freeDimensional in Cairo

freeDimensional facilitated two youth - Fatima from Iraq & Abdel Salem from Sudan - to participate in the Adobe Youth Voices workshop on Culture & Identity with 15 other Egyptian participants, thereby creating a mini-time capsule of their impressions living in Egypt (outside of their own country) and in relation to the IHSPH time capsule of immigrant youth who have moved to New York City from over 40 countries.

Fatima's illustration:




Abdel Salem's illustration:



Additonally, freeDimensional worked with Cardboard Citizens and Creative Exchange to conduct a playback theatre workshop with a group of Sudanese and Egyptian youth.

Lastly, freeDimensional facilitated a relationship between one of the theatre trainees, Ronald Reagan, a Sudanese refugee and his music and theatre group, VIP, and Actors for Refugees in order to present a monologue on the theme of 'exile' for the 11th International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) Conference in Cairo in January 2008.

The Project Walkway wrap up

On the final day of Project Walkway the girls had interviewed each other while Norene recorded on video for the Project Walkway DVD. These interviews would be part of the Zer01 exhibition. We did practice walks on the red carpet runway. We stood in the conference room to do some last minute shoe repair making sure that they were ok so that there were no malfunctions on the runway. One of the engineers, Jess, painted the girls toe nails blue. While waiting for the show to start the girls were nervous but also very excited. All the participants that walked the runway had to wait in the R&D Lab until their names were called. They all did very well and had personality while walking which made the crowd smile and applaud. Their shoes were all unique in their way which attracted many interviews from the people that were watching. The girls were interviewed for the Sci-Fi channel and for a pod cast by the New York Academy of Sciences. Once they are online we will post them on the blog to keep you updated. Now the shoes are going to the exhibition in San Jose for the Zer01 new media art festival. In the fall we will be going to Bayard Rustin Academy for Art and Music, where we will be presenting the shoes to the students. Keep checking our website to see what we're up to.

Summit / Community School of Music and Arts

We're hard at work on our project here in Mountain View, we've got the code working to display questions and I think we can trigger them using sound now.  Today we'll put it all together and try it!  

Our project will show questions on a monitor prompting people to tell stories about how they envision the future, then record people's answers, and finally add them to a database.  Others can listen to the collected stories on headphones, and we'd like to put the best ones online as well.  It's quite exciting!

Update from the ICA

Sorry that we haven't written in quite some time, but we have been busily preparing for our film screening on May 30, which includes five pieces from ZERO1 grant recipients! The students have been working hard these past few weeks, finalizing their work and getting feedback from their mentors.

Last week the students completed their pieces and the big unveiling happens tomorrow at the ICA theater. We had quite the range of projects: a documentary about bottled water vs. tap water, a 5.1 surround sound piece on pain (experimental documentary), a playful comedy about a daydreamer, a narrative on what happens when a friend ventures down a path you don't approve of, and a short film that explores the moment one teen decides to muster up a little chutzpah. We'll let you know when we post the films on our blog.

We look forward to seeing everyone's work!

Macedonia: CONSUMER VS. USER 2.0

Dear All.

The project Consumer vs. User 2.0, organized by LINE Initiative and Movement, has ended and we all voted on the best piece that came out from the participants.

Some of them created complex designs, some of them music videos, but the winner is only one, and we all agreed that she was a very interesting, creative, hardworking and valuable member to our project community.

Nita Hadzi Hamza created Progressing.
Her piece is about us and our planet and our lives.

you can check it out HERE.
please have you speakers on.

I will make sure to inform you all about the other pieces which will be put on our website very soon (www.line.org.mk)

Congratulations to all participants, hope to see all of your works at some point, somehow...

talk to you again,
Ivana

Voices of I.C.E. students

I just told my 6th students that their "Plants Talk Back" projects will be part of this wonderful festival.

