Sound in Time and Space: Internet2 as a New Medium

Sculpting sound for a particular time and space has been the focus of most of my activities with Internet2. Related to that has been the multimedia environment where boundaries dissolve and images become a substance that resembles music.

The recognition of this new medium with special properties occurred in 2001 during an Internet2 collaboration with the University of California at Irvine and included collaborators at UCI, the European Institute of Design, and John Crawford of EFX. The I2 simultaneous performance was November 21, 2001, and the website documentation is currently archived at artscollaborative.com. One version, including a real media rendering of the Broadcast of that day can be accessed at NYU/UCI 2001 I2 Collaboration.

Internet2 is becoming a new medium for collaboration among musicians, composers, actors, dancers, choreographers, directors, visual artists, sculptors, light designers, videographers, writers, poets, and creative spirits. Aiding in the emergence of this medium are connective technologies such as Skype and VLC which are making Internet interactivity practical and easily accessible.

Problems surrounding our efforts in the past were often stuck in the need for experts to translate and negotiate connectivity. These technicians were largely dependent on expensive vBrick technology, making projects time consuming and technically top-heavy. Web 2.0 has brought a new level of sharing, and with this an new era of collaborative work can go on from artist to artist without necessarily neededing the intervention of a technicial expert.

The medium is here, waiting to be explored. Internet2 no longer represents solely a technical level of connectivity. I2 actually signifies the creative platform and power of collaboration on the the Internet.