Possible Research Projects

Some ideas of possible artscience/new media research initiatives.


1) OSC, networked performance -- already ongoing at Sweetspot by Malek and me. Essentially a cybernetics workshop/research group of two.

2) Decentralized wireless technologies -- to explore the possibility of a network that does not rely on central structures eg cellphone towers, torrent servers, wireless routers.
Analogous maybe to cb/ham radio, but incorporated with computers and technologies of data exchange.

3) Aquaponics -- this is a relatively new tech that involves growing fish and plants together to maximize food production, minimize water usage. Allows families or small communities to grow their own food in barrels. A LITTLE technical, so one initiative might be to help spread small, teaching projects to familiarize schoolchildren with the science/techniques involved. Great vehicle for teaching/exploring ideas/issues of biology, ecology, agronomy, population, climate, etc. Very possibly a matrix for a bio-artscience that is linked to issues of survival.The REAL biomodd.

4) Scenes form/decay around watering holes/centers where people can casually wander into. Centers I've known/been to: Penguin, Mowelfund, Red Rocks, Club Dredd, Mayrics, Inka, Mogwai, all of Cubao X, Crazy Daisy, Saguijo, Sweetspot, Espasyo Siningdikato, Green Papaya. Met all sorts of artists, writers there. Not too many scientists, which is something to think about. As far as I know, no one knows how a center forms, what factors contribute to it. It can't be useless to try to answer the following questions: How is a center formed? What factors contribute to it? Is it possible to create one deliberately? What would it take to add scientists into the mix, and is it possible to design environments to favor Apollonian over Dionysian behavior? To favor making and discussion (eg Mowelfund, where people would drop in and wind up helping someone make a short film, video) over watching other people perform and getting drunk. Not to say there's anything wrong with spaces that encourage the latter, but there aren't too many that encourage the former. If it is not possible to create the spaces deliberately, we should at least find out why it isn't possible, and if it is at least possible to optimize conditions for/encourage their spontaneous generation. A science of Convivial Spaces = a science of encouraging spontaneous networking.