Introductory Essay - CREATIVE PRODUCTION 61Objects - CREATIVE PRODUCTION


THE VIDEO SUITCASETelecommunication Sculpture

(((1500 MILES)))

mac

62


mac



truck-jector

recycled sculptures

Living the River Green - LooptopiaIntroducing a multi-media inter-agency recycling program

64


live performers

crowds

Chicago River - Wacker & WabashMay 2nd 2008

65


TRUCK-JECTOR

This was a very ambitious project and it’s potential lies deep within its conceptual construct. Tom Laport, with the City of Chicago Water Department proposed a large-scale multi-arts celebration of the natural elements in the city, specifically the Chicago River.

He contacted me (a video artist and art professor), Dominic Johnson (an orchestra leader), Koko Pauli (a clothing de-signer), and Steven Kishmohr (an architect and chairman of Chicago’s AIA, American Institute of Architecture). We met with the Chicago Loop Alliance, United Parcel Service,

Living The River Green – LOOPTOPIA, Wacker & Wabash

the Mayor’s Office for Special Events and the artistic direc-tors of the annual Looptopia all-night downtown art event. We were trying to hatch a plan in which, we would create an artwork about recycling that kicked off a functioning recycling partnership.

By the end of the meeting, we came up with a very simple plan. UPS would use its trucks to pick up recyclables from Loop Alliance businesses (that they already drop off packages to) and deliver them to a nearby blue bin. Loop businesses would prepare the returns, UPS would deliver



them, and we would tell everybody about it. We made a simple change that created a functioning loop, and we wanted to celebrate it – communicate it and encourage it.

We would demonstrate the process by having UPS drop off the first loads of recyclables to be turned into sculptures by artists and architects on the riverfront for the Looptopia event. The sights and the sounds of artists celebrating the natural beauty of the city would surround the sculptures. My contribution was a hybrid UPS Truck-jector (interactive video trucks). UPS provided the big brown trucks and we covered the back gate with projection material and hid a video projector in the cab. I contracted several local video artists to compose content for the vehicles. I also asked students from my classes at Saint Xavier University to contribute.

Two trucks were installed outside on the corner of Wacker and Wabash. Inside one of the trucks was Chuck Prysbl, a local VJ and video artist, the other, a group of UIC grad students. The video in the rear of the trucks flashed in time with the music and performances going on around it. Although it rained that evening, hundred of people braved the elements to view our sculptures and the accompanying fire and music performances.


68 CREATIVE PRODUCTION - Introductory Essay68 CREATIVE PRODUCTION - Objects


I refer to this process as video-printmaking because it incorporates the multiple plates often necessary to create a complex printed image and the dimension of duration, intrinsic to the video medium.

Many printmaking techniques involve the use of sev-eral individual plates, often one for each different color. When these plates are each inked and their individual parts are brought together on the paper, you see the completed image. In video printmaking, the different layers function a bit differently. Instead of each plate offering a different color, each plate offers a different plane of focus. As the camera’s auto-focus jumps from layer to layer, the viewer sees each plane for a mo-ment and their mind completes the image.

How it WorksIn order to create the focus shifting effect, two things are necessary. First, it is necessary for the plates to be at different distances from the camera. Second, a strobe is necessary to trigger the cameras focus jump. I designed several different versions of an apparatus that would accomplish this. The first was little more than a CD rack and television with bad vertical hold. The plates were CD JEWEL cases with parts of the image printed on transparency. The TV’s scrolling ver-tical lines created a throbbing light that made the cam-era reconsider which layer to focus on, and did so to a consistent beat. By adjusting the V-hold knob on the TV I could reset the speed of the throb and therefore the tempo of the video. I have since fabricated a 5 foot wooden version and have assisted in the creation of a clear three-foot table top model made from plexi-glass.

History Whistle and BeyondThe first video I created using the video-printmaking technique was titled History Whistle. The image was dissected into many layers. When brought together, it resembled a dial or clock. It was originally a painting that I made for Ralph Barton for Easter. I chose to translate that one because he had made the strange statement that it would make a really great video. I decided to take the challenge. I have since made several videos using this strategy and the throbbing focus shift has become a trademark style of Rook-TV (see ROOK-TV). I have also taught this process to several other artists and have seen it utilized in both gallery and commercial applications.

VIDEOPRINTMAKING



VIDEO CLOTHESDressing Light – Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago

For several years, I have collaborated on art and design projects with Belgium Fashion Designer and School of the Art Institute Fashion Instructor Anke Loh.

She initially contacted me after seeing my video at the Chicago Cultural Center’s Flavors of Fashion Exhibition (see Food & Fashion). She asked me to help her catalog her student’s projects in my VJ style for a fashion show at Macy’s at the end of the semester. I designed 3 videos that played between each of the runway projects. The videos received very fa-vorable reviews from her colleagues, students and families instigating several conversations about future collaborations.



The most interesting of those collaborations was Video Clothes, wearable art that included LED screens sewn into shear black evening dresses. She made the dresses and I composed a series of animations about Chicago’s Red line train.

As the models moved around the room, red lines and text streamed across their bodies. The show premiered at ONE NORTH WACKER a downtown offi ce build-ing with a 3-story glass atrium. Our models moved from one sculpture stand to another while large videos projected a city montage. The show then moved to the Chicago Cultural Center in downtown for a month long exhibition. Routers covered the show and stories ap-peared on NPR and in Chicago Magazine.



The TV-STICK is a puppet or a mask or a staff or a weapon depending on what image is on the screen and how you are carrying it. I have carried it in parades, displayed it in galler-ies, and choreographed it for dancers.

It originated in a series of sketches leading up to a perfor-mance, in which we were mixing tribal drummers with danc-ers and video projection. The TV STICK mirrored a weapon, torch or tribal staff.

Three months later, PRDF took part in the Museum of Con-temporary Art’s Version>03 Digital Arts Festival. PEOPLES

REVIVAL OF DIGITAL FAITH was the PRDF contribution and it used the TV STICK in a different way. This time, it became a ‘spiritual’ video offering to the revival crowd, (see PRDF@MCA).

Later that year, the TV STICK was re-purposed once again for involvement in a site-specific video installation / perfor-mance at Wilson Farmstead Meat Packing Plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In this piece, the TV STICK operated as a mask, or puppet displaying the faces of past workers as they told stories of their trials and tribulations.

The video transmitter is the most effective strategy and the research was the direct result of working as a stage techni-cian on a large multimedia production called MERCY, which

Performance Sculpture

TV-STICK



featured two art legends Ann Hamilton and Meredith Monk. In the performance, video cameras were located all over the stage and performers. Some were in the ac-tor’s mouth, others on the tips of pencils. All of the video was then transmitted backstage mixed and projected back out to a large screen. The technology was new and unpredictable but over the course of the production, I learned many tricks and strategies for the best use of video transmission within performance.

Other plans for the TV STICK include A TV FAMILY with different sticks of different heights conversing around a dinner table. And THE TV SOLDIER, a project that would include several TV STICKS in a gun rack or marching with soldier faces on the screens.

