artport gatepage January 05: C-SPAN x 4 by Barbara Lattanzi

Jan. 5, 2005

Type: discussion

artport gatepage January 05

features

C-SPAN x 4 by Barbara Lattanzi

http://artport.whitney.org <http://artport.whitney.org/>

Barbara Lattanzi's C-SPAN x 4 consists of 4 different variations on video c=
lips of current news made available by the C-SPAN Network:

Comments

2005-01-06 00:42, Jim Andrews

Hi Barbara,

Could you tell me a little about the differences between the web versions
and the downloadable versions of this work?

Have you selected particular video clips, or do the apps search certain
locations for video clips and work with whatever they find?

If the latter, how did you arrive at the texts? It's interesting to think of
that, erm, cross-product, ie, consider a video * text work where the videos
are selected randomly from an unknown pool of videos (though they are all,
in this case, concerned with politics) and the texts are drawn somewhat
randomly from a pool of pre-composed texts by the author. Annotated video,
yes, but also possibly a literary work.

This work of yours is quite strong in the possibilities it suggests and its
meditation on video and political process.

ja

artport gatepage January 05

features

C-SPAN x 4 by Barbara Lattanzi

http://artport.whitney.org

Barbara Lattanzi's C-SPAN x 4 consists of 4 different variations on video
clips of current news made available by the C-SPAN Network:

2005-01-06 10:23, Barbara Lattanzi

<html>
<body>
Hi Jim. 
thanks for the questions about the project "C-SPAN x 4", and
the opportunity to comment on the political content (toward the end of
this email). 
First, just a quick note that the software, including the web versions,
are only for Windows PC.  (I just clarified this on the web versions
today, Jan.6.  Some Mac users visiting it yesterday may have tried
it and been confused.) 
Anyone, using either Mac or Windows, should be able to view the
Quicktime-format video demos: 
<a href="http://artport.whitney.org/" eudora="autourl">http://artport.whitney.org 
</a>At 01:42 AM 1/6/2005, you wrote: 
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Could
you tell me a little about the differences between the web versions and
the downloadable versions of this work?</blockquote> 
The web browser versions and the downloadable software versions are
exactly the same.  
The minor exception is that, in rare cases, some Mac users with an
_older_ version of the Real Video media player may be able to experience
the web browser versions of CSPAN x 4.  This has to do with a boring
technicality.  
The Mac technical limitation is likely never to be fixed by Macromedia.
That limitation prohibits use of Director and Shockwave in conjunction
with the newer versions of the Real Video media player,   Like
they say, "It was nice while it lasted." 
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite> Have
you selected particular video clips, or do the apps search certain
locations for video clips and work with whatever they
find?</blockquote> 
There is no filter for "The Interrupting Annotator", one of 4
software applications that make up "CSPAN x 4".  A perl
script simply goes to the front page of the CSPAN.org website and adds
any new video titles to an ongoing, cumulative list of CSPAN titles
stored on my website, which then appears as a selectable list for the
person using the software. 
C-SPAN x 4 has an additional 3 software applications.  Unlike
"The Interrupting Annotator", these other 3 softwares are
satirical works.  I realized, at the time the Tsunami tragedy
occurred, that some sort of filter was needed.  I do not want all
CSPAN videos to be available to "CSPAN Karaoke", "CSPAN
Alphaville", and "In Lieu of Standing on Yer Head". 
 
Instead, these 3 softwares receive a filtered list of video titles from
the CSPAN website, i.e., the filtered list includes all the staid and
proper CSPAN video documents of public policy-making that have become a
window onto the corporate and fundamentalist slow-motion hijacking of the
US government. 
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite> If
the latter, how did you arrive at the texts?</blockquote> 
As just described, 3 of the 4 softwares receive a slightly filtered list
of CSPAN videos more appropriate to the satirical content of the overlaid
texts. 
The selection of the texts - Alphaville subtitles ("CSPAN
Alphaville"), 1970s pop songs ("CSPAN Karaoke") - were
based on the possibility of being understood as ironic framing of the
CSPAN videos.  Since the video titles are constantly being added to,
the texts had to be broad enough to "apply" to any of the
public policy-making videos. 
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite> It's
interesting to think of that, erm, cross-product, ie, consider a video *
text work where the videos are selected randomly from an unknown pool of
videos (though they are all, in this case, concerned with politics) and
the texts are drawn somewhat randomly from a pool of pre-composed texts
by the author. Annotated video, yes, but also possibly a literary
work.</blockquote> 
The CSPAN website is one of the few news-based websites where it is easy
to access streaming video in this way.  I have been looking into a
military news website that uses Flash videos that seem impossible to
effectively embed in another frame. And I have never tried those strange
"passports" to access CNN streams, etc.  There is more
research to do in this area of reframing news streams (or video streams
with other content). 
In regard to the potential for text works.  I do think that one
of  the CSPAN x 4 components, "The Interrupting
Annotator", could be a useful tool for writing experiments, or for
teaching writing as, I think, Alan Sondheim suggested to me.  In
fact the original prototype for this software used several
"seed" texts, one of which was a text written by Alan that he
had posted to the Syndicate discussion list.  
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>  
This work of yours is quite
strong in the possibilities it suggests and its meditation on video and
political process.</blockquote> 
Its meditation includes a question like "what would it look like to
have a kind of video channel that turns everything upside
down?".  Then realizing it is a not-so-bad distancing strategy
for political spin - maybe giving you a bit of mental space for making
historical or other associations as you grapple with current
events.  Or, "what would it be like to watch public
policymaking in a convivial anarchic way with friends".  And
realize that karaoke is a genre retroactively made (at least in my
imaginary universe) to ironically enliven the viewing and consideration
of public policymaking.  I am waiting for CSPAN Karaoke bars to
appear - akin to neighborhood sports bars, or to bars where labor union
organizing used to be done. 
Barbara 
 
———————————————— 
Barbara Lattanzi 
<a href="http://www.wildernesspuppets.net/" eudora="autourl">www.wildernesspuppets.net 
 
 
</a><blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>  
ja 
  

<dl> 

<dd>artport gatepage January 05 
 

<dd>features 
 

<dd>C-SPAN x 4 by Barbara Lattanzi 
 

<dd><a href="http://artport.whitney.org/">http://artport.whitney.org</a>
 

<dd>  

<dd>Barbara Lattanzi's C-SPAN x 4 consists of 4 different variations on video clips of  current news made available by the C-SPAN Network: 
 

<dd>