Exhibit: Sacred Monsters: Everyday Animism in Contemporary Japanese Art and Culture, Through November 22

Sacred Monsters: Everyday Animism in Contemporary Japanese Art and Anime
September 10 - November 22, 2009
Tisch Gallery

Click here for an animated slideshow featuring commentary from Gallery Director and exhibition co-curator Amy Schlegel!

Participating Artists: Chiho Aoshima / Nobuhiro Ishihara / Kenjiro Kitade / Mahomi Kunikata / Tomokazu Matsuyama / Mr. / Oscar Oiwa / TOKYO KAMEN

This exhibition examines representations of mythical spirits, gods, monsters, and other mutant, sentient beings in contemporary Japanese art and film as expressions of animist belief through the work of eight emerging and mid-career artists. The theme is also explored through a complementary program of continuous anime screenings presented in the Gallery.

Many contemporary Japanese visual artists and animators incorporate animist beliefs in their work as cultural rather than religious expression. A shared iconography connects the artists and anime included in this exhibition, ranging from kami (gods) to yokai (monsters), sentient and non-sentient beings with supernatural powers, and hybrid mythical creatures. These traditionally Japanese representations - visible, tangible, and ubiquitous - actively dissolve boundaries between the living and the dead, the human and non-human realms.
Chiho Aoshima's anime-inspired work evokes a gothic realm of spirits and monsters that are neither anthropomorphic things or animals nor distorted, grotesque humans. Aoshima's beings continually change forms but are frozen, like stills from animated films. A visit to the ancient Buddhist temple in Nara, Japan, at night sparked painter Nobuhiro Ishihara's interest in investigating the legend of the deer-messenger. He reimagines the folkloric spirit as a wise but tormented kami. Kenjiro Kitade's earthenware sculptures symbolize a premature, foreboding intelligence of environmental disaster that feels simultaneously futuristic and nostalgic. Mahomi Kunikata paints scenes grounded in Japan's traditional culture of matsuri. Her manga-esque drawing style and big-eyed characters are pastiches of contemporary and traditional social references. Tomokazu Matsuyama
re-presents the mythical creature known in Japan as the kirin. Japanese art has depicted this powerful yet peaceful beast as having the attributes of a deer, a dragon, and a unicorn. Mr. created an anime-inspired doll head with an aperture through which viewers encounter a miniature dollhouse inside the hollowed-out head. Oscar Oiwa's paintings compose strangely unpopulated cityscapes that are nevertheless animated by mysterious, unseen forces. Tunnels and passageways beckon us to foreboding realms we can only imagine. Finally, fashion design duo TOKYO KAMEN (Tokyo Mask) have created a troupe of five life-size "monster dolls" made of brightly colored fake fur and decorative materials.

Continous Screenings:
Akira, 1988, Katsuhiro Otomo
Beautiful Dreamer, 1984, Mamoru Oshii
Ghost in the Shell II: Innocence, 2004, Mamoru Oshii
My Neighbor Totoro, 1998, Hayao Miyazaki
Paprika, 2006, Satoshi Kon
Princess Mononoke, 1997, Hayao Miyazaki
Spirited Away, 2001, Hayao Miyazaki
The Grudge (Ju-on), 2002, Takashi Shimizu
The Tufts University Art Gallery has teamed up with Tufts professors Charles Shiro Inouye, Hosea Hirata, and Susan J. Napier, all experts in modern and contemporary Japanese literature and culture, to organize this exhibition.
This exhibition is co-curated by Amy Ingrid Schlegel, Gallery Director, and Jonathan Barracato, 2008-09 Gallery Graduate Assistant.

Film/Music: Phantom of the Opera/Nosferatu with Live Music, October 30-31

Friday, October 30, 2009 at the Somerville Armory

191 Highland Ave, Somerville (617) 718-2191

The Phantom of the Opera 

scored live by 
The Alloy Orchestra. 
Opening: [R/A] performing to The Fall of the House of Usher,

DJ Dziga.

The Alloy Orchestra provides live music to accompany the silent version of Phantom of the Opera (1925-29) directed by Rupert Julian.

