CU ATLAS

Spring 2012 speakers, Black Box events

2012-02-08T07:52:00.000-08:00

ATLAS Speaker Series: Applied Technology, Design and Creativity

Mark D. Gross, a professor of computational design at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Architecture and a former CU professor, will discuss the design process, do-it-yourself technologies, the Maker Movement, modular robotics, creativity and the interdisciplinary use of technology and computing. His talk is entitled "Applied Technology, Design & Creativity (or, let’s talk about making really cool stuff!)."
The ATLAS Speaker Series is made possible by a generous donation by Idit Harel Caperton and Anat Harel.
5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13, Cofrin Auditorium

The Pendulum New Music Concert Series
presents electro-acoustic performances featuring CU composers and performers including: Cole Ingraham, live electronics and visuals; John Drumheller, composition faculty, will perform with Nicolo Spera, guitar faculty, combining 10-string guitar with electronics; Hugh Lobel, piano, narrator and electronics (computer and 2/4 speakers); and Nathan Hall, video projection of a percussion quartet.
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, Black Box

BLOrk (Boulder Laptop Orchestra)
is an eclectic ensemble of musicians equipped with laptops, hemispherical speakers, traditional instruments and MIDI controllers. They will perform a variety of original pieces under the direction of John Gunther, an assistant professor of jazz studies at CU. Often their work is accompanied by multimedia floor to ceiling digital projected graphics and live dance.
7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, Black Box

Charming Hostess
is an Oakland-based group of female vocalists who will perform in concert. The Los Angeles Weekly wrote, "Charming Hostess is the finest anarchist-feminist-polyphonic-polyrhythmic-polymorphously perverse-balkan-blue-ish-Jewish-freak-funk-punk band working in America today. Their live shows are as fabulous and eccentric as their music."
7:30 & 9 p.m. Thursday, March 8, Black Box

ATLAS Speaker Series: How the End of Moore’s Law is Changing the Landscape of Innovation

Moore’s Law is an observation made in 1965 by Intel co-founder Gordon Moore that the number of transistors on integrated circuits would double each year. Andrew A. Chien will discuss the technical factors behind the end of Moore’s law, speculate about the new landscape that will emerge and its impact on innovation. Chien is the William Eckhardt Professor in Computer Science at the University of Chicago.
The ATLAS Speaker Series is made possible by a generous donation by Idit Harel Caperton and Anat Harel.
5 p.m. Monday, March 12, Cofrin Auditorium

There Can Only Be One
is a multimedia performance conceived and produced by MFA dance students Lauren Beale and Brooke Gessay in collaboration with Ana Baer Carrillo. 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, March 16-17, Black Box

ATLAS Speaker Series: The Challenges of our Growing Population

Eric Rasmussen will look into the impact of increasing populations on cities and the challenges that result when people migrate into cities from the villages and farms of the world, including poverty, malnutrition, and disaster vulnerability. Eric Rasmussen is a clinical physician and research professor for environmental security and global medicine at San Diego State University.
The ATLAS Speaker Series is made possible by a generous donation by Idit Harel Caperton and Anat Harel.
5 p.m. Monday, March 19, Cofrin Auditorium

LIGHT: A Musical Journey
is a five-movement musical work that explores various concepts of light from the spiritual and emotional to the physical. Scored for chamber orchestra, children's choir, rock band, male octet and soloists, each group will express a different aspect of light. The concept of light will transform as the piece progresses, meandering through different instrumentations, tonal centers, styles, textures and media. The piece is written and directed by College of Music instructor Kari Kraakevik.
7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, April 6-7, Black Box

ATLAS Speaker Series: Can the Multiplayer Classroom Revolutionize Teaching?

Lee Sheldon, author of The Multiplayer Classroom, will look at the synergy between video game design and education occurring when students come to class to play and learn. Sheldon is associate professor and co-director of the Games and Simulation Arts program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. His talk is entitled "Video Game Design & Education: Can the Multiplayer Classroom Revolutionize Teaching?"
The ATLAS Speaker Series is made possible by a generous donation by Idit Harel Caperton and Anat Harel.
5 p.m. Monday, April 9, Cofrin Auditorium

Double Feature of Multimedia Dance
Two MFA dance candidates share the evening with their original productions, each incorporating contemporary movement, improvisation, projected images, digital technology and live music. S is for. . . , directed by Cristina Goletti, is a duo for man and woman who push their emotional boundaries while exploring the politics of gender. (d)well, by Chrissy Nelson, is a collaborative multimedia dance piece.
7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Black Box

ATLAS Speaker Series: The Past, Present and Future of Electronic Music

Morton Subotnick, an international performer, composer and an iconic figure in the field of electronic music, will discuss the history and future of music and technology. He is also performing as part of CU’s Communikey Festival of Electronic Arts. Subotnick was the first music director of the Lincoln Center Rep Company in the Vivian Beaumont Theater in New York. The ATLAS Speaker Series is made possible by a generous donation by Idit Harel Caperton and Anat Harel.
5 p.m. Thursday, April 26, Black Box

