I've just about finished the 'Autopoieis I' and have been testing it in the studio. I think it works very well. By moving in front of the video camera the viewer/participant causes the two recorded video streams to mix. An image of the viewer/participant is then added to this. So long as there is movement in front of the artwork the process continues, when the movement stops the image (and sound) fades away.

I've been spending much of my time recently creating the Max/MSP/jitter patch for my 'Autopoiesis' installation. I've decided to call it 'Autopoiesis I' from now on since I expect this to be the first of many related and interconnected artworks.

'Autopoiesis I' uses my 'city people' footage and mixes it with a live recording of the person or people interacting with the artwork.

The Max/MSP/Jitter patch uses many of the best bits of my earlier 'digital art-systems' installations. In particular, I'm using the time-delayed video loop feature of 'We Are Not' alone to process the video of the viewer. This creates gentle 'video feedback' effect around the viewer.

I've produced a presentation with voice over for my MA. It was produced for a Colloquium next week, but may be of general interest to people wanting to know more about my artwork. It is in Flash format and can be found here Send any feedback to me at seanclark@gmail.com

I've come up with the phrase 'The Art is in the Interaction' to describe what I an trying to achieve with my Digital Art-Systems work.

This aims to capture the idea that is not the 'physical' aspects of my artwork that are intended to be the primary manifestation of my 'art'. Instead, it is in the 'process of interaction' where the art lies.

I think that this is quite a significant realisation for me. It certainly gives me a useful thing to focus on for my forthcoming MA presentation...

I'm managed to find the source for this quote by Sol LeWitt:

The system is the work of art; the visual work of art is the proof of the system. The visual aspect can't be understood without understanding the system. It isn't what it looks like but what it is that is of basic importance.

The original source would appear to be an interview published in BOMB at www.bombsite.com/issues/85/articles/2583.

It's a great quote and a very interesting interview in general.

The past month's activities have very much focussed around my exhibition as part of Phoenix Digital. For this I've installed two ArtScanners, run my 'We Are Not Alone' piece in two venues and have had 'Anonymising Webcam' running for almost four weeks.

The work has been well-received and the comments - especially at the two launch events - have been very positive. The next step for me, at least in terms of my MA research, is to learn from this exhibition in order to finalise my main MA piece.

I've already started this process of analysis and am already pretty clear how the 'Autopoiesis I' piece will work.

Firstly, it will use a similar environment to 'We Are Not Alone' (see above). This took place in the Phoenix theatre space, giving very good control of the lighting, as well as providing a wide stage area for user interaction (the stage was basically lit with a single spotlight in the centre).

The work will also use the same video camera/screen configuration as 'We Are Not Alone', allowing the user to interact with the piece via their own life-size image.

Unlike 'We Are Not Alone', the image on the screen will consist of images of the users *plus* pre-recorded images. These images will be video sequences in the style of my 'People Walking' images. I plan to re-record the sequences though this weekend.

Two sources of recorded video images will be combined with the live footage in order to give the viewer a sense of walking, and interacting, with a crowd. Each video stream will respond both to the viewer and the *other* video stream, providing an environment in which three elements interact to create the art-system.

I probably won't make use of face tracking in the MA peice itself (as I had originally planned) but I may use it in the interactive presentation of the work at Camberwell Collage. Alternatively, I may use barcode scanning to drive this presentation. I *really* liked the whole ArtScanner aesthetic of using the barcode scanner to retrieve 'art' images. It's something I want to explore more.

I now need to produce the new piece of work and show it towards the end of April, or early May. I am planning an invitation-only showing of the work. Ideally in a theatre or large gallery space with good lighting.

This week I've been preparing for the Phoenix Digital show in Leicester. I plan to document this show fully as part of my final MA assessment which means I've been franticly working to finish everything ready for the private view on Friday! I've been sorting out the artist's statement, publicity materials plus, of course, the artworks themselves. Everything seems to be coming together. See Phoenix Digital for more information.

No specific MA blog posts for a few weeks. Instead I've been busy actually doing the work! I've been working on three new pieces for my Phoenix Digital exhibition.

'ArtScanner' is going in a very interesting direction. I'm using barcodes to allow people to display their artworks on a public screen. I think the role of the barcode as a 'connecting' device between the real and 'virtual' worlds is very interesting.

'Anonymising Webcam' is exactly what it says it is. It's an extension of the 'I See You' piece I did last year, with some technical enhancements and reconfigurations.

'We Are Not Alone' is still a bit flexible. I want to create a space where past interactions are brought in to the present through video capture. I need to think about it some more before the idea settles.

I used one of my regular Bulgaria trips to give me a week to focus on my arts work. Despite the cold I got quite a bit done. I'm looking forward to spending some summer time over there later in the year.

I have been looking at my MA exhibition this week. For my MA 'Autopoiesis' piece I still need to find a suitable local venue. I have been looking at a number of possibilities, although it looks as if my initial choice the City Gallery in Leicester - may not be available when I want it. A good alternative at the moment may be The Depot in Leicester. Hopefully I will be able to confirm the venue and dates shortly.

I haven't done any MA related reading this week - instead I've been letting my ideas settle a bit.

I have, though, been doing some work on the MA08 Web site. This will be an online directory for all of the MAs at Camberwell this year. I've created a 'blank' site at www.ma08.org.uk which I've submitted to everyone on the Digital Arts MA for feedback. The next step will be to work with a designer to create the site template and then start to populate the pages with content.