Communication Mods
York Quay Centre, Harbourfront Centre, May 13th - July 9th Opening Reception: May 12th, 7-9pm
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"Communication Mods" features five works that explore human-to-human communication through the process of modification. Using technologies such as WiFi, Bluetooth and SMS each piece asks the audience to participate by submitting some of their personal media - music, photos and videos - using laptops and cameraphones. The end result is a snapshot of a particular community at a specific time and place though the catalog of collected media.
	WhereTheHeartIs (2006) 'WhereTheHeartIs', is a cameraphone-based installation created specifically for Toronto. The audience is asked to use their cameraphones to contribute iconic images of Toronto - people, places and things - to a screen in the gallery. The images are then sent to small screen which the artist wears over his heart. During the two-month exhibition, this installation will create a direct link between the artist and his home city, regardless of location.
	hugMS & .dot.dot.dot (2004) 'hugMS' and '.dot.dot.dot' are two bluetooth objects designed to augment mobile phone communication. 'hugMS' attempts to create a system for transmitting an emotional gestures, namely hugs, using SMS messages. '.dot.dot.dot' deals with the exclusion of the private mobile phone experience. It is a wearable display that shows to the people around you who you are talking to, or what you are messaging.
	CoDeck (2003, with D.Melinger, S.Van Every, A.Wolf) CoDeck is a hardware/software platform for community media sharing embodied in a late 1970s Betamax machine. The community can upload media using a laptop or local desktop computer, or record an 'on-the-spot' message by pushing record on the video deck and speaking into the attached video camera. The CoDeck is connected to a TV and plays a constant stream of community-shared video content. Written comments can be added to each video, displaying at the bottom of the screen while it plays.
	Bass-Station (2003, with Ami Wolf) The Bass-Station is a mobile and networked community-media space housed inside a vintage ghettoblaster. Much like how the portable boom-box became the hub for urban artistic communities, the Bass-Station reflects this history for digital artistic communities. Contained in the ghettoblaster is a full modern computer that creates a localized wireless network, and features bulletin boards, chat rooms and lots of music. Music can be uploaded, downloaded and played by using a laptop or the knobs on the front of the boom-box.