Einar's articles from the NWCA Newsletter.

January 1995

Important Note: These articles are history and all references to upcoming meetings and contact addresses and phone numbers and other things that change with time should be ignored. I decided to leave them in for readability.

January 1995

Hi there! Well, did Santa shop at your favorite electronics/computer/software/gadget/home entertainment warehouse?

More fun than new mittens!

My old monitor died last Wednesday so I'm writing this on my new 15" flat screen. It's amazing what a difference one inch can make. Sure, I know a lot of you other DTP types use those 17" monitors, but I just couldn't see spending twice the money on something that didn't really make that much difference in my products, whether music, design, publishing, or what have you. I know you could say I'm cheap, but I prefer to think of myself as "strapped." Several friends have asked my advice on their computer purchases over the past year or so, and having to do some shopping for myself made me very humble and indecisive before a market- gone-mad. What is it with all this gadgetry that makes me stand like a deer in headlights at the door of any electronics boutique? I'm not a novice at this, and I try to know what I want when it's time to buy, but products are changing so fast now that it's an absolute nightmare choosing one of a dozen identical products at a given time.

I don't know about you, but once I narrow things down to price and function, I do "eeny-meeny". Sometimes I flip, but that's only good when I get down to two choices.

Tonight I'm listening to the new Laurie Anderson CD, dreaming about what her show will be like in Februrary. I haven't seen her since Mister Heartbreak and I can't wait to be inspired beyond my current level.

Which brings me to my current level. Lately I have begun collaborating with Julius Brown on what we hope will be the most intriguing multimedia event of the Millenium. Even if you don't know Julius, you might know his work as the visual artist/projectionist/programmer for Diamond Fist Werny. Julius and I had planned to do a show together once before, but I got the cursed Chicken Pox just a day or two before showtime, and I've been waiting a long time for a second shot at it.

Our show will not be interactive with audience members, but will be highly interactive with the performers on stage. We will play many music/movement/visual generating devices and the show will premiere Julius's latest style of animation called "Bubblevision". There may even be a version of my original "Bubblevision" concept running by showtime as well. One of the interesting features of this performance is that Julius will be getting away from standing behind computer equipment and we will be perfoming visuals and music simultaneously on magical new instruments such as his soon to be electrified Chinese bass.

Other instruments will include my standards (standards?) like the Speaking Orbs and Dreaming Heads, but I'm mostly excited about building my first Monolith out of a REAC electronic analog computer housing. Cooler than words, man. Another new instrument of mine is the Singing Arc. The Arc is a mostly percussive device that I would classify as a cousin of the Orbs.

Currently, we are shopping the show around, keeping our eyes open for the proper venue for this event. We need a theatrical setting and a place where we can set up for a couple of days before the performances, which should run for about four days. (Shall we call the show "Bubblevision"? Sounds nice, doesn't it?) It will be a blending of music, movement, electrononic art and computer generated visuals. We will have a model of the set available for viewing soon, along with details of the performance. If anyone is absolutely dying to back the Most Intriguing Electronic Performance of the Millenium, call us! If you have a suggestion of a particular location, give us a call, or talk to us on Monday.

This is NOT a non-profit concept. We want the world to know there are artisits out here who can do some pretty wild, mind boggling stuff, but that it takes capital to get as far as we have! A lot of us have been investing the money, labor and creativity into fabulous art and product, only to wind up donating it all away, underselling the whole genre. This show is meant to be a step into a new market. It's time that the general public in Seattle got a taste of where technology might be headed, if a couple of wild guys had their way.

We already have most of the things we need. The balance is just some standard audio and video equipment needed to make things REALLY BIG.

I think We - Me and my main man Julius - are on to something here and I sure hope we can impress the heck out of y'all. Bubblevision Rules!

See ya,
Einar

Enough! Back to einar.com!