Theories From Iota Island

Iota on the Spools

Iota Island Alone

Incessant Untangleing

Me, Kathryn, Iota and Bokeh

It took Jake, kathryn and me five and a half hours to install the Iota on the Island. The grass and herbs had been strimmed the day before, and the glorious sun was shining. We worked long and hard, and ended up with the spiritual epiphany cross obscure equation that is `Iota Island`. Jake isn`t in the picures, as when he wasn`t up and down the ladder, he was taking these and hundreds more (literally). There is a link below to an animation of the whole five and a half hours, and photos will be up on my Flickr account. Thank you Katherine and Jake from the bottom of all my Iotas!

It wasn`t easy deciding how to hang the 13 x 20 metre strings. I felt wary about formal arrangement,

but didn`t want them to become a formless tangled mass. That was a practicle rather than aesthetic concern. In the end we begun in a tree, and continued without too much planning. ( Like Pascals universe with it`s centre every where and its circumference nowhere). From the land , the installation looks a bit triangular. Infact there are different plains and linear formations that are really only visable when in the midst of it all. We attempted a parabolic curve, and some curved Euclidian plains. These weren`t so sucessfull. It`s not possible to express very precise geometric formation without equally precise measurement and acurate installation. As we were using trees as verticles, and had to weave in and out of Gunnera and brances, and incorporate a beautiful deserted duck house , the lines went where we could put them. 20 meteres is longer than you can imagine!

The opening went well. Artists showed in and out doors, there was a vast ammount of picnicing and my friends came. Hurrah! The last day is Saturday, and Jake hopes to do some filming in the sun shine that the Met. office have promised us. Watch this blog for floating Iota films. I can`t wait.

Good not to look at rotating yellow wormholes for a few days.

Photos of Iota Island...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/birdlouise/sets/72157616517661942/

Doing the Crochet Cosmic Twist

Worm Turning #2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71_fqVSQZpI&feature=PlayList&p=DCCDDD7A5F96A3C8&index=11

Click on the above link to see the film.

Putting the tiny crocheting hands into the `Wormhole` adds an element of real and obvious mechanical movement to the digitaly edited rotating crochet.The `Wormhole` has a constant and incessant direction which is is robotic and inorganic, as well as hypnotic and compelling. The small arachnid movement of the hands releaves some of the visual tension. They also create a focal point at the centre of the hole, drawing your attention inwards, and creating an interesting optical illusion.

`They poor the space into a larger space, which is infinity`

Mario Merz 1990.

`Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic`.

Arthur C. Clarke.

Film editing is visual magic- hey presto!

Making Iota Island

Time lapse animation of the installation at Rhod in Drefelin.

Another wormhole rotating

Click here to see another wormhole rotating.

Can I Have Space Time Alone?

Click here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71_fqVSQZpI

Watch the wormhole turn. Don`t fall in. You`ll end up crochet.

Being comsummed by a supermassive yellow hole.
Sorry.I wiped this picture off the blog by accident. Here it is again.

Videos from Tuesdays webcast - Music to Crochet to

A couple of extracts from the webcast are on Phynodereefilms here.

If you get into the loops the full length versions can be found in the 'webcasts from the studio' set, through the on demand function of the player here.

Supermassive Yellow Hole

Growing . Slowley.

Lines and loops.

At play in the multiverse that is Aberiefed Studios, we continue the quest in search of images of science-crochet and quasi-phenomonology.

Tuesday night was the premier web broadcast of live performance crochet, and catchy vinyl loops.

Jake on the decks playing a live mix unique to the event, with titles that included; 2 copies of Johhny Cash,`Walk The Line`, Nana Mouskouri,` Had I a Golden Thread`,The Incredible String Band`A Very Circular Song`,Phil Coulter `Silver Threads Among the Gold and `The Spinning Wheel`. Links to recordings of the web event are on the horizon. ( Sorry).

The loops of crocheted line and processed lyric merged to make a meditative and holistic sensory event. Worth persuing as a performance piece, live or on film.

I cant remember why or when I put the crochet on my head to continue working! Nice hat though.

Privileged and Subordinate Positions

Video still `Pod 2 Hand 1.`

Video still `Pod 2 Hand 2`.

