Skip links

Soil Media Arts & Technology

Ian Campbell, Erin Gee, Ryan Hill
October 11, 2014 – March 14, 2015

Media Arts Workshops

Workshops will take place the second Saturday every month at 1856 Scarth Street in the SOIL Media Lounge on the second floor. Cost is $10.00 unless otherwise stated (for materials). Students free with a valid student ID. Pre-registration is not required unless otherwise stated. Bring your laptop!

Workshop Descriptions

October 11, 2014 1:00  4:00 pm

3d printing demo with Ian Campbell

If you are interested to learn about what this whole 3d printing thing is about, come to this Introductory workshop featuring the Makerbot Replicator 3d printer. Participants will learn basic skills like: understanding 3d models, where to find models online, using the printer and printing a finished model. Time permitting Ian will go over some design principles to keep in mind when building your own 3d models.

November 8, 2014 1:00  4:00 pm

Sound Recording, with Ian Campbell

This is a beginners workshop on recording with the Zoom H4 digital recorder. We will go over basic operation and some fundamental concepts to get the highest quality recording for a given situation. Time permitting we will capture sounds around the building and spend some time listening to the sonic environment. The Zoom H4 digital recorder is available for rent from the SOIL Media Lab with the purchase of a SOIL Production Membership!

December 13, 2014 1:00  4:00 pm

Video Recording, with Ian Campbell

This is a workshop for beginners working with the Sony EX-1 camcorder. We will go over the fundamental image controls of this camera, as well as how to get your footage off the camera into your computer for editing. Ian will give participants some useful tricks and techniques for event documentation. This is an ideal camera for recording artist performances, artist talks, documentary and any other live events. The Sony EX-1 camcorder is available for rent from the SOIL Media Lab with the purchase of a SOIL Production Membership!

January 10, 2015 1:00 – 4:00 pm

Sound Moves Image: Introductory Level Techniques for Video Interactivity in Max/MSP with Erin Gee

Participants of this course will be given an introductory-level lesson in how to use basic Max/MSP objects to manipulate the playback of any video on their computer. Working from basic input devices (such as the internal microphones already onboard a computer), participants will be given pre-made, functioning video playback patches as a playground for the basic functioning of Max/MSP. Through active experimentation, participants will explore basic concepts of Max/MSP that will help them use sound to stop, start, advance, rewind, and loop andy video file they like.

February 14, 2015 1:00  4:00 pm

Arduino Workshop, with Ian Campbell

What is an Arduino and why should I care? The Arduino micro-controller is your gateway to building all manner of electronic installation art (things that beep, move, blink and much more). We will be looking at the universe of Arduino compatible kits and concentrating on some simple programming to make our Arduino board’s communicate with the world using simple musical tones. This is an introductory course for beginners. Participants with laptops should bring them to install the Arduino programming software.

Special Note: The Arduino class will be 6 hours and take place over 2 days either Saturday and Sunday or across 2 weekends in February, pending registration. There will be a parts & materials budget for each participant of $70.00. You keep the electronics you set up during the class. Please call to register by February 1st to Jaye Kovach, (306) 522-3066.

March 14, 2015 1:00  4:00 pm

Ableton Workshop, with Ryan Hill

Ableton Live is a world renowned digital audio workstation famous for its flexibility in live music performance and production.

This workshop will explore the basics of the Ableton Live 9 interface, beat construction, recording and editing music. We will look at some example projects, explore workflow and provide some free time for participants to play. Participants are encouraged to bring a laptop, headphones and at least have a copy of Ableton Live 30 day trial.

Media Arts Workshops

Workshops will take place the second Saturday every month at 1856 Scarth Street in the SOIL Media Lounge on the second floor. Cost is $10.00 unless otherwise stated (for materials). Students free with a valid student ID. Pre-registration is not required unless otherwise stated. Bring your laptop!

Artist Bios

Ian Campbell is a filmmaker and new media artist whose work is deeply rooted in a desire to reveal the tension between technology and contemporary life. He’s a graduate of studio art programs at the University of Victoria (BFA, 2002) and Concordia (MFA, 2006) He is currently working in the Film Department at the University of Regina. His areas of research includes digital and analog filmmaking, live video improvisation and vj culture, electronic sound art, kinetic art with electronics, 3D printing and traditional drawing practices. Ian is active in the arts community serving on bother the Filmpool and Holophon Audio Arts board of directors and is also a SOIL advisory board member.

Erin Gee is a Canadian artist whose work primarily explores digital culture through the metaphor of human voices in electronic bodies. Working in video, performance, robotics and audio art, Gee’s work has been presented at Cirque du Soleil International Headquarters, Montreal (2014), Nuit Blanche Calgary (2014), Maison des Arts du Laval, Quebec (2013), and Leonard and Bina Ellen Gallery, Montreal (2012). She was invited by new media artist Stelarc to participate in a residency at Marcs Institute, University of Western Sydney (2011) to create and perform her opera for mobile robotics, Orpheux Larynx, featuring Stelarc’s Thinking Head. She was short-listed in the Bourges International Electroacoustic competition for multichannel composition in 2009. Her work has been reviewed and included in WIRE: Adventures in Sound and Music, National Post, and Sydney Morning Herald. Gee has published work in Leonardo Music (2013) as well as eContact! Journal of the Canadian electroacoustic community. Gee is a founding member of Holophon, an audio curatorial collective based in Saskatchewan (est. 2008). Gee is the creator of futurefemmes, an online blog featuring interviews, showcased work and links to relevant articles on the topic of women working in technological culture. Originally from Regina, SK, Gee lives and works in Montreal, Canada where she is conducting research related to her latest project, Swarming Emotional Pianos. A presentation of this project, which involves musical compositions for live robotics based on physiological responses of the human body to emotion, will be presented in Montreal through Innovations en Concert in December 2014.

Ryan Hill has produced music under the Guidewire name more than 15 years and has been working with Ableton for roughly 8 years. Examples of his work can be found on Soundcloud and Bandcamp.