$21.00 in advance; $26.00 at the door (prices include $1.00 facility fee)
Doors - 6:30 PM; Show - 7:15 PM
Tickets Through Brown Paper:https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/86345
www.alloyorchestra.com

Saturday, October 31

Nosferatu

scored live by 
Devil Music Ensemble 
Opening: Chris Brokaw
Spinning: Brother Cleve

Devil Music provides a live score to the 1922 Nosferatu - A Symphony of Horror directed by F.W. Murnau.

$16.00 in advance; $19.00 at the door (prices include $1.00 facility fee)
Doors- 6:30 PM; Show- 7:15 PM
Tickets Through Brown Paper:https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/86346 
www.devilmusic.org
www.chrisbrokaw.com

Event: Future of the Book Conference, October 30

Future of the Book

The Core Curriculum in the College of Arts and Science and the Office of the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education present

a one-day conference exploring the

FUTURE OF THE BOOK

Moderated by David Eckel, Professor of Religion, Director of the Core Curriculum and Victor Coelho, Professor of Music, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education

1:00-2:30 pm

Libraries and Education in the 21st Century:

The Case of Cushing Academy

James Tracy

Headmaster, Cushing Academy, Ashburnham, Massachusetts

Former Headmaster, Boston University Academy

Remarks by Christopher Ricks

Warren Professor of the Humanities

Co-Director, Editorial Institute, Boston University

3:00-4:00 pm

The Impact of Digital Technology on the Publishing Industry

Richard Sarnoff

President, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments

4:00-5:00 pm

Pedagogy and Textbooks in the Renaissance

Ann Blair

Henry Charles Lea Professor of History, Harvard University

Friday, October 30, 2009

Metcalf Trustee Center, One Silber Way, Ninth Floor

Green Line B-Train to Blandford Street Stop

Reception to follow-free and open to the public

Co-Sponsored by the New England Renaissance Conference and the Boston University Humanities Foundation.

For more information please contact core@bu.edu or 617-353-5404.

Gallery Talk: Mothers Expressing: Sharing the Work, October 24 & 27

Mothers Expressing: A conversation over tea
Saturday, October 24th, 2009 | 4:00 - 6:00 pm


AXIOM Gallery for New and Experimental Media
141 Green Street (in the Green Street T station)
Boston, MA 02130 

As part of the Mothers Expressing exhibition, Nita Sturiale and Amber Davis Tourlentes have invited two experts, Ana Villalobos, Brandeis sociologist, and Jenny Weaver, lactation consultant, to bring together knowledge around the work and physiology of caretaking. Come ask questions, propose ideas, and share anecdotes about care-taking in our current economic culture. How can we shape a new economic model that is informed by gift economy ideals?

Ana Villalobos received her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently a visiting research associate at Brandeis University. Ana's research and teaching focus on motherhood, and attempt to bring to light the often hidden connections between large-scale social forces and personal experience.

Jenny Weaver has been an OB/GYN RN for more than 20 years. She has worked at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

Please RSVP

Nita and Amber will also give an Artists Talk on their ongoing collaboration and work in the current exhibition on Tuesday, October 27th at 7 pm.

 

Event: Boston Under Water Festival, October 24 (this weekend!)

Boston Under Water 350 Festival 
A regional tongue-in-cheek creative event about climate crisis

Time: 3:00 - 5:30 pm, Saturday, October 24, 2009
Photo at 3:50 pm
RAIN OR SHINE! (Water would just make it that much more realistic & we’ve got to be ready!)

Location: Christopher Columbus Park downtown Boston (Aquarium T stop or Walk from Park Street on Red Line)

Gather en masse in downtown Boston's Christopher Columbus Park, on the waterfront (Aquarium T stop) to participate in positive attention-getting and imagination-catching activities. The focus will be on the iconic image of sea level rise to draw attention to the threat of global climate change.
Travel from community events to the downtown location will be an important part of the day. Costumes, floats and theatrical events will draw attention to 350 and increase attendance. Participants in many morning 350 events will make their way independently (by foot, T, bicycle, roller-blades, canoe, and decorated vehicles) to downtown Boston.
-- A race to build a wall of sandbags to protect Boston from rising sea levels and stronger storms!
-- A massive group photo in front of the sandbag wall with a banner calling on world leaders to get us back to 350 and to pass a fair, ambitious and binding climate treaty this year.
-- Beach and water games!
-- Participatory Climate Theater!!
-- Relay racing!!
-- Flooding Station: learn about what sea level rise and higher storm surges will mean for Boston
-- Plus blue face-painting, bike-flag making, and more!

