The video that greets you on your first day on the job at The Moneitree Foundation makes very little sense.

A blurred image coalesces stubbornly, revealing a coal-eyed stranger who gazes directly into the camera and grins impishly, his shaved head reflecting a dull blue glow caught from somewhere in the cave-like [...]]]> By Jonathan Keane

The video that greets you on your first day on the job at The Moneitree Foundation makes very little sense.

A blurred image coalesces stubbornly, revealing a coal-eyed stranger who gazes directly into the camera and grins impishly, his shaved head reflecting a dull blue glow caught from somewhere in the cave-like interior in which he filmed.

As the transmission weaves in and out of static and feed interruptions, his booming monologue disintegrates into a jumble of fragments: something about birds being the key, a hotel with “eyes on the past,” a vague reference to imminent disaster, a resolute exhortation to “heed the call.” The last thing you witness before the message cuts to black is the man twisting suddenly to his left, possibly in anticipation of an intruder that you can’t see.

Does this video clip represent the meandering stream of a madman’s conscious, a desperate communiqué sent backwards in time by a fugitive in a post-apocalyptic future, or something else entirely?

It’s not often that a modern game draws people into its world with an introduction that almost gleefully eludes explication, but then, games don’t often track and adapt to what players do to flesh out their worlds, either. Teased via enigmatic ads on Facebook and Twitter and officially launched on August 8th, Canaries in a Coalmine is a free, Flash-based alternate reality game that is part of an initiative, funded by the National Science Foundation, to investigate how people learn while playing games in an online community setting. EdGE, the Educational Gaming Environments group at TERC, a Cambridge, MA-based non-profit that strives to advance math and science education, developed Canaries with a particular eye on creating a core gaming environment that is open-ended and malleable, taking shape according to ever-changing input from its users.

Gamers’ exhaustive and diverse approaches to playing EdGE’s first title, Martian Boneyards, encouraged its developers to ensure that the new game offers plenty of room to stretch.

“We set out to provide a minimal instructional design with Canaries,” explains Jodi Asbell-Clarke, director of EdGE. “Our philosophy is that players bring content to the game.”

Finding further precedent in an earlier alternate reality game called World Without Oil, Canaries stakes its conceptual territory on contemporary environmental concerns, asking players to explore connections between our planet’s health and the activity of bird populations.

The Moneitree Foundation, an agency that combines news organization and scientific think tank, provides an office that acts as the game’s hub, offering players daily challenges on a cork message board and instruments with which to probe both game world and the real world that inspired it.

Gamers will tap resources such as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to build a base of avian awareness that they’ll bring to bear on some of the broader issues that Canaries presents. They earn points – and corresponding medals, taking a cue from similar achievement systems used on Xbox Live and Playstation Network – by identifying bird calls, uploading video content and weighing in on forums that speculate on such mysteries as the ramifications of that strange initial video dispatch. A simple thumbs-up/thumbs-down system, native to social networking, assists in generating a consensus that will in turn help drive the story forward.

By streamlining resources and facilitating a game atmosphere that fosters and rewards spirited inquiry, EdGE is encouraging players to embrace the role of citizen scientist.

“We don’t necessarily have the answers. We want gamers to unpack the underlying issues for themselves and to move away from relying on sound bites,” says Asbell-Clarke, noting that with Martian Boneyards, “they ended up seeing themselves as scientists.”

Adhering to one of gaming’s time-honored traditions, Canaries will feature an ending, but in keeping with the rest of the game’s determinism, the outcome will be highly dependent on where players take the game in advance. It’s a fitting touch, given the game’s concern over questions which the world at large is still very much trying to answer itself.

As for the prospects of that conclusion being a happy one, Asbell-Clarke sees good reason to be optimistic.

“Gamers never give up.”

Find the game at www.inacoalmine.com

Jonathan Keane is a Boston-based writer and musician. He may be reached at keaneje@gmail.com.

Listen:

Podcast with Lucas Zanotto

Or download for iPod

Starting out as a product and graphic designer before moving to motion graphics and directing, Lucas Zanotto fuses classic stop-motion animation with digital motion graphics to produce a beautiful blend of whimsy and gravity. He recently signed with FilmTecknarna, the Stockholm & NY based [...]]]>

Listen:

Podcast with Lucas Zanotto

Or download for iPod

Starting out as a product and graphic designer before moving to motion graphics and directing, Lucas Zanotto fuses classic stop-motion animation with digital motion graphics to produce a beautiful blend of whimsy and gravity. He recently signed with FilmTecknarna, the Stockholm & NY based design company known for mixing live action, 2D and 3D animation. Joining us from his studio in Berlin, Lucas spoke with BridgeThink’s Don Burton via skype about combining mediums, his creative roots and even cliff jumping in Ecuador. Links to films below.