The Communikey Festival of Electronic Arts (CMKY)
will feature a series of concerts and workshops including a performance by electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick. He will perform Silver Apples of the Moon, commemorating the 45th anniversary of his groundbreaking work, which was been inducted into the Library of Congress. Vocalist Lesley Flanigan will also perform. Visit http://www.communikey.us for other festival events and workshops.
7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, Black Box

Fall 2011 ATLAS Black Box Schedule

2011-08-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema (Eighth Annual)
This film and dance event is a niche film festival specializing in dance cinema as an art form and incorporating live performance. With an expansive definition of dance and an appreciation for experimental and interdisciplinary forms, this unique festival presents a wide variety of film and video in a wide range of venues, plus performance. Visit http://sanssoucifest.org/demoreel/.
7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 - 17, Friday – Saturday, ATLAS Black Box theater

Casanova at Twilight
An original musical theater piece written by Bill Mooney who for 14-years was a cast member
of ABC's All My Children as well as a performer both on and off-Broadway. See the tale of Casanova's exploits, based on his autobiography. Music is composed and conducted by Hunter Ewen, a doctoral student in CU’s College of Music. Singer/actors include baritone and CU graduate Garrett Smith as young Casanova and Leigh Holman, director of CU’s Opera Department, who plays one of Casanova’s loves.
7:30 p.m. Friday - Sunday, Sept. 23 - 25, Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, ATLAS Black Box theater
Tickets are available at the CU Presents Box Office, located in the University Club. Phone: 303-492-8008 or email: musictix@colorado.edu.

Vantage Points
An original, immersive, multi-sensory exploration of abstract video and sound by artist/composer Cole Ingraham. The performance includes live instrumentalists, synthesized sounds and a combination of 2D and 3D animated graphics. Ingraham is a doctoral student in CU’s College
of Music.
7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Oct. 28 – 29, ATLAS Black Box theater

Black & White
A coming of age story told through multi-media dance, theater and video performed by choreographer Gabriel Masson in collaboration with video artist Tara Rynders. Masson is assistant professor in CU's Department of Theatre and Dance. Rynders is an MFA student in multimedia dance.
8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, ATLAS Black Box
Not recommended for children.

What Are You Hungry For?
A one-woman theater performance debut by writer/performer Beth Osnes who presents a series
of original, short pieces inspired by contemporary social issues. Interactively, audience members will choose from among 20 or more original pieces, thus influencing the flow of the evening and sequence of the production. Osnes has toured her original works around the world. Locally, one of her works was presented last year as part of the Boulder International Fringe Festival.
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, ATLAS Black Box theater

Folk/rock musicians Andy Hill and Renee Safier to perform July 9 in a free concert and video recording in the ATLAS Black Box

2011-06-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

ATLAS is presenting a very special live concert by award-winning folk/rock musicians Andy Hill and Renée Safier at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 9, in the ATLAS Black Box Studio.

Since meeting in Colorado more than 20 years ago, Hill and Safier have carved out a unique niche for themselves in the Los Angeles area and beyond. As a songwriter, Hill is a student of the world’s folk and rock giants – Van Morrison, The Band, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. Safier's prodigious blues and jazz vocals won the acoustic blues competition at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in 2005.

Hill and Safier have taken their distinctive sound and multi-instrumental skills to world venues large and small – while winning numerous awards along the way. (More information is available at their Web site here.)

The concert will be recorded using new equipment recently purchased by ATLAS, including high-definition cameras with live switching and audio that will be mixed and captured through state-of-the-art recording equipment.

Musicians appearing with Hill and Safier at this special event include Bruce Springsteen-sideman Marty Rifkin on pedal steel and electric guitar, eTown’s bassist Chris Engleman and Denver’s Mike Marlier on drums.

Seating for the performance is limited; to reserve seats, click here.

This performance represents the first of what is hoped to become a series of such events at ATLAS, offering quality live entertainment to the local community – and beyond.

Molecular robotics presentation now online

2011-04-05T12:51:00.000-07:00

Nadine Dabby foresees a day when the science of molecular robotics means the creation of smart medicines that can act like teams of swallowed micro surgeons who can repair the ravages of cancer, or the creation of smart microchips that could rewire themselves instead of being buried in a landfill when they become obsolete.

Dabby is a Ph.D. student from the California Institute of Technology who gave a talk entitled "Building a Molecular Robotics Tool Kit" as part of the ATLAS Speaker Series on Wednesday, April 30.

Click here for video of her Speaker Series presentation.

Dabby is a student in Computation and Neural Systems at Caltech, where she works on DNA nanotechnology and molecular programming in the Winfree Lab. She has a double major in Molecular and Cell Biology, and English Literature, from UC Berkeley.

Dabby also is an adjunct lecturer at the Art Center College of Design, where she teaches a course on Biomimicry to art and design students.