This is How it WorksThe TV-STICK is a very simple sculpture. A small television is fixed to a wooden pole via simple pipe joints. The TV is battery powered and the video feed can come from several different sources.Video TransmitterWireless video input from DVD, laptop, or VCRPortable Video DeviceCable from the performers belt or pocketSmall Live CameraBattery Powered & Fixed to the top



JIGSAW LOOPPuzzles made from photos of paintings made from puzzles



JIGSAW LOOP

I was asked to attend a class that Mike Nourse was of-fering at CAD, designed around creative presentation of photography. This was a departure from our usual theme driven classes so I decided to see what he was up to. The exhibition requirement for the class stayed the same. We had 4 weeks to workshop our projects before the regular Second Friday gallery open-house.

I wanted to explore interactive output of photography. I decided to try printing photos as jigsaw puzzles so that people could assemble them during the exhibition. My first impulse was to photograph some of my newest paint-ings because the way I assemble them is very similar to the process of assembling a jigsaw puzzle. I wanted the viewer to have the same experience with the puzzles that I had creating the paintings.

During the weekly critiques, I had a difficult time commu-nicating that idea and most of the students in the class thought I was trying to stretch a concept that most viewers would miss. I thought back to a project that I had done several years back. I assembled a jigsaw puzzle, flipped it over, did a painting on the backside, broke the puzzle into several quadrants and fixed them to masonite. Most of these puzzle paintings were distributed to friends but one remained on my wall. I decided that this painting was far more appropriate subject matter for this photo series

than the Britannica paintings. I photographed the painting above from several angles and utilized an online jigsaw service to print them. The final pieces were called Jigsaw Loop: a puzzle of a photo of a painting on a puzzle.

Interesting true fact: A group of 5 women, all teachers from different neighborhoods in Chicago, met for the first time at the puzzle table that evening and spent an hour and a half completing one of my puzzles.


76 CREATIVE PRODUCTION - Performance76

77Performance - CREATIVE PRODUCTION

PERFORMANCE78

84

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90

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96

98

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Rook - TV ..................................

Rook @ CMGF ...........................

Lollapalooza ..............................

Earth Day / Earth Night .............

Fashion Shows ...........................

Transamoeba .............................

Super-Fun Movie House ...............

Musical Performance ..................

Travel Shows ............................

77

78 CREATIVE PRODUCTION - Performance

I create artworks in many formats. My most prolifi c media are painting, video and song writing. I have composed nearly one hundred paintings this year and have sold many. I am currently fi nishing an album of 15 new rock songs and have performed them live at galleries and open mics all over Chicago. Yet, I am still known best in my community and am afforded the most travel opportunities as a VJ. A VJ is an artist that performs (remixing, recomposing and effecting) video in real time with live musicians (often DJs).

This type of artwork happens to be an interesting com-bination of music and painting. A VJ is responsible for composing in length and width like a painter, and in time like a musician. The reactionary editing of the VJ makes their art form different from that of a fi lmmaker, it is much more improvisational.

I have used the tools and techniques of the VJ to create either massive immersive video environments that fi ll the viewers’ entire periphery or simple contextual backdrops for multimedia performances. This art form changes dramatically based on the venue. When I am compos-ing for a theater, fashion show or rock stage, I might be in charge of delivering important plot points or in some cases, the entire narrative versus when composing for a nightclub / party environment, I must consider my art-work moving décor for the room.

My video content and the software technology that I teach in Computer Graphics and Multimedia become very portable when driven by a laptop, Oxygen8 (a small 2 octave MIDI- USB keyboard), and a video projector. This system can be set up in about 5 minutes in nearly any venue with electricity and an empty wall or screen. This style of fast cutting video mixes very nicely with many different types of music provided by the venues DJ or band. During the past years, I have performed in countless venues, bringing this unique (though recently widely accepted) art-form to the public. I do shows rang-ing from the high paying corporate gig, to the pro bono fund-raiser.

ROOK-TVLIVE VIDEO PERFORMANCE

“This system can be set up in about 5 minutes in

nearly any venue with electricity and an empty

wall or screen. “



The name ROOK–TV began as a name associated with my strictly commercial projects, in order to differentiate between projects where I had complete creative control and those where I am just designing somebody else’s idea. However, since being hired full time at SXU, I do my best to receive as much creative liberty on every project that I take, ROOK-TV and Nathan Peck are now essentially synonymous in my creative circles.

Two recurring themes in my classrooms are collabo-ration and the mixing of analog and digital art forms. Both of these elements also appear in my personal re-search and creative development. I have worked, in the past year, with singers, dancers, acrobats, graphic designers, programmers, cameramen, art historians, surgeons, violinists, fire spinners, djs, models, curators, gallerists, ceramicists and more.

This marks the end of my 7th year teaching at SXU and my 7th year of relentless exhibition based in Chicago. Below is a summary of the highlights from the last year. Not included are dozens of one-night engagements at nightclubs, private events and parties all over the city wherein, I was the featured visual artist. I have includ-ed a brief description of each of the events highlighting a particular aspect of each multi-faceted collaboration or exhibition. I don’t necessarily consider these to be the only interesting creative activity, but happened to have garnered the most publicity and peer review.

79



PEIDAY-SOUTHSIDE-SWITCH

PEIDAY-GRAFFITI-ITI

PEIDAY-DIVISION

PEIDAY-ASHLAND-ARMITAGE

PEIDAY-BOY-GIRL-TRAIN

PEIDAY-SOUTHSIDE-BETTER

A VJ has many options for collecting video. Some-times, I do an entire show using only live cameras. Usually though, I like to have prerecorded content to mix and scrub (to adjust the speed of fast forward and rewind in time with music).

Prerecorded content comes in three varieties: pop cul-ture, personal footage, and friends’ video art. My col-lection includes hundreds of examples of each. The images on this page are from one series of personal footage called PEIDAY.

There are several obvious benefits to each type of content. And I believe that it is a purely stylistic de-cision left up to the artist. Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg opened the door to commentary on pop culture through creative remixing in the 1960s. Hip Hop took off a decade and a half later and sampling has been a part of the creative menu ever since.

VJ ARTISTRY:CREATION vs

COLLECTION



PEIDAY - SOUTHSIDE-BETTER

I enjoy shooting short films. I don’t, however, enjoy film festivals. I enjoy the ability to perform the same short film in a different way every time I present it. The two things that change the meaning or mood of a video more than anything else, are tempo and the sound track. The images on this page switch from sul-len to belligerent, depending on whether you have U2 or 50 Cent on the speakers. At every performance, I am able to tell very different stories with the same content by reacting to the music and choosing the best order and speed to perform them.



This page describes my favorite Rook-TV shows not mentioned elsewhere. This list includes exhibitions at galleries, nightclubs and studio lofts around Chicago.

