MR.ini = artist showcases
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Toxi [ uk ]
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Kangding ray [ ger ] , Raster Noton

In the context of the Cimatics festival MediaRuimte proposes a specific night presenting the English net-artist Toxi, who investigates the infrastructure of MediaRuimte to present personally its digital works. Inside this space of interactive and real time processed visuals the German musician ‘Kangding ray’ will perform music from his new album which will be released in spring 2005 on the most innovative German label for minimal electronic music, raster-noto.

Base 26

Four-letter words have a special status in the English language and culture. Counting in at over 1680 words, in most cases the term is only used to address the cruder, sexual subset and its use has been effectively eliminated from the language of "good" society, mainly due to its negative connotations with lack of education, etiquette and status. in a way, the use of those four-letter words reflects the schizoid prudence and class system in English speaking societies, still evident today.This small project is an attempt to give a special overview of the entirety of this part of English language heritage, as well as to explore and visualize relations between all those words.

Hair Dynamics

A code remix of Robert Hodgin's (flight404) "fluid dynamics" demo taken to the next level to simulate photorealistic hair and movement. Recently been featured in XFUNS #11 magazine.

Macronaut

Macronaut was an attempt to produce a music video using Macromedia Director with only real-time code generated elements. Over 4 months in the make, the piece consists of 12 code modules representing the various scenes. Scene cuts are triggered by approx. 250 cue points of various types in the mp3 audio, each type controlling different layers in the animation. Once triggered their behaviour is semi-random with more modules being introduced over time. Excluding textures, all other elements of the piece are of purely generative nature: 3d geometry and their animations / deformations, camera movements, the random phrase generator, the macronaut logo constructed from circle segments etc. conceptionally, the visual themes used for the scenes are mainly derived from classic ideas in mathematics and physics, such as flocking, the Fibonacci sequence, energy fields, diffusion aggregated growth, to name just a few.

The Well

First soundreactive 3d prototype of the macronaut engine. The well is a very deep & dark place. You are close to the surface of the water, or at least at first sight you think that's what that black liquid is. everything is calm until you start making noises, start screaming for help... only then things around you start coming to life by your (re)actions: ripples, waves, tsunamis appear. From them strange entities emerge, surrounding you, and then floating towards the daylight far above you...

SuperGlow*

Being fascinated with generated, complex, yet harmonic shapes, this is an exploration of interactive, real-time 3d mesh deformations and dynamic texturing. the mesh animation is entirely math based and realized through the independently pulsating vertices of a sphere, their movement modulated by a global control waveform.

Segments Z*

An experiment with a class of random, rotating circle segments. the fragments' extrusion and rotation in space creates a complex, intertwined moving structure, in a constant state of flux. (btw. to me as western lay person, it also has something reminding me of Asian calligraphy.

Kangding Ray music stands for repetitive minimal-music most based in loop sequences and digital sound characterized by the extreme economy of sound elements, and the tonal work on pitches and sub-tones. This kind of sound abstraction is often defined as ‘Clicks and Cuts’ where the minimal aesthetic is based upon the use of short fragments of residual digital audio to create rhythms and textures _ _ or as Kangding Ray describes himself his music:

“kangding ray tisse un tapis de sons aux textures et motifs variés. Ne reste qu’à s’y étendre et se laisser envelopper dans d’élégantes mélodies et subtiles variations rythmiques. Du groove pour l’esprit, à écouter à la loupe.”

“Kangding Ray is carefully crafting a soundscape of varying textures and patterns. Let yourself be wrapped by his elegant melodies and subtle rhythmic variations. Some groove for the spirit, to listen to with a magnifying glass.”

His new record will be released in spring 2005 by Berlins electronic music label ‘ raster noto ‘.

About: raster-noton ...>

… is one of the most innovative experimental music and visual labels from Germany known from the ultra-minimal scene. Founded In 1994 by Alva Noto the label is a platform for conceptional and experimental related projects in music, art and science. In the past, works of artists such as THOMAS BRINKMAN, SCANNER, RYOJI IKEDA, ELpH, COH, and Komet have been released through this label.