Mike Brinker

Rokeby

I went to see David Rokeby at UCLA tonight (4/7/03) and it was interesting to see the progression on his installation called "A Very Nervous System." The demo tape we saw in Interactive Animation class was quite dated, sometime during the late 80's in it's conceptual stages. It has now progressed and works phenomenally well! For those of you who are unfamiliar, please visit his website page all about it here.

He said some very interesting things regarding this installation, some that are very interesting to me as a performer. He noted that since the installation doesn't allow for an individual solid link between a certain movement of the performer and the noise or sounds that it makes, that most musicians and professional dancers are often turned off or frustrated by this. I think this presents and interesting question about the degree of control and the aesthetics of music as it pertains the amount of knowledge you have about it. Those who understand notes, scales, pitches, harmonies and tone are often professionals who consistantly create music by this rule base. Those who do not (like myself) compose music or create it are often confused, perplexed and mystified at trying to take on this challenge in the traditional way. Not so in this installation, for the movement of the performer gives life to what could be played, often to a degree of control that is rather astounding, based souly on the rapidness of movement.

I also asked about the addition of visuals, if any. He was resolute in that the installation wouldn't work with them. And I agreed. The visual is the performer, createing the music with movement. Much like we would go to watch a concert. We don't watch the music, we listen, but we still watch those playing it.