Alejandro Jaimes-Larrarte

Urban Sensoria下北沢

Una exploracion sensorial, multimedia, del espacio y escala

estructurada, repetitiva, aleatoria, personal, cultural de la ciudad.

A multimedia, sensorial exploration of the structured, repetitive,

random, personal, cultural, space-and-scale of the city.

The Urban Sensoria exhibition and workshop at almazen are part of the

Barcelona International Contemporary Art Festival.

The exhibition will run until December 12, 2007 (extended!)

Gallery hours: Tues-Sat 17:00-21:00

The workshop will be held over three days (Nov. 30, Dec. 1, Dec. 2) (information below)

The gallery is a 2 minute walk from the MACBA (Museum of Contemporary Art of Barcelona). Map of Alamazen here

[enter sensoria shimokitazawa]

Urban Sensoria is an experimental method of experiencing and exploring the city. It is also a theoretical inquiry into cities, culture, memory, experience, and how it relates to traditional media and new technologies.

The Barcelona show focuses on Shimokitazawa (Tokyo, Japan), which was the stage of Urban Typhoon, under which some of the concepts behind the Sensoria were developed (thanks Tokyo!). Special thanks to Chaminda de Silva and Kiyo Aizawa who kindly provided the lifelog wearble system I used to make one of the videos of the exhibition.

Other explorations, not yet processed, include Dharavi (Bombay, India), New York, Paris, Beijing, ...

The exhibition and workshop (details below) will be held at Serial Artist. Workshops and explorations in other cities will follow.

Barcelona Exhibition (Alejandro Jaimes-Larrarte)

[Spanish below]

The city and culture

The city is a physical representation of culture: the materials, the smells, the colours, the surfaces are all cultural manifestations. Culture is both the interface through which we sense everything and the machine through which the city is created and transformed. Each physical area develops its own unique forms. The initial layout of the city sets a stage, a breeding ground for things to grow. The city grows like the roots of a tree, in many directions, molded by the initial layout and local culture. The city is created by a multiplicity of individual expressions that influence each other and create a unique identity. An area of the city is a collective self, constantly evolving.

Senses and memory

The city is experienced through the senses, but our sensory experiences are shaped and filtered by culture, so the city is an infinitely personal experience that exists as a memory that constantly changes as we experience it over and over again. Memory input depends entirely on the senses, and thus the city itself is a collection of sensed memories. But it is not a random or complete, methodical collection. Rather, it is a collection shaped by our own individual selves. A city is unique to every individual or group of individuals. The connection between the (collective) self and the city, whether by choice or by accident (nobody chooses their first city) is often inseparable. Memory is not of things past, it is of things present as it shapes what we sense and how we sense it. It determines everything we experience.

Self and experience

A new city is experienced, inevitably, as seen through the self and compared with the cities that have shaped that self. This connection between the self and the city is what makes us identify with a particular physical space of a particular city. But the sensory experience of the city can be determined by many different factors: we can choose a form of navigation (walking, running, driving, flying, crawling), and a speed (slow, medium, fast), and we can choose a sensory focus (smell the city, observe it, listen to its sounds, to strangers’ conversations). We can also determine how we navigate through the city-we may explore it randomly given its physical constraints, follow shortest paths to reach places, look for markers or monuments, or simply follow sensory intuition (how many times have you followed smells in a city?).

Urban Sensoria Workshop Barcelona

Alejandro Jaimes-Larrarte and Jürgen Scheible

In this workshop we are interested in exploring the ways we explore the city, guided by our senses, the culture that shapes them, and the city itself. In particular, the workshop will focus on El Raval, an interesting neighborhood in Barcelona undergoing rapid changes.

You may contact us at alex.jaimes &&&& idiap.ch (replace &&&& with @) with the subject line “sensoria” for information on the workshop. To register, however, please contact almazen directly (http://www.almazen.net) [we are not handling the registration at all]. Early registration is important, however, as we will contact participants to exchange information prior to the workshop.

Program

The workshop starts Friday November 30^th at 8:00 pm and ends Sunday December 2^nd at 5:00 pm.

Format: workshop will consist of meetings, and explorations which take place between meeting times.

Schedule at a glance:

o Friday November 30^th: meet from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm. Exploration after 11:00 pm is optional (some of us will surely explore by night!)

o Saturday December 1^st: meet from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon and from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm (main exploration between 12:00 and 8:00, but also possible before 8:00 am and after 11:00 pm)

o Sunday December 2^nd: meet from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Main exploration between 10:00 am and 12:00 noon, exploration before 10:00 am and after 5:00 pm possible.

Detailed program

The workshop consists mainly of activities around the neighborhood using sensory recordings in different forms. During the duration of the workshop, participants will have the option to return to the “base” (almazen) to download their materials to a central server, re-examine the materials collected and create media collages.