SCHEDULED T and BIKE-RIDES TO FESTIVAL:
FROM BOSTON:
Mission Hill Energy Fair and Healthy Community Rally/Ride -- Come to the Mission Hill Energy Fair from 10am till 2pm to learn how to save money by saving energy and join with neighbors who want a healthier community, here and around the globe. The Energy Fair from will close with a climate justice rally at 1:30pm and kick off a Stop Asthma - Stop Global Warming, Healthy Community Ride by bike or T to the Boston Under Water 350 Festival downtown.
Contact: Loie Hayes, c-857-544-6846; h-617-278-1885

FROM CAMBRIDGE:
MassBike Spins Festival Bike Ride
Begin assembling at 1:00pm at the Cambridge Common. Rally will begin at 1:15pm with
DEPARTURE time at 1:30pm. Bring your umbrella and Charlie Card in the event of rain.
For more info. or to RSVP: http://www.350.org/node/4121 or bike@greencambridge.org

T-Ride
Assemble at the Cambridge Common starting at 1:00pm. Rally begins at 1:15pm. Take
the T from Harvard Square.
FROM SOMERVILLE:
Freedom Riders Unite for the International Day of Climate Action Bike Ride!
1:30pm. Prospect Hill Park, Munroe Street in Union Sq. Somerville
Dress in water gear or blue for a bike ride along the Freedom Trail from Somerville to
Boston. Depart at 2pm and ride to the Under Water Festival at Christopher Columbus
Park in Boston's Water Front. Be prepared to make some noise for Climate Justice! (ride
not suitable for inexperienced bikers)

T-RIDE from Davis Square
Don"t want to bike but still want to stand up for climate on the way to the Boston Under Water Festival? (And go with a bunch of fun people!)
Begin assembling at 2:00pm at Seven Hills Park, Davis Square, Somerville. Dress in water gear or blue for a T ride. Depart at 2:30pm sharp! Families encouraged to join!

Organizers:
Greenpeace USA, JP Green House, Massachusetts Council of Churches, Massachusetts Power Shift, Somerville Climate Action
Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston, The Williams Agency
Co-Sponsors:
Boston Climate Action Network, Cambridge Green Decade,
Greenport, Home Energy Efficiency Team, Living Structures, Inc., Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities, Massachusetts Sierra Club, Medford Climate Action, Mystic River Watershed Association

Christopher Columbus Park Aquarium T Station (Blue line)

Boston, MA

United States

Event Organizer

Vanessa R

Contact this person

Film: Boston Palestine Film Festival, Oct 16-Nov 1

Third Annual Film Festival

October 16, 2009 - November 1, 2009

:: Festival Program ::

:: Buy a Festival Pass ::

:: Opening Night Party ::

Please note: Harvard University film screenings have just been confirmed for  Harvard Law School - Langdell North, room 225 click here for a map

:: Schedule Change Alert ::

Due to a scheduling error on the part of the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), there have been some schedule changes:

Saturday October 17 
Opening night film Pomegranates and Myrrh will now play at 8:30 pm (not 7:00 pm)
Program featuring Terrace of the Sea will now play on Sunday Oct. 25 at 5:30 pm
(not Saturday Oct. 17 at 4:30 pm)

Saturday October 24 
Remembering Mahmoud Darwish program will now play on Thursday Oct. 29 at 7:00 pm with Checkpoint Rock at Kendall Square Cinema (not Saturday, Oct. 24 at 7:00 pm at the MFA)
Gaza In Focus Program (Young Freud in Gaza; To My Father; Daggit Gaza) will now play at 3:45 pm (not 4:30 pm)

Thursday October 29

Due to the above, Pomegranates and Myrrh will no longer have another screening on Thursday Oct. 29 at 7:00 pm
Arafat and I will now play on Saturday Oct. 31 at 3:00 pm (not Thursday Oct. 29 at 7:00 pm) with Ticket to Jerusalem.