While introducing Dabby, ATLAS master's program director Revi Sterling noted that ATLAS grad students first met Dabby while attending the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference last year in Atlanta. The event is the leading conference for women in the field of computer science and is named in honor of U.S. Navy Admiral Grace Hopper, a pioneering computer scientist. ATLAS was a Gold Academic Sponsor of the conference and about a dozen women from ATLAS graduate and undergraduate programs attended.

Dabby talked about her work with manipulating DNA molecules to "walk" along predetermined paths, and her work on creating a tool kit for manipulating molecules to simulate directional movement by controlling their growth, or active self-assembly, in specific directions.

Her work also includes techniques for measuring these nano-level reactions, and developing a theory for the active self-assembly of molecules.

The next Speaker Series event is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, in ATLAS 100. Margaret Dickey-Kurdziolek, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in computer science at Virginia Tech and researches issues of human computer interaction, will give a presentation entitled "Technology for Learning: Developing Educational Technologies that Survive in the Classroom."

The ATLAS Speaker Series is made possible by a generous donation by Idit Harel Caperton and Anat Harel.

Performance a memoir of Four Mile fire

2011-01-24T09:25:00.000-08:00

8 p.m. Jan. 28-29 Friday-Saturday

"September Sixth" by Nathan Wheeler
is Boulder artist Wheeler's musical/theatrical memoir and response to the devastation of the recent Four Mile Canyon fire.
Free and open to the public. Reservations are recommended.
Reserve your seats here.
CU music graduate Wheeler explains, "September Sixth is my reaction to the Four Mile Canyon Fire which started on September 6th, 2010. The fire burned our home to the ground--home to my grandfather who built the house, my parents, younger brother and me. My mother and her family were raised there, and so were my brother and I. We moved in when I was six."
The piece uses a combination of found art, sound sculpture, dance, music and video to explore the fire, its aftermath and effect on Wheeler's life. Photos of the site taken by collaborators Michael Theodore, Jeff Ruane, Mark McCoin as well as Wheeler will be projected on the video wall of the ATLAS lobby.
The performance features:
- Wheeler on electronics, harmonium, voice, guitar, found objects and live video and dance.
- Janet Feder (regular performer with Boulder Laptop Orchestra) on prepared guitar and found objects.
- Mark McCoin on found objects.
- Curtis Broome on drums.
- Also dancers Luke Iwabuchi and Skye Hughes of CU's Music & Dance.
"The work mirrors the emotions I continue to go through as a result of the fire--surprise, anguish and suffering, then acceptance, and finally peace, joy and reverence."
Musical genres include a cappella, ambient, drone, noise, post-hardcore rock, and electronica. Live video accompanies most of the performance. Dance includes contact improvisation.
Note: The show will have moments of loud sustained sounds; earplugs will be provided at the door.

Upcoming Events

2010-11-17T15:08:00.000-08:00

Una: A Journey of Three Worlds
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18; 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19 AThroughout time, people have been drawn to and fascinated by journeys. Travel has been significant to history, literature and pop culture for centuries. The Canterbury Tales, The Odyssey and The Lord of the Rings are rich literary examples.
Jack Kerouac exploded the 1950s with his revolutionary book, On the Road, while
Dorothy’s journey down the yellow brick road and Alice’s trip through the rabbit hole continue to draw audiences and explore the whimsical and profound.
Katie Key’s MFA concert, Una, is a similar story of a female protagonist taken on a both dark and fanciful journey. The production begins one night in Una’s home. After her mother puts her to bed, Una is visited by three fantastical birds, each representing the qualities of their individual worlds, who take her on to a journey into the unknown.
Una is a story told in fairy-tale form; it utilizes the theatrical elements of text and story combined with video, music and dance. Una is a kinesthetic journey into the shadows.

– Daniella Vinitski

Free admission; reserve your seat at:
http://una.eventbrite.com

Artist talk about interactive digital art
and technology presented by Daniel Rozin

7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 29, ATLAS 100; a reception will follow. See your reflection in his interactive, digital/mechanical piece, Rust Mirror (shown at left), currently on view in the CU Art Museum (the building next door to ATLAS) until Dec.18.
See examples of this internationally exhibited, award-winning artist and educator’s work:

http://www.bitforms.com/daniel-rozin-gallery.html.
Note: This talk is part of the ATLAS Speaker Series made possible by
a generous donation by Idit Harel Caperton and Anat Harel.

Movie premiere–international-in-scope
snowboard film: Gawn Git Suum Wit Us
7:30-9 p.m. Dec. 2, Thursday, ATLAS 100 Director, producer and soon-to-be-graduate of the CU film school and ATLAS TAM program, Nathan Minatta explains, “It was shot on location at Breckenridge, Keystone, Echo, Eclipse, Wolfe Creek, Whistler, Minnesota, Ischgl, Switzerland, Stubaier Glacier, Austria, Nebraska (that’s right!) and a street near you.

Misdirecting the invisible hand

2010-11-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

Listening to Eric Goldman's talk on Reputational Systems via Berkley iSchool podcasts recently (free on iTunes), I was shocked to learn that a growing number of doctors have their patients sign forms prohibiting patients from writing a review of the doctor. In order to ensure enforcement, the form states that any review of the doctor written by the patient will carry a copyright assigned to the doctor. The doctor can then use a DMCA take down notice to get the review taken down.