1. LOCALE SUNDAYSLocation: Rodan - Wicker ParkI was invited by Caton Volk, video producer / curator / promoter, to perform at the live video night at Rodan on twelve different occasions over it’s two-year run. I was also invited to perform for the 100th anniversary of the weekly event.

This particular weekly became synonymous with fresh music, art, and conversation. The room became more and more crowded every week, with the most exciting electronic artists and curious Wicker Park scensters. Out of all the events that I have done in Chicago, this regular opportunity to plug into my chosen audience provided me with the most consistent critical feedback and enthusiastic appreciation for my artwork. This event was also pivotal in introducing a large audience to the medium of VJ. In the time since Locale started and eventually ended, dozens of nearby, Wicker Park ven-ues have introduced video projectors and opportunities for visual artists to perform.

2. MF CHICAGOLocation: Subterranean – Wicker ParkI was also excited to perform at my other favorite Wicker Park venue, Subterranean, (recently remodeled to include video projection). In the time since Rodan’s LOCALE event ended, this has become the new venue to serve as a regular summit for like-minded video artists and often spurs new technical or artistic projects.

3. BIG IN TEXASLocation: Texas Ballroom - Bridgeport7 DJs were scheduled for one evening at Texas Ballroom and I was asked to find 7 VJs to match up with the musicians. Two huge video projections would occupy the walls of this 6000 sq ft, two and a half story loft. Two Saint Xavier students, Laura Dagys and Stephen Lewkow, were among the seven VJ’s that I collected. The event was a unique teaching envi-ronment because although the students had rehearsed their performances, they had never performed them outside of the classroom. At Texas, they had a chance to perform in front of several hundred people.

4. REMIXERS LOUNGELocation: SmartBar - WrigleyvilleI was invited by Galina Schevechenko, video artist / promoter to guest host several evenings of video at the uptown Smart-Bar (the nightclub below The Metro, rock venue). Each eve-ning was entirely different as the events upstairs often brought a very different crowd down with them after the show. My personal highlight was performing video with the members of LCD Sound System (top 40 rock /dance fusion band).

TOP TENROOKVJGIGSTV



5. SPECTACLE - with Creative ChaosLocations: Funky Buddha, Sonoteque – Near North On many occasions, ROOK-TV and Creative Chaos ( Aaron Edwards - Tim Shoen) work together. Creative Chaos has a very similar video performance strategy as ROOK-TV but chooses to secure more long-term venues. Funky Buddha, and Sonoteque offer regular weekly events that Creative Chaos hosts.

Over the past 6 years, I have performed with Aaron more than any other VJ. We taught each other many tricks and collaborated on shoots and share a lot of footage. At one particular performance of his, in which I was not perform-ing, I walked into Grant Park at dusk to see him projecting a video that I had created years ago. The video was of the Sears Tower from several different angles around the city. He was projecting this pulsing video on two 40-foot screens and the Sears Tower was framed perfectly between them.

6. IMVF - Independent Music Video FestivalLocation: Subterranean – Wicker ParkVideo curator, Caton Volk was presenting an evening of progressive independent music videos. He decided that he also wanted to include live video artists as they often perform video for music. I was invited to perform with one of the bands.

7. SPUNDAELocation: Excalibur / Vision night club - LoopFive different occasions, I shared the stage with world class DJ’s at Chicago’s Largest night club. Thousands of people danced below the $10,000 video system under my control.

8. URBAN DIALECTICLocation: Congress Theater - Logan SquareThe Congress Theater is a 3000 seat concert hall. Urban Dialectic was a 3 day music and urban youth culture conference. The kick-off to the conference was held at Congress Theater with 20+ musical acts. I was invited to enhance both the theater as well as the grand entryway with video.

I called Creative Chaos and a number of students to take part in the planning and performing. Colin Luce from Saint Xavier University and Pei San Ng & KS Rives from Chicago Art Department, all took part in the evenings performance.

9. IGNITE: a GEN-ART Event Location: Kaleidoscope - West LoopGEN-ART is a leading arts and entertainment orga-nization dedicated to showcasing emerging fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians, and visual artists. With offices in New York, Los Angeles, San Francis-co, Miami, and Chicago, Gen Art produces over 100 events annually ranging from week long film festivals, to massive star-studded fashion shows, DJ competi-tions, art exhibitions, multimedia events, and more. For the IGNITE event, I was in charge of the video artists that were going to perform. Three Chicago Art Department students were among the artists.

10. EntheonLocation: VariousChicago Burning Man Community Events



ROOKLocation: Daily Planet – NBC Tower - LoopThis annual festival in it’s 5th year, took place in several different big name post-production studios around town, arriving at Daily Planet in NBC tower for the final night. I was invited by video curator and Art Institute motion graphics professor, Mason Dixon, to perform for the closing reception.

I arrived to discover that I was performing in an all-red video cave. There were about 30 video monitors and hundreds of switches and I was wearing a red-hooded sweatshirt, so was the DJ. We performed with our hoods on for about three hours on the 23rd floor, with a view of the lake and a blizzard outside. We featured lots of videos of fire, fire-spinners, fireplaces and fireworks, attempting to keep the video fire stoked for our winter guests.

Chicago Motion Graphics Festival 2007 @84 CREATIVE PRODUCTION - Performance


Location: Society for the Arts - BucktownThe following year, My good friend, Mason Dixon, hosted his annual Motion Graphics Festival again, calling on all the local, national and international talent that he could corral. The event spanned 10 days and culminated in an Interactive Installation showcase at The Society for the Arts in Bucktown.

This event served as both a showcase and a summit for some of the most interesting, creative inventors and collaborators. I was invited to VJ on the monster main screen and connect our event with an event in Los Angeles via Video Chat. Caton Volk, the cofounder of LOCALE Sundays, weekly VJ exhibition, started a similar event in L.A. He was also breaking new ground in the area of online performance with his project called Top Floor Live. Our Chicago event was connected with his L.A. event and artists and audience members in both cities could chat and mingle.

CMGFChicago Motion Graphics Festival 2008@



CMGF WORKSHOPS - Guest InstructorTransamoeba – South Loop

In addition to performing at the final event of the CMGF, I was also tapped to lead several workshops. Most of the participants in these workshops were professional motion designers, my job was not to cover foundational material. I was responsible for showing these video composers the underground art form of video performance (VJ).

I transformed our downtown studio into a multistage ani-mation creation center and video performance laboratory. I collected a wide range of the industries best interactive video software and tried to draw conceptual lines between the tools that they are already familiar with and these new on-the-fly approaches. Although the products of this one-day workshop were not quite museum-ready masterpieces, the attendees learned quite a bit and several have linked me to projects in which they utilized the information that I delivered.



Electronic Sophistication: Series 3 Lake Shore Theater - Lakeview

To promote the CMGF08 events, Mason Dixon also organized a screening / lecture series at the Lakeshore Theater. For each event, he brought in a different video artist or motion designer to discuss their current projects and the state of the art.