Here are some of their reactions:

yahhhhhhhhhhhh I am happy. I will tell my mom. - trog

I am happy!!!! I love California!-Slade

Yes!!! That's so cool! It was hard work but it is now worth it!!!!!!!!!! Fun - Alec Jones

California is awesome! i am sooooo happy!-britt

james was here... cool! - james

My hard work finally pays off !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!- Max Gertler

'Urban Outsiders' UK youth workshop blog enteries.

Hello everyone from Top Valley Secondary

(High) School, UK. We are on our last workshop session before our artwork is flown to and projected onto the outside walls of the

Museum of Technology, San Jose.

Ever Child Matters and Environment officer, Caroline Hendy co-ordinated the project for a group of Top Valley and Bonington Juniour school students.

We have alot to tell the ZERO1 youth group about our trips to visit secret city ponds and Hucknall Road Walkway, an ancient strip of woodland with Simon Jenkins, Nottingham's Park Ranger. We learnt how to film, photograph and draw insects, flowers and water snails and then brought the footage back to be edited.

Digital artist Theresa Caruana who led the project helped us to decide how we would show our images in California. Here are some of our thoughts about the project and photos showing what we did.

Macauley's Blog
When I started to begin the art project we went to a room to think about what we could do and we saw a projection that Theresa had done in Saint Ann’s. We then went to a secret pond to find creatures and bugs so we could record them so it was possible to project them onto the wall. Then when we recorded the bugs we saw how they looked on film. In the next session we had fun in a forest and I played in some sand to find some worms or centipedes. We have now been split into buddies. The year 7’s with one year 6 and 3 year 5’s from Bonington Primary School. I am now paired up with Jake to create the blog and artwork. I have loved this project and would do it again anytime.

GAP Media Project - a late hello!

Hello!
I am writing from the GAP media project! We are joining in on this conversation late in the game but are very excited to be adding our news. The GAP media project is based in Champaign, IL. We've had quite an interesting time working on digital stories and have just wrapped up two stories that will be sending to San Jose. We met every Saturday, working in a big, empty computer lab on the University of Illinois campus. Over the course of the past few months, the girls in the project have reflected on aspects of their lives and communities they wanted to tell as a digital story. Some decided that they didn't want to put their lives on tape while others chose to make video letters to family members from whom they had been estranged. We are excited to share what we've finished with all of you and will send more reflections as we wrap up the process.
Thanks for the interest!
Myra

Figured it out

Okay, I figured out how to make a looping DVD. For anyone that has Adobe Encore (I have version CS3), follow these steps:

1. File > New Project

2. File > Import as... > Timeline (find your project file)

3. Window > Flowchart

4. on the flowchart screen, right click your project file and click Specify Link...

5. Click on your file name in the specify link window (this will make it so that each time your DVD gets to the end it will automatically jump back to the begining and play again)

6. Now you're ready to burn a DVD, go to File > Build, then chose what you want to do next.

It's even easier than it sounds.

Creating a Looping DVD

Can anyone help me with making a DVD that loops? I am trying to do it in Adobe Encore but cannot get it to work right. Any recomendations or sucesses?

Thank you


-Ryan Smith
Children's Discovery Museum
San Jose, CA

CDM Project Almost Complete!

Hello fellow youth media orgs,

Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose's project is almost complete and it is very exciting to see. What we have come up with is 8 individual video slideshows (some done individually, some done by small groups) of a youth photography perspective of Silicon Valley, all based on how each youth views her or his community, the camera a medium to capture this experience. All 8 projects will be put togetaher into one large piece for submission. THey will also be displayed on our website, www.getchy.com. SOme of the pieces have already been displayed to the public in our museum.

The process:

First teach the youth the technical and stylistic aspects of photography and let them practices taking pictures, followed by a discussion/critique of their practice photos while viewing them.

Next, brainstorm a bit on community and San Jose. WHat have the kids seen/experiences while living here and while volunteering in different CBOs in downtown and central San Jose.

