Performance a memoir of Four Mile fire

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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.