The Ostrich - short film
director: Lucas Zanotto
music & sound design: David Kamp

Babbel – Spain teaser
director, producer: Lucas Zanotto
Client: Babbel

HDS Unione – redesign
director, producer: Lucas Zanotto
Client: HDS Unione

Monoptik
director, producer: Lucas Zanotto
record artist: D-minum

]]> http://bridgethink.org/blog/2010/09/15/podcast-lucas-zanotto/feed/ 34 http://bridgethink.org/blog/2010/08/17/dialogue-lucas-zanotto/ http://bridgethink.org/blog/2010/08/17/dialogue-lucas-zanotto/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 05:34:03 +0000 admin http://bridgethink.org/blog/?p=936

by Don Burton

We’re fielding comments and questions for director and motion graphics artist, Lucas Zanotto of FilmTecknarna, the Stockholm & NY based design company known for fusing live action, 2D and 3D animation.  Lucas will be sitting down to record a podcast with us on Thursday 8/19 at 10 am EST.

If [...]]]>

by Don Burton

We’re fielding comments and questions for director and motion graphics artist, Lucas Zanotto of FilmTecknarna, the Stockholm & NY based design company known for fusing live action, 2D and 3D animation.  Lucas will be sitting down to record a podcast with us on Thursday 8/19 at 10 am EST.

If you’d like to ask Lucas a question leave a comment or question below or on our Twitter: @bridgethink or Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/BridgeThink/310942806763

We’ll ID anyone who’s comment we include in the podcast.

Zanotto started his career as a product and graphic designer before moving into motion graphics and directing. He fuses hand drawn and stop-action animation with digital motion graphics to produce a simple yet beautiful blend of whimsy and gravity. Please check out his work here: http://www.filmtecknarna.se/directors/work/?director=29

Looking forward to bringing YOUR questions to Lucas!

Recently, I had the opportunity to not only visit one of the best creative resources in downtown New Bedford, MA but I also had the privilege of being let into the psyche of a local filmmaker who has a unique flair for humor and human insight.  Throughout the month of June By Jennifer Raxter

Recently, I had the opportunity to not only visit one of the best creative resources in downtown New Bedford, MA but I also had the privilege of being let into the psyche of a local filmmaker who has a unique flair for humor and human insight.  Throughout the month of June ArtWorks! Partners for the Arts hosted the film series, “Through the Lens,” in which Massachusetts based filmmaker Chris Hassan kicked off the exhibition of DIY (Do It Yourself) film screenings.  And all I can say is I hope this is the start of many screenings not only by this very talented filmmaker but also at this gem of a location.

Hassan exuberantly started the evening by appearing from behind a screen, ala WWF style, drumming to his own theme song (it wouldn’t surprise me if it was an original tune written by this multitalented filmmaker.)  He thanked everyone for coming and questions were “encouraged.”  Three short films were screened. Americance, Breadsticks, and Survivor Guilt were all written and directed by Hassan and dealt with themes that everyone has experienced at some point: being happy with where you are in your life, are you doing what you’re supposed to be doing and overall, acceptance.  Although Hassan admits the production quality of his films isn’t equal to some financially backed independent films, you can’t deny the quality of the story and subject matter this throw back to Godard chooses to show on screen. In a Hassan film a device as ordinary as breadsticks can become a percussive instrument tagging a joke and a metaphor for social ignorance all in one.  The depth of personal observation fused with playful humor leads this viewer to believe Hassan is certainly doing what he is suppose to be doing.

Additionally, there couldn’t have been a better host than ArtWorks!. This versatile art center continuously engages the community by presenting quality exhibitions in all realms of visual media.  ArtWorks! recognizes that the local film community is steadily growing and that new media is the “bridge” connecting film with the arts. “Through the Lens” was actually part of the larger “To Tell a Story” digital art exhibit that showcased over twenty artists connecting narrative with both 2D & 3D mediums.  Whether ArtWorks! is encouraging filmmaker’s to tell their stories, organizing a show about the art of aerial movement, or breaking the boundaries of new mediums (as their newest show “The Edge” is billed), ArtWorks! lives up to its name by truly partnering with the creative community. It’s exciting to see this org jump into the exploding world of new media and its many bridges to various creative fields. Just as Hassan is embracing his strengths, so is ArtWorks!