Goldman calls this a hack on the system. He is referring to the reputational system that is part of the digital invisible hand. There is some great research on the danger to users as endorsers or endorsees (think Facebook's old automatic endorsement system using beacons), but only after thinking about the type of manipulation discussed by Goldman did I understand the danger to the system as a whole. People will lose faith in endorsements, as explained by William McGeveran and skimmed over by me.

The manipulation of speech by doctors (and software vendors) is not so different from the manipulation in social marketing. Prohibiting a consumer from saying something does not seem that different from making a consumer say something. One instantly triggers the First Amendment and another appropriation, but both tactics attempt to take reputational control away from the consumer and misdirect the invisible hand.

Meg Ambrose is a second year doctoral student in the ATLAS Technology, Media, and Society Ph.D. program. She is researching the impact privacy and intellectual property laws have on creativity and innovation.

The social network propagates creativity myths

2010-11-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

The Washington Post (click here) recently slammed the movie "The Social Network" for its inaccuracies. The WP criticizee the film's characterization of Zuckerberg as a loner and Saverin's innocence in his ejection from the company. The focus of the review, however, is on the inaccuracies of Facebook as an idea. In the film, Zuckerberg experiences a series of eureka moments that result in the Facebook we know today. Even though these sparks are socially derived, WP is unhappy that the collaborative nature of innovation is ignored as Zuckerberg is portrayed as an individual creator.

Our concepts of creativity are socially constructed. Americans have held romantic notions of creativity, believing that artists and scientists are uniquely gifted to experience more and better "ah ha" moments than the rest of us. Our intellectual property system is based on this view of creatives. We can see our concept of creativity changing as a mainstream media, like WP, breaks down our creativity myths. The article even offers a quote from leading researchers: "The idea of the lone genius who has the eureka moment where they suddenly get a great idea that changes the world is not just the exception," says Steven Johnson, author of "Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation," "but almost nonexistent."

The article then calls for a change in the education, intellectual property and tax systems to spur creativity. If we continue to study creativity in a rigorous way, we will not be as susceptible to concepts of creativity that lead us down the wrong policy paths. On a side note - I really liked the movie.

Meg Ambrose is a second year doctoral student in the ATLAS Technology, Media, and Society Ph.D. program. She is researching the impact privacy and intellectual property laws have on creativity and innovation.

Save the dates!

2010-08-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

Dangerously Safe
August 27-29: Award-winning actresses Gemma Wilcox and Elizabeth Baron dive into the the raw play of separation and connection in an edgy blend of improv, dance, myth and video–part of the Boulder International Fringe Festival.
Two shows on each of three evenings: 6 and 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27 6 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 5 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29
Tickets: $15 general public, $13 students and seniors. For details & tickets, visit http://tiny.cc/y7yoj or http://boulderfringe.com/.

Sans Souci Festival of Dance Cinema
Sept. 10-11: See a niche film festival of dance cinema and live performance. For tickets and details, visit SansSouciFest.org.
• 7:30 p.m. Friday & Saturday, Sept. 10 & 11 Two different programs of dance cinema with live performance. Free to students.
• 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11 Free dance/media panel discussion
• 1 p.m.–6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11 Free documentary and art screenings; for schedule details, visit SansSouciFest.org.

Disappear Here
Sept. 17-18, 24-25: Two dance companies–Sweet Edge and Syzygy Butoh–cross genres, blending video and movement. Explore the wilderness within and without, the seen, unseen, and the world’s ephemeral beauty.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 17-18 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 24-25 Tickets: $20 general public, $15 students and seniors. For ticket reservations and information, visit http://atlas.colorado.edu/atlas/disappearhere.

Stockhausen 2010 Festival
Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and Oct. 3
• 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30 Free lecture and open discussion on the eclectic, visionary music of German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007).
• 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1 Free concert: electronic and instrumental music of composers Karlheinz Stockhausen and Helmut Lachenmann.
• 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3 Free demonstration of the eight-channel, 24 speaker surround-sound system that was featured at the Stockhausen Festival in Germany.
• 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 3 Free concert: electronic and instrumental music of Karlheinz Stockhausen, including composer’s last masterpiece, Cosmic Pulses. Tickets are free, reservations recommended. Visit http://stockhausen2010.eventbrite.com for reservations and information.

reConstruction
Oct. 8, Friday, 7:30 p.m: “How do we create memory from almost nothing?” asks artist/composer Ryan Wurst. Using modified piano, video and found objects, Wurst creates a dream-like place where emotion is awakened.
Free tickets, reservations recommended. Visit http://reconstruction.eventbrite.com for reservations and information.

Poemedia
Oct. 22-23: Immerse yourself in an environment with live DJ/VJ performance pumping out sound, music and video projected on hanging paper covered with poetry.
Artists/poets Erin Costello and Aaron Angello ask, “What place does the printed word have in the distraction and noise of a media-saturated world?”
Free: 7 p.m. Friday & Saturday, Oct. 22-23
Note: Event has no seating. Audiences are encouraged to explore the environment.