Night 1: three hours [Friday, November 30^th, 8 pm - 11 pm]
In the first meeting we will discuss projects related to Urban Sensoria, provide background information on El Raval, discuss the themes above and share experiences. Each person will then try to create maps of ways in which they experience cities-we will experiment with different forms of mapmaking. These maps will be shared and will form the basis of the work the following day.

8:00-8:30 warm-up and introductions

8:30-9:00 explanation of the workshop process and technical details

9:00-9:30 invited talk presenting background on El Raval

9:30-9:45 break

9:45-10:15 presentation of related projects and exploration methods

10:15-10:40 individual brainstorming of exploration methods

10:40-11:00 exchange of ideas

Day 2: five hours (Saturday, December 1^st, 10 am-12 noon and 8 pm - 11 pm)
We will meet to continue the discussion from the previous night and start thinking of ways to create and share our experiences. Participants may choose a plan (including random exploration) and the means to document it (including memory) and explore an area of the city, individually or in teams. Participants will then go out and explore that area of the city over several hours and we will meet again (8-11 pm) to examine, construct, and deconstruct the results. In the evening we will present our experiences using a collaborative mash-up tool we have developed: participants will collectively “beam” materials gathered with their mobile phones to a projector, composing and mixing through sensory filtering and body motion. These mash-ups will be uploaded to the Urban Sensoria website for the world to enjoy. We will then choose a different exploration mechanism (and possibly method) for the next day.

10:00-11:00 brief presentations by participants on their exploration ideas (and discussion)

11:00-12:00 group activity

8:00-8:30 informal discussion about experiences throughout the day and gathering of collected materials

8:30-9:30 workgroups or individual create compositions with the collected materials

9:30-9:45 break

9:45-10:45 presentation by participants/groups

10:45-11:00 discussion and decisions for plans the following day (or the rest of the evening)

Day 3: Sunday, December 2^nd, 10 am to 4 pm

We will explore the city using the new method (10 am-1pm), converge for lunch (2pm-3pm) and share experiences, draw conclusions, ask questions (3pm-4pm).

10:00-10:30 Discuss relevant experiences and plans

2:00-3:00 Meet for informal lunch and discussion

3:00-4:00 Final presentations

Modes: Touching, smelling, listening, tasting, seeing.

Techniques Photo, interview, filming, editing, mapping, writing...

Things to bring:
- Laptops with animation, flash, film, VJ or music editing software
- Cameras and video-cameras
- Storage devices (external hard drives, DVDs)
- Sketchbook/note book
- Pens and markers

We will provide:

-Mobile phones with GPS and custom software for the exploration (limited number!). Further details will be posted on what we plan to do with those devices!

Inspirational reading

The empire of the senses (David Howes)

Aural cultures (ed. Jim Drobnick)

Invisible cities (Italo Calvino)

La ciudad y la cultura

La ciudad es la representacion fisica de la cultura: los materiales, los olores , los colores, las superficies, son todas manifestaciones culturales. La cultura es a la vez la interfaz a traves del cual todo percibimos todo y es la maquina a traves de la cual la ciudad se crea y se transforma. Cada area fisica desarrolla sus propias formas singulares. El trazado inicial de la ciudad establece una etapa, el lugar mas favorable para que las cosas crezcan. La ciudad crece como las raices de un arbol, en muchos sentidos, moldeada por su trazado inicial y por la cultura local. La ciudad ha sido creada por una multiplicidad de expresiones individuales que se influencian entre si y crean una identidad unica. Una zona de la ciudad es un colectivo autonomo, en constante desarrollo.

Los sentidos y la memoria

La ciudad se experimenta a traves de los sentidos, pero nuestras experiencias sensoriales se forman y filtran a traves de la cultura, por lo que la ciudad es infinitamente una experiencia personal que existe en la memoria que cambia constantemente a la vez que la experimentamos una y otra vez. El input de la memoria depende totalmente de los sentidos, y por lo tanto la ciudad en si es una coleccion de memorias sensoriales. Pero no es una coleccion completamente al azar o completamente metodica, por el contrario, se trata de una coleccion perfilada por nuestra propia identidad. Una ciudad que es unica para cada persona o grupo de personas. La conexion entre el (lo colectivo) yo y la ciudad, ya sea por eleccion o por accidente (nadie elige su primera ciudad) es con frecuencia inseparable. Memoria no de cosas del pasado, es de las cosas del presente, ya que da forma a lo que percibimos y a como lo percibimos, determina todo lo que experimentamos.

El yo y lo experimentado

Una nueva ciudad es experimentada, inevitablemente, como se puede ver a traves del sujeto y la comparacion con las ciudades que han dado forma a ese sujeto. Esta conexion entre el sujeto y la ciudad es lo que nos hace identificar con un espacio fisico determinado de una ciudad en particular. Pero la experiencia sensorial de la ciudad puede ser determinada por factores diferentes: podemos escoger una forma de navegacion (caminar, correr, de conduccion de vuelo, de rastreo), y una velocidad (lento, medio, rapido), y podemos elegir un foco sensorial (oler la ciudad, observarla, escuchar sus sonidos, conversaciones de extranos). Tambien podemos determinar como navegar a traves de la ciudad, podemos explorarla al azar debido a su limitaciones fisicas, seguir los caminos mas cortos para llegar a los lugares, buscar senales monumentos, o simplemente para seguir la intuicion sensorial (cuantas veces has seguido olores en la ciudad?)