Next we spent a lot of time wandering around downtown and some of the surrounding neighborhoods, looking at things, trying to see things that we normally wouldn't ntoice or things we see everyday but in a different light.

We then taught the kids Adobe Premiere (some already knew it so they got started), then we had the kids put all the pics together in such a way that it expressed thw thoughts, opinions, emotions, and ideas that they gained and felt during the photographing process.

The results are pretty amazing and we are looking forward to submitting our piece soon.

Usernomics 1.0 with SFAI City Studio + NEXMAP

Usernomics 1.0 Update - Part 1

Usernomics 1.0 is a hacktivist workshop employing models of waste reclamation, recycling and reuse. This user-friendly workshop begins with discussion about the consequences (social, ecological) of the computer industry, and a discussion about how to reuse, recycle discarded keyboards, household goods and toys. Participants engage in hacking (taking apart and repurposing) the keyboards and reprogram them to make one-of-a-kind external computer controllers.

The few days before the March 15-16 workshop, Christine Lee from City Studio and I went on a mission in the Mission for discarded goods to use in conjunction with the keyboards to make the controllers. We perused the thrift stores. Anything with movable parts makes a good trigger, so we collected old children's toys, sports equipment, kitchenware and other random household goods.

The first part of the workshop took place that weekend. In addition to City Studio students, Tammy Ko Robinson (Studio program Director), Christine Lee (Assistant Director), Conrad Meyers (SFAI grad), Amber Cady (Nexmap) and Kamau Patton (Studio instructor) were on hand to help and create! We began with an overview of what electronic waste is and what we can do to intervene in technological obsolescence. The City Studio students had been investigating the prison industrial complex so we also talked about the use of prison labor in electronics recycling. Discussion about the computer user interface and how we can create new ways of interaction with our controllers that moved beyond dominant narratives became the focal point. Kamau led an insightful discussion about how the movable toys we were using (analog interfaces) were analogous to the keyboard and mouse (digital interfaces). Those movable parts on a child's toy had a specific function that caused a reaction similar to the joystick or computer keyboard.

The technical objective of the workshop was to get 2-4 keys working on the new controllers so as to trigger onscreen images and create a simple computer video game. Students later would create their own onscreen narrative and custom images for the game. Working collaboratively over the 2-day workshop, both students and instructors learned how to disassemble or rather "hack" the old computer keyboards supplied by a local recycler (Computer Recycling Center). We soldered, taped and brainstormed ways to integrate the "detritus" with the keyboards to create unique controlling devices.

The weekend was a successful experience for all and introduced new ways to think about our role as consumers and consumer agency in terms of our interpersonal relationship with computer technology.

Since the March 15-16 workshop, City Studio has continued to work with the controllers and develop interactive narratives that will be exhibited and presented at SJ01.
In Part 2 of the workshop summary (forthcoming), City Studio students will be posting text and images from their experience.

Disassembling keyboards



Rewiring the keyboard to extend the circuitry



Making a controller from a basketball hoop



Controllers in progress

Freedimensional and CIAC's school program is coming around the final corner. For the blog post today I want to show one of our most promising students of our photography workshop.

Her name is Ruth. She worked very hard to bring give us her vision of growth and change for her through out her time here.







Her new home



Finding Friendship





Becoming a New Person


From Ruth’s progress in the program I can’t wait to see the full time capsule put together. Coming up a post about the exciting events in our Cairo program!

Arthur

I.C.E. Film Festival Results- top secret

**Top Secret News Alert**

The I.C.E./AYV 6th grade students have been viewing and voting upon the "Sustenance
and Sustainability: Plant Talk Back" animated videos all week. For 3 days, each class viewed
6 of the 18 films produced by their peers. At the end of the day's viewing,
each student received 2 ballots to cast a vote for their favorite films of the day.

On the 4th day of the week, each class could request up to 4 films they wanted to
review again. "Super delagate" ballots were handed out. Each student cast
two votes to nominate the best of all 18 films they viewed this week. They could
choose to split the vote between two films or cast both ballots for one film.