Una
Nov. 18-19: Experience the fantasy journey of a young woman as she enters worlds of light and darkness–told through dance, theater, film, music and bold color. Free: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 18 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19 Seating is limited, reservations recommended. To reserve your seat or get information, visit http://una.eventbrite.com.

CU, TAM grad living a dream at Dreamworks

2010-06-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

Jacob Melvin, a University of Colorado computer science and ATLAS Technology, Arts and Media (TAM) graduate, is living his dream -- as a technical director at DreamWorks Animation, where he has worked on animation projects such as "Kung Fu Panda" and "How to Train Your Dragon."
In his job, he coordinates the work of various animators, making sure that things go smoothly. He might even write some code to fix a problem.
Melvin worked hard to get where he is, but "I was never the ideal college student," he told a group of high school students participating in the ATLAS DigitalCUrrents three-week summer workshop. The DigitalCUrrents students are working on a documentary on the 100th anniversary of their school, North High School, in Denver.
And while Melvin's grades weren't the best, his interest in graphics, animation, gaming and programming produced impressive projects -- polished enough to attract the attention of Dreamworks during a National Society of Black Engineers’ career fair in 2007.
But he almost missed his big chance.
Melvin said he walked by a booth at the fair and got interested in reading a brochure about Shrek. While he was standing there reading, the man at the booth asked him some questions. After a while, Melvin said it finally dawned on him that the man was interviewing him. That chat led to more interviews with Dreamworks employees and a job offer within a week.
One of the projects Melvin showed Dreamworks was his senior computer science project, which involved designing software that could convert a picture of a person into comic book art.
Melvin said his project made a difference. "Not all majors require a project like that," he said, so he had an advantage over others competing for a Dreamworks job.
Melvin also encouraged the DigitalCUrrents students to seek internships, both for building a resume and finding out what they want to do. While at CU, Melvin had an internship making games for a software development company.
But "I learned I'd rather play them than make them," and that his true passion was in animation. That's where the TAM courses came in. TAM "got me to see how I could use computer science" for animation and graphics using software such as Flash. He also took community college courses on animation.
Melvin also participated in several CU programs, including a pre-college academic bootcamp called Summer Bridge; the Multicultural Engineering Program; and the National Society of Black Engineers, and he was able to obtain some scholarships. He also worked as a TA for a course.
He said he is very pleased he is able to work at a job where he loves what he does.
"When you love what you're doing, you never look at the clock," he said.

For more information about Melvin and his work, follow these links:

IEEE Spectrum: Dream Jobs 2010: Jacob Melvin
Daily Camera article: Behind-the-animation-scenes: CU grad inspires teenagers
The Black Scholars Index
How to Train Your Dragon Official Trailer
Kung Fu Panda

Bruce Henderson is director of communications at the ATLAS Institute. He worked as a newspaper reporter, photographer and editor for 20 years before becoming an associate professor of journalism at CU, where he taught journalism and new media publishing for a decade.

ATLAS students display their capstone projects

2010-05-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

The creative works of students in the ATLAS capstone projects course were installed in the ATLAS building this month. Video versions of some of the projects are now posted on YouTube.
The capstone projects course includes a series of lectures, demonstrations, portfolio development, open lab sessions, meetings, critiques and a significant reading and writing component. Students explore issues and theory, then produce a final project depicting a specific theme. The projects can be in any medium and several used both physical and digital media.
The course is the final stage of the 21-credit ATLAS minor in Technology, Arts and Media. Like all ATLAS courses, students come from any major on campus. They bring a diversity of experiences, interests and knowledge in producing their capstone projects. (More information about the minor and courses available is at http://www.colorado.edu/atlas/newatlas/tam/courses.html)

Here are some examples of their work:

• "Color Portrait of the Late 18th and 20th Century Paris"
Kendal Anderson, a Film Studies/Studio Arts major, used a Flash-based animation to feature photographs and artwork portraying Paris in the late 19th and 20th centuries.
"The piece is meant to portray the feeling and the beauty of Paris primarily by way of color and abstraction," she writes. "My goal for this piece is to captivate the viewer and draw them into the experience of a specific place and time -- the colors and imagery become almost hallucinatory as one image morphs into another."
View the video by clicking here.

• "Digesting a Gust of Wind for Breakfast"
Danielle Larson, Advertising major, used strips of cloth draped over a canvas as a screen to project this video. The artwork depicts a form of "Techno-Stress."
"As a student of culture, I am addicted to technology. Yielding innovation, design and connectivity, technology has been an integral part of my daily routine," she writes. "However, technology is my highest source of anxiety, which I've dubbed 'Techno-Stress.' Trying to stay on top of endless programs, services and devices; mastering skills, unlocking shortcuts, gaining organic ease within an interface is always met with something newer, faster, better, different. It's exhausting.
"To me, artistic (specifically visual) innovation is intriguing and certainly more meaningful. However, to create progress in the artistic space, you must integrate new media, technology and creative methods. As I've experienced in this program, the distinction between technology, arts and media is becoming less and less tangible...
"I can't seem to truly get away from my devices. Finding a moment to just breathe has become unjustifiable. Rather, we wake to our e-mail ringing our phone, three new events added to our day's calendar, while digesting a gust of wind for breakfast on our way out the door."
View the video by clicking here.

