The latter half was an audio visual performance by DJ Jude Greenaway from T.L.S and T.L.S’s visual. Their machine was installed at the back of a series of fine mesh sheets. The threesome that was playing were projected in the light through their works. It created an interesting design as a kind of visual and the visual works were projected to the middle, the front sheet and the side wall synchronized with the sounds.

Synchronism of the sound and visual is regarded as not a special thing these days, however, I was amazed with the synchronism of the sound and visual as if they were cutting the beats together although T.L.S don’t play with simple beats like techno but with hip hop which has complex and organic beats. As for the method, they keep lots of visual elements cut up from a source and they mix them to the main visual in real time listening to the music. In other words, they put the visual layers which can be operated in real time onto the main visual which is normally streamed.

Nowadays, many people tend to emphasize the benefit of the digital technology too much but they think analogue is also an important factor. In the performance, an open reel film was projected on a rotating triangular pyramid shape mirror and they rotated it by their own hand to make the performance seem as if the visual was moving around in the space. I learned from their performance what is important for an innovator. In these times anybody can play and enjoy VJ using high performance VJ software like Motion Dive.

The music was by Scanone aka Jude Greenaway’s hip hop tronica DJ. His sounds will become more available now that he will be a resident DJ for Fabric, a club in London. He was creating a very comfortable groove not too full on but not too chilled out with T.L.S’s visuals. In the middle of the performance, there was a power source trouble but their performance was so great that we almost forgot the trouble by the end.

This session illuminated a certain whole surface from a viewpoint of a moving image how evolution of technology and innovation can make the urban culture attractive. How new ideas come out of young creators who received stimulus from such scenes. How about experiencing the “Innovation Sessions” which will be carried out on February 27th in Osaka or on 28th in Tokyo next time?

Innovation Sessions #5
Date: January 17th, 2004
Open: 20:30 – 25:00
Place: Ballroom in Daikanyama
https://www.thelightsurgeons.co.uk