V I DEO FEEDBACK

W i t h Aud i o I npu t Modu l a t i on and CV I Da t a Came r a*

SK I P SW EEN EY wa s bo r n 1946 i n Bu r l i ngame , Ca l i f o r n i a . BA i n Thea t e r A r ts 1968 Un i v e rs i ty o f San t a C l a r a , Ca l i f o r n i a . Founded E l ec t r i c Ey e 1969 a g r oup f o r v i deo pe r f o r mance s and e xpe r i men t s . Co - f ounded 1970 w i t h A r t hu r G i nsbe r g V i deo F r ee Ame r i ca . Se l ec t ed G r oup Exh i b i t i ons : 1971 V i deo Show Wh i t ne y Mus eum o f Ame r i can A r t , N ew Yo r k . 1973 V i deo a s A r t Pa r i s . Wo r k s : Ph i l o T. Fa r nswo r t h V i deo Obe l i s k San F r anc i s co . 1971 V i deo f o r Hea t h co t e W i l l i ams ' s AC / DC Che l s ea Thea t e r Cen t e r , N ew Yo r k ( w i t h A r t hu r G i nsbu r g . 1972 V i sua l e f f ec ts f o r A l l en G i nsbe r g ' s Kadd i sh Che l s ea Thea t e r Cen t e r , N ew Yo r k ( w i t h A r t hu r G i nsbe r g ) . 1975 V i deo A r t I nst i t u t e o f Con t empo r a ry A r t , Un i v e rs i ty o f Pennsy l v an i a , Ph i l ade l ph i a . Ev en t s and Pe r f o r m ance s 1971 Un i v e rs i ty A r t Mus eum , Un i v e rs i ty o f Ca l i f o r n i a , Be r ke l e y. 1972 V i deo F r ee Ame r i ca S t ud i o , San F r anc i s co . 1973 The K i t chen , N ew Yo r k ; Repe r t o ry Dance Thea t e r , Un i v e rs i ty o f U t ah , Sa l t Lake C i ty . 1974 Av an t - ga r de Fe st i va l N ewYo r k . L i ve s i n San F r anc i s co . V I DEO FEED BAC K is a dynam i c f l ow o f i mage ry c r ea t ed by t he came r a l ook i ng a t i ts own mon i t o r . I t wa s o f t en ( and st i l l is) t he f i rst phenomena t ha t s educed us e rs o fv i deo by i ts shee r beau t y . A l t hough e v e ryone who d i s cov e r ed f eedback wa s t r ansf i xed by i t , f eedback s eemed an uncon t r o l l ab l e , r o i l i ng e f f l uen t byp r oduc t o f t echno l ogy - one o f t hos e na t u r a l myst e r i e s , app r ec i a t ed bu t un t amab l e . The acknow l edged ma s t e r o f f eedbackwa s Sk i p Sweene y , o r gan i z e r o f t he f i rst v i deo f est i va l s and f ounde r o f V i deo F r ee Ame r i ca i n San F r anc i s co . To Sweene y f eedback wa s " a r e l i g i on - a wa v e t o r i de . " Th r ough ou t h i s v i deo wo r k Sweene y ha s app r oached v i deo a s a r ea l - t i me t oo l w i t h an on - go i ng i nvo l v emen t i n v i deo a s l ive pe r f o r mance . I nc l uded i n t h i s ca t a l ogue is a t ho r ough sc i en t i f i c e xp l ana t i on " Space - T i me Dynam i c s i n V i deo Feedback " pub l i shed i n 1984 by D r . J ame s P . C r u t ch f i e l d , Phys i c s Depa r t men t Un i v e rs i ty o f Ca l i f o r n i a , Be r ke l e y . Sweene y , o f cou rse , wa s wo r k i ng w i t h f eedback i n t he l a t e 1960 ' s , and coa x ed t o l i f e t he comp l e x i mage s l a t e r t echn i ca l l y de s c r i bed by C r u t ch f i e l d . 148
NANO C

Fo l l ow i ng a r e e x ce r p t s f r om an i n t e rv i ew ( 1978 ) o f Sk i p Sweene y by Woody Va su l ka abou t h i s ea r l y e xpe r i men t s .

