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It’s been about 5 days since our sketch presentations, and I had presented idea number 3 as my idea for the lounge. Whilst the idea of people remixing sounds and having dancers create movement on the spot to these new sounds seems like a fun idea, it lacks an actual concept behind it; ie. no clear purpose and no clear audience.
So I took a step back, back to the beginning, and brainstormed a crazy looking mind map of all the things I could think of regarding the lounge, and this, combined with lounge brainstorming with Karen on the train, led to a new idea:
Underground Sounds
Underground Sounds (working title) is a sound-based interactive game for kids (most likely under the age of 10 or 12).
It works on the premise of a sound installation, where a lounge is centred in a darkened room where the lounge is spotlighted so that the kids will sit down on that spot. Once they are in place, the spotlight dims to darkness and the kids are aurally introduced to dripping, echo-y sounds of liquid falling in a cave, then the sound of bats flying around and above the lounge, which then settles to reveal a disembodied voice that introduces them to the new world that they’ve been transported to: the Labyrinth.
Kids must find their way out of the Labyrinth by answering a series of sound-based questions, which would be answered by either strategically placed mics, or motion sensor buttons in a particular area in the room/on the lounge.
An example of what children would encounter in Underground Sounds is a large and annoying house fly that has followed the children from the normality and safety of the start of their journey, and they must become active participants by getting up from the lounge and following the sound of this intrepid traveller around the room until it leads them on a zig-zagging tiring chase back to the lounge, where the fly stops buzzing, and the children must pick the correct seat/pattern on the lounge (ie. by saying their answer out loud) that will take them to the next portion of their journey.
Since this sound installation/game is called Underground Sounds, it would include all sorts of subterranean places and dwellings such as caves, underwater landscapes/soundscapes, what’s hidden beneath trap doors, sewer and tunnel systems, and perhaps even something like the London underground. These ideas, particularly that of the underwater lounge and the trap door idea, is influenced by pictures I found of underwater lounges and green rooms whilst researching the lounge (see my Diigo links for more).
I was hoping to incorporate Greek myths, folk tales and other mythologies into the sound game so that the children get to learn something new, run around for a bit, and most importantly, have fun.
Taking a break from racking my brains for a good concept for the lounge, the first chapter of James Patterson’s chain thriller is out today on the interwebs.
Earlier this year, Borders had opened competition up for Australians to submit a 250 word (or less) paragraph, with the first line being “The sky had turned grey as the four men walked nervously past the police car…”
Out of these entries, 28 people were chosen to write a chapter each, with James Patterson to write the first and last chapter of the novel, or, as they’re calling it on the website, chain thriller.
It should be interesting to see what the chosen 28 people will write, and where the story goes, and how/if everything comes together at the end.
The idea of people writing/continuing something from another person, building a chain of words and ideas, is one that’s been already explored on the net with fan fiction, quizilla, RPGs and whatnot, so it’s not exactly “new”, but the convergence of printed publication entities, or an established author, collaborating with 28 relative unknowns online to publish something free for everyone to access, is another example of media changing and adapting to an ever-increasing participatory and networked society.
Ironically, chapter one of ‘Airborne’ is the first thing I’ve ever read from James Patterson. It’s a very short one (5 pages), but it’s pretty good so far.
Blogging and joining a bastion of social networking sites?
Must be time for another semester of MEDIA!
Would you believe I spent about an hour trying to think of/find a fun and appropriate username that was not taken on all the other sites we had to join?
I eventually came up with something, but funnily enough, I am known as ‘glasgowmegasnak’ on twitter *and* last.fm thanks to their 15 character maximum limit. I hope this amuses you half as much as it amuses me.
I’m not sure exactly what interests me about media… I initially came into this degree because it allowed me to both equally explore the ‘arts’ side of me and the ‘media’ side of me… and by media, I mean getting the chance to try out multimedia outlets of video, sound, web design, etc. So I suppose that’s what interests me about media, the very nature of the medium is its ability to cross and be part of all sorts of aspects of life; its ever-present state of flux and its ability to simultaneously isolate and connect people. (Insert tangent about how technology increases and decreases direct personal contact between people here).
I think that my initial perspective about media was that I didn’t really think about it; I mean, I’d go to school, go out, text, chat on MSN, watch TV, etc., but after 2 years of studying media and producing media, I’d have to say that, to some extent, the same applies (Facebook, I’m talking to you…). Media is still part of everyday life, but the difference is that doing this degree means I must actively think about the theories, processes and technologies that allow for this to happen. I’m also constantly reminded that the best method of learning is by doing; I still remember the days where I was solely an Internet Explorer user. Now I can’t imagine a world without the greatness that is Firefox. Just exploring different options to the things you used to use before I think is what drives me to study/use media.
Other interests that inform my media research and experience is a permanent and intrinsic love for music, which has expanded to a greater appreciation for what sound does to affect a space and the medium in which it is generated. TV, film, and music videos are also a regular staple in my media diet. Another great influence is literature (or as I like to think of it, the written word… which, on second thought, carries its own particular brand of connotations), and whilst literature is a word usually associated with old books and plays written by even older and people long gone, I like to think of literature as just another form of media, and more of as a composition of words that are put together in order to express something, anything, about the world. Basically I just really love any form of expression, story-telling and creativity; music, dance, poetry, prose, plays, etc.
This is my inner media nerd speaking (I know, I’m shocked to know I have one, too), but it should be pretty interesting to see how this Net Lit Project (or NLP, because it sounds fancy and requires less typing) turns out. I think it’s a pretty good idea.
Speaking as a 3rd year media student (which makes me sound a lot older than I really am…), I hope that NLP (I am envisioning a few months down the track a gazillion tags that link all the new south blogs like a spider-web) is ‘sticky’ [ ;P ] and that it grows and evolves into something everyone can use.
P.S. Good job 1st years for posting, I think some of your enthusiasm spread it’s way through the inter-webs 
May I also add that I find it amusing that the majority of those that have posted so far are the Communication & Journalism people; plenty of keen potential journos, I see 
ETA: I forgot all about YouTube… alas, another Mogwai fan beat me to the punch, so since I’m too lazy/annoyed to change/look for another username, my YouTube channel is glasgowmegagrace
