more definitions: DVJ by Kriel / VJ by Amerika

[videoswitchboard]

Hi everybody,

some interesting points for discussion have recently been flagged up by Charles Kriel in this thread

the first one is the upcoming release of Charle's Book:
"How to DVJ- a digital masterclass"

have a look:
http://www.howtodvj.com/

certainely a welcome addition to the number of books relating to VJing slowly making their ways into shops, and yet another acronym to get used to...
With backing from market leader Pioneer and the using the established mixing techniques (audio+video) as an easily graspable model, do you think that DVJing has the potential to take over VJing in popularity?


this leaves us to have yet another think about what VJing actually is (i can already hear the )- ok "theorising a practice to death" is not the way forward, but consistant writing works about the VJing practice are rare to say the least.

here's a link to Mark Amerika's "portrait of a VJ" (exerpt in .pdf published by fibreculture)

it starts like this:

What a VJ is not:
? A VJ (video/visual jockey) is not an MTV personality.
? A VJ is not a net artist.
? A VJ is not a visual DJ.
? A VJ is not susceptible to computer crashes (i.e. believes in the power of positive thinking).


it contains a rather epic description of the practice...(currently in the process of digesting it myself) and i thinks make for a rather good read.

Would anyone agree that this piece makes an accurate and inspiring reference document for the VJing practice or do you think it's a lot of academic ?


anyway,

enjoy and report!


dav

[Kriel]

I find it hard to believe no one has picked up on this thread. Mark Amerika has been one of the most important media artists in the world for the past 20 years. He's far better known than Coldcut or the like. Now, he has embraced VJing. Surely someone is willing to check out his work and carry on the conversation.

[holly]

Originally Posted by videoswitchboard

Would anyone agree that this piece makes an accurate and inspiring reference document for the VJing practice or do you think it's a lot of academic ?

It's well-stated as one point of view, he even says it's one point of view so he anticipated that comment.... I wouldn't call it necessarily accurate since that view is a little narrow, or perhaps focused is the better word, on a particular (life)style of VJ -- even then it is idealized.

The analogy to being a bike messenger didn't really move me as I felt was intended. There are a lot of risky jobs. Surfing the internet and forcing your friends to look at what you've "discovered" there is not a risky job....

I'm interested in a visual essay along a line of research (directed you might call it) curated into a progression of concepts and awareness, but he keeps saying to not impose any restraint (like a purpose) to the "surfing".... I get it. I see a lot of it. It's not my favorite.

The odds of a monkey typing War and Peace= not really going to happen. The novelty of MIXED wears off and you start wanting to see SOMETHING mixed. Dada-ism always makes me think of Sally Bowels: too loud and trying to get attention the wrong ways.

Random collage is a style and an art, but it is not THE style that leads to ULTIMATE REVELATION. Chaos was a very popular religion in the '80-90s. Haven't heard it praised so glowingly in a while, but it seems to have been a philosopher's stone: the perfect random moment never seen again (sigh).... Was on a panel with Mark Coniglia (Isadora) and he was big on this chaos terminology. Musicians and dancers don't use this sort of terminology, their focus is about training their instrument for deliberate control to do it again and again accurately and expressively, so a great deal of what Amerika says in the tone of universal truth is a matter of his perspective. Ayn Rand had a whole thing where you were supposed to test if you knew truth or were fooled by your perspective. It goes something like:

if I=AynRand then Truth=true; else if I≠AynRand then Truth=false

Random collage is useful to exagerate the edges and the composition, but there are other art styles that don't need to flaunt the zippers and scars.

I believed his conversation with DJ Spooky. That sounded like DJ Spooky. I did not believe the account of the female VJ performance online (Annet Deker?). I don't know, it just didn't seem real to me. It is possibly from a novel (or manuscript looking at the sources)?

I'd say he was successful at conveying a fun self-important, on the verge of life-changing discovery feeling. Oddly similar to hanging out with ranting video artists after too many cocktails. Similarly, it became less interesting towards the end where (t)he(y) lost the exhuberance of discovery and just wanted to go on and on about a story he's telling you....

Ok, I carried on the conversation. What did you think?
Or is this another behind the barn I'll show mine if you show yours first.oke:

[Lucidhouse]

.
thanks for the link Dav...i've scaned through the Mark Amerika .pdf realy quickly, am liking it... busy printing it out now for some bed time reading.
.

[Rovastar]

That is the second or third time I have read that Amerika article. Man it is dull. Maybe I am just not cut out for art academic reading but it is not for me. It didn't teach me anything, it didn't inspire me, nothing just trying to show off with using overly complex descriptions for simple practices. Blah academia of the subjective.