Lazerbeat
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Tokyo, Japan

This might sound kind of stupid but I wrote a few words about the 09 Blip Festival and one thing which I found incredibly difficult was commenting on the visual side of things. I really feel like visualists are a pretty integral part of Blip Festival and pretty much any chip show. Unfortunately though I really was a bit of a loss when talking about visual side of things. I don't know if its lack of practice or I am more of an audio person than a visual one. I felt I kept on saying "visualist X's style really complimented artist Y's set well" and "visualist X's style is glitch and colorful" or "glitchy and monochrome"

Any advise or thoughts from the visualists in the house? Also, any well written articles reviewing chip shows which speak well about the visuals?

10k
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nɐ˙ɯoɔ˙ʎǝupʎs

I'd like descriptions of what was going on. An obvious one that sticks out would be the black and red skull for nullsleep. The naked virtuagirls for eat rabbit, the haunting phrases during little-scale's set...

akira^8GB
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New York City

If you can't come up with any words, probably the screens didn't grab your attention enough for you to say something about them (putting the whole 'they are integral' part to question, at least from your perspective).

From all the Blip shows in 2009, The Hunters and Condom were definitely the most visually engaging from what I've seen. Can you come up with something about those two? Also anything by the C-Men is instantaneously absorbed by me (I love the text shit he throws out, like BIG FUCKING DEAL)

I leave you a review about visuals which makes a lot of sense:
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/12023 … bell-house
"The C-Men’s doodles: Every musical performance at Blip is paired with a spectacular customized projection designed by animators and visual artists, often abstract or geometric or pixelated video game sprites, but the C-Men stole the show with their stylized iconography (during glomag’s set) and their deranged comics (for Rainbow Dragoneyes). It’s hard to pluck a favorite moment of audio from the festival’s performances, but images? No question—cartoon sperm cell wearing a military helmet, by a mile."

µB
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A gray world of dread
akira^8GB wrote:

If you can't come up with any words, probably the screens didn't grab your attention enough for you to say something about them (putting the whole 'they are integral' part to question, at least from your perspective).

I don't think inability to express oneself equals lack of emotional response, I think the problem is probably more rooted in perspective. He's a musician, so writing about the aural side of things allows him to use his first hand insight, something he doesn't have for visuals, and that contrast probably leads to a feeling that the way he can describe the visual is inadequate in comparison. Asking for visualists to help with the nomenclature seems reasonable to me. smile

akira^8GB
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New York City

I think it's a bit pedantic to say that you "need to know about visuals to write about them". That's a load of poppycock. So only musicians are allowed to make comments about music??
I posted an excellent example of a spectator reviewing The C-Men's visuals. Reviews after all need to be either objective or tinted with feelings and, as a spectator, you should be able to come up with something.

µB
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A gray world of dread
akira^8GB wrote:

I think it's a bit pedantic to say that you "need to know about visuals to write about them". That's a load of poppycock. So only musicians are allowed to make comments about music??

No no no, you misunderstood me. What I meant was that his knowledge of music might interfere with how he perceives the possible quality of his writing about the visuals (because the two are so closely knit in this case).

e.s.c.
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IL, US

i think its easier for a musician to write about music and for a visual artist to write about visual art...im both so i do ok at each, but i understand how a lack of practice in formal critique of visual arts/film could make it more difficult to write about visuals for the untrained, esp at the high speeds they tend to go for chip gigs wink i mean, theres a lot to take in for your senses when youre in the middle of the floor at blip

akira^8GB
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New York City

There shouldn't be a practice in critique, there should be the view of a spectator put into words, honestly. It's that simple. I showed a review from someone who is not a visualist nor a musician and made a review of all these aspects, and you know what? It's better because it's not tinted by the bad habits and bias of those who are immersed in the activity.
Also, are all spectators of a show, knowledgeable in the arts they are seeing? Does that make their view on the matter any less valid? Can they have difficulty in writing so?

My advice is to just write whatever comes to your mind as a spectator. If you don't have anything to say about them, it's for a good reason. Don't wporry about your wording, the only ones bound to get angry are the pedantic twats wink

Ogrim
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Westcoast Norway

Is a critique and a review necessarily the same thing? Such that a review simply states observations, while a critique tries to analyze and therefore needs more knowledge and insight.

akira^8GB
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New York City

Lazerbeat mentioned he wants to comment, write "some words", so I don't think he needs any technical insight into the activity to do so, rather than just express whatever he feels about it, if anything at all!

J Y K
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New York, NY

Well I think terms like 'glitched-out' are a bit overused and also rather incorrect as very few visualists actually use glitched visuals at all.
In terms of any reporting at all, I always appreciate subjective sincerity.
What images struck you? What aspects of timing or cutting seemed to work the best? What things that you saw did you like/didn't like? Visuals are meant to enhance the overall experience of being at a show, and don't prescribe to predetermined standards of aesthetics so your insight as a viewer, is as valuable as any kind of judgement that would come from a so-called 'expert'.

e.s.c.
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IL, US

what i meant was moreso that the training equips you with the vocabulary to more easily discuss it in terms that others can relate to