Here are the top secret results, to be shared at the I.C.E. Town Meeting next wednesday:

3rd Place: "President or Not"
time: 3:13 minutes
A girl and a plant vie to become the next President of the United States

Credits:
Emily DePorto- Co-Producer, Author, Animator
Isabel Avina-Co-Producer, Animator
Nicole Carne- Animator, Security Voice Over
Maya Howard Watts- Narrator
Isla Anne MacMillan- Sound Effects
Malik Wormsby- Sound Track
Tashi Lhlamo- actress



2nd Place: "Campbell!!!"
time: 3:31 minutes
Plants can be so annoying...

Maya Howard Watts: Script, Director, Dylan Voice Over
Nicky Carne: Animator, Narrator
Isla Anne MacMillan: Animator, Teacher Voice Over
Liam Van Horn: Music
Elliot Colgan: Cambell Voice Over
Sam Bouiss- Flava-Flav Voice Over

and the Grand
1st Place Winner: "Leona"
time: 2:11 minutes
A crime of plant passion concealed and revealed
Ruby Winborn: Author, Director
Esther Klingbiel: Assistant Director, Animator
Sophie Haber: "Photoshopper"
Tashi Lhlamo: Editor
Nevada Raffaele: Graphics Designer
Ava Prince: Music
Madeleine Galvin: Esther's Voice

See all the winners at http://www.youtube.com/user/merylmeisler

First Larp shoot (13th screen)

Well, we have to shoot again, though our shoot last week was great, we will add in with a new shoot tomorrow.

It was quite an intense experience. After deciding that our video was going to be a piece called Larpers in the City directed by my student Jonathan. The premise: An alchemist sends 9 identity-less deceiples out into the world to find themselves through the camera

Personally I found this to be quite an intense experience, feeling as if this is what we are always doing, what we look at becoming ourselves. I found myself looking for things I wanted, or began to need, when near things I specifically didn't want (loud people) I didn't know how to block them out, as ultimately they too would be in the camera. Hence Some things we purposely put into our identity, others.. just happen to us.

Here are some other paraphrases from the participants:
(Matt Ch.) - "George" - The ladies gave him the name George!
"Noone knows what kind of cheese i like"
"Noone knows what kind of fruit i like"
He was looking for something and he felt he tried too hard, he kept running into the word STOP and signs of NO.

(Reid) Was drawn to Places - Squirrels and birds and cracks in wlls - little spaces. he is afraid he may not have died right in the end.

(Jess) "Everyone else knows where they are going, but I don't"

Plants Talk Back! Check it out!

Plants Talk Back! 

Hear them, see them, feel for them @

http://www.youtube.com/user/merylmeisler

"Plants Talk Back!" is the result of a study by 6th grade digital art with earth science students at the Institute for Collaborative Education (I.C.E.) in NYC. The theme of their work is "Sustenance and Sustainability".

The students conducted a hands on scientific study of plant life by growing Lima beans. They grew two plants, a "control" plant and a second plant that they submitted to a "human" variable such as: nurturing with milk, talking to their subject, or allowing their subject to music.

In their Digital Art component the students imagined their plants having the ability to communicate with humans. The plants became anthropomorphic, expressing their basic sustenance and sustainability needs as well as desires, anxieties, reflections on humanity.
The human condition is paralleled in the lives of plants.

Please check them out (and think twice about how you treat and appreciate plants).

Day 6

Today in our session was the most complex work that we have done. The tools that we used today were plenty. There was mylar paper to make the patterns and piping to make the lining of the leather look pretty. Of course there was leather, shoe glue to stick the leather to the shoes, and black shoe polish to change the original color of the shoe from blue to black.

