WORKSHOP PURE DATA
Netherlands Media Art Institute, Montevideo/Time Based Arts
26 - 29 May 2004
Fee: E 150,-
Guests: Aymeric Mansoux, Derek Holzer, Frank Barknecht and Jaromil
This workshop is meant for beginners and will focus on Open Source
software for the real-time manipulation of audio and video. The dual
package of Pure Data and GEM, offer a complete set of tools for sound,
multimedia and VJ purposes. Topics will include: real-time audio and
video processing with PD and GEM, RRADical PD, PDP and an overview of
other free and open source audio and video tools for Linux.
PD and GEM The dual package of PD [Pure Data] and GEM [Graphics
Environment for Multimedia], developed under an open source model by an
international community of programmers, offers just such a set of tools.
Running under Windows, Linux or OSX, PD and GEM can be used in commonly
available, inexpensive hardware as a complete multimedia environment.
Both applications allow for the real-time manipulation of sound and
image data within a visual programming environment which does not
require any previous experience in traditional computer languages.
PDP is a set of external objects to PD developed by Tom Schouten, runs
under Linux and OSX, and are based on the idea of processing data in
packets. While it is primarily used for video, the basic structure of
PDP allows any kind of data to be processed into any other kind of
data. Images can be converted to textures, which can be mapped onto 3D
objects, converted back to images, changed into sound, re-rendered
again as image, and so on. The possibilities are endless.
RRADical PD (Reusable and Rapid Audio Development) is a set of patches
created by Frank Barknecht in order to make Pure Data easier and faster
to use for newcomers and for people who are looking for a collection
of standardized music tools similar to what commerical software
packages such as Reason or Reaktor offer.
The workshop is for beginners. The level will go up while the week
progresses. The first day will be dedicated to basic PD and for those
who bring their own machine, an installation session.
For applications please contact Marloes de Valk
marloes(a)montevideo.nl <mailto:marloes@montevideo.nl>
Purpose
While many tools exist for sound, multimedia and VJ purposes, few of
them are designed with an open architecture which allows artists to
configure the tools they use themselves. Fewer still are free. The
importance of an open source development model may seem academic at
first, but in fact there is a strong need for a workshop of this kind.
The fees, licenses and restrictions that come with commercial software
become more and more restrictive every day, and the knowledge in the new
media community of free and open source software is extremely limited.
Coupled with this is the stigma that open source software, such as
Linux, is "too difficult" for artists to use. This workshop aims to
provide the tools which can be taken away and put to use immediately and
the knowledge of how to use them productively.
Details
The workshop sessions will be held in the Netherlands Media Art
Institute. Over the 4 days of the workshop, 12 participants will learn
about PD, GEM, and PDP, working under the Linux operating system.
Topics of the workshop will include:
* Crash course 'Installing PD and GEM for beginners' with invited guests
* Basic PD with Derek Holzer
* Basic GEM with Aymeric Mansoux
* Intermediate PD with Derek Holzer
* RRADical PD with Frank Barknecht
* PDP with Aymeric Mansoux
* Clinic
* Presentation and jamm session
At the end of the fourth day a short presentation of the workshop will
take place. This presentation will be open to an audience invited by the
participants. The workshop will finish with a "Jam Session", in which
the participants can share the creations they have made with each other
and with the audience.
Invited Guests
Frank Barknecht (D)
Open source developer, sound artist and the creator of the End-User
Abstractions project (RRADical PD, Reusable and Rapid Audio Development)
which makes it possible to learn using Pd in a top-down way, making PD
more accessible and open.
<http://footils.org>
Aymeric Mansoux (F)
Artist and author of pure-data tutorials/articles for MusicRun,
Co-Founder of a group dedicated to alternative digital art study and
Co-Founder of Goto10, an organization dedicated to set up and produce
electronic live events.
<http://www.bleu255.com>
Derek Holzer (NL/US)
Sound artist currently based in Utrecht. Initiated the Acoustic Space
Lab Project, an "open source sampling project" which invites artists to
use a database of samples gathered at a former Soviet spy station to
create a common body of work.
<http://acoustic.space.re-lab.net/lab>
<http://www.umatic.nl>
Jaromil (I)
Jaromil is an italian GNU/Linux programmer, author and mantainer of
three free softwares and a operating system: MuSe (for running a web
radio), FreeJ (for veejay and realtime video manipulation), HasciiCam
(ascii video streaming) and dyne:bolic.
http://rastasoft.org/ <http://rastasoft.org>
Marloes de Valk
Educatie
Nederlands Instituut voor Mediakunst, Montevideo/Time Based Arts
Keizersgracht 264
1016 EV Amsterdam
T 020 6237101
F 020 6244423
E marloes(a)montevideo.nl
www.montevideo.nl