[PD] Pd performance at TED

[Andy Farnell]

On Tue, 21 Jun 2011 08:05:01 +0200
"Ingo" <ingo at miamiwave.com> wrote:

> BTW these take years of practicing! 


Its an important point IMO. One cannot invent
a new instrument or style without becoming proficient. 
You have to stand as an example to what is possible 
and it takes a long time. 

Many people exploring alternative controller technology 
make this error of thinking the controls can be novel and 
arbitrary, _and_ they will master it quickly.

The mismatch here between the adaptability 
of human brains and machines should be grasped.
Brains may flexibly adapt to any machine configuration 
given enough time, but they are terribly slow compared 
to machines that can reconfigure in a moment.  
Thus for humans, there is a need to fix a parametric interface
mapping early on, and stick with it. As an exercise; try beating
the hardest level of your favourite video game with the 
mouse/controls inverted.
 
> Well, I really don't know why there is a reason fort he audience to know
> what is going on. 

They do not need to know. They want to know.
The performer and audience seek an emotional relationship.

Maybe Kraftwerk have already answered this, but if at the end of 
the TED performance they had revealed that Ashanti was an android
would the audience have been less or more impressed?


> > > control, why one uses gestural control at all?
> 
> I have explained above what the movement of the body does.


Marco's disappointment is understandable (sorry if I
misinterpret this Marco). When I watched "Top of the pops"
as a teenager, like many kids of that age I was outraged
that the performers mimed. Sometimes you could see their
instruments were just props. It is very insulting to someone
who has invested effort and emotion to an activity to see
it trivialised to a banal fashion statement. Like a soldier 
seeing their regimental badge worn as a punk accessory.


-- 
Andy Farnell <padawan12 at obiwannabe.co.uk>