I presented my most recent interactive video sculptures and cross-country-video-drawing experi-ments that I did in San Francisco / Chicago in the previous summer. I also discussed my Chicago Art Department projects and their role as community arts projects. The evening wrapped up with a discussion of a proposed community action between organizations such as CAD and SXU and Mason’s affiliations with SAIC and MIT. This project is called SCRIBBLE TV and is designed as an Internet television project where students contribute time-based artworks and help search for the ‘best of the net’ video and motion graphics. The ideal output would be on kiosk style monitors where users could not only watch the content curated by students but also contribute / upload content for consideration.


88 CREATIVE PRODUCTION - Performance88 CREATIVE PRODUCTION - Performance


LOLLAPALOOZAGRANT PARK, CHICAGOI returned from a performance in San Francisco last year to find an invitation, tickets and wristbands for all of Lollapalooza, Chicago’s lake side summer rock spectacle. The annual Lollapalooza event invites several hundred musical and several dozen visual artists to Grant Park to engage and entertain hundreds of thousands of rock and roll fans over three days.

My job was to project video onto two 40-foot geodesic half-domes created by a group of Burning Man artists. I helped install the enormous architecture, complete with parachute skins, and each night would install multiple video projections in different configurations to both enhance the sculpture and draw interest to our ‘camp’. The primary function of these enormous struc-tures was to provide a space for people to get in and out of the sun or rain. Two out of the three nights it rained at some point and during the days the thermometer climbed well over one hundred degrees. Needless to say we had enormous crowds.

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EDGE OF THE EARTH St. Andrews Greek Orthodox Church - Edgeview

This event was both an Earth Day celebration and a fundraiser for Pilgrim Baptist Choir (who recently lost their church to a fire).

I performed video on two large screens while another VJ controlled ceiling projections and still another performed on a screen in the center of the stage. The piece came to a finale when our video spectacle met a viola, flute, and turntable trio, performing with the Baptist Choir and the SPUN fire dancers.

EARTH DAY 2006



DAISY WORLD with DJ SPOOKY Hot House - South Loop

I was invited to VJ at an Earth Day event by some of the same promot-ers of last years EDGE of THE EARTH show in Edgewater. This year,

the event was at the Hot House, a South Loop performing arts venue.The event featured the internationally renowned Hip Hop and Electronic artist,

DJ Spooky - also a music professor in Switzerland. Several artists and musicians performed a composition based on James Lovelock’s Daisy World. I followed with a 45-minute improvisational video jam trying to

keep up with the super fast cuts of DJ Spooky on the turntables.

EARTH NIGHT 2007.



FASHION SHOWS


FLAVOR FOR FASHIONChicago Cultural CenterDowntownThe city of Chicago operates a center downtown where people can come and experience master-pieces of art, theater, music, food, and fashion from a variety of cultures. I was very flattered to receive a phone call from the Chicago Cultural Center ask-ing if I could contribute my art-form to one of their presentations. I performed live video art on a screen while a DJ performed live music for a runway show based on collaborations between fashion designers and chefs. Several TV news stations covered the event.

Svedka FUTURE FASHIONWest LoopAfter my first, very eclectic, foray into fashion I was pleased to be invited by the director of Flavor for Fashion, to work on a commercial project with SVEDKA VODKA. They were producing an event that would introduce their product and ad campaign to the Chicago market and buyers. I was in charge of a creating a video fashion show, using their aes-thetic of retro-future-chic and animating imagery that their design team had generated for print ads.

SAIC FASHION 2006Marshal FieldsLoopAnother off-shoot of the Flavor for Fashion event was a call from the Fashion Department at the School of the Art Institute. They had seen my perfor-mance at the Chicago Cultural Center and wanted me to help them with a documentary project. I found dancers to model the garments and shot the video in the same room it would be presented in. The fast-paced video montage debuted at a runway event at Marshal Fields in April of 2006.

LUMALIVE: Design - Style PilsenUsually a couple of times a year, I get a call from one of my favorite clients, Anke Loh, a professor of Fashion at the School of the Art Institute. In the past, we collaborated on several experimental art / fashion projects, such as video-garments and contextual video installation. I have also produced several video portfolios and documentaries of her work as design jobs. In winter 2007, she con-tracted me to design a video narrative for a series of garments that she had recently created. The interesting part of this project was the interaction between the collaborators. This project was done almost completely over the internet. I never met the photographer, layout designer or models. Most of them lived in Belgium. Anke was the modera-tor and translator. I was the motion designer and the projectionist. The video was shown in a giant warehouse in Pilsen, along with two-dozen furni-ture, fashion and graphic designers. It was also on display on 3 giant plasma screens for a month at the Chicago Tourism Center, in downtown.


When I first moved to Chicago, one of the few people that I knew, Ralph Barton, suggested that I check out Transamoeba as soon as possible. He likened this space to Warhol’s New York Factory of the 1960’s. I at-tended several art events there and realized what Ralph had been trying to explain. This studio seemed to be the center of a very substantial art scene in Chicago. Artists of many different skill and media met regularly to swap art and stories, and share the responsibility of entertainment.

Two years later, a completely unrelated project brought me back to Transamoeba, (see Workshift). Since then, this 3000 square foot loft in the South Loop has been MY creation factory. The studio is shared by as many as seven different artists at any given moment and the

crowd changes regularly. This room plays host to crowds of 300 or more, fairly regularly and the audience always expects the place to have changed dramatically every time. Among the events, there have been fashion shows, gallery exhibitions, open mic’s, salons and several very non-traditional weddings. Electronic musicians and digital visual artists consider this place a second home. Many of the large-scale events listed in this book were con-ceived, executed, or staged at Transamoeba. Many of the collaborators discussed in this text, met for the first time at Transamoeba. I formed my first rock band there (see ROOK ROCK) and have since recorded dozens of tracks. In the winter of 2005, we designed an art school out of the eclectic art tools that were unlike any traditional art school anywhere (see CAD). Listed here are several of my favor-ite Transamoeba events.

TRANSAMOEBA South-Loop Intermedia Studio & Creativity Factory

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Event: Salon DelavoOn many occasions, the resident artists at Transamoeba hosted art-making events. We called them salons after the French tradition, in which the participants sought to “in-crease their knowledge through conversation, participation and readings, often consciously following Horace’s defini-tion of the aims of poetry, “to please and educate” (aut de-lectare aut prodesse est). The Stein Salon was The First Museum of Modern Art, by James R. Mellow.

Our salonnière was Deb Vogt, best known for her jewelry and martini menu. Each Salon centered around a different combination of artists / media and always drew a wide vari-ety of participants. These salons were pivotal in keeping our reputation as a create space as opposed to a party venue. People figured out fairly quickly that they were supposed to make something if they came to Transamoeba.

Event: ARTEC painting and video event This event brought together two very interesting art scenes, the Transamoeba & CAD group and the Buddy & Heaven Gallery group. The result of this collaboration has since spawned an organization called EQUALIZE THE ARTS, dedicated to bringing together members of many other art organizations to create citywide art events.