“To Tell a Story” was curated by Mark Medeiros and Karen Alves with the filmmaker series curated by Ryan Santos and Tommy Whalen.

By Leila Kaas

Artistic Expression Lives Forever…

Hello, BridgeThinkers. I recently returned from Sweden and now I am back to the US. I had a precious year of experience and studies in Europe. I learned a lot being close to so many different cultures and I am really happy to have embarked on this challenging journey. But [...]]]>

By Leila Kaas

Artistic Expression Lives Forever…

Hello, BridgeThinkers. I recently returned from Sweden and now I am back to the US. I had a precious year of experience and studies in Europe. I learned a lot being close to so many different cultures and I am really happy to have embarked on this challenging journey. But just when I arrived to the US I was faced with a loss… A good friend of mine from LA had passed away while I was traveling back. Lee Minh Sloca was a young and very active artist who used a great sense of humor and intelligence in his poems, paintings and collages. I met Lee at the LA Idealist Network, a group of friends interested in creating a positive impact on community through social change. Together we connected with people and organizations who wanted to make a positive difference in Los Angeles either volunteering or organizing events and discussions about arts and social change.

Lee’s loss made me think of the eternity and beauty of the arts. Specifically, that this friend is still present in our world through the artistic expression and inspiration he left for us. At his wake, while hearing his poetry recited by friends and family and seeing his paintings and collages displayed on easels and on a computer screen, I felt at peace and assured that my friend and all of us will live forever through our expression… let’s keep EXPRESSING every day of our LIVES.

As an homage and inspiration, I’d like to share one poem by my friend Lee Minh Sloca. Please find “Poetry Junkie” HERE.

Other poems by Lee Minh Sloca below:

Be Gentle, Verse, And Not a Curse
http://www.poeticdiversity.org/main/poemArchive.php?recordID=500

I Think I Can I Think I Can, Have A Fat Chance with Maya
http://www.short-humour.org.uk/4writersshowcase/think.htm

Where the Black Puddings Grow!
http://www.irishexaminerusa.com/mt/2010/04/06/ronnie_mcginns_poetry_page_152.html

Only If
http://www.dailylove.net/search?q=lee+sloca

A Declaration of an Average White Rice Picker – Stately Constituted – from the Pigeon Body Language
http://www.asiancha.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=487&Itemid=208

Hi, my name is Lee, and I’m a poetry junkie. I want to talk to you about my poetic addiction

Whether I was speed-reading, rapping, slamming, or free versing, those rhymes pounded straight to the right side of my brain. Those pulses and beats altered my senses of consciousness, giving me an out-of-body [...]]]> by Lee Minh Sloca

Hi, my name is Lee, and I’m a poetry junkie. I want to talk to you about my poetic addiction

Whether I was speed-reading, rapping, slamming, or free versing, those rhymes pounded straight to the right side of my brain. Those pulses and beats altered my senses of consciousness, giving me an out-of-body and an out-of-money experience! They inspired me to do more, be more than who I am, almost like, a real human being.

My problem started when I was spending more and more nights at open mic poetry readings instead of going home to deal with the wife and kids. This led to my brushes with the law: reading while driving or playing those damn poetry tapes way too loud; needless to say, I had my poetic license suspended.

I used to read the stock portfolio or technical manuals. Now, it has to be poetry, and I couldn’t read just one. If I started, I would devour the poem to the last ababcdcd rhyming scheme. During my addiction, I would have “blackouts” whenever I read The Wall Street Journal, or worse, I couldn’t recall who the latest centerfold was.

Sometimes, I would get night sweats after dreaming of Edgar Allen Poe verses. In fact, most morning I couldn’t get out of bed unless I first chanted a haiku. Of course, I would always feel guilty whenever I sneaked away during work to rhyme a quick mind-altering stanza in the bathroom. It was as if my body constantly hungered for the pathos in creamy sauce of poignancy.

Being a poetry junkie started out harmlessly enough; reading 1-2 poems a day, you know, a moderate and social reader. Then I was doing 15-20 a day, reading in some dusty used-book store, or smoke-filled coffee shop. I started out experimenting with Dr. Seuss’ ‘Green Eggs and Ham, Sam, I am.’ Then it was on to Mother Goose. Pretty soon, it was Shakespeare, then e.e. cummings. The lowest point in my addiction was when I was ramming my brain with a lot of Pablo Neruda. You don’t understand; I don’t even speak Spanish!