Sk i p : The f i rst t oo l s t ha t I had we r e j ust a CV st ud i o came r a . I wou l d l ea v e a s e t - up i n my ba s emen t back r oom. A came r a shoo t i ng i n t o a mon i t o r , j ust t he s i mp l e st came r a and a mon i t o r a t an ang l e . And , t he f i rst t oo l wa s my f i nge r on t he con t r a st and b r i gh t ne ss knobs - t ha t d r a st i ca l l y a f f ec t ed t he r e spons e o f t he f eedback . . . and , p l a y i ng w i t h t he z oom , f ocus and t r i pod w i t h i ts ang l e . I n my f i rst e xp l o r a t i ons I se t i t up a t a l most 180 deg r ee s , shoo t i ng a t a l mos t t he s ame ang l e a s t he s c r een . Pos i t i on became c r i t i ca l . Gene r a l l y , I ended up wan t i ng t o be pe r f ec t l y cen t e r ed , f i nd i ng t he t r ue ax i s i n t he t ube . I wa s a l so p l a y i ng w i t h t he t e r m i na t i on sw i t ch . Us i ng t e r m i na t i on ga v e me i nc r ea s ed ga i n . The ne xt st ep - a l mos t au t oma t i c - wa s t ry i ng t o r eco r d some o f t h i s st u f f , and I i nst an t l y d i scove r ed t ha t a d i f f e r en t a f f ec t wa s go t t en by t r ad i ng o f f con t r a st and v i deo ga i n and supe r v i deo ga i n w i t h l ow i r is and l ow con t r a st .
Woody : So , wou l d you go i n t o a much mo r e p r ec i s e de s c r i p t i on o f how you ac t ua l l y ach i e v ed con t r o l , becaus e f eedback is no r ma l l y v e ry ha r d t o con t r o l .

Pa t i ence . . . I a l so f ound some t h i ng ea r l y t ha t ga v e me a t r emendous amoun t o f con t r o l t ha t o t he r peop l e don ' t ge t when t he y st a r t p l a y i ng w i t h f eed back - t he us e o f a m i r r o r . By p l ac i ng a m i r r o r t ha t wa s ang l ed , and by i ts ang l e c r ea t i ng a c i r c l e . I n o t he r wo r ds , i f t he ang l e wa s mo r e t han 30 pe r cen t t he i mage wa s c i r cu l a r . Fo r e xamp l e , i f I b r ough t a hand be t ween t he came r a and t he sc r een , I wou l d s ee hands f r om abov e and f r om be l ow bu t , i f I pu t a m i r r o r up , t he i mage wa s r epea t ed and ka l e i do s cop i c . The m i r r o r wa s gene r a l l y ang l ed be l ow t he came r a , ba l anced on p i l e s o f some t h i ng . How f a r up you mov ed t he m i r r o r , how f a r down you mov ed t he came r a - a l l t hos e r e l a t i onsh i ps comp l e t e l y changed t he i mage . I n f ac t I d i s cov e r ed you d i dn ' t need a m i r r o r , a p i ece o f g l a ss a t t ha t ang l e had so much r e f l ec t i ve capab i l i ty . Bu t , by us i ng t he m i r r o r I i nst an t l y go t f eedback whe r e t he r ange wa s amp l i f i ed . . . you had t o p r ac t i ca l l y knock t he came r a ov e r

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STEP BACK Sk i p Sweene y , ca . 1983 , w i t h f eedback s e t up a t t he Exp l o r a t o r i um , San F r anc i s co , Ca l i f o r n i a . HW : Se t che l l - Ca r l son Te l e v i s i on . Pho t o by Sus an Schwa r t z enbe r g .