Event: RES FEST - Opening Night ReceptionRes Magazine sponsors an annual world tour of innova-tive digital artwork. The tour has two main aims. One goal is to promote the time-based artwork that they re-lease on DVD with their magazines. The other agenda is to find up-and-coming digital talent from all around the world to promote in future events.

I was invited by video curator, Mike Nourse, to repre-sent Chicago in an evening showcasing the best VJs and DJs in town. Each VJ was paired with a DJ and the audio / video collaborations were presented on several screens and speakers throughout Transamoeba.

Audience members leaving the RES FEST event at The Museum of Contemporary Art received free admission to our exclusive opening night reception. Several cura-tors, directors nd presenting artists were in attendance.

I also displayed my interactive video art / game ROOK-TV. Res contacted me after the event and expressed interest in showing ROOK-TV as part of the 06 / 07 Res Fest Tour.



SUPER FUN MOVIE HOUSE



CHICAGO VJ SUMMITTransamoeba: South-LoopDuring the two-year long, LOCALE, Sunday’s residency at Rodan, a strong community of VJ’s formed in Chicago. After over 100 straight weekly events ,the founders of LOCALE were abruptly relocated to Los Angeles and LOCALE left with them, enjoying an additional 2 years there.

The vacuum created by their exodus, left the need for alternative VJ sum-mits. The weekly event, in addition to being a visual showcase was also a teaching and learning situation in which artists’ swapped software and hardware advice. Super Fun Movie House was an event that was held to fill this gap. Dozens of VJ’s showed up to swap clips and learn the newest tricks.


MUSICAL PERFORMANCEIn the fall of 2003, I invited a student, Colin Luce to my studio to work on a faculty Student Collaborative Grant project. At the end of our meeting, he asked to use the drum kit set up in the corner. Within min-utes, several other resident artist materialized and a band was quickly formed. Mike Nourse brought the Montreal Garage sound and DC indie rocker, Nat Soti, brought the Grunge. I sang and performed video. Several months later, we added Chicago bassist Jennifer Rosenthal, to round out the sound.

During Hive of Fives (H-o-5) lifetime, the band functioned in two ways, first as the Transamoeba house band for any event that required music. It also allowed all of it’s members to learn the basics of rock banding, from musical collaboration to stage presence.

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT - CADTransamoeba – South LoopAll of the members of the band took part in the Chicago Art Department (see CAD in Service Section). The topic chosen for the first CAD exhibit was “love it or leave it”. For the CAD open house, Hive of Fives performed a thirty-minute piece titled “Lover Leaver”. I performed a video accompaniment that told the story of our lost loves.

STREET STUDIES - SXU & CADSXU – Mount GreenwoodHive of Fives was made up of SXU and CAD students and faculty. In the spring of 2006, both groups were making art about streets. The advanced Sound & Video class at SXU was composing artworks in sound and video, for an end of semester stage show, called CAD & SXU Street Studies - A Chicago Intersection. Hive of Fives was slated for the final performance of the evening and we performed a 15 minute musical and visual medley about Paulina Street, the O’Hare Blue Line and Belmont Avenue.

Performance - CREATIVE PRODUCTION 99

RECORDINGSAfter about two and a half years, Hive of Fives devolved into several side projects. I began work-ing with a fellow Transamoeba artist, Deb Vogt, on a series of songs based on our old poetry. We found several opportunities to perform and re-cord before she moved to Los Angeles. Several of these songs have become sound tracks to my videos.

I have since recorded and performed dozens of songs in different studios and stages around the city. I have also released two albums of all origi-nal content that merge rock, country & electronic styles and instrumentation.

Rook Ruckus - up-tempo digital rock Rook Rumors - down-tempo acoustic ballads

SOLO PROJECTS


Dusseldorf Choir & Ice Cream Truck Digital-Musical Composition

COLLABORATIVE MUSICAL COLLECTIONS


TRAVEL PROJECTSOaxaca, Mexico Florence, ItalyThassaloniki, GreeceSkopia, MacedoniaNew York CitySan Francisco


MEXICO SHOOT OAXACA, MEXICOI spent two weeks shooting video in Mexico in the summer of 2004. I shot most of the video vertically in order to end up with tall thin video projections. The content was shot for a video to accompany a song about Juarez City Mexico by Billy Serrano for MTV Espana. I chose to shoot in Oaxaca becuase Juarez has become quite dan-gerous.

The song is about the true story of the murder of hundreds of Mexican woman. The police seem to be doing suspiciously little to help solve the crimes and the city has appealed to artists to help communicate their plight. One of my students, Ar-turo Galan, introduced me to this issue. We col-laborated with Billy Serano to host an exhibition ito raise awareness the previous year.

This project became the inspiration for a class that I would later propose called Documentario Italiano - The art of Video Storytelling on the Road.


HOSTEL AUDIENCE IMPROVISED VIDEO SCREENINGSOstello Archi Rossi, Albergo San GiovaniFlorence, Italy I intended to go to Florence for a five-day study abroad conference in preparation for a course called Documentario Italiano that I was going to be offering the following summer. (see docu-mentario Italiano - Teaching) I was informed only days before that the program was canceled due to a failed contract negotiation. I had a non-re-fundable ticket and a substitute teacher, so I went anyway.

I decided that I would attempt to complete the one month course that I had proposed in one week - including exhibition of the project, which-was instrumental to the course that I proposed. I created a series of stories focusing on sculptures as main charachters. I had them deliver lines of dialogue. I shot and edited my work and began looking for exhibition venues.I printed a few post-ers and drew a crowd of about twenty at Albergo San Giovanni a Hostel with a large courtyard.

The sevond presentation was two days later when I got permission to project a huge image onto the front facade of Archi Rossi Hostel. One image that stands out was from Gross Anatomy in which the image of the Mona Lisa is contoured to the shape of Digital Girl’s body. This image was intended to represent the artistic ideal of beauty in the original performance but took on a different historical meaning when projected huge on a building in Renaissance Florence, Leonardo DaVinci’s hometown.



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INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONIC ARTS FESTIVALSkopia, Macedonia

This event was curated by my gallery, Drive Thru Studios (Eric Medine & Ralph Barton), and ran from October 1 - 9, 2004. The events took place at several galleries, museums and nightclubs in Skopia, Macedo-nia. Several of my newest video compositions were a part of this event including ‘Dance French’, ‘Basin Revisited’, and ‘PeiDay’.

DRIVE THRU - FLY THRUThassaloniki, Greece

As a part of the European tour, the Drive Thru Crew stopped and did a video performance in Thessaloniki, Greece. The same video composi-tions mentioned above were screened but with local musicians provid-ing a new sound track.


ZOO STATION San Francisco Slims, 21st Amendment

On three occasions I flew to San Francisco to add video to an extremely well received theatrical multi-media rock show. My most recent trip to was for an encore performance at Slims. Our previous event had drawn a substantial crowd and the owners wanted my video to be a part of their return show. The band ZOO STATION were doing a series of songs celebrating the 10th anniversary of U2’s ZOO-TV tour. This particular rock tour was celebrated for it’s large-scale show that seamlessly combined im-age, sound and text. We wanted to simulate that strategy for this show. We added 6 televisions to the large video projection screen that we had used in our previous show several months earlier.

