Hi everyone,
tonight was the last ‘event’ of the Remedios Terrarium exhibit.  Congrat’s again!  Inspiring is the least I can say about this discussion.

It’s now time to wrap-up, celebrate and get together to share our experience of making RT.

Our exhibition closes tomorrow, Friday, at 7pm (The gallery is not open on Saturday-for sure).
Technically you can start packing your things at 7, but please don’t start before that(unless you have to -JS, Flower -ok)
The gallery has to be completely cleared on Monday night at the latest.  Wall repairs are going to get done by Lynn’s technicians on Tuesday.

After asking around all day today I think that Saturday is the best day to get together and take the biggest things down. It would be nice to do as much as possible in groups.
Sunday and Monday, I will be out of town and I don’t know how much people will be around/available to help out (except for Lenka and Desh taking the Cones down, and Flower taking care of the plants on Monday)

Strike Schedule:
Also available on the TML-Shared Google calendar  (BUT MORE PRECISE HERE)
(visible at
http://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=enc0mlbupaurd8qhenaducvd0g%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/Montreal
and
http://topologicalmedialab.com/blogs/calendar)

Friday:
10 am: Tim gets the big Hexagram cart for the weekend.
–  :  JS takes some projectors down.
8.30 pm Nacando Productions launch- cocktail @ NFB-ONF  (the National Film Board of Canada) 1564, rue St. Denis, Montreal.  See RSVP list at the bottom of this email **
Do not hesitate to contact Desh if you want to come but haven’t confirmed “Nacando Productions” <nacando@gmail.com>

Saturday:
(I will take my car in case some people need to take stuff home after)
9 am, Harry and JA taking the cells and the lights down.
11am, Elena and Flower are getting started on the vitrine and their respective things.
Tim is packing the sound gear
Ayesha is taking care of Sebald Theater
Jhave is taking his pedestal and computer home.
–Patrick unavailable

Sunday:
– Patrick, Harry, Tim unavailable
– JA -out of town.

Monday:        
complete strike
Lenka - cones
– JA -out of town.

Tuesday:
10 am someone else than Tim returns the Hexagram cart, because Tim will be out of town. (any voluntary? please let tim <timothyvsutton@gmail.com> and I know.)
4-6     campfire : project debriefing.  We should revisit, things that worked well as well as things that didn’t work so well; and talk about the project documents and events documentation for project archive.

Notes:
Eliot, Doug, please make sure that one of you come either Saturday or Monday to take the sensate tapestry and related gear.
Jae Ok, and other Touch2 folks, I will take care of removing our things from the wall, but if you want to help out, just call me Saturday.
I think that the projectors are going down tomorrow because they are needed for another event in the evening.

If you were not concerned by any of the above, but you have time in your hands, or need help to take your things down, or whatever, please come Saturday 11am.

On Saturday night or Sunday I will send another e-mail with progress report and estimate of the amount of work that’s left to do for Monday.  Hopefully most of it is done.

Thanks to all for being part of RT’  Please join us in celebrating the end of this journey tomorrow night at the NFB and for the project debriefing on Tuesday during campfire (4-6 pm).

**Desh, here is the list of people that have told me they would come.  I might be a bit off, because I’m writing that by memory, but I remember that the number was 14.
1Xin Wei
2Harry
3Many
4Many’s friend
5Kiani
6Kiani’s friend
7Morgan
8Morgan’s friend
9JA
10Pascal
11Manuelle
12Francis
13JC
14Jhave ?

(revised to match ‘green’ paper calendar in TML -xw)

Monday March 31 - April 3

Clean up lab, prep for return of gear

Tuesday April 1
4 to 5 campfire, rehearsal
8 documentation of Touch2

Thursday April 3
5 to 7 Roundtable (discussion begins at 6)

Friday April 4
RT Crew Party @ NFB (see google calendar for details)

Sat, Sun,
Independant Strike Organized by subgroups. Lab Clean-up complete.

Monday April 7
General Strike complete and equipment return.

