LUCIDMEDIA

The Multimedia Experience – What and Why?

Written by Lisa M. Knapp Friday, 16 January 2009 16:37

Multimedia, to be specific, is basically something that has different forms of media entangled within, and can be used in more than one way, and so long as the medium includes more than one thing, it is considered multimedia.   This being the case, it sets a long road for the imagination.  There are many different things one can do and different ways to play with multiple mediums.  The experience of multimedia is taking an unimaginable leap into our lives and is ever changing and expanding every single day. Through theatre, music, entertainment, movies, the internet, and so much more, media outlets are changing our perception of hands on experiences.  Take for example unique lighting effects, 3D, virtual reality and much more, the experts of these specialized fields are finding ways to keep the consumer’s mind and imagination wanting more.

My personal interest in multimedia was first peeked during my educational knowledge filled years and tedious hours of homework spent with McMaster University.  I majored in McMaster’s Communications and Multimedia program, and came out with an Honours Bachelor of Arts.  Throughout the program, likely because of its, so far, short lived life at McMaster, could use more choice of class types for the student and more work and thought from some professors, overall, however, it defiantly made an impact on how I viewed this generation and culture we live in.  The society that is constantly being more and more controlled and overtaken by computerized and hardware filled rooms, endless gaming devices, virtual reality, and various ways for us to save time and spend time by purchasing and utilizing the latest in technological breakthrough in our lives.  Though this may be true, some of these new inventions, whether a form of art, tool, a website, or even a live show for that matter, multimedia is defiantly getting away from the ordinary and introducing the extraordinary.

I saw a showing at Hamilton Art Gallery last year that gave way to just how far one can take multimedia and this was just the begging of a search to fill my craving for more.   Ken Gregory was the artist’s name.  Gregory is a Winnipeg artist who has been working in things such as DIY interface design, hardware hacking, computer programming and even audio and video for more than 15 years.  He has a broad perspective when it comes to how far you can take the use of such instruments to make something entirely new and unique.  He utilizes cut and paste techniques, random juxtapositions and obsessively careful techniques and manages to pull together a crafty and unique piece of priceless art.  The exhibit was entirely a brilliant gallery installation, and was a feast for the eye to see.  But that’s not all; Gregory’s works can also be seen as live performances, radio broadcasts and even audio CD’s.  Though this was a showing last year, Gregory’s name will stick in my mind.

Gregory is just one of the many other artists and scientists that are just waiting for us to discover and live out the experiences that they are creating for us. My next stop is another show at the Hamilton Art Gallery by Jean-Pierre Gauthier which he titles Machines at Play.  Let your imagination flow free because I do not even know what to expect but I’m sure it’ll be brilliant.

From websites to x box to gallery showings, to live performances, our culture is becoming the cyberculture, the culture of multiple sensory experiences; multiple media culture of experience.  Keep your eyes pealed for my next column and I’ll tell you all about Machines at Play and so much more.