I cut up U2 videos from that era and we made text animations rel-evant to our time to add to their texts from their time. I composed with these text and image clips on the 7 screens with a MIDI video controller live in time with their guitars and drums. As this was an encore performance to our spring 2005 show, we were widely publicized on the San Francisco radio stations and about 900 people turned out for the show. A line formed around the block.

THE LAST ANALOGBrooklyn, New York

Galapagos Art SpaceMy good friend, Chris Hales (aka DJ Tapedek) arranged an event at Galapagos Art Space in Williamsburg Brook-lyn. Being a Hartford native he wanted to bring together several of his favorite East Coast collaborators to do a Chicago style A/V set.

Gallapagos Art Space was the perfect environment to create a relaxed theater style situation. Tapedek was also celebrating his last official all-analog set. From that point further, he would be showcasing his new digital turntable system.

While in New York, I did a bit of research and discov-ered that I was staying less than three blocks from a recently discovered Jon Michel Basquiat / Fab5Freddy mural. I arranged for an appointment to view the mural, which was undergoing careful relocation to the Guggen-heim. I watched the same preservationists that tend to Renaissance frescos contend with spray paint on sheet rock. The most fascinating thing is that this archeologi-cal find was less than 25 years old.


ZOO STATIONSlims - San Francisco

112 CREATIVE PRODUCTION - Geography 112

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Looptopia - Art School ................

PRDF@MCA .............................

Red Cabinet Theater ..................

Montana Artist Residency ...........

Workshift .................................

Fear of Falling ..........................

Privacy ....................................

Gross Anatomy ..........................

DIRECTORIAL114

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114 CREATIVE PRODUCTION - Directorial114 CREATIVE PRODUCTION - Directorial

115Directorial - CREATIVE PRODUCTION

We turned Chicago’s premier downtown ballroom into a massive one-room schoolhouse for late-night artists.


117Directorial - CREATIVE PRODUCTION 117Directorial - CREATIVE PRODUCTION

118 CREATIVE PRODUCTION - Directorial

At the same meeting in which the plan for the River was hatched, ( See Truckjector) we were told of another spot that Looptopia was trying to fill. Our Dream Team of city plan-ners, downtown business people and underground artists had made quick work of solving the first problem, leaving us with a bit of time to help them solve their second problem. The river event was planned for 8-11pm but they were also looking to fill a 1-4am slot with something fun, conceptually interesting, and above all, interactive.

The location was to be the parking ramp under Millennium Park. I quickly suggested the Round Robin art warm-up that we have done for the first day of many CAD classes, (5-10 stations with different art media to experience looking at the same still life or model). We evolved the idea to include wear-able and competitive art forms.

After months of meetings, budgets, footprints and relocations, we ended up with an art school in one of the most elegant ballrooms in Chicago. The art stations were designed to be cumulative, the Cut & Paste ‘Zine station lead to the T-Shirt Station which lead to the Photo Fashion Show Station.

The entire event was free and open to the public. Participants left having experimented with a dozen art forms, wearing a t-shirt they either silk-screened or image-pressed, a mask they designed, and a collage on their new metal water bottle. They also contributed to a stop-motion version of Exquisite Corpse, and got their photo and collage in our magazine. Our event was the last one to shut down and collected the largest sus-tained population of any of the late night events. Hundreds of images and videos appeared the next day on youtube and facebook. Our event was also featured heavily on the official Looptopia site.

I directed this event. I worked with the city’s largest produc-tion company (Jack Morton: they do the Olympics), one of the most elegant historical hotels in the city (everyone knows the Palmer House), and was given a budget for one evening that matched my annual salary (and I came in $5 under budget). Approximately one thousand people came to the art school and made something that night. I had the pleasure of hiring close to one hundred artists, performers and musicians to make the event happen, (this included a dozen Saint Xavier University students).



PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF DELICIOUS FOOD (PRDF) was an artist collective that operated through a list serve, when an event was proposed, e-mails and phone calls went out. In some cases people showed up to impor-vise , adding their unique artform to create a happening. In other cases there would be two to three weeks of re-hearsals before the event to generate a more sophisti-cated plan. This was one of the latter.

PRDF was contacted by Ed at Lumpen to take part in a new inter/multi media event called VERSION. We ac-cepted his invitation on the spot because it was to be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Myself being a contemporary Chicago artist, I couldn’t turn down such an offer. However, we were horrified to discover that we were double booked for that evening. We had already agreed to perform video art at another new event called Spundae, to be held at VISION, a converted cathedral nightclub downtown (recently named one of the best mega-clubs in the country by “URB” magazine).

VISION OR VERSION - so we called EVERYBODY in-cluding another arts group called MERCABA and at the first meeting, we divided into two groups. Half would concentrate on Vision, the other Version, though it was understood that everybody would contribute to both. I chose Version. The next few weeks were feverish as we collected artists wrote scripts and created artworks to tell one cohesive story in two of the best rooms in town on the same night.

DIGITAL FAITH became our theme. As we were depend-ing on computers for EVERYTHING and we were per-forming in two cathedrals (one for God and one for art).

AT THE MCA, we created a Revival style performance (aka: the Peoples Revival of Digital Faith), a digital fash-ion show (aka: Our Sunday Best), a pulpit reading of a digitally created text by The Reverend DJ (Untitled) and we offered neuro-feedback sessions (to allow people to see if they had enough faith to connect a computer to their head via electrodes and see their brainwaves).

THE REVIVAL was the last of the evenings events at the MCA and the room was packed. Our revival was a suc-cess because we were able to convert the masses and convince them to follow us down the street for a digital throwdown on the domed ceiling and from the smoke machine drenched balcony, overlooking 4 stories of dancing throngs in the main room of Vision. In all, more than 50 artists were involved with the two events.

I got these photos from the MCA, from Catan Volk a year later. He and Jeff Creath had by chance captured the performance on video from the front row.



PRDF@MCAPeoples Republic of Delicious Food@ The Museum of Contemporary Art


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IN MY VIDEO DOCUMENTKelli Spangler is doing a very analog medi-tation, dripping color into glass pitchers.

The Reverend DJ (Untitled) turns on a camera and light. The room lights up with video projection of the liquid. The medita-tion is now Electrical. As Kelli adds an-other color, the color of the room changes.

Aduni enters with two light stewards, (she has converted to electric) sees Kelli and wants to learn more from her, in order to spread her message.

Reverend J (with the Mohawk) enters with a mass of followers interested in conver-sion. Aduni and her TV and light stewards attempt to reproduce the beauty of Kelli’s analog meditation in electrical media.

WHEN THE MUSIC CHANGES IN THE VIDEO - As the revival progresses, the attempts to communicate the simplicity of the original message become more and more difficult, so Aduni adds digital media messages, to try and convince her follow-ers.

