Masayuki Akamatsu
April 3, 2003
(Greeting)
Good morning everybody. My name is Masayuki Akamatsu. I came from Japan.
I'm very glad to take part in this festival. Now I hope to talk about my
work "Time
Machine!', its background and some considerations.
(Background)
I started my career as a composer, a performer and a computer programmer. Almost
all of my works are related to musics and sounds. "Time Machine!" is
my first work that is not related to sounds at all. But I put some musical
ideas into it, for example, rhythm, beat, articulation and so on. You can also
find some musical techniques, for example, feedback, looping, sampling, scratching
and so on.
(History)
I'll talk about the background of "Time Machine!". I started developing
a software so I could use it as a video-sampler and a video-delay 4 years ago.
Now I'll show you the video document. It shows some of my performances using
that software. This is a collaboration work with a percussion player, named "Mass & Media".
I used realtime television broadcasting.
< DVD>
(Necessity)
In a perfomance, everything must respond immediately. So we cannot use a video
tape in such a situation. It 's too blate. It's too slow. Even though we use
a computer, we cannot use a video editing software, since it is too slow. We
use it only to build a fixed story. Maybe we can use a video playback system
that is normally used in a live broadcasting such for example of a football
game. But it is very expensive and it has no useful functions that we can use
for performances. So I had to develop my own software.
(First Version)
Next, I made a video installation work using the same software. It is the first
version of "Time Machine!". I'll show you its video that was showned
in Tokyo last year. I used 3 video cameras, 3 projectors, 3 controllers and
3 computers.
<
DVD>
In this work, the computer is always capturing the image that comes from the
video camera and it is playing back the image at the moment that the audience
can decide using the controller. This is the same hardware configuration as
the work that you can see in this festival.
(Second Version)
Then I developed the second version of "Time Machine!".
Now I have a video camera here, let me show you the current version of "Time
Machine!".
<
Demonstration>
[Spiral] "Time Machine!" shows the video image in various ways and
various forms. In the first one, many image frames are displayed and they are
flowing in a spiral form. The central image is the present one and the successive
delayed images are arranged around it. The audience can control the speed of
the iamge flow. In this type, we can watch time from the present to the past
at one glance. Also if we pay attention to each image cell, they show the moving
images at the different moments. For example, the 30th cell shows one second
delayed image if its frame rate is 30 fps.
[Grid] In the next one, images are arraged in a gridiron form. You can control
the direction of the image flow.
[Scratch] This one is an automatic scratching of the video image. Various moments
come in regularly or randomly. You can control the scratch pattern.
[Footprints] The next one is very simple. The central image is the current
one. And the edge of the image is expanding to the surrounding area like footprints.
[Overlay] In this case, the bright parts remain and the other parts are being
refreshed. At regular intervals, the image is placed around as a snapshot image.
[Playback] The last one has the same form as the first version of "Time
Machine!".
The current version of "Time Machine!" has 10 different displaying
types.
(Considerations)
OK. Now I hope to talk about some considerations about this work,
- To provide the way to see time and to think about time
The aim of "Time Machine!" is, first of all, to provide the way to
see time and to think about time. All images in this work are generated by
the computer and a computer is a rational machine. So the compter treats time
mathematically
and regularly. But our perception
of time is sensuous not punctual. Maybe you will have strange feelings when
you see "Time Machine!". For example, you may say "How far this
moment is" or "How near that monent is". Here is a difference
between objective time and subjective time. You will find any other interesting
aspects of time in this work.
- To feature the audience at center stage
The second aim of this work is that the audience appears and acts in the image.
They can also control the images by themselves. The image is a reflection of
the audience. If there is no one, the image is still or shows a geometric pattern.
When someone comes and moves in this work, then the image makes sense. He or
she is an appreciator and a player and also a director. The audience makes
the image using their own bodies. This work is very physical in this meaning.
BTW, the audience are not only human but also animals. In my experience, dogs
and cats can notice this work and react to it. Some moving inorganic materials
also might be players even though they can't appreciate it.
- To make it simple and quick
To enjoy the work simply is another aim of this work. So I make it simple and
quick. There is a very short instruction "Turn the dial to change time" and "Push
the dial to change the variation". That's all. The audience soon recognizes
what it is. And then they will move, act or dance even though they don't see
the instructions. I'm glad if they feel it as a spectacle and as a entertainment.
It's OK for me.
Perhaps I can generate more complex images but it will have no extra possibilities.
It is very important that you can expand the image and your experience by yourself.
I think the simpleness can create complexity and richness. We can think of
it as an eastern style of way.
- To make content without content
At the last point of view, I ask you "Who is the author in this work?" Of
course, I worked over my plan and I realized it. But the final image the audience
sees is not what I create. Imagine I record the image and sell it as DVD. Who
has a copyright on it? Who gets rewards from it? This is an interesting question.
But we can find a similar situation in some creative tools, networking systems
and so on. I hope to name it "Content without content". It is my
favourite style. The work will be completed by the artist and the audience
together in cooperation.
(Wind-up)
I'm showing this work "Time Machine!" in the PLAYROOM near here.
Please come and enjoy it
Thank you for your kind attention.