I knew I had to stop being a poetry junkie. Here are some signs of this self-abuse that you might need to ask yourself:

You might be a poetry junkie,

- if you often find yourself lying naked in bed reading.

-if you have ink stains under your finger nails and teeth.

-if you use the words ‘thou and thee’ more than once a month.

-if your parakeet knows the phrase “To be or not to be!”

-if your toilet paper has poetry written on it.

-if it takes you three years to rhyme two words.

-if you cry when reading Dr. Seuss.

-if you rewrite your poem in a Twelve Steps’ process.

-if after a good bowel movement you have the need to write about it.

-if your nipples ache during Iambic foreplay.

-if your children’s and pet’s names rhyme.

-if the caffeine or alcohol content in your blood exceeded your I.Q..

-if you can recite from memory your first poem from the fifth grade.

and lastly, you might be a poetry junkie,

if you don’t think this list is sensitive enough!

copyright 2004 Lee Sloca

As a section of the Rio International Film Festival Mostra Geração (Generation Exhibit) is [...]]]> Young filmmakers, now’s your chance to submit your videos to The Rio International Film Festival 2010 in Brazil!  The festival section, Mostra Geração (Generation Exhibit) of videos made by youth, is accepting international submissions until August 6th.

As a section of the Rio International Film Festival Mostra Geração (Generation Exhibit) is part of one of the biggest audiovisual events in Latin America today. The festival has been showcasing the work of Brazilian children and teens (up to  18) since 1999 and in recent years has invited youth film submissions from all over the world. In the words of Levi Friedman and Mathew Law-Phipps, two teens from Seattle, Washington (US)…

“It is truly an honor to be invited to submit films to such an important festival. We are delighted to see our movie ["Gourmandizing"], although only 5 minutes in length, to be part of something so grand. We made the short through the Ballard High School Video Production Program, and the movie would not be possible without our instructor Mr. Lawrence. Please enjoy, and sorry we couldn’t make it to Brazil. To other film-makers: Keep doing your thing!”

If you’re a teacher, school or educational organization who knows talented youth who are making videos, please encourage them to submit. More info about registration, including formats, duration and other requirements in English can be found at:

http://mostrageracao.blogspot.com/2010/07/pedidos-o-regulamento-e-ficha-de.html

INTERNATIONAL VIDEOS SHOULD BE POSTMARKED BY AUGUST 6.

Youth filmmakers need to be enrolled in school OR participating in an educational arts program of some kind.

Check out the film by Levi Friedman and Mathew Law-Phipps HERE

photo courtesy of www.filmnewbedford.com

A series of creative economy roundtables in the “gateway” cities of Massachusetts is demonstrating how an arts, culture and business collaboration can transform a community by building on the creative and social capital unique to a region. The first roundtable took place in New Bedford, MA in February [...]]]>

photo courtesy of www.filmnewbedford.com

A series of creative economy roundtables in the “gateway” cities of Massachusetts is demonstrating how an arts, culture and business collaboration can transform a community by building on the creative and social capital unique to a region. The first roundtable took place in New Bedford, MA in February and demonstrated how older, post industrial cities are becoming 21st century innovators of economic renewal.

Presented by Mass Inc, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, New Bedford Economic Development Council and hosted by AHA! which organizes New Bedford’s free monthly arts and culture night, the event showcased the historic downtown of New Bedford, a coastal city in the southeastern region of the state.  Building on its history as a diverse seaport with a modern network of over 100 working artist studios, a plethora of arts institutions and a fleet of business owners who believe that shaping a sense of “place” builds a strong  economic foundation, New Bedford has transformed its downtown, placing itself ahead of the curve in weathering the current economic recession.

Speaking to an audience from across the state, Lee Heald, Director of AHA! and Craig Dutra, President of the Community Foundation of Southeastern MA, both cited a recent study from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s Center for Policy Analysis, describing that in 2009 alone AHA! received $35,000 in state funding and returned over $734,000 for the city, leveraging an impact of $21 dollars for every state dollar spent on the arts and culture in New Bedford.

Katherine Knowles, Executive Director of the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center, which attracts world class entertainment to its 1200 seat theater, also participated in the event’s panel. In addition to headlining acts, the “Z” as it’s known, engages in community involvement, ”I really believe we have an obligation… to reflect the community,” said Knowles. ”Who you are is really important.  And we’re going to put it right on the main stage.”

At the same time she acknowledges the need for a multi-layered approach in building a creative economy,  “The political will of what is happening in New Bedford is extraordinary… And I really believe without that, you are up against a huge obstacle.”

