Multitasking

Multitasking has recently become a widely discussed term. The synchronicity of today's media-backed daily life means that the phenonemon multitasking penetrates into almost all spheres of life and has a particular influence on our perception, communication and interaction.

The NGBK Berlin, Germany organizes an exhbition and interdisciplinary symposium on "Multitasking – Synchronicity as cultural practice". The artistic positions focus on the cultural practice of simultaneous activity and reception.
Artists:

CORY ARCANGEL, PETER FISCHLI/DAVID WEISS, IRENE HUG, BERNADETTE KLAUSBERGER/JANA KRAUSE/HANNAH STRACKE, CONSTANTIN LUSER, WARREN NEIDICH, YVES NETZHAMMER, STEFAN PANHANS, ADRIAN PIPER, BILL SHACKELFORD, LARS SILTBERG, LARS TUNBJORK, MARIUS WATZ/CHRISTINE WOLFE


Exhibition: Sept. 1st – Oct. 7th, 2007
Symposium: October 5th and 6th, 2007

Mutant golden frogs and Dmitry Bulatov's fluorescent tadpoles

Four mutant frogs with gold skin and red eyes, found by children in a grassy field in the town of Shimanto in Kochi prefecture, have gone on display at the nearby Shimanto River Gakuyukan science center. According to a center spokesperson who says the golden specimens are highly unusual, the 2.4-centimeter (almost 1-inch) amphibians appear to be black-spotted pond frogs (Pelophylax nigromaculata, a.k.a. Rana nigromaculata) whose skin turned gold because of an albino mutation that prevents the formation of pigment cells. (more)

From Pink Tentacle.

This story reminds my of the work being done by the Russian artist Dmitry Bulatov. I was fortunate to be in the RESURFACING Exhibition earlier in the year at Ohio State with him. He displayed at the exhibition his work on genetically engineering tadpole appearances by making them fluorescent colors.

Below is an example of one of his tadpoles:


Static form of chimerical design of Xenopus laevis tadpole.

Anti-Decision Machine by Ryan Ross

Anti-Decision Machine functions by inviting a user seeking assistance to press a big red button on top of a grey box in front of the light installation. The installation then randomly lights up boxes providing answers to the user's question.

This is part of Ryan Ross' Decision Analysis Series.

Light Lunch Box by Craig Hickman

Physical Computing art by Craig Hickman.

From Craig:

When left on its own the display randomly displays patterns and alphanumeric characters that dissolve by way of some random shenanigans...

... I am also using a QT113 Touch Sensor from Parallax. This ended up being an easy sensor to incorporate. You connect the QT113 to something metal and when it's touched it responds. In my project, it's hooked up to one of the alligator clips so anything metal put in the clips, when touched, makes the LED Matrix respond.

From Make.