Chaos ensues and miscommunication becomes rampant as electric followers of an analog meditation are accidentally converted to the digital faith. In despera-tion, Aduni calls out for Kelli Reverend J captures Kelli and she is offered as a sacrifice to the digital monster that has been created.


RED CABINET THEATER



In 2001, between graduating from The University of Iowa and being hired at Saint Xavier Univer-sity, I spent three months living and working on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. During this time, I began working with two other U of I alums, Margaret Baldwin and Ralph Barton. They had each taken part in the U of I Intermedia workshop. This unique critical environment encouraged media exploration and mixing disparate art forms in unique ways. Margaret is a playwright and sculptor, Ralph is a performance artist and puppeteer and I am a painter and videographer. We immediately began talking about a project that would occupy the next three to four years and allow us to perform in four different states. Red Cabinet Theater was formed to utilize our range of skills and push the boundaries of live performance.

This is how it worked. Margaret wrote the plays and created the puppet sculptures and mailed them to us in Chicago. We would unpack the ‘play in a box’ and Ralph would get to work de-signing the sets and directing the stage action. The sculptures puppets were often very small, so my job was to install video cameras to cover the stage and control the mix of content pro-jected large on the wall above the action. When everything was in place we would phone Atlanta and Margaret would have a team of voice actors on a conference call to perform the script. Our telephone receiver was resting on a microphone and broadcast over speakers. We called it video-tele-puppetry because it was a hybrid-media that utilized each of these technologies in a way that nobody had ever seen previously.

We performed under the title Red Cabinet in Chicago, Atlanta, Iowa City, and several locations in Montana. At one moment we had performers in three different cities collaborating on one performance.

CROSS–COUNTRY–VIDEO–TELE–PUPPETRYThe First-Ever Documented Example of the Exquisite Hybrid Medium



MONTANA ARTIST RESIDENCY


MONTANA ARTIST REFUGE - I was invited to work with Atlanta Playwright, Margaret Baldwin; Chicago performance artist, Ralph Barton and Montana musician, MJ Williams, on a one-month project in the mining town of Basin between Butte and Helena. Our primary goal was to create a series of new animations for our Red Cabinet Theater Tele-Puppetry project.

RED CABARET – Basin, MontanaAs we finished our animation project, we realized that we would still have a bit of time to present the performance in Montana. We found a venue in the little mining town and collaborated with several of the Refuge Founders to create Red Cabaret: A Multi-media Soirée. Our one-night event drew a large audience and was mentioned briefly in a National Geographic article about the quirky little mountain town.

HELENA TV SHOW – Helena, MontanaThe success of the Multimedia Soirée opened a floodgate of opportunities to ex-hibit our work. First, we were invited to do a live TV performance with the jazz ensemble, States of Matter, on channel 11 HCTV. I opened the show with my ROOK-TV VJ set and we then went through an abbreviated version of our live show.

HELENA SUMMER MEDIA JAM – Helena, MontanaThe live TV show brought us a good deal more attention and an invitation to take

part in the Helena Summer Media Jam in a limestone quarry in the center of town. The projection of our live video performance was spun around the 270-degree walls of the white rock quarry, to create a large immer-sive experience. Video was also projected onto the floor of the quarry offering a unique view from the top rim.

TRACK SIDE - Billings, Montana Finally, I was also invited to take part in a unique exhibition called Track Side. The event featured video artists from all over the country projecting videos on the walls inside and outside of their gallery and on the trains (still and moving) that ran past their massive artist compound.

Having spent much of my life as a painter and video artists, I have a great deal of interest in mixing the two together to create a range of different hybrid medias, most re-cently focusing on duration. For this event, I projected 10 small videos on the 10 panels designed for displaying paintings. The vid-eos were very short, 10 to 20 second loops of varying subject matter including drawings and photographs.


outside the studio

inside the studio

video still from Codes & Secrets - performed at Red Cabaret - Basin, Mt.

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Cross Country - video painting from Track Side Exhibition - Billings, Mt.

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WORKSHIFT


I have had no better collaborative art experience than the Workshift performance. Jane Gilmore and BJ Krivanek, both university professors, pulled together their favorite alums and assembled an inter-media cast of choreographers, storytellers, compos-ers, conceptualists, documentarians and experimen-tal media artists. The project was to tell the stories of woman working in an Iowa meat packing plant that closed twenty years ago. The performance took place on the factory property and the audience rolled from scene to scene around the meat packing plant in a modified cattle trailer.

My role in this project was video director. There were twelve scenes in the hour-long performance and 6 of them used my videos, but each in very different ways. In one, a video of pigs eating was juxtaposed against archival footage of a 1970’s fam-ily preparing a traditional pork breakfast. The video was framed in a circle and was moved around the set like a searchlight. In a different scene, videos of past workers were played on my TV-Sticks held in front of the actors’ faces. In this scene, the videos became a mask transforming the performers into the workers.

One of the reasons that I enjoyed working on this project, was the fact that the artistic directors gave each of the sub-directors a great deal of creative liberty in translating the scenes in our own style. This hands-off approach to directing allowed me to explore the themes in my own voice instead of doing

what I thought the director wanted. I have tried to model my directorial style after that of Jane and BJ.

WORKSHIFT DOCUMENT After completing the video compositions for Work-shift, I jumped on a plane for my summer job in Philadelphia. I was never able to actually see the production. Six months later, I finally had my chance when I was informed that a Chicago production company called Zero-One was editing the documentation. I met the editors at their studio and became fast friends. I later shared a studio with them, formed a rock band and eventually an art school (see Chicago Art Department).

They were nearing the completion of the full hour long edit and asked if I would be interested in editing the shorter 10 minute version (the one more likely to be actually watched). I spent a good portion of the winter working on that video and collaborated on the DVD to submit to the National Endowment for the Arts as part of our grant responsibility.

LABOR SHOW - SAINT XAVIER UNIVERSITY This exhibit was curated by Jayne Hileman and included artworks that dealt with issues of occupa-tion and labor. She asked if I would be interested in screening my ten-minute version and I agreed. I designed a video kiosk that would allow a viewer to click and restart the video from the beginning yet allow it to play on a continuous loop the rest of the time.


In the spring of 2004, Laura Chiarmonte and Marvin

Marzocco of the modern dance company Creative

Arts Melting Pot, contacted Deb Vogt and I, to see

if we were interested in contributing a multimedia

performance for their upcoming show about fears.

Fear of

Falling



IMAGERYAfter a brief conversation about our fears and our creative abilities, we decided to pursue the fear of falling. Deb, who is generally a jewelry maker by the name Delevo, had recently been performing on a range of differ-ent trapeze and wanted to use that media to discuss her fears. I decided that I wanted to use video art to try to ‘lift’ her out of the room and put her high up in the sky, so I began collecting video of birds, planes, and people falling and jumping from great heights.