City of New Bedford Mayor Scott W. Lang, on the other hand placed creators at the center of the economic recovery, “One of the reasons we have come through this recession as well as we have, is because of the Zeiterion Theatre, because of the Art School, because of all of our different non-profits, because of the number of artisan shops now and mill space that’s being developed [into artists studios]… How do you revive an economy?” He asked, “It’s based on the creative economy.”

Included in the mayor’s list is the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s College of Visual and Performing Arts downtown New Bedford campus where the roundtable took place.  In collaboration with the city and state, the university took an unprecedented risk by renovating the city’s historic but dilapidated “Star Store,” and turned it into a flagship arts campus that anchors the downtown arts scene. According to the school’s Dean, Adrian Tío, the Star Store is an, “Arts incubator.”

“People come here to study with us. And they end up living here and they end up buying here. They end up telling their friends to come here.  And they become a magnet,” says Tío. “It’s a real attractor all year long.”

Massachusetts State Senator Mark C. W. Montigny who championed the building’s renovation with State Representative Antonio F. D. Cabral, acknowledged, “It was a lot of risk… it cost a lot of money… [but] we created a critical mass here… And now there’s so many restaurants… and cultural institutions that it’s hard to find parking.” Montigny joked, “That is the best problem I thought I’d ever have!”

However, it’s clear that the state was ready to accept the baton from a strong local community that is organized and in charge of its own future. A recurring theme among all panelists was the awareness that reaching out to achieve their common goals was key to building a foundation on which a creative economy could be built.

left to right: Maria Tomasia, "Day of Portugal" Committee; Lee Blake, President New Bedford Historical Society; Jen Nersesian, Superintendent New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park; Katherine Knowles, Executive Director Zeiterion Theatre

Lee Blake, President of the New Bedford Historical Society cited efforts at connecting heritage, art and cultural organizations as a means to foster commitment within a community, ”As we watched the city reinvent itself through art, history and architecture we understood that we had a role to play in that.” Blake acknowledged, “We are not a moneyed community but working together and holding hands and moving out there is how we get things done.”

Jen Nersesian, Superintendent of New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park seconded that notion when she described how the park, which is comprised of 13 city blocks and attracts around 300 million visitors per year, was the result of years of unified persistence by community members seeking to establish a state park. When the attempt at a state park failed, the community succeeded in establishing a National Park. “This wasn’t something that was dreamt up by the politicians. It was dreamt up by the people that lived here, that saw the value in what they had,” said Nersesian, “Persistence and that long term vision is really key.”

At the same time, Nersesian described how the park has been set up to reach out to others as a way of doing business. Unlike other national parks, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, “doesn’t own most of the land or resources within park boundaries. But seeks to fulfill its mission by collaborating with partners that do.” Describing how uniquely diverse the city’s population is due to its prior whaling history, Nersesian says, “Those ethnic communities are still thriving in the city today… It’s part of our mission to share that story with the wider American public. But it’s not a story we’re equipped to do without engaging the communities themselves… [the park] is a real partnership park.”

Location: New Bedford Whaling Museum, Photographer: John Robson, From www.nps.gov/nebe

Blake, of the Historical Society encouraged listeners, “Go out there, make the connections. Look and see who’s not at the table, who’s not in the room, whose story needs to be told,” she said. “And help people tell their own story.”

“When you think about engaging in ‘placemaking’,” Lee Heald from AHA! reiterated, “What you’re hearing here is it’s really about people, the stories, the narrative.” She closed by saying, “Out of that comes what we think about as the creative economy.”

Lee Heald, Director of AHA!

With impact studies like those from UMass Dartmouth’s Center for Policy Analysis showing the effectiveness of grassroots “placemaking,” it’s exciting to see how powerful a region’s creative capital is in shaping its own economic stability.

The most recent gateway cities creative economy roundtable took place in Pittsfield, MA and was hosted by the Pittsfield office of Cultural Development and Berkshire Creative.  Berkshire Creative is an initiative that stimulates new job growth and economic opportunity by sparking innovative collaborations between artists, designers, cultural institutions and businesses in the western region of Massachusetts. For an article on the Pittsfield roundtable visit: From the Berkshire Eagle: Economic Efforts Lauded

Are there initiatives like this happening in YOUR part of the world?  Let us know!

—————————–

For more info on this movement, check out these resources:

New Bedford Economic Development Council An integral resource for business owners seeking to start their business in New Bedford

The Zeiterion Theatre

New Bedford Historical Society

New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park