For me, the highlight of the MediaLive 2014 performances was Nick Briz. Nick introduced the concept of lock-in to me: when an element of technology becomes “locked-in” as the norm and a basis for which all technological elements after it are built upon, even long after it’s practical meaning has disappeared. I particularly enjoyed his example of the qwerty keyboard, as well as his “solution” to reimagining the keyboard – qwerty karaoke. The way that Nick played with cultural expectations gives me inspiration for my own work.
Other performers included ::vtol::, whose performance (pictured below) involved some sort of manipulation of sound and light through old televisions and his computer, as well as a few devices which he wore, and Andrew Blanton and Michael Morris, whose performance involved the digital manipulation of a film real and accompanying sound art. Blanton and Morris’ performance was at times difficult to engage in because of rapid flashing on the screen and abrasive sounds.
