77 Million Paintings: technology

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Viewing guide

Before

Is a piece of music that uses more complex technology better than a piece that uses more simple technology? Why or why not?
If an audio-visual experience was described as “rich”, what do you think that might mean?

After

Imagine setting up your own installation, which incorporates both music and images. What kinds of technology might you use?
Drawing on the information in this and previous interview segments, describe the setup of the aural component of the installation in the space used for the exhibition at the Sydney Opera House. As part of your response describe how the audio component works.

Interviewer: 77 Million Paintings is a really rich audio-visual experience. What technology sits behind this?

Nick Robertson: It’s actually deceptively simple. It’s not an exotic bit of coding anymore. It was difficult when we first did it five years ago but now it’s not that complicated. There are three computers behind there. They power the three different feeds to the monitors so there are four big ones on the outside, four medium sized ones and four small ones on the inside. So that’s three computer feeds to twelve monitors. It’s software led. The software was written bespoke and we bring it with us. The music is very simple. It’s ghetto blasters hanging around on the walls, spaced around the room. And I think the most complicated thing about it is the construction of the wall that the monitors hang on because that’s a structural consideration that has to carry an awful lot of weight.