Cell Phones + Audience = Interactive Performance Artistry at Washington College

Chestertown, MD, August 31, 2007 — Fueled by advances in technology, art continues to morph into new and interesting forms—and even cell phones can lead to a collective creativity. "SimpleTEXT," a cutting-edge combination of technology, artistry and performance that gets the audience involved, will be presented by Family Filter at Washington College's Casey Academic Center Forum on Tuesday, September 11, at 7:30 p.m.

"SimpleTEXT" is a collaborative audio/visual public performance that relies on audience participation through input from mobile devices such as cell phones or laptops. The performance creates a dialogue between participants who submit messages that control the audio/visual output of the installation. These messages are parsed according to a code that dictates how the music is created, and then rhythmically drive a speech synthesizer and a picture synthesizer in order to create a compelling, interactive celebration of sight and sound.

"SimpleTEXT" was originally funded by a commission from Low-Fi, a new-media arts organization based in the U.K. Since 2003, "SimpleTEXT" has been shown 16 times in eight countries across Europe and North America.

The Washington College presentation of "SimpleTEXT" is sponsored by the Rose O'Neill Literary House, the Office of Information Technologies and the Office of Student Activities.

The event is part of "Storytelling in the Digital Age," a semester-long theme jointly presented by the Rose O'Neill Literary House and the Office of Information Technologies. For more information, visit lithouse.washcoll.edu and oit.washcoll.edu/storytelling.php.

Admission to "SimpleTEXT" is free and open to the public.

Washington College Unveils New Multimedia And Technology Learning Center

Chestertown, MD, October 28, 2002 — Washington College has unveiled a redesigned and updated multimedia and technology-learning center for the campus. The former Beck Computing Center in William Smith Hall not only has a new look but also a new purpose. Now renamed the Beck Multimedia and Technology Learning Center, the lab will offer technology-training workshops in a multifunctional Windows and Macintosh environment. On Tuesday, October 29 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. the College's Office of Information Technologies held a Technology Showcase to celebrate the Center's grand opening.

New Apple iBooks and Gateway laptop computers have replaced the old Macintoshes. Technologies such as state-of-the-art digital video editing workstations, digital video and digital still cameras, and a DVD/VCR unit are new additions to the Center. The Center also has a networked DeskJet Color printer that any workstation can print to. Scanners and a black-and-white laser jet printer are also available. The software available in the Center includes Dreamweaver, Final Cut Pro, Flash, iMovie, PhotoShop, Microsoft Office, and much more.
“It's not just another appealing public computing center,” said Sharon Sledge, the Assistant Director of Academic Computing and IT Support Services. “It's a dedicated Multimedia and Technology Center. The Center's goal is to provide learning opportunities that help the Washington College community make effective use of new technologies.”
The Center is setup to support traditional instructor-led training and strives to provide just-in-time training that is specific to the needs of the learner. There will be instructor-led workshops on everything from how to use MacOS X and Windows XP to creating and editing web pages, digital movies and other multimedia content.