For up-to-date scheduling and to verify final programming, please always check our online  Festival Program. Thank you and we apologize for any inconvenience.

For more information, visit: http://www.bostonpalestinefilmfest.org/

Event: Boston Monster March, October 24

City Hall Plaza / Government Center
Saturday, October 24, 2009
4:00 - 10:00 p.m.

It's a costume charity walk. It's a carnival. It's the largest Boston festival in October. See and be seen and help prevent suicide. Last year, the Samaritans took 100,000 local calls on their crisis hotline.

We'll have vendors, food, live music, costume competitions, and prizes. Although the event starts with a daytime kids parade, when the sun sets it switches into an adult charity walk and roaring party. Over 10,000 will come.

Join a fundraising team and get a free professional photo and video clip, and free access to the carnival, with 2 mechanical bulls, facepainting, temp tattoos, a giant slide, triple bungee run, "human bowling alley", 3 inflatable obstacle courses, a velcro wall, and much more. Or just show up and give to the Samaritans (FREE to walkers, or $20 child/$20 student/$30 adult donation).

Please help. Show off your costume by creating a fundraising team page and sending it to friends. We especially need volunteers to poster and flyer right now, too.

Check it out at http://MonsterMarch.org and see you there!

Press contact:
Johnny Monsarrat
617-899-7794
johnny@wheelquestions.org

Event: Last Turnpike Board Meeting, October 15

LAST TURNPIKE BOARD MEETING

Thursday, 9:30 a.m. State
Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza, Suite 4160, Boston 

The board of the 57-year-old Turnpike Authority
meets for the last time before it and the agency it oversees are formally
dissolved as a result of the new transportation reform law. The authority
controls the Turnpike, a 138-mile long roadway with 260 bridges that bisects
32 cities and towns. 

Board members say they expect a light agenda. "It's
kind of historic, if you ask me," said Mary Connaughton, one of the board's
five members and its longest serving member. "I'm sure a lot of people are
jumping for joy that the Turnpike's going away." Appointed by Gov. Mitt
Romney and referred to as a "gadfly" by outgoing Transportation Secretary
Jim Aloisi, Connaughton was a frequent critic of the agency during her
tenure. "I don't think the toll payers are out of the woods," she said,
referring to potential toll hikes down the road. She said she is in the
process packing up documents, news clippings and various other Turnpike
Authority "memorabilia" strewn across her home office. She is weighing a run
for state auditor and will make a decision by January. Michael Angelini, who
was appointed to the turnpike board by Gov. Deval Patrick in August 2007,
called the authority an "anachronism." "It seems longer than it was,"
Angelini said of his tenure. "It's been a bit of a ride." A Worcester
attorney, Angelini added: "My overriding memory is the Turnpike Authority,
while it has some terrible history, and while the Turnpike has been
victimized by political considerations historically, it consists of people
trying to do a good job." The other board members include John Jenkins,
president of the Comzer Insurance Agency and a Patrick appointee, and Judy
Pagliuca, a Romney appointee and vice president at Fidelity Management and
Investments. Her husband Steve is running for U.S. Senate. 

Under the transportation reform law enacted in June, the authority will be
consolidated into a super-agency known as the Massachusetts Department of
Transportation (MassDOT) and overseen by a five-member board. Jeffrey
Mullan, a longtime transportation official and current Turnpike Authority
executive director, will head MassDOT. Created in 1952 by the Legislature,
the Turnpike Authority's first chairman was William Callahan, the head of
the state Department of Public Works. 

