Category Archives: Session: Make

Proposal for a session in which you offer to lead a small group in a hands-on collaborative working session with the aim of producing a document, piece of software, or other made thing.

Session Proposal: Recycling old media tools for new creative expression

In this session I would like to talk about the philosophy of modifying and re-imagining old media devices as tools for creative exploration. At the center of this session I will talk about the genesis of the Paik/Abe raster manipulator, a modified cathode ray tube television that uses electromagnets that animates the electron gun of the television to create swirling patterns and movements driven by audio oscillations from a sound source. I will talk about the history of this tool, how I and a couple of artists redesigned it to work on color televisions, and why finding new uses for old technology is so important in the age of environmental crisis. I will also bring the device, pictured above, for people to play with during the session.