Synopticon

Home

Installations

Synopticon

JAM Exhibition,

Barbican Art Gallery,

London

As part of the JAM exhibition of Style, Music and Media at the Barbican Art Gallery, London in 1996 Hex were commissioned to produce an interactive audio visual piece called "Synopticon".

Synopticon was conceived and designed by Robert Pepperell as a digital culture synthesiser in which the user can 'remix' sounds, images, text and music in a partially random, partially controlled way. Audiovisual material was stored on a computer in 6 categories: Sport, Art, Sex, Technology, Nature and Ideas. The media was sequenced in random order by the computer and the user influenced the choice and arrangement of clips by pressing one of 6 buttons on a console. At the same time a musical backdrop was generated by randomly accessing and sequencing a large libary of sounds.

As with the Generator the intention was to produce a system which allowed people with no technical training to engage in the kind of audiovisual remixing that DJ's and VJ's do in clubs.

Concept and design

Robert Pepperell

Coding

Miles Visman

Console

Dianne Harris

Commissioned by

Barbican Art Gallery

Additional material

Coldcut

Stuart Warren-Hill

Synopticon JAM Exhibition, Barbican Art Gallery, London	As part of the JAM exhibition of Style, Music and Media at the Barbican Art Gallery, London in 1996 Hex were commissioned to produce an interactive audio visual piece called "Synopticon".
	Synopticon was conceived and designed by Robert Pepperell as a digital culture synthesiser in which the user can 'remix' sounds, images, text and music in a partially random, partially controlled way. Audiovisual material was stored on a computer in 6 categories: Sport, Art, Sex, Technology, Nature and Ideas. The media was sequenced in random order by the computer and the user influenced the choice and arrangement of clips by pressing one of 6 buttons on a console. At the same time a musical backdrop was generated by randomly accessing and sequencing a large libary of sounds. As with the Generator the intention was to produce a system which allowed people with no technical training to engage in the kind of audiovisual remixing that DJ's and VJ's do in clubs.

	Concept and design Robert Pepperell Coding Miles Visman Console Dianne Harris Commissioned by Barbican Art Gallery Additional material Coldcut Stuart Warren-Hill