Colony

This time the evening was clear and the weather perfect. People began to gather in the space and learn to play. Most of the play centred around the two middle clusters between 8.35pm and 9.00pm when the work became dormant. Socially mediated play rules did not emerge spontaneously as everyone wanted to do their own thing. Largely, collaborative play formed around groups of two or three people who shared an iPhone. Next time we need more iPhones!

Five of the totems were assigned short rhythmic loops that were switched on and off by play. (This was active only on the night as the loops may be left to continue indefinitely which is fine unless you happen to be living in Life.lab…) Orange and blue instruments were upgraded for this event. The orange instrument plays soft droning tones and blue functions like a drumpad with four different sounds.

Another event will be held in late Autumn.

We are restaging the multiplayer performance within Colony, an interactive urban art environment. Bring your iPhone, borrow a friends or steal one and download the free Colony app from the App Store. Up to thirty people may simultaneously play the urban art environment and feed energy the media creatures that inhabit it. Each of the totems in the networked sculpture may be played like a musical instrument responding to touch with light and sound. People without iPhones are welcome too as the artwork responds to your presence as you walk along the forested path.

The event will proceed rain or shine so bring an umbrella (again) if it looks like we will play in wet conditions!

A demonstration and workshop on how to play shall take place from 8pm onwards.

At dusk we will commence the performance. Pick a totem and begin to play!
Rules of play announced on the night.

Register for the event via colony [at] iconica [dot] org by sending your name and email address. You need to bring an iPhone or iPod touch loaded with the Colony app to participate.

More information and how-to-play at iconica.org/colony/

Start Time: February 26 at 8:00pm
End Time: February 26 at 9:00pm

Location: Colony at Life.Lab, Digital Harbour
Street: Corner of La Trobe Street and Harbour Esplanade
City/Town: Melbourne Docklands

See the facebook event ::: here :::

Video from the last event ::: here :::

Despite the event occurring during the largest rainfall within a 24 hour period for the entire year, a number of people turned up with iPhones to participate in the first Colony event. This was somewhat scaled down given the rainy conditions but served as a test for the next event in January. This time we will distribute invitations five days before - after checking the five day weather forecast.

Last Friday night, after familiarising themselves with the software and developing a style of play the audience based themselves around the two central clusters of totems and started improvising. Play continued for about 30 minutes before the totems went to sleep at 9pm. Images from the event are included below, with video to follow…

We are staging a multiplayer performance within Colony, an interactive urban art environment. Bring your iPhone, borrow a friends or steal one and download the free Colony app from the App Store. Up to thirty people may simultaneously play the urban art environment and feed energy the media creatures that inhabit it. Each of the totems in the networked sculpture may be played like a musical instrument responding to touch with light and sound. People without iPhones are welcome too as the artwork responds to your presence as you walk along the forested path.

The event will proceed rain or shine so bring an umbrella if it looks like we will play in wet conditions!

A demonstration and workshop on how to play shall take place from 8pm onwards.

At dusk we will commence the performance. Pick a totem and begin to play!
Rules of play announced on the night.

Register for the event via colony [at] iconica [dot] org by sending your name and email address. You need to bring an iPhone or iPod touch loaded with the Colony app to participate.

More information and how-to-play at iconica.org/colony/

Start Time: December 12 at 8:00pm
End Time: December 12 at 9:00pm

Location: Colony at Life.Lab, Digital Harbour
Street: Corner of La Trobe Street and Harbour Esplanade
City/Town: Melbourne Docklands
See the facebook event ::: here :::

Colony ::: Troy Innocent 2008
weathering steel, acrylic, computer-controlled light, 12-channel sound, interactive installation, iPhone web app

Colony is part artificial lifeform, part icon of a digital media landscape. The weathered totems use light and sound to communicate with one another in response to human presence. Affect the colour and sound patterns of the artwork by walking through the environment or playing the totems with your iPhone.

The work draws upon Innocent’s digital media arts practice that explores the connections between artificial systems such as language and natural processes abundant in life.

launch :::
Colony was launched on September 18th, 2008.

download :::
Version 1.0 of the Colony software may be downloaded here.

location :::
Colony is located in the garden behind Life.lab on Harbour Esplanade in the Melbourne Docklands

Troy Innocent is Senior Lecturer in Multimedia & Digital Arts
Faculty of Art & Design, Monash University

Max/MSP software developed by Casey Rice with Troy Innocent

iPhone app developed by Stewart Haines