March 29, 2024

I promise I didn't forget about you

Hey friends! Back in... [checks notes]... oh no, September, AKA half a year ago, I offered/threatened to send you Cool Stuff about my recent and ongoing creative projects. Then I did not follow up in a timely fashion, because I am actually three hangry insomniac toddlers in a trench coat. And video editing always takes about 40 times as long as I think it should.

Despite having solved approximately none of those problems, I'm cautiously optimistic that Cool Stuff is imminent. I have been working on an in-depth series of videos about my 3D printed knitting machine project, the first of which should be ready for release as soon as I can either acquire a certain prop for the last remaining empty B-roll slot¹, or when I can convince myself I don't actually need the silly sight-gag that I have my heart set on even though no one but me will know it's missing... whichever comes first.

In the meantime, I'm procrastinating prioritizing professional development by preparing an application for this year's Nocturne festival. I've performed at the festival in the past as part of larger group presentations, and I had a great experience volunteering for artist and venue support last year. But this is my first time applying to a big publicly funded arts program as a solo artist, and I'm relatively new to the New Media discipline, so I'll be happily surprised if I'm selected. Instead of framing the festival itself as the end goal, I'm approaching it as an opportunity to practice the somewhat mysterious aspects of Doing Art that don't involve creating or performing: the production logistics of mounting a media installation, getting quotes for AV equipment rentals, considering venues, making a comprehensive budget... and putting samples of the work somewhere they can be seen.

The installation I'm proposing would expand on an animated 3D data visualization I created in 2021 (cw: pandemic, death, rapid motion graphics), adding a synchronized soundscape that interprets the same data features. The piece as it currently exists has no audio, though, so to give the jury a sense of my experience and abilities working with sound-focused multimedia, I'm also sharing examples of two unrelated projects: Solitude (just asking questions) (cw: flashing lights) and Looking Glass.

My grand plan was supposed to be to wait to show off these pieces until I could also do a deep, nerdy, behind-the-scenes dive into the hows and whys of each of them, as advertised, but fuck it: they're uploaded now and it would be sinful to hoard them. Right? Right. I hope you find them intriguing.

Until next time,

xoxo Sparks

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Currently reading: Saving Time by Jenny Odell

Hot off the sewing machine: a cozy purple hoodie

Can't stop thinking about: this Jacob Geller video