Talk: The Democratization of Innovation, A Conversation with Ray Kurzweil, October 14, 2009

Group Name	Enterprise Forum of Cambridge, MA
Event Name	Innovation Series October 2009
Event Description	Networking and Registration: 5:30 - 6:15 p.m. Program: 6:15 - 8:00 p.m. Post-Event Reception: 8:00-9:00 p.m.
Event Contact	Trish Fleming
Contact Phone	6172538240
Contact Email	trishf@mit.edu
Date	Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Time	6:00 PM until 9:00 PM
Address	MIT Stata Center Kirsch Auditorium, 32-123 32 Vassar Street Cambridge MA

Forum Members: $25
Non-Members: $40
MIT Staff (with valid ID): $25
Students from all universities are FREE with valid ID. Pre-registration encouraged.

REGISTER

Keynote presentation by one of the most prolific and diverse technology innovators followed by a deep conversation led by Sim Simeonov of FastIgnite

Impervious to the roller-coaster ride of the financial markets, the past decade has brought about an unprecedented acceleration in technology development and adoption combined with a rapid decline in the cost of anything touched by IT. Open-source, software-as-a-service, cloud computing, user-generated content, freemium and viral distribution models share one thing in common: they lower the cost of experimentation and make it cheaper and easier to create new things while at the same time destroying existing business models.

The democratization of innovation is a turbulent process. Rapid creation and violent destruction. Many winners and many losers, both big and small. Are there patterns of success in the chaos? Ray Kurzweil definitely thinks so. He has been on the bleeding edge of innovation for decades and his track record is something to admire. Ray was the principal developer of the first CCD flat-bed scanner, the first omni-font optical character recognition, the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, the first text-to-speech synthesizer, the first music synthesizer capable of recreating the grand piano and other orchestral instruments, and the first commercially marketed large-vocabulary speech recognition.

Following Ray’s keynote presentation, we will go deep with Ray on topics ranging from forecasting technology shifts and timing markets to practical techniques for fostering market-focused innovation to understanding the different roles of the individual entrepreneur vs. the team in venture creation. Iconic entrepreneur and angel investor Bill Warner, founder of Avid Technology, Wildfire Communications, and Warner Research will join the conversation.

Keynote:

Ray Kurzweil, prolific inventor, entrepreneur, author and futurist
Conversation with:
Bill Warner, serial entrepreneur and investor
Moderator:
Simeon Simeonov, serial entrepreneur and investor

Program Organizers: David E. Brook, Hamilton, Brook, Smith & Reynolds, P.C., Kristen Collins, KMC Partners, Pearl Freier, Cambridge BioPartners, Simeon Simeonov, FastIgnite, Inc

Theater: BU Fringe Festival "Diventare," October 14

BU Fringe Festival [theater] presents: "Diventare"
Wednesday, October 14
7:30pm, free

Information: http://www.BostonTheatreScene.com

Part of the Fringe Festival, "Willful Women: Worlds Apart." A play by Jenny
Rachel Weiner (CFA'09) and directed by Ellie Heyman (CFA'11). When Linda's
life fractures, she escapes to an imaginary underwater kingdom. As a
hurricane once again approaches, Linda must choose to retreat further or
face the storm. CFA's 2010 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival
entry, "diventare" will be featured in this spring's InCite Arts Festival in
New York City. A production of the BU New Play Initiative. No reservations
necessary for this free event. Open to the public. Attend at CFA Theatre
Lab @ 855 Commonwealth Avenue.

Lecture: The Short American Century, 1941-2008: Contrasting Views of the Era of American Dominance, October 22

Summary	The Short American Century, 1941-2008: Contrasting Views of the Era of American Dominance
Description	The International History Institute hosts Professor Eugene McCarraher, Villanova University. This is the 3rd in a series of eight lectures.
Starts	6:00pm on Thursday, October 22nd 2009
Location	The Castle, 225 Bay State Road
Topics	Lecture
Running Time	90 minutes
Admission	Free and open to the public
Email	IHI@bu.edu
Phone	617-353-1165
Directions	http://www.bu.edu/castle/introduction/directions/index.shtml

