August 28th 2009, CasperLand Troy NY<p>
Pixel Bender was a multi-person-interactive video installation. The piece was installed at <a href="http://www.casperelectronics.com/casperland/">CasperLand</a> during a show featuring artists who compose music using outdated video game systems. 
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The installation took the form of a video projection on the window above the performer. The screen could be viewed from the inside the gallery or outside.<br>
One participant from the audience was invited to play video games on a modified Nintendo video game system while a second participant experimented with a set of controls added to the Nintendo. 

<a href="http://casperelectronics.com/images/finishedpieces/nintendo/nintendo.jpg"><img src="http://casperelectronics.com/images/finishedpieces/nintendo/_nintendo.jpg" width="400" height="265" alt="" title=""  /></a><p>
Manipulating the controls crosses signal paths within the nintendos' image processor. This in turn generates a wide variety of graphics glitches ranging from subtle object alterations to completely abstract pattern generation. <p>


<a href="http://casperelectronics.com/images/finishedpieces/nintendo/nintendowindow2.jpg"><img src="http://casperelectronics.com/images/finishedpieces/nintendo/_nintendowindow2.jpg" width="400" height="300" alt="" title=""  /></a>

First it challenges the conventions of performer and audience by inviting the attendants to be a valuable part of the performance. <p>
It also experiments with the conventions of platform interaction and play. One participant can interact with the nintendo in a very familiar way. They have a video game controller and can attempt to progress through the game. The second participant has a very different type of controller with a much more open ended set of rules for use. The goal of the "game" they are playing is self defined. 
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<a href="http://casperelectronics.com/images/finishedpieces/nintendo/crowd.jpg"><img src="http://casperelectronics.com/images/finishedpieces/nintendo/_crowd.jpg" width="400" height="266" alt="" title=""  /></a>

The visuals of this piece mirrored and supported the musical component of the performance where musicians utilized the capabilities of outdated video game systems to generate new forms of musical output.<br> In the same way, the audience was generating new forms of visual output with similar technology. <p>The appeal of the visuals shares a great deal with elements of 8-bit music which has made the chip tunes scene so incredibly popular right now. <br>Conceptually the mediums are intriguing. Chip tunes artists take a medium people have grown to perceive in a specific context, ie. video game systems are intended for playing games. On top of that they are using decade old game systems. In other words, these systems are obsolete....useless.<br> A commonly perceived as useless gaming system is being used to create energetic and entertaining music. It's the contrast of familiarity and expectation to an unexpected reality where I think half the strength of this medium lies, this is the case with chip tunes music as well as the visuals in this installation. The other half of their strength lies within their simple, entertaining appeal. Most chip tunes music is fun, high energy dance music. This may not be for everyone, but statistically speaking, this is a very widely enjoyed form of music.
In like, the visuals are viscerally accessible and enjoyable. They are simple, colorful and active. This presence of surface appeal with conceptual depth is something I enjoy and value greatly.   <p>


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<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2432/3867309653_ec50601a76.jpg"width="400" height="349" alt="" title="" />
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