Now through April 1
Clean-up the lab. Please take away real garbage, and personal stuff to make space around areas in which you’ve been working. We’ll re-zone the lab for fresh work through the next seasons.

Wednesday April 1, 5-7 PM:
(Proposed)Roundtable discussion for peer artists and researchers

Thursday April 3, 8 PM:
Second performance / video shoot of Touch, audience by invitation-only

Friday April 4 – Last Day of Show
One projector comes down; strike Cells; Jitter / Sound finale
We’ll celebrate at shows by Desh @ NFB, and JS+Jerome.

April 5-6, 8 PM:
Strike sound (Saturday) and video gear.

Monday April 7, 8 PM:
Return equipment.

On 7-Mar-08, at 12:54 AM, gregory rubin wrote:

Dear Xin Wei and JC,

I hope this note finds you both well.

Following today’s conversations with both Josee-Anne and JC, and then meeting with the team here in Winnipeg, I am providing you with an overview of our schedule for Montreal, as well as a list of items and requests regarding space and equipment.

Firstly, Xin Wei, thank you for arranging and offering accommodation. I have asked Candace and Evan to contact you directly. And I will get in touch with Tim and Morgan.

Our arrivals and departure itineraries are as follows:

Gregory: Arrive Saturday, March 8, 12:38 pm, Air Canada 8564. Depart Tuesday, March 18, 8:20 pm, Air Canada 8569
mobile: 4 1 6 5 8 7 8 2 4 0

Evan & Candace: Arrive Sunday, March 9, 12:38 pm, Air Canada 8564. Depart Tuesday, March 18, 1:55 pm, Air Canada 8567

Evan mobile: 2 0 4 2 9 6 3 8 2 7

Candace mobile: 2 0 4 5 1 0 1 6 1 0

Also, these past few days we have been making some cell prototypes, experimenting with water in the cells, as well as preparing pieces for the structure & cell templates. We’ll get photos of the work on the blog in the next day for you to see the progress. We’ll be producing some more prototypes in the next couple of days, and bring the work with us to Montreal.

Work Schedule:

Monday 10

Shopping for supplies - tapes, vinyls, fabric, tubes, etc…
Setting-up the work space and cell presses
Making cell prototypes

Tuesday 11

Producing cells in time for campfire.

Wednesday 12

Mass Producing cells

Thursday 13

Producing cells
Work in Gallery: hanging lines (morning)

Friday 14

Work in Gallery: making PVC tube structure, hanging cells (morning and afternoon)
project review (afternoon/evening)

Saturday 15

Cabane a Sucre!

Sunday 16

Refining the cell

(Producing more cells?)

Monday 17

Refining, (Producing more cells, hanging in the gallery?)

Tuesday 18

Refining, (producing more cells, hanging in the gallery?)

We are bringing to Montreal:

-nichrome wire (and related electronic equipment)
-Teflon tape
-some vinyl
-samples of PVC tubes
-samples of materials (meshes, fabrics, screens for the projections)
-sample cell templates

The bulk quantities of materials (inc. vinyl and PVC tubes) will be purchased in Montreal, after we have arrived. We can do this on Monday the 10th in the morning before we get access to the workshop and start setting up the press stations.

Space and Equipment

JC has confirmed that there is space available in the TML.

-We would like there to be an open space about 10 X 12 feet for laying out the cells, testing configurations. The work stations could be set up around this area.
-Can we get a couple more tables into the lab so that there are a total of three work stations?
-Equipment: drill, jigsaw, a few power bars, extension cords.
-If this amount of space is not available in the TML, would there be an alternative space to work in? It’s best if the work stations and laying-out-area are all in one room.
-JC: please go ahead and cut out the materials for building the cell presses. I can come in either Saturday or Sunday and help with the setup in the TML.

Gallery

I understand that hanging equipment will be available both Thursday and Friday mornings.

-Can we get access to the Gallery throughout Friday to hang cells and the cell structures (we won’t need the hanging equipment for this)?

-Can we get access to the gallery before Thursday to check out the space?

