This is an excerpt from one of the clips, so I thought that I would create a one minute teaser for the longer video I am working on.

Denise McCarthy, the other artist exhibiting in the space, was talking to me during one of the performances.

I will finish this video and create one for “Rise Up, Fallen Angel” before the end of the month.

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Working with my friend Paul Plimley is always a lot of fun!

This concert was part of the 2011 TD International Jazz Festival in Vancouver.

String Stories band members: Phil Emerson, guitar; Tommy Babin, bass and Paul Plimley, piano.

Taking the video was complicated by the fact that a camera person from a local television station had taken the spot that I had planned to set up in.

The back of the room was the next best and my new wide angle video lens really helped capture the whole stage.

The video is unedited, with audio from the camera, just title, render and upload!

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I have visited the site a few times and always witnessed peaceful, busy people building their homes. Food Not Bombs has been serving meals and many of Vancouver’s homeless population are better cared for than they have ever been. Remember that many people are living pay cheque to pay cheque and an interruption in their income can quickly lead to loosing their home. Homeless people are not always drug users or anti-social deviants, many are impoverished individuals who cannot find work.

A young woman died at the Occupy site — “a drug overdose victim”, reported the mainstream press. I don’t know if that is true, but I was saddened by this event. However, it it is not a justification to move against the protesters. I know that in Vancouver, most drug related deaths are not even reported, especially not as important news. There are too many of the hopeless people who turn to chemical comfort and find a final rest.

The atmosphere of the Occupy site reminds me of the “sit-ins”, “Be-ins” and other passive protests of my youth. One difference is the diversity of the protesters, as they range from babes to elders. I shudder to remember how those events usually ended with the authorities violently displacing the unarmed, peaceful crowd. I fear for the safety of the protesters. Once an injunction is granted in Vancouver, the politicians will move swiftly to remove the protesters before the upcoming election.

In my opinion, the Occupy Movement is not inciting revolution. It is representing a social evolution.

In North America, the population is literate and has access to the internet.

Although the attempts to “dumb down” the mainstream with television and pop tunes have generally met with success, the economic crisis has brought a sharper focus to society. More and more individuals who have suffered financial hardship because of the economic conditions imposed by corporate greed are reacting.

Members of the middle class, usually afraid to loose a comfortable lifestyle, usually in favour of maintaining the status quo that  supports them — now speak out.

In support of the Occupy Movement, I wrote and performed this poem, The Evolution is Being Televised.

The Evolution Is Being Televised – Victoria Gibson Nov3-2011

You can stay home people,
You can lock your doors, your windows, and your mind
But you will not be able to loose yourself cocooned in your media devices,
You will not be able to ignore the movement occupying our streets
A social evolution that is taking the temperature of our times
Because the evolution is being televised

The evolution is being televised
Brought to you on the eleven o’clock news
by those who would dismiss the dissatisfaction of the population.
The evolution is being televised
Brought to you on the internet from cameras and phones
by those who would insist on the message getting through.
Social evolution on a screen near you
The evolution is being televised

Work to find solutions on the scale of our problems,
Direct democracy with a human microphone amplifying the message,
Dare to join the general assembly of citizens,
Raise your hand
Against an economic system built on colonialism.
Raise your hand
Against inequality and corporate greed.
Raise your hand
Here your vote will be counted.
Raise your hand in agreement
and hear “we have consensus”.
The evolution is being televised

There can be no democracy when politicians are in the pockets of the corporations,
Using fear to perpetuate all forms of oppression,
Rejecting responsibility for the destruction of the environment.
The spin doctors use damage control on the crisis of the day.
Political pundits seek individual representatives of a movement that is run on consensus.
The evolution is being televised

When those who vote have no control over our nations,
Those who vote assemble in the streets.
When those who vote seek action on their problems,
Those who vote assemble in the streets.
The diversity of our population young and old together,
All have been cheated of economic security and opportunity,
All have witnessed the continued degradation of our environment,
All seekers of freedom live in fear of brutal suppression,
While assembling bravely in the street looking for a brighter day.

The evolution is being televised, being televised, being televised
The evolution requires your imagination
The evolution is streaming live.

Contact: Victoria Gibson

See my song: Government of the Canadian People written before the last Canadian election.

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Now, I have a very good idea of how to create an interface for stand alone installation. Everyone had positive comments and the wireless arduino powered control was a source of wonder. Thanks to everyone who assisted me in the programming of the Arduino sketch.

During the day, I was able to hear some of the other performances in downtown Guelph and was fortunate enough to be interviewed by the resident radio station. CIUT fm was broadcasting live from the tent and playing CD’s of musicians who were performing at the festival.

