Short Bio:

 

Aaron Wolf Baum studied physics at Harvard and Stanford University, where he received a Ph.D. in 1997. His work with fractal and living system-inspired electronic music began the same year. His first major project was a system that used fractals to continuously process and layer samples obtained from popular culture and the local environment via microphones. This system formed the voice of the Nebulous Entity, a giant, roving "alien information scavenger" that serenaded thousands of people at the 1998 Burning Man art festival. His next project was to develop an audio texture generator using biologically-inspired approaches to make weeks of environmental organic electronic music without human intervention. This project was exhibited in numerous galleries, audio/video shows and multimedia conferences in the San Francisco Bay area. His current project is an extension of these ideas to the creation of interactive, "living software" audio and video instruments capable of significant creativity of novel sorts, enabling collaboration and play between humans and new, alien life forms. The use of walkthrough video feedback loops and motion capture gloves creates an intimate, intuitive experience. This system was shown at SIGGRAPH 99, The Exploratorium Science Museum, Ground Zero, The Lab, Crucible Steel Gallery, and at Burning Man 2000. Upcoming shows for Dr. Baum include New Langton Arts and the Asilomar Microcomputer conference.

 

 

Concept of the Project:

 

The value of control, especially of complex systems such as living things and information technology, is a bedrock assumption of most technology development. As this technology penetrates our lives more and more deeply, we find the consequences of this approach -- that control is often the enemy of creativity, especially the creativity of the natural world, which is being threatened on a planetary level by humankind's quest for control. The field of artificial life has demonstrated at a technical level the fact that surrendering control -- creating systems which, by design, one cannot understand -- can lead to unique forms of organization; i.e., creativity. As this interplay between creator and created becomes more fluid, the possibility of a collaboration between two complex systems -- a human and a created life form -- emerges. My systems are an attempt to demonstrate this in the most intuitive, direct way possible -- by placing a person into an environment which responds to the details of their movement in interesting, but often surprising ways. The interactor may see images or hear sounds that they wish to experience more of, and in attempting to influence the system they discover the rewards of conscious listening and experimentation; simultaneously one finds that total control is not possible, and in this way a collaboration develops. The metaphor of learning to appreciate the natural responses of a system, and learning how to interact productively, extends into all of our relationships -- personal, social, governmental, and environmental. Its demonstration in technology shows its universality, and extends hope that our technology need not be a sterile, deadening presence in our lives. This is my desired message. Though so far I am the main interactor with these systems (and they have taught me much humility!), I have created a mobile version based on an electric wheelchair in the hopes of sharing this experience and this message far beyond my studio.

 

 

Technical Information:

All of the video and audio in my work arises spontaneously within feedback loops, in keeping with the biological metaphor. The video feedback loop consists of a video projector, a screen, a digital video camera, and G3 PowerBook laptop computer running Videodelic and MAX/MSP software. The Videodelic software takes the video from the camera, processes it, and sends the result to the projector; the camera picks up the projected image on the screen and begins the process over again. Certain patterns are able to reproduce themselves in this environment; a form of evolution/gestation takes place, and complex organic patterns emerge. The processing of the video networks the pixels of the images together like neurons in a brain or genes in a cell. A player can interact with the system by changing the processing network, or by walking into the feedback loop itself by getting in front of the camera. In either case, one is performing live genetic engineering; by watching and listening, the player can learn some of the reactions of the system, and start to enter into a dialogue with a new sort of living system.

The audio is generated by a similar technique, a stereo feedback loop with processing that networks the sonic frequencies to create organic sound texture. The processing is performed either on a G3 PowerBook running software written in MAX/MSP or on a PC running C code in Linux. Nord Modular synthesizers and a Lexicon MPX-1 reverberation unit are sometimes used in the audio feedback loop as well. MIDI signals are used to control the parameters of the processing in both the audio and video feedback loops. These signals are generated a knob-based interface or by motion capture gloves.

To see the motion capture gloves in action click here.

 

 

 

Selected Works:


 

  • Live performance and projection installation, 12th Annual Digital Be-In, January 2002.

  • Live projection art for dance performance, Cell ArtSpace, December 2001.

  • Live projection art , Lumin CD Release Party, Cell ArtSpace, July 2001.

  • "Liminal", Live visual sorcery for dance performance , Cell Art Space,July 2001.

  • "The Intimate Alien", audio-video performance, New Langton Arts, July2001.  Supported by a grant from Meet the Composer.

  • "The Post-Logical Zoo", gallery installation and performances, The Lab,June 2001.

  • "Story Time with Doctor Friendly", audio-video and spoken word performance,Cell Art Space (Warehouse of Wonders event), June 2001.

  • "Download 1.0", audio-video performance, The Lab, February 2001; StanfordUniversity, March 2001

  • "Audio Ecosystems", performance and discussion, Cell Art Space, March2000; Reed College, August 2000; Ground Zero, November 2000; Milan Polytechnica,December 2000

  • "Womb", interactive installation, Burning Man Festival, September 2000

  • "Doctor Friendly's Fractal Circus", roving interactive installationand performance piece, Burning Man Festival, September 2000

  • "Generative Audio Art", presentation at the Exploratorium Science Museum,July 2000

  • "Return of The Futura Deluxe", installation and performance piece, MissionDance Center, April 2000

  • "Swansong", soundtrack and live music for dance, Mission Dance Center,April 2000

  • "The Futura Deluxe", roving installation and performance piece, BurningMan Festival, September 1999

  • "15,000 Years from Now", installation, Crucible Steel Gallery, July1999

  • "Other Life", interactive installation, Crucible Steel Gallery, January1999

  • "The Voice of the Nebulous Entity", roving installation and performancepiece, Burning Man Festival, September 1998