SOUNDNext, we decided to contact some musicians, we decided that we liked the analog / digital difference between our visual medias and wanted to continue that in the sound. We drafted Ryan Bockenfeld as our digital musi-cian, he has been performing at galleries and nightclubs on the scene for years under the handle, RSB1000. Dominick Johnson, our acoustic musician, is a concert violist and cofounder of the New Millennial Orchestra.

STRUCTUREWe discovered that we were going to need a contraption. Apparently, you can not hang anything from the ceiling at Links Hall, so hangeing Debs Trapeze was out of the ques-tion unless we built a cage. This worked conceptually because it is ironic to think of a bird with the fear of falling. We contacted our builder friends, Josh Sheldon and Dan Simborg to build our cage. They built it to be portable, as we were only one act in a 4 act evening. Dan also did the rigging on the trapeze (which became instrumental to the performance).

FALLINGWe rehearsed the performance for a month and discovered that falling was a constant, not because Deb was a bad trapeze artist, or that Dan’s rigging was insufficient, but that it made the performance better. We had two different endings, one if the rope broke and one if it didn’t. Therefore, a cushion below Deb became necessary.

Although, we recorded the performance all four evenings, the best version is this one where the rope broke.

“We had two different endings one if the rope broke and one if it didn’t.”

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My Darlings Little PrivacyThis has been a poem, a song, a film and required reading for hundreds if not thousands of High School juniors. I wrote the poem at Mount Mercy College in1997. The song was first performed in 2003 and was later recorded for the Rook Rumors album. The film premiered at DePaul University in 2006. I only recently discovered that my friend Andy Fowler, an administrator for Chicago Public Schools who develops English curriculum, had chosen this piece to represent tragic irony for 11th graders all over the city.

The images on this page are from Ben Chapel’s film version of this poem. Christian Hales and Deb Vogt play the young lovers. The film was shot in my home and studio, Transamoeba.

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The finest girl – the dearest childIs talking to me on the line that I dialedMaking me crazy and making me wildWild because she is thinking of me

It is finally my turn I’m the one she is choosingIn answer to prayers that I’ve been misusingBut there is no way that I will be losing Losing this one that said yes

And as I lie here by my brideI’m reeling with unselfish prideIn love with this beauty asleep by my sideThat says that her heart is all mine

And the more that I love her, the more that I’m nearI see one more thing she holds dearOne more thing whose loss she’d fearHer little porcelain privacy

This little clay box handed down through the agesHeld my darling’s private pagesOf deepest thoughts and darkest ragesRages never once of me

But the more that I love her, the more that I’m nearThe more I see something so queerThe more it rapes my deepest fearOf my darlings little privacy

After misunderstandings or more often a fightIn her shy little corner with shy little lightWhen she thinks that I’m safely Removed from her sightA page slips into her privacy

And when I promise at 6 but show up at 8Even with an excuse for why I am lateIn a shy little gesture I interpret as hateA page slips into her privacy

When I’m drunk at a party with all of her friendsAnd ignore dirty looks that my true lover sendsEven after tries when we are home for amendsStill a page slips into her privacy

What should I think – why shouldn’t I ponderWhy shouldn’t my mind continuously wanderAnd hose can my heart ever grow finderWhen my darling’s best friend is her privacy

I must take a peek – if only to easeBecause feelings inside me are starting to seizeAnd are boiling up like some dreadful diseaseAbout questions and wonders and privacy

NO, I must stop this insanity – I must get a holdI must stop my heart from being so coldI must stand on my morals I have to be boldIt would be wrong to peek into her privacyNow we fight almost daily – I’m constantly taunted

With pages and stoppages daily I’m hauntedAnd nothing inside of me has ever so wantedTo do what I must do today

My lover stepped out – but her privacy did notSo I seized this moment for I could not be caughtIt was finally my chance to prove what I’d thoughtBut her privacy is not easily opened

The porcelain box had no stitch or no seamAnd the one hole at top left no way to redeemAll the pages inside that had painted this sceneAbout lovers and secrets and privacy

While holding the box I knew not which to chooseShould I destroy this odd package she’d disparage to lose Or go bombarded by mental abuseOf questions and wonders and privacy

How else could I end all this juvenile teasing?The decisional roar in this room is not ceasingAnd the pain in my head is increasingAnd I fear that I’m losing my mind

I upturned the table I kicked out the doorAnd I paced back and forth on the living room floor‘til my lover at last returned from her choreand saw me with her privacy in hand

I now looked at this girl and despise All the tears that well up in her eyesAnd curse at her struggles and now useless criesAs she tried to get back what was hers

I watched as she fell to her kneesBut ignored her last promise and pleasAnd I broke through her clutches with sharp bitter easeAnd then cursed at my darling again

I was burning with rage and with spiteAnd the fire of pages that ended each nightSo I heaved the great box with all of my mightAnd it broke on the wall by the door

With the pages all around me blowingAnd eagerness inside me growingFor secrets I would soon be knowingI let not one paper escape

And as I sat with the treasure I’d earnedI read the pages for which I’d burnedAnd was sickened by the secrets learnedThe same text repeated on each

And as I sat there on the floorMy lover walking out the doorI read the pages each once moreThey all said YOU ARE FORGIVEN

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The idea for this performance came from a conversations with my friend, an emergency

room doctor, who had just performed her first birth through cesarean section. I designed a perfor-mance in three acts, in which Analog Boy creates Digital Girl, (a painting that comes to life through video projection). Analog Boy falls in love with Digital Girl, in act two and she becomes pregnant with their child. Act three involves a emergency surgery, during which their offspring is delivered.

This performance was designed specifically for my painting studio at Transamoeba, (see Transamoeba) because of it’s resemblance to a surgical classroom. The performers were on the ground level and the audience surrounded them from a 270 degree balcony overhead. I enjoyed the fact that only about half the crowd knew that the doctor in act three was a real MD. I think it had a significant impact on their experience knowing Dr. Chang was performing the exact procedure.

Gross Anatomy


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I have performed sections of the piece many oth-er times, including an event at a Pilsen gallery called 4Arts during Chicago’s Artist Month. This performance was just Act one. I performed the video painting on the opening night and for the remainder of the show, a projector replayed the video on the surface of the painting.

Segments of Gross Anatomy were also pre-formed in Italy as part of a series of video screen-ing called Hostel Audience. My experiences in European backpacker hostels when I was in col-

lege became the motivation for bringing my video projector and laptop when I traveled their in the fall of 2005. The most interesting of these events was an improvised large scale projection onto the front facade of Archi Rossi Hostel. One scene from Act Two of Gross Anatomy includes the im-age of the Mona Lisa contoured to the shape of Digital Girl’s body. This image was intended to represent the artistic image of beauty in the per-formance but took on a different historical mean-ing when projected huge on a building in Renais-sance Florence, Leonardo DaVinci’s hometown.

The Tale of Analog Boy & Digital Girl


Nathan Peck Tenure Dossier: Research & Creative Production

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Transcript of Nathan Peck Tenure Dossier: Research & Creative Production