Mobile Troops – Urban Jungle / Mobile media art
The recent years have witnessed the emergence of mobile and wireless art works in the media arts. The somewhat blurry definition mobile art is commonly used as a reference to works, which are incorporating a mobile device (phone, pda, gps) as a part of the work or which are made to be viewed on a screen of a mobile device. Various mobile devices, wireless networks and the concept of technologically enabeld presence are conditions for this kind of art works.
The wide variety of works (locative media, wearables etc) under the category of “mobile art” share usually at least two similarities, they have a technological component as a vital part of them and they are related to a physical object.
Works, which use mobile media as a critical artistic medium are not necessarily always inventing new functions or features for the devices, but are transforming
existing possibilities and by doing it they are exposing the characteristics of these devices, networks, and the society using them.
Mobile troops ironically points to the fact that we tend to increasingly equip us with all kinds of necessary interfaces for surviving the urban jungle. The electronic car key is as important as mobile phone and credit card. Mobile troops is a workshop about media art which is mobile, (possibly) networked, and experimenting with new ideas and artistic concepts.
Utilizing everyday objects and interfaces, like the mobile phone, the workshop introduces strategies, concepts and technologies for artists, designers and practitioners who are interested in mobile art and or working with mobile and networked devices.
The workshop will consist of:
* Introduction into the theory and history of mobile art
* Introduction into the technology of mobile art
* Technological infrastructure
* Potential for mobile art
* Concept development and discussions
* Hands on experiments, research and presentations
There is no technological preknowledge necessary.
Tools employed:
Java and Symbian based mobile phones
Mobile Processing
Pure Data
Arduino physical computing platform
Workshop directors and producer:
Laura Beloff(FI)
Erich Berger(AT/FI)