It’s been awhile… I’ve been busy lately with a combination of work and an extensive side project I’ve been pouring most of my free time into. With that being said, I present to you Fogged Clarity. Fogged Clarity is a monthly online arts review and in the near future we plan on publishing a tri-yearly print edition. Much work has gone, and will continue to go, into this project. I’m hoping that some of you would like to contribute…
We have a rolling submissions policy and are currently seeking your work. Submissions should be sent to submissions@foggedclarity.com. Our February (debut) issue is free and available at www.foggedclarity.com. In it you will find new work from poets Bruce Smith, Amy King, and Peter Ciccariello, experimental photography by Kyle Jones, short fiction by Dmitri Gheorgheni, music from Judson Claiborne and much more. Fogged Clarity aims to transcend the conventions of the typical literary review by incorporating music, the visual arts, interviews, and political exposition. Our ambition is to form a community of artists whose interaction is not constrained by medium, but broadened by a collective love of expression. Our network is extensive, and our passion for ventilation intense. We sincerely hope you will join us, and share the fruits of your own fogged clarity.
If you would like to see more info on submissions, please see the submissions page.
“By incorporating music and the visual arts and releasing a new issue monthly, Fogged Clarity aims to transcend the conventions of a typical literary journal. Our network is extensive and our scope is as broad as thought itself; we are, you are, unconstrained. With that spirit in mind Fogged Clarity will examine the work of authors, artists, scholars, and musicians, providing a home for art and thought that warrants exposure. All work selected to be displayed on our site will automatically be considered for our print journal. The first edition of our publication will debut in 2009, and will be a compendium of the most dynamic material from our first four monthly issues.”
Radiohead’s new video, House of Cards, was created using some really impressive technology. No cameras! 3D environmental data visualization mixed with Flash and Papervision 3D = interactive music video! Be patient, the application takes a while to load, but it’s definitely worth it. To learn how this stuff works, get the nitty gritty at Google Code. You can check out the actual video in it’s entirety, but I promise it’s not as fun as its interactive counterpart!
The video below is showcasing RJDJ, a responsive / reactive music application for the iPhone. The app takes information from the iPhones microphone and / or accelerometer and translate it, real-time, into audio output that plays through the headphones. The audio can also be recorded for future playback. For example, one of the programs takes environmental audio and translates it into tones… The playback is very mellow while in quiet environments and gets wild and crazy in loud environments, thus creating a kind of real-time soundtrack whatever you are experiencing. Sweet! The developer in the video equates RJDJ to taking psychoactive drugs. Now that sounds like something I’d spend 3 bucks on! The guy can really cut a rug too… =)
Update:
I think this is what our friend was referring to when he related the software to taking mind-altering drugs… It really makes a seemingly normal event take on an astoundingly eerie quality.
This is the HD and finished version of my video ‘Music Is Math’. I just let the program run till the end of the music, I felt reluctant to interfere too much by trying to sculpt an ending, and just let the code run its own natural course.
Check out Marshalls’ site and the Processing site for more great experiments in coding motion graphics.
There exists in Pai a sort of Thai hipster culture characterized by long wild hair torn jeans graphic T’s sunglasses at night. Quite interesting… Pai being such a small, somewhat remote, place. Walk into Phu Pai Art Cafe and you’re in for a refreshing live music experience. I say refreshing because, in Thailand, a place where terrible karaoke and hopeless cover bands abound, the live music here was rock solid.
First up was a band of four members: drum bass guitar singer… classic quartet. They were a cover band, but not without their own style. The singer was amazing… A hipster Thai girl with crazy wild afro hair and a voice that made me wonder who… or what… was singing. A deep, hearty, soulful and unique voice. The backing musicianship was tight. Tight enough to make me smile and send a shiver or two down my back. (It had been a long time since seeing ‘real’ live music). The set list was nice as well: Otis Redding Al Green Beatles House of the Rising Sun. And flourishes of jazz/blues improvisation, hence the shiver, here and there.
The band that followed was “an experimental gypsy band” comprised of a diverse blend of musicians. Didgeridoo hums, muted trumpet wails, bass, drums, some kind of violin adds orient, saxophone cries, squeezebox rhythm. While walking to the toilet a mosquito buzzed in my ear and told me ‘the gypsies are coming.’ Pangs of nostalgia for a bygone era. A few local ex-pats joined in shaking tambourines as if holding on to something from long ago… maybe the 70’s. I could’ve done without said sloppy jostling of bells on a ring but I’ll let the kodgers have their cake.
Tom Waits recently had a ‘press conference’ announcing his summer tour for 2008. He is calling this adventure the “Glitter and Doom Tour” and describes the path he will take with a cryptic acronym: PEHDSTCKJMBA. Looks like he’s sticking the the southern part of the country, however, so us northerners aren’t getting any love. Columbus, OH is my best bet… c’mon Tom!