• "NIKEvolution"
Brett Macartney, Advertising major, Technology, examines the Nike brand since 1964.
"Nike has become among the top in its category, not only for product quality, but also advertising campaigns. Some of the most memorable print ads, television spots and advertising slogans have been born from this brand.
"This project shows the road this brand has taken from the beginning, through all the advertising campaigns and to what it stands for today," Macartney writes.
View the video by clicking here.

• "My Life in Boulder, Colorado"
Molly Oliver, a Communications major depicts scenes in Boulder and the Rocky Mountain region with a series of visual animations and time-lapse video.
"The objective of my project was to include scenes from Colorado that are unique to my experience," Oliver writes.
"Over 10 hours of footage has been condensed into this three-minute depiction of life in Boulder, Colorado. This time-lapse video is a compilation of some of my favorite memories here at CU."
View the video by clicking here.

• "ICT4D: Making the Change in Underdeveloped Countries"
Koby O'Brien, an English literature major, examines how Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) can assist underdeveloped countries by providing tools and knowledge for development.
"ICT4D creates projects that provide struggling societies with technology, giving them more opportunities within the economy and a voice for change. Watch this video to find out more about what ICT4D projects can accomplish and the steps that need to be taken for them to succeed."
View the video by clicking here.

Bruce Henderson is director of communications at the ATLAS Institute. He worked as a newspaper reporter, photographer and editor for 20 years before becoming an associate professor of journalism at CU, where he taught journalism and new media publishing for a decade.

Communikey Festival presents workshops, performances, interactivity April 15-17 in ATLAS

2010-04-12T08:58:00.000-07:00

The annual Communikey Festival of Electronic Arts comes to ATLAS Thursday-Saturday, April 15-17, with live performances, workshops and interactive projects. Events in ATLAS include:

Make A Baby
Workshops with Lucky Dragons, Thursday, April 15, ATLAS Black Box theater (Photo 4)

The experimental duo Lucky Dragons, consisting of Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Rara of Los Angeles, use homemade hardware and software to translate data generated by skin contact into visualizations and sound generated by the group interaction.
Only three workshop slots remain open: 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Register for a workshop by e-mailing workshops@communikey.us.

Sharing Visual Ideas in Processing
Workshop with composer Peter Kirn, 2-4p.m. Friday, April 16, ATLAS Cofrin Auditorium

Using the free and open source Processing software, Peter Kirn, a faculty member at the Parsons New School for Design and a Ph.D. student at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, will introduce the basics of using code and will assign sonic and visual elements, and then will share an audiovisual sketchpad in a networked collaboration.

Sonic Chop Shop Workshop
Featuring D Numbers (Photo 3), noon-2 p.m. Friday, April 16, ATLAS Black Box theater

Audience members are encouraged to bring their own instruments, music loops, drum machines, sequencers, mixing boards and their voices to this music fusion workshop. D Numbers, a three-person group from Santa Fe, will blend the sounds into an electro-acoustic music experience.

DIY Headcase
Featuring White Rainbow (Photo 2) and Lucky Dragons, 7-9 p.m. Friday, April 16, ATLAS Black Box theater

Lucky Dragons and White Rainbow, a psychedelic, electronic, experimental music project of Adam Forkner of Portland, Ore., spotlight DIY craftsmanship and aesthetics in a live performance amplified in the high fidelity setting of the Black Box theater.
Tickets, which are $5 for students and $10 for non-students, can be purchased at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/105426.

Mutek A/Visions
Featuring Artificiel, using an audio-modulated Tesla coil (Photo 1) as a live instrument, 7-9 p.m. Saturday, April 17, ATLAS Black Box theater

Alexandre Burton, Julien Roy and Jimmy Lakatos make up Artificiel, a group based in Montreal, Canada. They will perform their latest project, POWEr, which uses an audio-modulated Tesla coil as a live instrument. Electrical arcs produced by the coil are generated and transformed in an ongoing, real-time audiovisual process. Also featuring Xavier van Wersch from The Hague Tickets for the event are $20 and can be purchased at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/105342.

Looking at the iPad and a portal to the future

2010-04-07T18:49:00.000-07:00

The new Apple iPad is making me think deeply about how news and entertainment are consumed. That's a bit of a leap for me, because my professional life has involved using computers to create all types of content, from news to still photos to audio and video and interactive content.

Creating versus consuming. The iPad is a device for consuming all types of media. Not by accident, it also provides a pretty easy way to spend money, to buy things, to help satisfy the myriad appetites of all types of consumers.

There's that word again. Consume.