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STEP F ORWARD

t o l os e an i mage . . . . The r e wa s a who l e o t he r d i s cov e ry - t he Se t che l l - Ca r l son came r a w i t h a de t a i l knob . I r u i ned t h r ee came r a s f i dd l i ng w i t h t hem , no t know i ng how t o ge t t hem back i n t o a l eg i t i ma t e s i gna l . My t ape JONAS ' F AVOR I TE wa s a comb i na t i on o f f i nd i ng t ha t you cou l d ge t t r emendous de t a i l on t he Se t che l l Ca r l son . Ev e ryone e l se a l wa ys had t he con t r a s t and b r i gh t ne ss s e t h i gh , and I go t i n t o t u r n i ng t hem i n l ow r ange s and p l a y i ng w i t h t he i n t e r na l con t r o l s t he ga i n and t he bea ms . I s t a r t ed ge t t i ng t he ab i l i ty t o con t r o l t he speed o f t he i mage s . One o f t he f i rst co r o l l a r i e s I de v e l oped wa s t he mo r e you t u r ned up t he t a r ge t vo l t age and t he l owe r you t u r ned t he i r is i n comb i na t i on , t he s l owe r t he i mage go t un t i l you cou l d r ea l l y ge t i t t o c r aw l l i ke s l ow mo t i on . And t hen , by r emov a l o f t he pede st a l , by d r opp i ng t he pede s t a l down , t he b l ack s became comp l e t e l y- b l ack Push i ng t he bea ms h i gh I go t t he wa t e r f a l l e f f ec t , whe r e t h i ngs wou l d r o l l o f f a s i f t he y we r e r o l l i ng o f f t he edge o f a c l i f f. I cou l d ge t f eedback t ha t wa s e i t he r pou r i ng i n t o i tse l f , pou r i ng ou t o f i tse l f o r f l oa t i ng . I know you ha v e been i nvo l v ed w i t h B i l l Hea r n ' s V I D I UM. A t he t i me my i n t e r e st i n t he V I D I UM wa s i ts ab i l i ty t o gene r a t e an i mage . I d i dn ' t do t he V I D I UM any j us t i ce a t a l l becaus e I d i dn ' t ca r e f o r t he k i nd o f comp l i ca t ed i mage s t he V I D I UM cou l d c r ea t e . I ca r ed on l y f o r t he v e ry s i mp l e s t i mage s . Tha t ' s some t h i ng I s t r ugg l ed w i t h f r om t he v e ry beg i nn i ng :

t o t ry t o ach i e v e an i mage comp l e t e l y i so l a t ed f r om any t h i ng e l se . I n o t he r wo r ds , I wan t ed a s i mp l e b l ack i mage whe r e t he wh i t e wa s ke y ed t h r ough and t he i mage wa s s i mp l e k i nds o f c i r c l e s t ha t pu l s ed o r wa v ed t o t he sound o f t he mus i c . I gue ss t he MOOG V I D I UM s t a r t ed t o whe t my appe t i t e f o r ke y i ng and co l o r i z i ng . . . . I kne w wha t I wan t ed t o be ab l e t o do . I wa s v e ry f r us t r a t ed by no t be i ng ab l e t o t u r n some t h i ng t ha t wa s l i gh t , e . g . t he wh i t e i mage o f t he MOOG V I D I UM t o l ook da r k . I cou l dn ' t do i t becaus e t he Geo r ge B r own Co l o r i z e r had no e f f ec t on t he g r a y l e v e l . I t h i nk I de v e l oped an ae s t he t i c o f r e v e rs i ng wha t I wa s g i v en , mak i ng b r i gh t e r i mage s da r k and da r ke r i mage s b r i gh t , ha v i ng t he g r a y l e v e l be t he hea r t o f t he co l o rs I go t . To wha t deg r ee do you f ee l t ha t you ha v e i n f l uenced t hos epa r t i cu l a r e l emen t s . Thos e e l emen t s o f B i l l Hea r n ' s co l o r i z e r ? I f ee l l i ke I ' m t he concep t ua l a r ch i t ec t . . . becaus e i t is e x ac t l y wha t I a s ked f o r. I a s ked f o r g r a y l e ve l con t r o l , s epa r a t ab l e ke y l e v e l s and g r a y l e v e l and ch r oma andhue . I wan t ed con t r o l ov e r each s epa r a t e l y . A l an Shu l man de s e rv e s a ce r t a i n a moun t o f c r ed i t . A l an wa s a l wa ys wo r k i ng w i t h Hea r n when t ha t f i rst co l o r i z e r wa s bu i l t .

*P l ea se r e f e r t o page s on t he CV I DATA CAMERA i n t he Aud i o / V i deo I nst r umen ts sec t i on . 149