EYE Researchlabs

Pad for collaborative notes

https://pad.xpub.nl/p/EYE_RESEARCH_2018-2019

Temp pad replacement.

150 words (from pad above)

nb: with new content generated from the meeting 11/14, we won't need some of the placeholder rhetorics on "media ecology" (quote Tina).

current edit

We live in a non-linear age. Increasingly, we source our information from social media feeds rather than broadcasts. Our interactions are characterised by scrolling through fragmented pieces of time. Our reality shifts between multiple pop up windows.

Information is overgrown. We crave abbreviations which requires us to fill in the dots, a perpetual ellipsis [?]: visualizations, half-read synopsis, garbled sound bites, cropped headlines, skipped seasons (of original series). We lament about our short attention span while we click subscribe, yet again.

FOLLOW. CC. BCC. SEND. We are everywhere and nowhere at all time.

The non-linear is cinematic, aesthetic, political. In this program - set in a conventionally linear space/time, and shown on a single screen - we investigate how the fractured self encompasses reality. We are obediently non-linear.

Collective Research

Add here links to texts/images and any content that relates to the NON LINEAR so that we all have access to it. Each participant will present their research (3 mins max) on Wednesday 14th of November at 18:30.

When we present research, each of us will pick one or two keywords from our presentations to add to the blurb (of course, it will require editing, but that's why there's a writer). This can probably represent everyone better. Generating concrete content is a great feeling.

Dorothy: apology in advance - I probably can't join you in the coming two meetings since my partner is in town, but I would suggest this video in advance, on James Benning - who makes non-linear and actually non-narrative moving images, and in the form of another non-linear essay film. The essay film also recited an interview "James Benning on Time", which might offer some useful quotes / keywords etc.
Chloé Galibert-Laîné and Kevin B. Lee - Reading // Binging // Benning (2018)
https://vimeo.com/252840859
James Benning on Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMfuKpUJxPM

Marieke: Here's a list with a couple of non-linear movies: 20 movies with non-linear storyline. I don't really see non-linear only as a way of narration, for me it can also be a disrupted framework of for example a body like these 2 videos by Jesse Kanda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBxlPZyHQlU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7CTo2-bAA8

Rossella: Some other take on the idea of non-linear as simultaneous accumulation, potentially infinite, of details, but also of story as a sort of endless archive where everything can co-exist at the same time. Famous example in fiction: Funes the memorious, by J.L.Borges: https://marom.net.technion.ac.il/files/2016/07/Funes-the-Memorious.pdf "Funes not only remembered every leaf on every tree of every wood, but even every one of the times he had perceived or imagined it." Borges wrote several meta-fictional texts on this idea of archival infinity. And the already mentioned Foucault's Heterotopias connect more or less with this theme as well: http://web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/foucault1.pdf.

Other approaches that come to mind. Vonnegut's Timequake and, more remarkable and known perhaps, Slaughtehouse-five, which deals with historical trauma and individual experience (the main character witnessing the bombing of Dresden). Non-linearity is defined by Vonnegut as a feeling of coming unstuck in time, perhaps as a way to overcome an unspeakable event: "LISTEN: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time. Billy has gone to sleep a senile widower and awakened on his wedding day. He has walked through a door in 1955 and come out another one in 1941. He has gone back through that door to find himself in 1963. He has seen his birth and death many times, he says, and pays random visits to all the events in between.” Note: I have epub copies of the books, if anybody needs them.