Day 6

Children's Discovery Museum - Making Progress

Hello all,

Children's Discovery Museum projects are coming along very well with most kids in the final stages of production. We had the oppurtunity to exhbit some of the in-progress projects at a Youth Programs event at the museum a few days ago that was attended by about 100 people. The projects were met with much praise.

We have had a little trouble trying to post our works-in-progress to this blog for all to see, but hopefully they will be up soon.

Thanks

Nueva projects at the Maker faire

Greetings from The Nueva School!

This past weekend we showed some of the projects we are showing at the at the tech museum in the Maker Faire!!

Here are some photographs of the Interactive Art (Robotics and Interface video Art projects) and also a couple of still images from the climate cartoons (animations) that are almost done.

The animation class just finished the Animatics and know we are starting the animation process.

The Interactive art class is now fixing some of the final details and we will be ready to go. We are very exited to be part of this show!

All these projects were made by 7th graders and by a couple of 8th graders!

We look forward to meeting you all.

Daniela

And the still images of the Animations!

Kibera Youth Organize HIP HOP FILM FESTIVAL

Thanks to the commitment of the youth organizers, the second annual HIP HOP FILM FESTIVAL, held in Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi, Kenya, was a big success. The Film Fest offers Kibera youth their only opportunity to view and discuss quality films from around the world.

13th screen Yonkers

These are my notes on our first multicamera exercise, from here many things have happened.
Attached is a non sequential nice pict. of my students preparing cameras to work with dancers.


2/28 – plan for yonkers 4 camera shoot. This is what we know – there’s a house with some people.
Discussions about plan/ no plan – Ideas: what do we learn about these people, can we go through their trash, can I have sex in their bed? We’ll meet and ask them questions, about how to proceed. decision: let’s go there and see, less rules.

made groups of 3 and 4 same as their car. Meet 7:15 7:30 on the porch.
Hmwk. Make up a character. Write a dialog and a short sketch the story comes through the dialog. Your character makes a cameo.

3/6--- meeting in the house. Questions asked, rules placed – don’t open drawers, touch much, pick up the rabbits. Questions, can the groups split up? Restate hand over lens, whistles are thron out, but not too excited about them.
On direction: find the story.

Wandering ensues. Groups disperse, cameras remain in the hands of few. People loook lost, but keep going. I prod a few times.
45:00 in we reconvene and J.M.calls a game of hide and seek. It has a rough start. Then starts. The counter sits on the couch, some people remain in their hide-outs. Aborted.
Scene ends in the basement drum room. Cameras shut down characters walk out the back door and around the front as students we sit around the kitchen table and talk about it.

feedback: What were the stories you found. Snippet, how does this connect to what you find next?
C. and D. found a murder and trailed it. How did your character help or hinder your experience? Some helped them engage and some ie:downer characters hurt their activation. Some felt the energy was chaotic, weird and high.

My critiques, more direction, but does it have to come from me? Handing over of camera. Figure out motivation and intention. Remember the cameras are part of this. Wish I had opened the floor to ask the house questions in the closing forum.

Assignment given – come up with a direction for the class to produce. Work with x. make a packet that we can use with you there or not. I said it could be 1 cam or multi. I feel like changing that.

Read r. altman interview
Create a direction for the class of 15 (16 w/ Carrie) for either a 13th screen synchronized camera hand editing scenario with 4, 9 or 16 cameras Or another camera situation, with awareness to editing and how post production can or will be accomplished. Everyone in class must have a job. And the video must have a beginning middle and end..
The project you propose must be written (typed with or without story boards/graphs/drawings. You must present/sell it to the class.
(question – do we proceed with these scenarios, and keep short assignments, or a final?

Updates from Macedonia

Dear all,

“Progressing” is the name of the project on which I’ve been working in the past few weeks. I’ve been thinking of where is the whole tendency of making life better and easier taking us, if we are making our way of living better at all!

I think most of the people are not really aware of the situation in which our planet is at the moment and that maybe this progression is leading us to destruction. 

I’m posting here stills from the “Progressing” video.