Exposure: Living in Extreme Environments: Video

• Main Authors: Young, Michael W., Adderley, Paul
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Soundsrite 2012
• Subjects: Environmental Sciences; Multimedia Design; Music; Sound Arts & Design; Film & Video; Greenland; Stirling
• Online Access: https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/7735/; https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/7735/1/Exposure-2012.mov; http://soundsrite.uws.edu.au/soundsRiteContent/volume4/vol4indx.html

This video is a re-presentation of a generative audiovisual installation, the centre piece of the exhibition Exposure: Living in Extreme Environments created in collaboration with geoarcheologist Dr Paul Adderley (University of Stirling, Scotland). The broad theme is the co-evolutionary, mutually dependent relationship between human populations and their environment. Our work focuses on Adderley's scientific research undertaken in Greenland, looking at the historical record (revealed by excavations and soils analysis) of population behaviour over that last 1000 years. The soil itself is taken as an artefact of past human habitation, land use and cultural activity. Image work and data analysis obtained from processed soil samples are re-appropriated in this installation and presented alongside with location-specific and historically-referenced sound recordings. The chronology of the images and data structure the piece: data guide a generative system that selects images, sound materials and live audio and visual processing techniques. Implementation is in Max/MSP/Jitter. In this short experimental video, 1000 years of data are cycled once. This work was undertaken with support of the Research Councils UK.