Event: Market of the Living Dead, October 25

Market of the Living Dead

Sunday, Oct 25 10:00a to 4:00p

at SOWA Open Market, Boston, MA

As another successful season of the Sowa Open Market draws to a close, we will be holding our 6th annual "Market of the Living Dead" on October 25h, 2009. In keeping with tradition, we will hold our Vendor / Customer Costume Contest and the Pumpkin Carving Contest, as well as fun games, live music, and lots of great prizes being given out during the market. read more

Price: Free

Phone: (800) 403-8305

Age Suitability: All Ages

Tags: sowa open market

As another successful season of the Sowa Open Market draws to a close, we will be holding our 6th annual "Market of the Living Dead" on October 25h, 2009. In keeping with tradition, we will hold our Vendor / Customer Costume Contest and the Pumpkin Carving Contest, as well as fun games, live music, and lots of great prizes being given out during the market.
The market will have over hundred vendors from the Boston area selling handmade designs and crafts, along with the return of the NYC handmade group {the New New}.
The Costume Contest is now in it's fifth year, and we will be keeping up our reputation as being the most horrifying zombies / artisans on Harrison Ave. We highly encourage shoppers to come dressed up - because if you don't come as a zombie, we guarantee you'll leave as one.
Costume Contest Prizes
1st Prize - 250.00
2nd Prize - 150.00
3rd Prize - 75.00
As always, the market will offer the usual ever-changing group of artisans, free admission, a hip convenient location and plenty of parking. We give Boston a unique center to network while shopping for healthy edibles, fragrant blooms, DIY crafts and designer wares from established artisans including jewelry, handbags, accessories, sculpture, and clothing along with affordable mid-century modern furniture, antiques and collectibles It's definitely a trip worth making before we close for the season.

Market of the Living Dead - Website

Concert: Quiet Music II, October 09

Q U I E T   M U S I C   II

New England Phonographer’s Union

das kleine Field Recordings Festival – in conjunction with the festival in Berlin

Rick Breault, Michael Bullock, Derek Hoffend, Ernst Karel, Jed Speare, Asher Thal-Nir 

Friday, October 9, 2009

8pm

suggested donation $5-$10

at Thompson Design Group

35 Channel Center St., corner

The New England Phonographers Union is a fluid congregation of sound artists and field recordists who work with untreated and unprocessed recordings of the rich and varied sounds around them. Through the exploration and documentation of urban and rural public spaces, sound objects and events, the Union captures auditory phenomena otherwise lost, and re-interpret the particularity of individual places as a newly idealized sonic environment. Within a focused listening environment the members present their recordings, both individually and as collaborative improvisations. The project is modeled after the Seattle Phonographers Union, which was founded in 2002 and has spawned like-minded groups in New York, Chicago, London, and Montreal. http://nephonography.wordpress.com

Tonight’s performance takes place in parallel with the das kleine Field Recordings Festival in Berlin. Its website is http://dkfrf.wordpress.com/about/

Conference: Presidency and the Nuclear Age, JFK Library, October 12

Presidency and the Nuclear Age

MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2009 9:00 AM-4:00 PM

This one-day conference – sponsored by the nation’s 13 Presidential Libraries – will examine how the Presidency and U.S. foreign policy have been reshaped by the advent, use and spread of nuclear weapons.  Morning sessions are The Race to Build the Bomb and the Decision to Use it (9:00 to 10:25 a.m.) featuring Richard Rhodes, Wilson D. Miscamble and Jennet Conant; and, Cuban Missile Crisis and the First Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (10:50 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.) featuringTed Sorensen, Carl Kaysen and Graham Allison. Afternoon sessions are The Cold War and the Nuclear Arms Race (1:20 to 2:30 p.m.) featuring Kenneth Adelman, Thomas Graham, Jr., Richard Rhodes, Nicholas Thompson and Marvin Kalb; and, Nuclear Weapons, Terrorism and the Presidency (2:45 to 4:00 p.m.) with Graham Allison, Stephen Bosworth, Nicholas Burns, Leslie Gelb and Martha Raddatz. 

