The following physiological signal-transduction pathway should explain a few things about experiencing BAPLab . . .
The retina is part of the central nervous system!
Within the retina, there are two types of photoreceptor cells. Rods & Cones. Rod cells are extremely light-sensitive (they respond to a single photon of light) and function in peripheral and night vision. Cone cells work in bright light and activate the perception of color. Each retina of the human eye is composed of 105 million photoreceptor cells that relay electrical signals to the optical nerve, which transmits them to the brain.
As mentioned in the BapLab program notes, "The arrival of
new technologies re-positions the physical world and calls audiences to experience 'the known' in new ways." Through floating digital light projections,interactive, frenzied, and fragile physical impressions, & ambient sonic inventions permeating through the air, BapLab formed its very own sensory organism. Where far beneath the smile around the face & the brightened eyes of the spectator, the CNS was in overdrive.
Here are a few examples from BapLab!
The photo above shows the entrance of Third Ward, where the multi-colored floor tiles of light were diffused with each foot step across the projection . . .
(Above right) This nervy light amplification . . .
Adam Kendall's painterly golden lush imagery of a bird on a wire via the intricate program, Jitter . . .
A three-dimensional "Signal, No Signal" floating installation . . .
Ernesto Klahr's airborn dust particles, projected, tracked, visualized, and sonified by a custom software product . . .
A simple digital image of the sunset taken from the fire escape at Third Ward (this is not a projection!) . . .
Actual & virtual, this is for you: "We are attracted by any life which represents for us something unknown and strange, by a last illusion still unshattered." - Proust
Great blog and thanks for the enjoyable review of the event (some of your pictures are great). Thanks for coming.
Posted by: Praveen | July 31, 2006 at 12:01 PM
Praveen, thanks! BapLab was very sensory stimulating! Were you performing at this fest?
Posted by: jmac | July 31, 2006 at 01:40 PM
nice! my own fairly extensive blog post about the show can be found here:
http://echoplex.blogspot.com/2006/07/swinging-reflective.html
Posted by: ocular spectra | August 01, 2006 at 11:36 AM
Echoplex is mind-bloggingly great, and your photos from BabLab are gorgeous! I'm glad to see an image of Ernesto Klahr's dust particles/light sound projection. So beautiful . . .
I'm impressed at how much material you documented. Stay in touch. :)
Posted by: jmac | August 01, 2006 at 12:37 PM