Toronto’s preeminent, listener-supported presenter of leading-edge music and spoken-word programming since 1966.

Producer Erik Betlem was kind enough to send me a copy of the interview recorded live on September 10th in the downtown Guelph outdoor venue tent.
The hosts were David Dacks and Laura Dymock,

Bandwidth Interview – click to go to the interview then  — click to listen.

Thanks to all the festival organizers, volunteers, CIUT and the friendly citizens of Guelph — I am grateful for the opportunity to premiere my interactive installation in Guelph.

Hope to see you all again soon.

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Tonight, as part of the Guelph Jazz Festival Nuit Blanche — World Premiere of my work, Bandwidth.

Bandwidth2011 download project outline

Facebook Event Page

I am so happy to be in Guelph and meet all of the friendly people here. What a beautiful countryside with the stone farm houses.
Great community support for the festival too!

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Videos include my newest work: Kensington Mystery Man

Kensington Mystery Man from victoria gibson on Vimeo.

There is a film clip of the title sequence for Rise Up, Fallen Angel

Rise Up, Fallen Angel — Opening title sequence from victoria gibson on Vimeo.

Lisle Ellis said this one of his favourite visual parts of the show! That is quite a compliment considering the quality of art from the contributors around the world and Lisle’s dedication to his own visual art. This clip is really a display of my work in the visual and audio realms. I will be creating a documentary video of the event and my projection artist collaborator, Christina deRoos has posted a clip to her Vimeo account here.

Rise Up Fallen Angel from Christina deRoos on Vimeo.

The final public clip is a documentary of the work I did at EMPAC in 2010 — it is a work-in-progress showing of my Integrated Media Arts piece, Bandwidth. The video was edited by Julia Alsarraf, a colleague who also participated in the Media Lab at EMPAC.

Bandwidth at EMPAC 2010 from victoria gibson on Vimeo.

The EMPAC experience was very important to me in many ways, but meeting the other artists was a great inspiration. I am still collaborating with one of my other colleagues, Suzon Fuks, an Australian artist. She is launching her Waterwheel project on August 22nd! I have contributed some of my water video and will be uploading more photos and other material to the collection. If you would like to be part of my crew in the “Tap” section, please contact me. I would like to be a more involved participant in the project.

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I know that I like to put commas in titles (Rise Up, Fallen Angel) and the design establishment says that is bad. I will continue my wayward comma loving ways, thank you.

Before the band, Five Alarm Funk, took to the stage, they asked me to send them any photos I took of the band. I told them I was not the official photographer, so I would not take photos of them, I was going to take photos of all the pretty girls. The young men in the band were very happy to accept copies of those photos instead, so I knew I had come up with a good idea.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

I am very busy right now because the Vancouver Jazz Festival is on — but today is the last day. I have to go and catch some jazz at David Lam Park.

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If you are not able to come to the show Rise Up, Fallen Angel — Please watch on the Center for Performance Research UStream channel.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/cprnyc

This is a big night — we have had many technical challenges setting up 3 screens of projection and surround sound, then streaming it all on to the internet.

Tonight is our open rehearsal, see you there.

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Rise Up Fallen Angel – Thurs 5/26-Sat 5/28 – www.cprnyc.org – Brooklyn, NY from Christina deRoos on Vimeo.

I am in NYC working hard on the show with my collaborators.

Christina deRoos, my collaborator in the visual projection aspect of the show, made a video yesterday and posted it on Vimeo as a demo.

I hope you like it.

Click here to View on Vimeo.

Tickets available on Brown Paper Tickets Here — only $12.

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Rise Up, Fallen Angel

The ephemeral strands that connect us; a gesture, a sound, a touch – may trigger cascades of meaning.
A glimpse of something peripheral to the main event, catches attention, and is gone — slipping into the crowd. “Play the Moment Composers’ Collective” weaves together strands of light and sound to form a tapestry of improvised narrative. The integrated media exhibition, Rise Up, Fallen Angel, brings together a diverse collection of visual creators from many countries who have sent their angels through the internet. We invite you to a primal, emotional experience designed to create an organically resonant, sensory immersion. Satisfy the need for spiritual renewal and tribal ritual in a contemporary context; myth and symbolism invoked using the latest in modern technology. We seek to reinforce the resilience of the human spirit: rise up and overcome the problems we all recognize in our lives, our communities and our planet.

Download RUFA-blurb-final-150wd

The show will be awesome because of the wonderful artworks that have been submitted and the artistry of the Play the Moment Composers’ Collective.

Play the Moment consists of:

Paul Plimley – Lisle Ellis – Christina deRoos – Victoria Gibson

More information will be posted soon as I am working on producing a short demo of the show.

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