That’s it for now. If there is anything I have missed, or you have any questions, please let me know.

Thank you for your attention. I look forward to meeting you all in Montreal!

Gregory

CC: Josee-Anne, Patrick

Hi Remedios and Terrarios, (project leads)

Here is what you will find in this email:

1- fofa meeting summary
2- prod strategy
3- close

—1-

I met Lynn Beavis at the gallery last week to ask her the questions that have come up in the group meetings.  Here is a summary, mixed in with production related questions.

Here is a rough inventory of gear available at the gallery:
Black theatrical curtains to block sunlight coming from the space between the west wall and the entrance door.
2 x 8′ diagonal projection screens (one can be used for rear or front projection, the other one will not do rear projection.)
6′ Ladder, 10′ latter
2 x 5000 lumen projectors (now mounted on the ceiling, but could be brought down.)
2 x DVD players
2 X TV monitors
spot lights
2 x 10′ orange power cable extensions
14 power adapters on the grid
8 power outlets on the floor

Here is the list of things to do on our side:
Book the Hexagram lift from Mark Baher for the setup days. (when we want to access the grid)  There is another one that the  Lynn could get access to if we are not able to get this one.
Decide whether we want people to access the space through the St-Catherine street door or not?  (can be locked for the duration of the show)
Define needs for technicians -when -what.  They normally do most of the simple setups.
Determine the Lettrage (Lettering) that we want them to put up on the walls. Generally title of the show and main info goes on the entrance wall ; the wall that is visible from St-Catherine street is also commonly used, though not required.
Provide text for a (2-double sided pages) brochure.  This is something optionnal that can be produced quickly as it is made internally. If someone want to do the layout, JC maybe, consult me and or Lynn directly for more detailed design requirements.  Here is the starting point: ( .eps format text layout ) (charcoal gray, pumpkin orange + 4 logos have to be on there) the advantage of this is that it is free and doesn’t take long to make.  All other printing we’ll have to pay for (cards, official brochure, posters, flyers, etc.)
Provide link for the gallery website (and other promotions channels).  Elena, can you confirm that we’ll have something up soon and the address. (remediosterrarium.topologicalmedialab.net or topologicalmedialab.net/remediosterrarium)

Genral:
it seems like we might have been too optimistic about the space that is available behind the west wall.  It is very narrow and hard to access, so we might want to think of an alternative location for the G5s.  Those who were thinking of using it as storage should check for themselves asap.  The space to the right of the entrance has been used by other people before (Bill Vorn), because the computers are separate from the main gallery space, but but they are still visible.
The vernissage event has been anounced and prepared for Thursday March 20th. (booked with conferences services, wine, catering and invitation organized by Lynn/the gallery.)
We will have access to the space for Load in on Tuesday the 11th at 9am.  (next week)

For the security list, I’m just missing ID number for Lenka at this point.  I have joined the latest version, please check that this information is correct, it is necessary to access to the space. (We will not have the Gallery’s key, so after hours we have to go through the security desk to access the space (24 hours access).

—2-

Last week at the campfire meeting it has been proposed and generally approved that the project needed to evolve in components for which there is one person responsible to lead and speak up if there is a problem to fix.

Of course it is too late to ask for a detailed production plan from each team, but if you have that material available, it’s always useful to share it.  The kind of questions to ask are those that will help managing energy, resources, time, for all projects, so scheduling, listing needs, dependencies, relationships with other groups, etc is gold. By the end of the week, we will need to have a complete inventory of your material needs and a setup schedule, so that we can come up with a general who-what-when list for the setup of the show.