So I've been getting in touch with my consuming side since I picked up the iPad at its debut on Saturday (although I am using the iPad to write this blog and am very pleased with how my typing speed and accuracy are improving).

Time magazine, USA Today (which is only free until July), New York Times Editor's Choice, BBC News, ABC (on-demand choices for just about any fairly recent ABC TV show), NPR, Pandora, YouTube, iTunes, various publication Web sites, books. All of these display beautifully and quickly on the iPad. My favorite for design, graphics, lots of photos and some video is Time magazine. It's just gorgeous. And I can't wait for Wired magazine (see
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/02/the-wired-ipad-app-a-video-demonstration/)

First-day sales of the iPad were around 300,000, application downloads topped a million and about 250,000 e-books were sold, according to Apple. Worldwide iPad sales estimates for the year range from 2.5 million to 7.1 million, according to the Wall Street Journal (see article here).

Seton Hill University will give every full-time student an iPad starting in the fall (http://www.setonhill.edu/iPad). Locally, Alexandar Dawson School, a private K-12 prep school in Lafayette, will provide iPads for all fifth and sixth graders and is building a curriculum to complement the device (http://www.dawsonschool.org).

The iPad looks very much like the tablet computer envisioned by Roger Fidler in the early 1990s. Fidler operated the Information Design Lab from 1992-1995 in Boulder. He prototyped an electronic tablet newspaper and peered into the future of electronic publications. (For a story about the iPad, the lab and to see the lab's original video about the tablet, click here. For a look at what Fidler currently is doing and his review of the iPad, click here.

Ironically, Knight Ridder, the newspaper chain that funded his research lab and at that time owned some 30 newspapers (including the local Daily Camera where I was working at the time), is no longer in business. Newspapers -- and journalism -- are endangered financially in the current electronic era.

Can the iPad make a difference?

The School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Colorado is hosting a lab that is investigating the future of news in the digital age. It's called the Digital Media Test Kitchen. The effort is being led by Steve Outing, who is well-known in the online media community through his Editor & Publisher Online column called "Stop the Presses.”

The mission of the lab is to take "a cross-disciplinary approach to addressing the market failure in public-interest journalism by testing, advancing and developing new technologies, techniques and business models to reinvigorate and reinvent the news industry as it navigates through a turbulent transition period."

The Test Kitchen invites participation in a number of areas, including research, testing and adaptation of digital/news media, student projects and financial support.

More information about the Digital Media Test Kitchen is at http://test kitchen.colorado.edu.

Bruce Henderson is director of communications at the ATLAS Institute. He worked as a newspaper reporter, photographer and editor for 20 years before becoming an associate professor of journalism at CU, where he taught journalism and new media publishing for a decade.

Sound artists Ross Hagen and Jim Permanent present unique mixes of technology, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 10, ATLAS Black Box

2010-04-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

"This is my first full-on, immersive, surround-
sound show; I'm pretty pumped about it!"
--Composer/sound artist/performer Ross Hagen

CU College of Music instructor, doctoral student, composer and sound artist Ross Hagen will perform his original works in a surround-sound concert.
Using a combination of acoustic instruments with analog synthesizers, hardware effects units and manipulated field recordings, his sounds will provide audience members with a unique, immersive acoustic experience.
Hagen, under the name "encomiast," has released nine full-length collections on various labels since 1999. One project was featured on a variety of compilations, incorporated into film music and performed live.
A reviewer commented on one of Hagen's works:
". . . [his work] is downright frightening, all creaking moaning low end, deep ominous rumbles, all manner of tiny sounds drifting up out of the inky blackness, cold and sinister, abstract and ephemeral, the overtones drifting like lost specters, voices moan and bellow, the natural room sound [is] as much an instrument as anything else.
"These deep dark drones totally evoke the spirit of that haunted space. . . submerge yourself in these seemingly bottomless sounds." Learn more about Ross Hagen's sound art and his pseudonym encomiast.

Jim Permanent, "turntapelist,"
presents his sound art
Jim Campbell (aka Jim Permanent) calls himself a "turntapelist, for lack of a better word." Inspired by proponents of experimental work with vinyl, both avant-garde and hip-hop, he started to experiment with low-fidelity electronics, primarily relics of the tape age.
Over time, he moved beyond his drum kit and put together a new instrument, a "cassette scratch orchestra," composed of cast-off phrase trainers, self-made scratchbunnies, dictaphone, an analog cassette multitracker and piles of found and self-dubbed tapes.
Campbell works in a variety of contexts, improvising freely, scratching abstract-emotive tone poems on the fly. In addition to composing for theater and dance, he curates the innovative "baender bender" concert series in Dortmund, Germany. Also, he has collaborated with a diverse range of musicians. See his videos and hear his music and sound art.

Tickets are free. Seating is limited.
Reservations are recommended.