There is a film adaptation of Slaughtehouse-five by George Roy Hill from 1972, but frankly I remember I was not too impressed with it. [Although it is very different from Vonnegut's book and its film adaptation, now that I am thinking about it, Bergman's Wild Strawberries has something in common with both, but it's a much better film overall that George Roy Hill's :P]

Mia: An example of an animation (also a collaborative work) that deals with non-linear formally but also in terms of content (Three characters, three perspectives, three directors: A session between a psychiatrist, a schizophrenic patient and his mother.), unfortunately only as a trailer Through the Hawthorn - Anna Benner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnKaO15vgbU Also Hito Steyerl's work pops up, Liquidity inc. (couldn't find it on internet, but it was in EYE museum last spring), but also other work of hers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE3RlrVEyuo&t=850s Un chien Andalou (Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=054OIVlmjUM movie Manifesto (Julian Rosefeldt): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOA6ramO1aw Non-linearity made me think of time in literature, for instance how the book Hundred years of solitude (by Gabriel Garcia Marquez) intertwines seemingly chronological time (and stretches it to eternity, timeles cycle) with flashbacks and jumps to future events.

Andreas: What is nonlinear warfare? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyop0d30UqQ In this five-minute excerpt Adam curtis depicts the idea of Putin’s advisor Vladislav Surkov to import ideas from conceptual art into the heart of politics.

A very interesting example exploring the question of „whether Tarantino’s choice of using a nonlinear approach to the narrative was just to be cool or if it serves a larger purpose“: https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/nonlinear-storytelling-in-pulp-fiction-bb745c6eeb40

Ana:

>>>Some definitions of non-linear: 'Most systems are inherently nonlinear in nature' //// 'Nonlinear dynamical systems, describing changes in variables over time, may appear chaotic, unpredictable, or counterintuitive, contrasting with much simpler linear systems.' //// 'Chaos – values of a system cannot be predicted indefinitely far into the future, and fluctuations are aperiodic' >>>Chronon: A chronon is a proposed quantum of time, that is, a discrete and indivisible "unit" of time as part of a hypothesis that proposes that time is not continuous. >>>Borges: In "The Garden of Forking Paths", Borges describes a novel by the fictional Chinese scholar Ts'ui Pên, whose plot bifurcates at every point in time. The idea of the flow of time branching can be compared to the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics and the notion of multiverses present in some versions of string theory.[10] Similarly, the infinitude of diverging, infinite universes in mathematical cosmology is reflected Borges' rejection of linear, absolute time.[11] Borges' writings address the nature of entity and the possibility of infinite "realities", as in his essay "New Time Refutations" (1946).[12] >>>from Borges to the Hypertext

Jue

For me what best captures the conceptual difference between linear and non-linear systems is the theory of quantum physics, especially the Copenhagen interpretation. (There are a lot of sub or opposing theories... But that's beyond the scope for now.)

  Quantum mechanics does not admit a completely precise description, in terms of
  both position and momentum, of an initial condition or 'state' (in the classical sense of the word)
  that would support a precisely deterministic and causal prediction of a final condition.[1]

The metaphors I've used in a past play script include entanglement[2] and the observer effect[3]. (I learned most of these things, and by no means in-depth, by reading wikipedia and watching weeks of PBS Space Time[4]. Yay physics.)

A key pondering from quantum theories is the rejection of determinism and of causality. (But Einstein disagreed with that.)

I find discussions on time from Relativity theories inspiring as well. Terms such as proper time[5] and timelike[6] expand the common sense knowledge about the kind of time measurement we are used to (via a clock with hours, minutes and seconds) and a Gregorian calendar. A close reading on linear and non-linear can be a form of intervention: it questions subjectivity, conventions, and frame of reference taken for granted.

Also, digging into some old cartographic knowledge, I find the term linear referencing:

  the locations of features are described in terms of measurements along a linear element, from
  a defined starting point, for example a milestone along a road... Linear referencing is suitable for
  management of data related to linear features like roads, railways, oil and gas transmission pipelines,
  power and data transmission lines, and rivers.[7]

This makes me associate linear systems as a way of sense-making and managing the world. So Literatures and thoughts from Enlightenment might be along that line (no pun intended.) And non-linearity in this case can be — stagnancy, uncertainty, intuition, even ignorance??

