Re: Lev Manovic // Brain Scan Modularity

In his post: “We Have Never Been Modular,” Lev Manovich notes:

“Modularity has been the key principle of modern mass production. Mass
production is possible because of the standardization of parts and how they
fit with each other - i.e. modularity.”

Then, after discussing the slower application of modularity to cultural products, he continues:

“Enter the computer. In The Language of New Media I named modularity as one
of the principles of computerized media. If before modularity principle was
applied to the packaging of cultural goods and raw media (photo stock, blank
videotapes, etc.), computerization modularizes culture on a structural
level. Images are broken into pixels; graphic designs, film and video are
broken into layers. Hypertext modularises text. Markup languages such as
HTML and media formats such as QuickTime and MPEG-7 modularise multimedia
documents in general. We can talk about what this modularisation already did
to culture - think of World Wide Web as just one example - but this is a
whole new conversation.“

The “brain scan movies” are an effort to modularize a scientific/medical image sequence into the format of a the video, repeating it, breaking it up, remixing with the audio tracks of collaborators heretofore unknown to me, creating new loops, and achieving new forms.

Strangely, the process itself becomes an aspect of mass production, since once created, each movie it is accessible to the world via the web, and each time it is downloaded, it becomes an object of that mass production. The cyberdeck on which the movie is viewed, downloaded and duplicated becomes a remote engine of mass production.

Some day we will do the same with dinnerware, clothing, pharmaceuticals and eyeglasses; received in the little boxes of a William Gibson novel. And now,

CALL FOR SOUND

Artists and musicians are invited to contribute tracks to the "Brain Scan Movies". Please provide one track; your name and name of track; a short description of track; and a short paragraph about yourself. Please submit in your own language and English.

Please try to match tempo of movie.

If track is longer than 60 to 90 seconds, extracts may be taken. The product for Internet will be in QuickTime movie format. It is understood that the track may be mixed (sequenced) with other tracks on a DVD or similar media. Any resulting DVD may be submitted to exhibitions, and other cultural events; but not for sale without further permission.

Please include the following certification: "I hereby certify that I am the creator of the track submitted herewith; that I have retained copyright ownership of the track submitted; and that use and publication of the track for the purposes herein will not be in violation of the copyright or other intellectual property rights of any third party."

Send by e-mail attachment to: [email protected]. Use the phrase "Brain Scan Movies" in the title line.

DMOMA reserves right to use/ or not use/ submissions. Please write if you have further questions.