PLENUM/xxxxx - The acts
Act Zero:
Prelude, pre-scene, hors scene.
Without giving background to R.W. Fassbinder's In a Year of 13 Moons,
a singular scene attempts to expose our layering summarised by "the
record player on stage." Where is the script? The elements are all
here; philosophy on the walls, curtains obscuring daylight, a
silhouetted body-builder lifting weights in slow motion, fake
moustache, prostitute and man become woman. A lengthy scene, played
out for audience provocation, beginning with Ingrid Caven's spinning
top, a dream recounted. "Maybe I didn't dream it at all. Maybe I only
heard it or read it somewhere. It doesn't matter." A tape recorder is
switched on, dialogue concerning the difference between "real life"
and living -- or "real music" and music while Suicide's "Frankie
Teardrop" plays. Alan Vega's scream. Song lyrics. Seven minutes 40
seconds. Execution and coding.
Act One: Substance.
What there is, what we have, larger groupings, meta data flagging
groups and individuals. We can input this into the system. The
contained opera. Texts.
The song: "I am one, i am a neuron".
Exploration of neuronal, neural network models as triggering
mechanisms for dictated software events. One neuron or many maps the
room, a map of neurons, a network for raw data, for piping, as raw as
possible. Neural net thing is mapped itself over participants. There
must be some way for participants to be mapped over the net and
re-enter the net simulated. Self entry needs to be coded, raising the
issue of interface. Again, it's unclear which side of the interface
we're discussing, as the social is mapped to the neural as a question of
elements and the individual: group as neuron group, trigger over limit
can be made unresponsive - thus reverse louder participant, drained
neuron, overexerted neuron, waiting and empty neuron partnering.
The first questions of interface are raised at the level of an
imagined neural trigger, an imagined dynamic which could be exposed, a
tonality. Escalation is first broached by discussion and by software.
Languages and protocols are exchanged and tried on for size. Codified
software switches into leakage and the social becomes heavily protocol
driven; operatic speech, drawing room sensibilities, yet all under the
banner of substance or vertiginous term/domain exchange/crashing which
is maybe the same thing. There is no part or counter-part.
Act Two. Alice: Coded rabbit holes. Spoken word and speech synthesis
The script is interrogated and opened up to ridicule. The code is full
of (rabbit) holes and sample transformations. Our pleasant neural
system now accepts wild triggerings. A tea party.
More roles and protocols are interchanged, voting and creation of new
codes, new formats. Participants should be able to stage subevents,
parallel activities and so on, autonomous units which can later
present research findings and offer these up to whatever softwares for
proofs and interrogation. An example would be the xxxxx commission on
the poverty of software which could discuss and research
findings. Others could form a working group to advance the study of
pornographic code (a la Florian Cramer's work).
At the same time, and as an aside, the most famous "Off with her head"
could be applied to appointed moderators. An expanded
software/database and querying system will be explored to input facts
and speculative thoughts in relation to both Plenum and Alice.
Act Three. Jekyll and Hyde
Jekyll software modules should dominate the room. Commandline modules
are patched together within a stacked and tense atmosphere which will
arrive to duel. Jekyll assumes sampling or data slicing a la slow scan
image-sound, piping and leaked and labelled containers. Timeslice audio laid
open to inspection. As from a distance, from within the train
carriage, distant objects maintain their place, whilst those closest
rush past, a similar spectrum will be attempted. In addition the
exterior scene can be moved with no train motion. Time slicing and
distance. Multiple versions of the same software will be showcased
with reference to the multiple edits and censorsnips concerning
Docteur Jekyll et les Femmes (1981). Walerian Borowczyk.
The duel arises between expectant code user and bowed down programmer. A
duel always of knowledge. Roles are assumed.
Leakage is implied by sniffer functionality. Promiscuity is also
implied.
Act Four: H bomb simulation/audience simulation catastrophe.
Simulation is made evident through noise and spatialization. The
audience is in the patch/code. Code audio is broadcast into the
audience simulating space; where are the microphones recorded in the
machines placed in simulated space and now heard in the room through
two speakers?
Simulation at entry point/interface into the machine. The participants
in our expanded software must be mapped into the computer model. Where
they meet is the (ugly) interface. What the machine can know is
important for its mapping. For example if the microphones are moving
the machine doesn't know where they are (unless we code in very
complex algorithms that would compare background noises - simulating
space is easier than reading space) - unless we at the interface say
so - ie. we humanly trace it - or we use some machine vision or some
kind of interference pattern. Noise or waveforms suggest themselves.
War time simulations-theory and game theory circa code wall escalation
could be recounted here.
Statisticians should present results (the optimisation of
meat). [question remains as to who measures, how they measure and how
this data is input].
Act Five: Pink light:
The Thames walk. A code graveyard. The repository is symbolically drained.