Chupacabra Policia: Build A Better Chimpanzee, We'll Build A Better Monolith

[rwx]

Chupacabra Policia
Originally uploaded by N Jim.

At flipside this year, the Chupacabra Policia (Austin version) transformed an art project of theirs from previous years into a really great interactive art piece. Like all art pieces, it had some people who loved it and some detractors. I thought it was the greatest thing ever.

Random Information: the Chupacabra Policia in Austin are different than the Chupas were up here. Same basic bad attitude, but doing a lot more creative stuff with it. They're sort of like what you'd get if you crossed Arson Island Resort with Laibach. For those whom that doesn't make any sense, Mr. Fang, the guy who made this thing, is very similar personality-wise to krautboy -- imagine Krass at a Burn event, basically.

So, the other side of this tower has two huge speakers and a computer interface. the computer interface is to an MP3 player interface that they made special for the event. The music has a lot of standard genres (world, pop), but it's specialty is rhythmic noise, power noise, and other Kold War-type stuff. Lots of great stuff -- mono no aware, 5f55, and the whole genre. So, basically, you can either leave the tower alone and it will randomly play music, or you can go up and request songs. It's pretty beautiful.

It has a couple special features:

• The volume up/volume down controls do the opposite of what you'd expect: pressing the usual keys for software makes it louder and vice-versa. Most people could figure it out after a couple of hits, some found this more challenging.
  
• The speakers were mounted above head level. This caused it to be difficult to tell exactly how loud you were setting the speakers to when you were at the console. Lots of WAY LOUD or WAY SOFT resulted from this, as well as some amusing heterodyning.
  
• have I mentioned how great it was to hear noise at a BM event? Mr Fang has a wide range of impeccable musical taste.
  
• You could only have two songs in the request queue. That meant that as soon as it'd played the two songs in the queue, it'd go back to random. If you wanted to control this thing, you had to devote time to it as a project.
  
• Aesthetic. Like the monolith from 2001, this stood out starkly against the center camp area.
  
• Interactive. It was a highly interactive piece of art that inspired a wide range of visceral response from people.
  

Seriously, hats off to Mr. Fang. This thing was great and a lot of fun to play with over the course of the event. I hope to see it deployed again.

Comments

[batboymaxx.livejournal.com]

That is freakin' awesome.

I have a lot of pride for the Austin Chupas. Some of the Seattle Chupas ended up being friends of mine late in the Sea Chupas day, and the Austin Chupas were very much in part created by my dear friend Calamity June after she left Sea Town for Austin (where else would a cowgirl like that go?) It was great. She left Seattle and the next thing I knew Austin had Chupacabra Policia. *g*

[rwx.livejournal.com]

yeah, it was great to see June again down at FS. I miss having her around on a regular basis.

[betanoir.livejournal.com]

Pretty cool thingamabobber.

On a completely seperate note, am I the only one that chuckles a little when you use the term "BM event"?



I'm feelin' a little lowbrow today.

[batboymaxx.livejournal.com]

I am pleased to know that you know June. :)

So, um, about what you said, "imagine Krass at Burning Man..."
*mind wobbles*
I keep trying, and I just keep getting a REALLY unhappy Krass.

[batboymaxx.livejournal.com]

I chuckle a litttle every time anyone says it, including myself.

[rwx.livejournal.com]

My friend Veek got me in the habit of writing BM for burning man; she makes wacky annual posts playing with the similarity.

[rwx.livejournal.com]

I think he'd have a good time because he gets it, it being the joke that a lot of burning man is based on.

[brothersterno.livejournal.com]

mmm, BM event!

[drjohn.livejournal.com]

It would not surprise me at all if the 'monolith theme' from 2001 was in the extensive and well-categorized playlist.

One of my favorite things from this year.

[mrfang.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you enjoyed the tower. :)

We probably won't do it the same way again, but it might mutate into something else. Mobility would be a plus.