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Water receptacle, Gregory Beck Rubin, November 2007
Thanks to the TML, I got access to the Metal workshops at the EV building. I got proper instruction on how to bend copper tube (using this coil that looks like a door stop) and also did some soldering for one of the new wands. I decided to try to different wands - one which exited the lid and extended away from the tank, above the heads of observers towards the wall, and a second which was a closed circuit, linked up to the two remaining lid manifolds. Along the path of this circuit, the tube would bifurcate, and a a slimmer tube would emerge, extend outwards and bifurcate again, and so forth. I was interested to explore the structure of the wands as branches and roots.The new wand shapes and their position in the space directly affected the observer;s awareness of the machine in the space. The coiling forms I was making could be used to draw an observer onto a vector aligning sight, steam and light. These coils were like kaleidescope tubes, and inside the tubes were pierced at overlapping lengths to build up the intensity of steam for the observers.
Light tests & Steam tests, Gregory Beck Rubin & Daniel McGibbon, November 2007I fired up the machine after I got my new wands reconnected to the Still tank. Some interesting discoveries were made. First, the wands vibrated when steam started to run through their lengths. I could adjust the vibration by playing with the valves on the lid. Second, it took some time before the steam would pour through all the holes I had inserted along the various wands. This was a nice effect, watching the gradual build up of steam from all the tubes. Third, the spitting of water droplets overwhelmed the polyethylene cone receptacles I hung from spring coils under the tubes where there was a hole, to capture the condensing vapour. There was still water falling on the floor (It was interesting, though, to observe the slight deformation of the cones as it filled up with water, and that weight in turn stretched the springs and the copper wands).
Steam Wands, Daniel McGibbon, November 2007
Corrosive Subliming, Gregory Beck Rubin and Daniel McGibbon, November 2007
Late late Thursday JS and I came up with these mylar platforms for catching the water droplets. The platforms also "caught" the sound of the water droplets impacting the surface. By placing a contact microphone under the platform, the noise of the water droplets were recorded by the sound system and played with as output data. This was a great discovery. Using Max MSP, the water droplets beats were turned into signals to activate Evan Marnoch's typewriter, located on the other side of the BB. We also manipulated the sound of the water droplets and played them out of a speaker nearby the most active steam wand, near the wall. Having incorporated sound and water into the du Still's actions, I was demonstrating more complexity in the machine. I was also getting a chance to play with all the components of the machine, and not just the steam output. This is important because it addresses the "cyclical" aspect of the machine as an autopoetic system. (I still need to continue developing its "circuit" but in the mean time, the installation in Montreal broadened the potential of the project: identifying hinge points in the cycle of water to steam to water, etc...).
Golden Shower, detail of MaxMSP file, Gregory Beck Rubin, November 2007
Wet Dream Bed Spread, Well hung, Wrapped Pole, Gregory Beck Rubin and Daniel McGibbon, November 2007I hung the copper tank from a pole not too far from one of the BB walls. There was space between the hanging tank and the wall to suspend an elaborate steam wand. After the tank was hung, I set up the electrical, wrapped the cables around the pole and tested the motion sensor/electrical kettle element. Yes! it worked. Contrary to the preliminary sketch for setting up du Still in the BB, all the parts of the machine were hung from the poles. This arrangement was very convenient, giving me clear space around the machine to stretch the wands, interact with other installation. It also gave me a clear space for capturing the condensed water spitting out of the steam wands (when activated). What possibilities were there for using the water drops instead of treating it like an anomaly in the project?
Boite Noire, Gregory Beck Rubin, November 2007Bienvenue a la Boite Noire...Monday morning we began setting up our work in the Black Box (BB): a 50 X 50 X 25 feet performance space in the basement of Concrodia's Engineering and Visual Arts Building (EV).Throughout the day, different members from the Topological Media Lab (TML) trickled into the space to meet us and our work, as well as set up their own computer stations for sound and lighting. Setting up is slow. Familiarizing yourself with the space is not easy: its huge, and it's set in the basement of the EV building, itself a large network of stacked research centres, studios, information technology labs, atriums, staircases and elevators big and small. Much of the first days was spent climbing and descending the EV building. The freight elevator became our second workshop space. It is also a place to hang out and meet other students in Concordia...By the end of the day we had decided on a layout of machines inside the BB. The layout also included a hanging pole plan, and location of trusses for lighting. Suspending the poles and trusses would took place Tuesday.
Assembing, Daniel McGibbon, November 2007 Tuesday: hanging the poles with Marnie and Ricardo. Lunch break skipped out of the BB (needed to see the sun, get fresh air) and went down to the Atwater Market. Very yummy lunch. Walnut bread, Au Ciel de Charlevoix blue cheese, a really gooey goat's cheese roll coated in ashes, and fresh grapes and orange pepper. Back to the BB. That afternoon we got an introduction to some of the work being done by the grads and members of the TML. Jean-Sebastien presented some video patched he's been working on - a comet program and a few other eye scrumptious videos. The videos are like organisms which react to light data (taken from live video feed) and changes according to their programming code. 
Comet Patch built by JS, Daniel McGibbon, November 2007After setting up the poles, the next step was hanging my machine and deciding how to build and shape the steam wands. Where would they bend? How would I use lighting? There was also the issue of dripping water lingering in the back of my mind (where does it go?!) and what data I could use to integrate into other people's projects. 
Still Life, Gregory Beck Rubin, November 2007