Here is a list of resources people by role:
equipment related questions : Tim
promotion : JC
web based promotion : Elena
documentation - photo : Morgan
documentation - video : Ludwig (temporary)
artistic direction : Xin Wei
project coordination : J-A
event coordination : TBD  > JA

The projects by responsible person:
Cells : Patrck
Cells -Winnipeg : Greg
Cells -Mtl : JC
Real-time video projection : JS
Dynamic Lighting : Harry
Sound Field : Tim
Camera Tracking : JS
State Engine : XW
St-Catherine street display area : Flower
Vitrine : L-A (technical Ludwig : temporary)
Sebald Puppet Theatre : Ayesha
Glass Cones : Lenka
Curio Box : Elena
LED treads : Flower
Vernissage : TBD
Touch2 : Soo

(Is all equipment booked for your group? )

Budget: it has been suggested to come up with 2 numbers: a minimum scenario and an ideal scenario budget (approximate dollar amount)  Xin Wei will then be able to manage the budget according to the available funds for the different research areas involved in the Terrarium project.  (no need to cc me, I am not doing budget, except for Touch2)

Please gather phone numbers and availabilities of the people involved in your group + any information that you think is pertinent for coordination purposes.  Since the blog is public, please send me the most sensitive information like phone numbers by e-mail. I’ll gather this and make it available on paper this week.

—3-

See you tomorrow @ 4pm, Mtl time, for campfire.  Transmitted @ U Manitoba through Skype with JS and Greg as facilitators.
I would appreciate if someone could volunteer in taking meeting notes. My notes are too specific to be usable as a meeting record.

Thanks to all.
Bye.

–
Josée-Anne Drolet

.514.817.92.1.3

Research Facilitator
Topological Media Lab
Concordia University

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Sculpture Projects
- [ Patrick] JC
- [ Flower]
- [ Lenka]
- [ Elena]

Visuals projection
- [ JS ]
Sound Fields
- [ Tim ]
Dynamic Lighting Fields
- [ Harry ]
State Engine
- [ Xin Wei ] Morgan

Vitrine design
- [ Louis-André ] JS, Ludwig, JC
Movement performance
- [ Soo Yeon Cho ] Kiani Del Vale

it’s up on the TML cupboards. you’ll see it when you come into the lab. there are dry-erase markers in a little plastic box on the computer at the right (’james’), which will totally do the trick. please make use of the calendar for whatever RT due-dates and mile-stones you see fit.

Friday Feb. 8 those of us who are programming or processing any data should discuss the software architecture. Here’s an overall diagram of the media choreography arch. We will update and localize it to the current RT applications. The strategy should be to write each “installation” as an instrument with 1-3 (or so) free, continuous parameters that are listening on the local network to external inputs 0 to 1. Each instrument should also have fade in/out and mute functions. One of our practical experimental goals is to discover some compelling multi-dimensional interpolations between instruments for transitions between states. For speed-up, we can instantiate subsets of instruments in their own instances of Max. One question is whether an instance should be associated with a single state or to a simplex. This is both practically and conceptually important.

Moment

• Tuesdsay February 5th, 16h00-17h30 @ TML (EV-7.725)

People

• Xin Wei, Harry, Patrick , Josee-Anne, Michael, Desh, Soo, JC, Morgan, Ludwig, Tim, Valerie, Felix, Lenca

Keypoints

• Presentation of the new Terrarium blog
• JS Jitter mini-demo of Terrarium patches will happen tomorrow PM [will happen friday PM+evening] in the video production.
• Josee-Anne is designed as the point person to communication between the gallery and TML.

Summary

Production areas

• Sculptural artifacts
• Projections
• Environmental fields (sounds and lighting)

Projections zones

• Floor
• Sidewalls
• Ceiling

Different scales of time

• 20 day period
• 3-4 day cycles (ie. different cycles of the moon in a month)
• day-night cycles
• immediate response (millisecond range)

Day/Night cycles

• Night - as the moment when plants grow.
• Day - as the moment when the Terrarium dreams.

Membrane states

• Different states depending on what is present on each side of the membranes/glass walls. (4 possible states)

State of the State

• Xin Wei says that the State Engine could be ready in two weeks
• Important to be able to share sketches of state clocks

During the opening event

• Dancers in the wall

Patrick’s demo

• Suggesting : liquids and vegetation to be incorporated into the cells
• Jitter : shape recognition (JS)
• Max/MSP : microphones (Tim)