ken gregory


Tinkering, Sensors, Machines and Methods Intensive June 7- 17 2003

This intensive workshop is an introduction Cycling74's  Max/MSP/Jitter 
interactive  programming environment for the Macintosh computer AND the use of electronic sensors to 
capture real world phenomena such as motion, distance, temperature, light, dark, etc. with  artistic 
and creative goals in mind. This workshop is for any artist who is interested in incorporating reactive and 
interactive ideas into performance and installation art work. Audio, graphics, video, lighting, music, kinetics, 
robotics, etc. can be made to be interactive, reactive or autonomous. 

 Max Instruction:  Saturday June 7 (12noon-5pm) , Sunday June 8 (12noon-5pm) + Monday June 9 , Tuesday June 10 (7-11pm)

 Open Lab: June 10-17 (open 24 hours a day)

 Workshop Instructor:  Ken Gregory
 

 Limit of 6 participants

 PREREQUISITES: MacIntosh Computer Experience, Brain in Gear

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What		Where		How		When		Who		Equipment		reference links

Workshop Description--------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Top 


 This workshop will focus entirely on programming and interfacing with Max.  Switching, light detecting, 
proximity, force sensing, networking, basic electronics and others will be discussed and demonstrated. MIDI 
(Musical Instrument Digital Interface), the iCube Digitizer, the Stamp programmable microprocessor, 
and Cycling74's  Max/MSP/Jitter will be demonstrated. This information will be presented in a ' not too 
technical' style which will hopefully inspire and encourage participants to continue explorations and 
ideas after the workshop.   This workshop is for any artist who is interested in incorporating reactive 
and interactive ideas  into performance and installation art works. Workshop participants will be 
encouraged to collaborate on experimental self created projects.

  Scientists often collect data  from real world sources. Temperature, wind speed, gravity, object 
acceleration, pressure, weight, magnetic fields and so forth are measured by various means and 
analyzed in some way. Sensors connected to analog to digital converters are often used in this 
process. Once the data is converted into digital form, it can be used in many ways, combined with 
other data, manipulated or processed in real time and applied to many problems. Computers are 
perfectly suited to these processes and can be used with creative and  artistic goals in mind. 
 
  In recent years simple sensors, support electronics and application information of all kinds have 
been easily and cheaply available to anybody. Artists who are interested in using these sensors can 
easily apply them in the creation of new work. Digital sound, animation,  graphics, digital video, 
lighting for dance and theatre, music, kinetics, robotics, etc. can be made to be interactive or reactive.     

ei: You can use a simple light sensitive device which can with the use of shadows cast by your hands 
be used to control projected digital video playback loops. Loop in/out points , speed of playback, etc. 
can be put into real time dynamic control using Max and the iCube.  

Information --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Top

Where:  Paved Art + New Media is located at:
 				12 - 23rd Street East,
				Third Floor. 
				Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7K 0H5, Canada. 

				 For more info call: 306-652-5502


Important things to consider

Maximum   6 participants
prerequisite  Macintosh computer experience, brain in gear.


There will be no drop ins allowed. If you miss the first day, you can not jump in and catch up.

How --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Top
There are two parts to this intensive workshop;

1. Instruction 

The instruction will be held in a classroom type setting with video, audio, and software demos.  
Max demos, programming principles, etc. will be video projected for the participants ease of viewing.   

2. Open Lab

The open lab will allow participants to work on they're own projects 'hands on' with the Max 
software, computers and external devices. Ken will be a resource to all participants during that 
period. The lab will be availble to participants for 24 hours a day for the period of the workshop. 

This workshop will be held in a laboratory  environment which will remain open for 24 hours a day during
the period of the workshop. The lab will be available for participants to explore their own ideas, do tutorials,
work with the softwares, perform experiments, work together on ideas, play.  
When --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Top

June 7-17 2003.


Day 1  Saturday JUne 7 12:00 to 17:00  

introductions, resource material distributed.

Audio and video documentation of art work produced with these methods will be presented 
throughout the 4 days

Cycling74's Max Object Oriented Programming Environment and MIDI(Musical Instrument Digital 
Interface) will be introduced. Max , for the Macintosh computer, is a software toolset  of predefined 
software objects that handle MIDI communication, math, graphics, serial operations and others. 
Objects are put together in patches. Each patch represents an operation of data handling.

Hands on 

People will be encouraged to try out some Max and MIDI programming using simple tutorials and 
demonstration patches.  Participants will be encouraged to create simple experiments using devices 
and sensors on hand.

Day 2  Sunday June 8 12:00 to 17:00 

Various sensors will be demonstrated and how to interface them to Max. Infrared detectors, piezo 
transducers, force sensing resisters, light sensing, switches, potentiometers and others will be 
described.  Proximity, temperature, and magnetic field sensors will be described. Various 'hacks' and 
other easy electronic methods  and modifications will be demonstrated. The Infusion Systems iCube 
Digitizer will be introduced.

Max programing demonstration continues.

Hands on continued

Day 3  Monday June 9  

day == open lab for hands on, tutorials and experimentation.

evening 19:00 - 22:00
								 
graphics, QuickTime, user interface graphical  objects.
Jitter digital video/audio/graphics objects for Max demonstrated,  
standalones, etc.

22:00 - ? Open lab continues  

Day 4   Tuesday June 10 

day == open lab for hands on, tutorials and experimentation.
									 
evening 19:00 - 22:00 

The Basic Stamp programmable microprocessor will be introduced including  how to interface it with 
Max. The Stamp is a tiny inexpensive micro-computer which can be easily programmed to assist in 
data collection, sensing devices, AC/DC motor controllers,  and interfaces to any computer. It can 
also be used in stand alone applications with out a host computer. Such as, monitoring an infrared 
motion detector and turning on a motorized device when a human is sensed in proximity to an 
installation. Stamp hardware demos. 

22:00 - ? Open lab continues.  

Open Lab June 10 -17

- 24 hour access to lab enviroment and resources
- Ken will be a resource and informal instructor during Open Lab period. 
- one-on-one tutorials scheduled during the day with Ken can be pre-arranged during 
the Open Lab time period. 

Who --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Top
1. Instructor

Ken Gregory has been working with Max since 1992 developing, producing, hacking, 
installing, creating live performances, installations and experiments with audio,
video, electro-mechanical, radio, scrapped tech, etc. Many of these creative
softaware/hardware art works works have been presented at galleries, festivals and radio
events.  Ken has been instructing workshops at locally, nationally and internationally 
since 1987. This workshop has been succesfully run at many artist-run centers since 1997
including  FAVA/BEAMS Edmonton, Neutral Ground/SOIL Regina, Video Verite Saskatoon,
Emmedia Calgary, Video Pool Winnipeg, Polar Circuit Tornio Finland and Muu Media Centre
Helsinki Finland.
 
2. Participants

Past participants in this work shop included media artists, musicians, performance artists, 
audio artists, video artists, technicians, dancers, visual artists, etc. Many of these people have
created wonderful experiments, installation works, and performances with Max.   
 
 
Equipment --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- Top
Paved, our host will be providing most of the equipment for our use in this workshop, 
including several Mac computers, audio sound systems, high quality video projector, 
some support equipment, etc. Ken will be filling out the equipement resources with several
computers, MIDI gear (interfaces, audio samplers, speciality MIDI boxes and an iCUbe), software
resource materials, Stamp microprocessors, tools and parts.
Participants with their own equipment are encouraged to bring it along. 
 

ken gregory