(There's of course, also scientific definition of a nonlinear system: a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input, popular example being chaos theory...[8])

My personal interest in non-linear representations — despite my fascinations in seemingly heady sciences — lies in bodily knowledge and the link, even sameness, between body and mind. Theories of the mind coincide with theories of quantum mechanics... Surprise :)

I find these examples relevant as they showcase:

- the representation of the mind (dissonance, loop, fragments): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLrnkK2YEcE

- a centering experience through magnetic language (the feeling of being here, now, forever): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRNEWuclgrs

- "in a sense all places is the same place": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD68PZ0AR5o

Meetings

12.11.2018

After voting on the above we decided on: Films will be non-linear (broadly-interpreted)

A short blurb of 150 words and at least 1 image is due THURSDAY 15/11/18. Please add relevant keywords/phrases to the pad.

Next meeting: Wed 14/11/18 @6:30pm in studio, preferably with 2-mins presentation of research on "non-linear." In the meeting we will decide on: images to use for the blurb and potential collaborations.

05.11.2018

Met about how to proceed with the theme.

Decided on:

DELIVERY ROLES

• WRITER : Jue Writes about our theme. Descriptions (short description and blog longer description)

• THE EYE CONTACT : Susanna Someone to liaise with The Eye & collect information from everyone.

• TECHNICAL PERSON: Ugo Technical issues, checking files for any errors a week before and compiles Technical Rider for the Eye.

• MARKETING MATERIALS/DESIGN: Andy e.g. poster, program, etc

• DEADLINE PERSON (A.K.A. BALL BUSTER): Mia Gives reminders for set deadlines, “Don’t forget to…” emails, etc.

Next actions:

meet to decide on the process/consistency of content before next time we meet with Tina (12/11/18)

BEFORE NEXT MEETING (12/11), PLEASE PREPARE THE FOLLOWING

1. On the pad, write down your name and your suggested method for all of us to generate ideas. Here is an examples from today’s meeting.

- "I will bring in today's newspaper. We can then choose a piece of interesting news from that day and use that as the start for our film, however we are inspired." (idea credit: Ugo)

2. In the pre-meeting at 17.00, we will discuss/vote on the idea we’d like to go forward with. Depending on the scope of the idea, we might be able to develop our collaboration plan or elaborate our derived idea -- if not, at least we can take concrete actions and sum them up for Tina.

29.10.2018

LB: 17:30 - ±19:00 EYE Meeting with Simon and Tina Bastajian in the large project space

• Tina Bastajian is a Los Angeles born, Amsterdam based media artist, researcher, essayist, and educator. Her work uses experimental approaches to documentary forms to explore

themes of memory, displacement, palimpsest, and the contours of voice and translation. These impulses also coalesce with her artistic research into moving image heritage and (counter) archival constellations and dramaturgies which include interactive documentary, expanded cinema, found-footage practices, and location-based storytelling. Tina currently teaches documentary film studies at Amsterdam University College (AUC) and is an essay tutor at the Sandberg Instituut, Masters of Art and Design program. She has also been a visiting artist/tutor at the Royal Academy of Art (KABK), the Dutch Art Institute and Piet Zwart Institute. Her work has been shown internationally from the Beirut International Film Festival to the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling (Montreal).

• https://independentresearcher.academia.edu/TinaBastajian

• http://kinostudio.org/

25.09.2018

Our first engagement with the EYE Researchlabs will take place in Eye already on the 25th of September.

At 16.30 in the cinema 2 we will give a short introduction of the project to the students, followed by a speed date encounter in the Ijlounge (an Eye space) during which students will have chance to meet each other more closely.

At around 18.30 the students are invited to visit the exhibition of Ryoji Ikeda with a guided visit by Claartje Opdam, the project manager exhibitions in Eye.

Deadlines

• November 15: Short topic description (150 words) + at least one photo.
• November 29 (internal): decisions on commitment, collaboration and the number of films
• December 23:
  • Request of digital and analogue films from Eye and from other distributors.
  • Longer text (300 words) and more photos for the final Eye web page.
• January 25: Program, production, technique info (technical rider).
• February 1:
  • AV content delivery (video files, slides, prints).
  • List of participants in your project (to arrange free tickets on March 2nd).