A WORD ABOUT THIS MANUAL;

Liner notes.
This web program can be viewed without attending the live assessment program, but contains information that directly refers to the ensemble performance of the tests. The Amplifier Avatar is represented in both cases. While the musical program can only be heard in the live assessment, these program notes confirm the intention of the tests, which is to superimpose the tests for fidelty onto bodies, both physical and virtual. This web program was written in html5/css and can be viewed on a desktop computer or device.

INTRO: PREPARATION;

AVATAR: CIRCLE THE WORLD, SEAL THE SPACE.

Channel Identification, Channel Balance.
An Amplifier Avatar walks to the corners framing the physical space in order to seal it for the assessment. This procedure follows the logic that experimentation is best conducted in a closed system.

TEST 1: INFORMATION CONVERSION TEST;

AVATAR: AMPLIFIER EATS THE WORLD IT IS FED.

Information Conversion.
The tongue proves its ineptitude in transmitting language and as a result, is replaced with a mechanical version which utilizes the scaffolding of the human mouth to translate words to mere vibrations. The Amplifier demonstrates the route through which these messages are fed back through the body electric, the weight of which will create the momentum needed for the next test.

TEST 2: APPENDAGE ARTICULATION AND FORMATTING TEST;

AVATAR: EXTEND THE ARMS THROUGH COMPLICATED MEANS.

Appendage Articulation and Formatting.
The process moves to the appendages, which work individually and yet in concert with one another, producing a spectrum of sound from which new messages can form via subtractive processes. In the meantime, the Amplifier tests the conditions for the possibilities of creating new messages via additive processes. This excises any sludge from the limbs and encourages it to move further down the electric body.

TEST 3: IDENTITY OSCILLATION AND OFFSET TEST;

AVATAR: LET IT GO, SEND IT BACK TO GROUND.

Identity Oscillation and Offset.
The electric body succumbs to the full spectrum of messages and meets the ground to absorb the shock. Its natural call to move forward assists the process of sloughing off the residue produced by the previous tests, a sanding of a surface for the acceptance of a new container. This procession toward multiplicity is further propelled by the force of the Amplifier demonstrating the force with which the One is split into Many.

TEST 4: FULL SYSTEM TRANSMUTATION;

Full System Transmutation.
The body, now presented as a marker bridging the physical and synthetic, signals a process that facilitates overdubbing. The Amplifier captures the marker which joins the signal processing society. The Amplifier reseals the space which brings the assessment to an end.

A NOTE ON THE LIVE MUSICAL PROGRAM;

Musical Instrumentation.
Pre-recorded audio: Processed recording of The Amplifier in rehearsal, artist as disembodied/disharmonious chorus, Scott Fortney as announcer, synthesis performed on Mother-32 and DFAM. Real-time accompaniment in order: mouthmics, chalkboards, midi/faces, computer vision flags (powered by Reactivision with Max/MSP).

Data for the Technician.
This test is to be conducted under strict laboratory conditions and is not to be enacted without the permission (or presence) of the original technician. The score is considered a work of graphic art and is not to be performed as the original work.

Data for the Viewer.
This assessment is written as a piece of music and is intended to be performed as such. A link to live version performed by Mocrep can be found here

Copyright 2018 Lee Blalock, Chicago, IL. - Design by Lee Blalock. Voice over recorded by Scott Fortney. Script, vocals, recorded music, graphics, mocap and 3D animation by Lee Blalock. Performance composed and arranged by Lee Blalock. Live accompaniment performed by Mocrep.

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