by Igor Stromajer & Brane Zorman, Berlin/Germany, July 9th 2006
# Guerrilla Net Ballet Performance: Ballettikka Internettikka: VolksNetBallet
People's Internet Ballet furtively performed at --
and secretly broadcasted (as six one-minute live streaming videos) from --
the Basement Toilet in Volksbühne
at Rosa-Luxemburg Square in Berlin, Germany
# Latitude: 52.31.36.84 N, Longitude: 13.24.43.02 E, Terrain Elevation: 41 m
on Sunday, July 9th 2006 at 9 PM GMT+1 (Berlin/Paris local time)
"Stromajer and Zorman manipulated a semi-automatic flying cow and eleven robots dancing an internet ballet, MC Brane conducted an MP3 orchestra!"
# low-res video document - preview | hi-res DVD available
VolksNetBallet was broadcast in the form of six one-minute streaming videos, almost live, with only two minutes delay. It means that the visitors could see and hear in six steps what had just happened only two minutes earlier during the VolksNetBallet in Volksbühne Basement Toilet. All six videos were edited live in-camera, using only STOP and REC functions, then immediately converted to Real Media files using Real Producer, and finally, transferred to the server for viewing.
1 - Volksbühne toilet seat
2 - flying cow (with wireless camera)
3 - robots: Silverlit R/C Robot Program-a-BOT (1x) + Silverlit Robot MaxiPal M-III (10x)
4 - impediment for Program-a-BOT robot
5 - wireless camera and transmitter: DraganFly Eyecam Extreme 2.4GHz Color Wireless CCD Video Camera with 2.4GHz, 4 channel switchable, 50mW ultra-light transmitter
6 - wireless video receiver: DraganFly 2.4GHz, 4 channel auto-selecting A/V receiver/down converter with Circular Polarized Flat Patch Antenna
7 - Mini DV camera: Sony DCR-PC1000E
8 - video mixer: Vivanco SBX 4T
9 - online video computer: Sony Vaio VGN-S2XP PCG-6D1M wLAN
10 - audio computer: ACER Travelmate 660LCI
11 - Volksbühne basement toilet ceiling
# selected scenes from Volksbühne Basement Toilet / artists in action
Ballettikka Internettikka is an ongoing artistic study of the internet guerrilla performance. After invading The Bolsh.oi Theatre in Moscow (March 2002), La S.cala in Milan (November 2004) and The National Theatre in Belgrade (October 2005), Stromajer and Zorman performed a new guerrilla net ballet, this time in the men's toilet in the basement of Volksbühne Berlin.
The artists utilized low-tech mobile and wireless equipment for the invasion and live broadcast: a public unprotected wireless internet connection point (wLAN), available for free at the Rosa-Luxemburg Square in Berlin (ID: Helmut22; signal strength in the basement of Volksbühne: 2/5), free RealProducer (version 11.0) and Live LE software for streaming video and audio live manipulation.
Ballettikka Internettikka: VolksNetBallet took place on the very same evening and at the very same time as another huge people's festivity -- the final match of the World Soccer Cup 2006, which also took place in Germany.
...
Description of selected equipment:
...
# flying cow: toy / Black and White cow with wings. It flies around and around with realistic flying motion. Fasten hanger to ceiling. Turn the power switch on and give this flying cow a start. Wingspan: 16 inches. Realistic flying motion. Flapping wings. Hanging Hardware. Retractable wings. Glittering eyes. Operates on 2 AA batteries. Not suitable for children under 3 years of age. Made in China.
...
# wireless camera and transmitter: DraganFly Eyecam Extreme 2.4GHz Color Wireless CCD Video Camera with 2.4GHz, 4 channel switchable, 50mW ultra-light transmitter
...
# wireless video receiver: DraganFly 2.4GHz, 4 channel auto-selecting A/V receiver/down converter with Circular Polarized Flat Patch Antenna
20:45 Final equipment check at Rosa-Luxemburg Platz in front of Volksbühne
20:50 Turning the computers on
20:53 Establishing wireless Internet connection (wLAN ID: Helmut22)
20:55 Entering Volksbühne, descending the stairs, entering men's toilet in the basement
20:59 Start of live Internet broadcast of the people's net ballet, end of equipment installation
21:04 Transferring the first streaming audio/video package
21:08 Transferring the second streaming audio/video package
21:12 Transferring the third streaming audio/video package
21:15 Transferring the fourth streaming audio/video package
21:18 Transferring the fifth streaming audio/video package
21:19 Exiting men's toilet in the basement, climbing the stairs, exiting Volksbühne
21:21 Transferring the last streaming audio/video package
21:22 Terminating wireless Internet connection (wLAN ID: Helmut22) and turning off the computers
Dancing a wireless people's internet ballet in Volksbühne Berlin represented a big conceptual and strategic challenge to the Intima Virtual Base and all the collaborators, therefore, the preparations were taken seriously, safety measures were calculated, and the previous experiences from the Bolsh.oi Theatre in Moscow, La S.cala in Milan and The National Theatre in Belgrade were very welcome.
Note: Volksbühne Berlin did not voluntarily co-operate in the project, but was selected based on the conceptual strategy of the project. The management of the Volksbühne Berlin was not a co-producer of this project and did not co-operate in the process of its realization.
Very special thanks to: Sakrowski, Ute Fischer, Sven Holly Nullmeyer, Irena Pivka, Dejan Habicht, Jana Renée Wilcoxen, Nikolina Bujas-Pristaš, Goran Sergej Pristaš, Aldo Milohnić, Aleksandra Globokar, Daniel Družeta.
"We shall fight them on the beaches. We shall fight them on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender."
(W. Churchill)
Igor Štromajer Virtualna baza Intima Igor Štromajer Intima Virtual Base Ballettikka Internettikka