Urban Sensoria Workshop Barcelona

En este taller investigaremos las formas en que exploramos la ciudad, guiados por nuestros sentidos, la cultura que les da forma, y la ciudad por ella misma. El taller se llevara a cabo en El Raval, un area interesante de Barcelona que esta pasando por cambios importantes.

Nos pueden contactar en alex.jaimes &&&& idiap.ch (replace &&&& with @) para informacion sobre el taller. La inscripcion para el taller es mandatoria. Para inscribirse, por favor contactar directamente a almazen (http://www.almazen.net) [las inscripciones al taller las maneja exclusivamente almazen].

Programa

El taller consta principalmente de actividades en El Raval usando varios metodos de grabacion sensorial. Durante la duracion del taller, las personas inscritas tendran la opcion de regresar a la “base” (almazen) para bajar sus materiales a un servidor central, re-examinar los materials creados, y crear collages en varios medios.

El taller comienza el Viernes 30 de Noviembre a las 8:00 pm y termina el Domingo 2 de Diciembre a las 4:00 pm.

Formato: el taller consiste en reunions, y exploraciones que se llevan a cabo entre las horas de reunion. Exploraciones adicionales dependen de los participantes.

Horario:

o Viernes Noviembre 30: reunion de 8:00 am a 11:00 pm. Exploracion despues de las 11:00 pm es opcional (algunos de nosotros seguiro exploraremos de nochde!)

o Sabado Diciembre 1: reunion de 10:00 am a 12:00 del dia y de 8:00 pm a 11:00 pm (exploracion principal entre 12:00 y 8:00, pero tambien posible antes de las 8:00 am y despues de las 11:00 pm)

o Domingo Diciembre 2: reunion de 3:00 pm a 5:00 pm. Exploracion principal entre las 10:00 am y las 2:00 pm, exploracion antes de las 10:00 am y despues de las 5:00 pm es posible.

Programa [Ver seccion en ingles para programa detallado hora a hora]

Noche 1: Viernes 30 de Noviembre, 3 horas (8 pm -11 pm)

En la primera reunion vamos a presentar informacion sobre El Raval, a hablar de proyectos relacionados a Urban Sensoria, y a discutir los temas descritos anteriormente y compartir experiencias. Cada persona intentar� crear mapas de maneras de experimentar las ciudades -estudiaremos diferentes formas de cartografiar. Estos mapas ser�n compartidos y formar� la base del trabajo al dia siguiente.

Dia 2: Sabado 1 de Diciembre , 2 horas (10 am- 12 am)

Nos reuniremos para continuar con el debate de la noche anterior y empezar a pensar en maneras de crear y compartir nuestras experiencias. Los participantes elegiran un plan (incluida la exploracion al azar) y los medios necesarios documentar (incluyendo la memoria) y explorar una zona de la ciudad, individualmente o en equipos. Nos reuniremos de nuevo (8pm- 11pm) para examinar, construir y deconstruir los resultados. En la noche, presentaremos nuestras experiencias usando un “collaborative mash-up tool” que hemos desarrollado: las personas participantes enviaran los materials obtenidos con sus telefonos moviles hacia un proyector, componiendo y mezclando a traves de filtros sensoriales y movimientos corporales. These mash-ups will be uploaded to the Urban Sensoria website for the world to enjoy.A continuacion, elegiremos otro mecanismo de exploracion (y el posible metodo) para el proximo dia.

Dia 3: Domingo 2 de Diciembre (10 am - 5pm)

Exploraremos la ciudad, utilizando el nuevo metodo, comemos de (2 p.m. - 3pm) y compartimos las experiencias, extraeremos conclusiones, formular preguntas (3 pm - 5 pm).

Modos: Tocar, oler, escuchar, probar, observar.

Tecnicas : Fotogarfia, entrevista, filmacion, edicion, la cartografia, la escritura...

Cosas para traer:
- Laptops con la animaciin, el flash, el cine, VJ o un software de edicion de musica
- Camaras de video y camaras
- Dispositivos de almacenamiento (discos duros externos, DVD)
- Sketchbook / libretas
- Boligrafos y rotuladores

Proveeremos telefonos moviles con GPS y programas especiales para nuestra exploracion (numero limitado!). Mas adelante daremos detalles de que pensamos hacer con esos “telefonos”!

Lectura inspiracional

The empire of the senses (David Howes)

Aural cultures (ed. Jim Drobnick)

Invisible cities (Italo Calvino)