Ancient Chinese proverb,

`The darkest part is always directly under the lamp.`

To see this experiment click on either of these links.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4hyagYK5gs&feature=PlayList&p=DCCDDD7A5F96A3C8&index=7

http://www.vimeo.com/4678615

An Imaginary Number

Iota is the letter i in the Greek alphabet. It is used in mathematical equations that deal with Complex number systems. In these equations, either i or -i, is used to denote the ammount that is equal to the square root of minus one. The square root of minus one, if I understand what I have learned, has no numerical value, or its value cannot be calculated. That required a bit of consideration...The square root of minus one has no numerical value. (If I have got this wrong please let me know)!
A style of multi disciplinary poetry. A number with no comprehensible value , expressed as a letter, still has a vital and proven place in mathematical equations that describe the order of our Universe. I have heard many times phrases such as `...an Iota`s worth of difference`... or `I couldn`t give an Iota`... but just thought that an Iota must be a very small ammount. Not, that it is what is known as an imaginary or mysterious number, from the `Complex` rather than the `Real` number system.

I had started to crochet the project now called`Iota`, for the Drefelin Mill exhibition, and didn`t really know what they were. One day while engrossed in crocheting, and listening to the radio, I heard Marcus du Sautoy talking about the mathematics of infinity.He briefly mentioned Iota.
Revelation!
How beautiful!
That is ,of course, what I was crocheting. All linked in an extending linear system. Frilly, transparent, imaginary numbers. Perfect!
It was Dustin Hoffmans characture from that amazing film `I Heart Huckabees`, that said,
` There is no remainder in the mathematics of infinity`.
So I continued to crochet, on and on. There are about 13 lengths of Iota , each about 20 metres long. They will be on show on Iota Island from th 25th May.
We will continue to use the Iota and film to explore the concept of how the insignificant multiplies into imposing itself, to become phenomononal.

(Although it was probably some one elses original quote. The film is full of brilliant references.)

We have been experimenting with editing our first pieces of film, trying to discover techniques that express the incomprehensible and slightly ammusing elements of intense mathematical theory.
Hopefully there will be some visuals in my next entry.

Polarising test

Having got a polarising filter off ebay in anticipation of filming Iota outdoors, thought I should test it out. The image above is a composite of 2 video stills, the lower image is with the filter.
There's a short test video here.

Repitition of Real and Obvious movement

Another guise for the amorphic substance `The Fabric of the Universe`. To see this film, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM3k4J8Hmag&feature=channel_page

A Pod in the Hand. To see the full piece of film.http://www.youtube.com/user/PhynodereeFilms or in HD go to

http://www.vimeo.com/4562324

Exploring the symbolic language of everyday non spiritual materials and the significance of their multiplication.The dual identity of the black crocheted piece in the hand as both `Pod` and `Black Hole` is interesting. I also like the concept of using banality as counterfiction to intense science theory.The Fabric of the Universe has been in many situations, recorded by photography and film . This is the first intense experiment, in film, to examine the nature of the textile itself. The sound in both films is the original ambient sound recorded during filming. I love the timing in the `Pods` editing , nice one Jake!

The Symbolic Language of Non Spiritual Materials.

Bonkers Frilly Hankie!
The piece of animation below was filmed with the kind permission of Oriel Myrddin Gallery, Carmarthen, Wales.
If using a well explored technique like stop frame animation , the holistic approach to original materials and their interpretation is essential. Although this piece of animation is interesting and amusing. it`s also visually very peculiar. As a technical experiment, it is a good `sketch book`, piece, but there are issues we need to address, we need to refilm. Jake has found some appropriate `green screen` cloth for filming, which will remove the intrusive back ground. (Although the circle of reflected natural light is something I would like to work with). We also need to address the phenomenological nature of the fabrics that the piece is made from, and put the concepts that describe the piece into context. Rather than gratuitously creating a perfunctory piece of animation , I feel that this is a piece that could be developed. That`s exciting!

Animated sequence using 99 images taken with Sony HVR-A1E video camera at Oriel Myrddin last Sunday afternoon.

Three Iota Pieces

`The Universe is an infinite sphere with it`s circumference nowhere and it`s centre everywhere`. - Pascal

http://www.vimeo.com/4431734

Here is a link to the the first three pieces of experimental film up on Vimeo . I hope that the project will consist of hundreds of short experimental clips , with some that will be valuable finished pieces. Some, I hope to project back onto pieces of textile, to explore the possibilities of movement and optical illusion , without direct reference to linear time.

`An Alexipharmac Draught.

Take Alexiterial Milk Water 3 ounces; Epidemial, compound peony water,

syrup of Gilly-flowers, Syrup of Saffron, each 2 drams, Diascordium, 2 scruples, Goa stone 1 scruple, mix.

In suspicious ill condition`d fevers, it raises and supports the drooping spirits from the Centre to the circumfrence`.

An old venitian cure from `Remedy`, Michelle Lovric.