For performance artists, the development of stable, networked performance environments has relied heavily on the importation of models of the ‘social’ inter-personal communication type. Given that such communication responds to merely an aspect of the needs of artists, in practice this proves to be an imperfect and incomplete tool. In response to the challenge of producing a more rounded environment, the authors, through their work at the Visualisation Research Unit (VRU) at BIAD, have developed Collaborative Online Digital Arts (CODA) as a platform for drawing together networked resources from different disciplines.
The benefits, drawbacks, needs and future possibilities of existing networked performance will be discussed, as well as the omissions and shortcomings of CODA and other real time applications. However, the principle of creating a virtual performance environment has been abandoned for enhancing the traditional physical performance environment.
CODA was developed specifically to facilitate inter-disciplinary communication in multi-disciplinary performances. Central to CODA is the concept of the node. A node can be a computer with a specialist function, a sensor network, a human-computer interface device or even a person. All nodes broadcast media-in-specific data to a virtual data pool from which every node has access. This allows performers to interact with the environment without the necessity of having in-depth knowledge of how the data is being generated. For example, this allows the output from a video analysis node to be easily mapped onto a sound synthesis parameter on another node.
CODA could be thought of as a single ‘super instrument’ with which all performers can interact simultaneously. The technological infrastructure of the instrument is hidden, but the interface is not. Performers do not need to learn how it works, instead only what interactions it understands and what the results of those interactions may be. This methodology improves performer spontaneity considerably and lends itself particularly well to improvisation incorporating different disciplines where ad hoc exploration and experimentation are important.
This suggests that the network is itself the instrument, and leads to a further interesting phenomena. The data produced can be automatically archived and endlessly reformulated after real time presentation.
The paper will be presented with a short demonstration of CODA.
