NIKE 公式オンラインストア

GILES ROLLESTONE “URBAN FEEDBACK”

THINGSText: Rita

Urban Feedback by Giles Rollestone had been introduced at Siggraph in ’95. Neville Brody’s Research Studio at MILIA this year gave him an opportunity to distribute the CD-ROM. In Japan, it is sold at DIGITALOGUE.

Based on a trip from London to Amsterdam, Urban Feedback expresses chaotic energy overflown in the modern urban cities by means of the heavy mix of the scattered media around the city. Images change so drastically that the viewer can’t help feeling subtle anxiety as if he were to be taken away from where he is. The viewer is lured into the free form space divided into 4 parts such as London, Amsterdam, Memory Space and Sound Space and trips through an endless sequence of time.

As everyone feels different things when they walk on the same street, breath the same air, and hear the same sounds, a variety of memories and moments are densely condensed in the city. Juxstaposed images, sounds and texts likewise urges to trigger a subjective consideration on the viewer.

The images in the CD-ROM consist of fragments of scenary in London and Amsterdam.
Those two cities look quite similar to each other. Is this resemblance caused by ever-developing outlooks on the cities? Why I had a surreal impression on the CD-ROM is because I couldn’t feel either negative or positive about what Giles’ urban life was like. He may have intended to say it’s all up to oneself what one experiences, feels and selects.

Recently, collage works that mix sounds and visions are becoming popular. Some CDs have already been in store coupled with a CD-ROM. Sublime Label and Ken Ishii have released that type of stuff. And, Let Us Play, a new album by COLD CUT, also features a CD-ROM produced by HEX. COLD CUT suggests watching the CD-ROM before listening to the CD. It’s a challenge to overcome the music industry that ignores the possibility of visions with music. Categories are not useful any more now.

If you are intersted, check out shockwave fragments of Urban Feedback on CDR site. And Urban Feedback is now exhibited at DIGITALOGUE, Tokyo.

Text: Rita
Translation: Satoru Tanno

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