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Columbia Point
Boston, MA 02125
1.866.JFK.1960
1.617.514.1600

October Colloquia at MIT's Comparative Media Studies

10.08.09 | 5-7 PM | Bartos Theater

Communications Forum: Race, Politics, and American Media

Juan Williams in conversation with Phillip Thompson and David Thorburn

The election of an African-American president in November 2008 has been hailed as a transforming event. But has Obama's ascension transformed anything? Many people’s answer to that question changed this summer when a famous Harvard professor was arrested at his home in Cambridge. Are the harsh realities of race and class in the U.S. clearer now or murkier, following the media tsunami of Gatesgate? And has this polarizing event given greater visibility to racial minorities in the media's coverage of politics? How are race issues and racial politics covered in our national media, and what are the implications of the demise of major city newspapers for the coverage of race and politics?
Juan Williams of NPR and Fox News will discuss these and related questions in a candid conversation with Phillip Thompson, associate professor of urban politics in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at MIT, and David Thorburn, Professor of Literature and Director of the MIT Communications Forum. This forum is the first of two this term in our ongoing civic media series, a collaboration of the Communications Forum and the Media Lab’s Center for Future Civic Media.

10.15.09 | 5-7 PM | 4-231

Political Remix Video: A Participatory Post-Modern Critique of Popular Culture

Elisa Kreisinger

Remixers are on the front lines of the battle between new media technologies and impeding copyright laws that threaten to obstruct the public discursive space for critiquing popular culture. These spaces are abundant with meticulously crafted and articulate video remixes that deconstruct social myths, challenge dominant media messages and form powerful arguments reflecting the participatory nature of both pop and remix cultures. We’ll deconstruct these videos, honor the history of female fan vidders and the influences of African-American hip-hop cultures and debate the remix's ability to effect actual change.
Elisa Kreisinger is a video remix artist, hacktivst and writer. She co-edits the blog, PoliticalRemixVideo.com, teaches new media to Cambridge teens and is currently working on her first screenplay.

10.22.09 | 5-7 PM | 4-231

Transatlantic Acousmatics

John Picker

In 1897, the year The Invisible Man was published, Marconi filed his patent and established the first station for wireless telegraphy, what would become radio. H.G. Wells's novel reads as if it were an instruction manual for the uses and abuses of the nascent radio voice. Picker will begin to argue that, in conjunction with the racist basis of much fin-de-siecle anxiety, the acousmatic status of Wells's protagonist allows for a conspicuous if incoherent racial performance. This performance tests the limits of Wells's sympathetic imagination even as it further amplifies the voice of Griffin, the Invisible Man. Picker begins with Wells's story and goes on to show how, when one attends to questions of voice and sound technologies in several different media, the racial and ethnic dimensions that become audible forge invisible connections among modes of art that we have been taught to keep distinct. Tracing a transatlantic route from fiction to radio and sound film back to fiction, this approach offers a new way to characterize a crucial period of change from the late Victorian to the modern world.
John Picker is Visiting Associate Professor of Literature at MIT, where he arrived this fall after several years as Associate Professor of English at Harvard. He is the author of Victorian Soundscapes and has ongoing interests in sound studies, media history, and the literature and culture of the Victorian era. His many articles and book chapters include, most recently, an essay on "Yankee Doodle" and "The Star-Spangled Banner" in A New Literary History of America, edited by Greil Marcus and Werner Sollors and out this September from Harvard University Press.

10.29.09 | 5-7 PM | 4-231

Cinematic Games

Richard Rouse

Many people talk about "cinematic" games, but what does this really mean? Over their century of existence, films have been using a range of techniques to create specific emotional responses in their audience. Instead of simply using more cut-scenes, better script writers, or making more heavily scripted game experiences, game designers can look to film techniques as an inspiration for new techniques that accentuate what games do well. This lecture will present film clips from a number of classic movies, analyze how they work from a cinematic standpoint, and then suggest ways these techniques can be used in gameplay to create even more stimulating experiences for gamers, including examples from games that have successfully bridged the gap.
Richard Rouse III is a game designer and writer, best known for The Suffering horror games and his bookGame Design: Theory & Practice. He is currently the Lead Single Player Designer on the story-driven FPS Homefront at Kaos Studios in New York City.

For more information, visit the CMS Events Page.