Reserve your seats now:
http://atlas.eventbrite.com/

Listen to sound artist Ross Hagen’s work
(under his pseudonym, “ecomniast”)
http://www.myspace.com/encomiast

See sound artist Jim Permanent’s videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/jimpermanent

Multimedia double-feature "There Came A Voice" and "She" performed 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 2-3, at ATLAS

2010-03-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

There Came A Voice
…unites live music, poetic film, and ambient light design to create an environment evocative of an ancient mountain-top encounter.
Designed and directed by Jacob Herold

She
…fuses live dance and film, using creative video sampling, remixing, and montage to bring a Tarantino-style femme fatale to life. “She” is not to be messed with!
Designed and directed by Esmeralda Kundanis-Grow, Mara Tasker, and Nathan Minatta.

Reserve your seats for Friday, April 2.
Reserve your seats for Saturday, April 3.

A reception will follow performances each night (free and open to the public).

ATLAS has three free concerts this weekend, March 12-14

2010-03-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

Explore the creative fusion of traditional music, acoustic instruments and video/sound technology in 3 free ATLAS concerts

7:30 p.m. Friday, March 12
Psychoangelo, led by CU music professor Michael Theodore, consists of Glen Whitehead on trumpet and electronics, and Theodore on guitar, electronics and percussion. Music includes elements of jazz, rock, world and ambient electronic music. They will perform against a backdrop of animated graphics produced by Theodore and will be joined by a number of musical guests. Reserve your seats for Friday, March 12.

Safari Trio, led by CU music professor John Gunther on sax and flute, features guitarist Brad Shepik and percussionist John Hadfield. Their music includes jazz, folk and rhythms from around the world. The performance will be accompanied by a backdrop of computer graphics generated in real time. Reserve your seats for Friday, March 12.

7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 13
BLOrk (Boulder Laptop Orchestra), now in its second year, presents new compositions that explore the unique potential of the hemisphere speaker, speakers designed to imitate the sound dynamics of acoustic instruments. Special guests include Naropa's Janet Feder on guitar and artist-in-residence Darwin Grosse, composer and software designer. Reserve your seats for Saturday, March 13.

5:30 p.m. Sunday, March 14
CU and NYU (New York Univeristy) join in their second real-time Internet collaboration exploring the theme: "Memory and the Internet." High-speed video and audio links allow both audience and performers in remote locations to interact in this virtual concert. See a video of an improvised virtual concert, read more about the high-speed technology, and an NYU discussion about artists, production and networks.

Reserve your seats for Sunday, March 14.

Reservations are recommended. Use links above, "Reserve your seats..."

Concerts are free and open to the public. Seating is first come, first served.

This concert series is presented by Interdisciplinary Studies in Music, Art and Technologies, a research initiative of CU-Boulder. Visit CISMAT.org.

Hunter Ewen: "Hullo, My Name is Lily Foster"

2010-02-08T08:08:00.000-08:00

"Hullo, My Name is Lily Foster," an interdisciplinary, multimedia production, combines music, dance (both modern and aerial), visual arts, poetry, electronic technology and video.

The production is written and produced by Hunter Ewen, a CU-Boulder College of Music doctoral program student. Actress and soprano Elizabeth Comninellis plays title character Lily Foster, an 18 year-old abuse survivor.

The show will be performed one evening only, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27th in the ATLAS Institute's Black Box theater at the University of Colorado at Boulder. A reception, free and open to the public, will follow. Admission is free; reservations are recommended. Reserve your seat now
Note: This show is not appropriate for children.

Writer and director Ewen explained, "The story we're telling is about a young woman, Lily Foster, who suffered sexual abuse as a child. We see what life is like through her eyes." He continued, "She is very artistic, expressive and musical, so we use all kinds of technology, musical genres and media to reveal who she is."

A related component of the project is an art and video show installed in the ATLAS lobby consisting of 13 paintings by Ewen along with a video running on the ATLAS video wall. The video artwork will cycle through more than 3,000 photos, comments, conversations and interactions from Lily Foster's Facebook page. The Lily Foster art and video installation will run from Monday, Feb. 15th to Wednesday, Feb. 24th. See Lily Foster's web site for more details

Black Box performance: "Gifts From Unknown Islands"

2009-11-18T07:49:00.000-08:00


 CU Film Studies instructor, composer and sound designer Mark McCoin creates several multi-media visual/sound performance installations in the ATLAS Black Box. Multi-media technology includes: 
- Microscope camera projecting biological images onto large white spheres in real time 
- Multiple round screens simultaneously serving as drums and screens for montage of projected video and stills 
- Animated images projecting on animated 3D sculptural, shaped surfaces 
- Live hands playing rhythm duet with video hands 

McCoin commented on his production, "When the piece begins to reveal itself and take on it's own life, the ecstasy begins. Soon the work is telling you something important; perhaps something about your nature or past that is meaningful, and if you’re lucky, universal."

Several pieces will be accompanied with live music produced by musical guests.                                                    

The approximate 1.5 hour evening includes a talkback/discussion with artist/producer Mark McCoin.

The evening is free and open to the public.
Reservations recommended. Seating is first come, first served.
Reserve your seats at http://mccoin.eventbrite.com.

Get more information: http://www.colorado.edu/atlas/mccoin/