I am Here
Rooms Full of Noise Festival, Fleischmarkthalle - Karlsruhe (Germany) - 12/06/2007
University of Arts and Design - Karlsruhe (Germany) - 02/16/2008

This two early stagings of "I am Here" are driven by a strong desire to overcome the boundaries between the analog and the digital. The artist improvises on an electric guitar and communicates in two ways with the algorithmic machine; on the one hand the computer captures the sound information from the guitar and on the other hand the movement of the player, via a Nintendo Wiimote controller, which allows for a detailed transmission of the movement and the position of the body part onto which it is attached. Furthermore the usage of the Wiimote controller is underlining the playful approach of "I am Here". All the proceeded data generates sound modification in the form of rhythm, tonality, effects and harmony. The computer appears as an immaterialized counter- or team player.

The strong musical approach in this early staging of "I am Here" aims for an interpretation of the algorithmic machine as a duality: a teammate and a counter player. This allows the potential for a unique musical idea to emerge, as it would in a jam session with other humans. Overall the musical approach of "I am Here" is all about creating unique acoustical experiences which the performer can share with the audience by being completely wireless and walking right into the audience. It is then the audience's responsibility to determine whether the gestures in guitar play are purely ironic or if they are opening up a new artistic potential for the guitar.

On the other hand it is also a ritual to resurrect the dead machine and give it some consciousness. By accepting that the machine is co-defining the musical idea of this interplay between man and computer, it is potentially accepted as worthy of being the co-author of the actual event. Performance in the early "I am Here" pieces is thus heavily driven by the desire of the performer to be surprised by the technology and his own reactions. In a way the very programming of this interactive piece is already the beginning of this process. The performer needs to program complexly enough that friction can emerge on which he can grind, yet at the same not completely loose control through scripting specific segments which only he is able to determine. So in a way the very programming of this interactive piece is already the beginning of this process. These early "I am Here" performances are about finding an own language of communication, as they are about the presence of the machine and the subjectivity of the human gesture.

The performance is realized by using Max-MSP, two Wii-motes (bound to the hand and another in the paints), a four-way sound system and an electric guitar with radio link.

link (12/06/2007):
link (02/16/2008):

I am Here
Harvestworks, NYC Manhattan (USA) - 08/25/2009

This performance deals with the borderline of written and spoken word. A speech is performed and modulated in real-time with a vocoder according to hand gestures. The hand gestures are communicated to a Max-MSP patch via a Nintendo Wiimote device. The sound the audience is hearing is a fine-balanced mixture between the actual sound of the speaker and the output from the computer.

The speech thematizes the idea of "I am Here" under post-historical conditions, namely the existential means of game-play under algorithmic conditions. Although the intentions of the text are very serious, it was written by assuming that the surrealist technique of the ecriture automatique could also work with spoken words. Thus the speech itself was written under very suggestive playful conditions and the actual performance of the text, with the technological apparatus, determines its manifestation.

The speech was intended to only be performed once. Its unique appearance is enhanced by the playful approach, mirroring and subverting the intention to blur the line between a rational usage of language and the irrational quality of communication. Thus the performance challenges the serious approach of "I am Here" and holds the audience in an indifferent state. The rather minimal technological usage for a "I am Here" performance turns out to be quite effective in achieving this goal.

The performance is realized with Max-MSP, a headset microphone, a piece of printed paper, a stereo sound system and a Wiimote controller.

link:

I am Here (feat. Elysia Petras)
Monkey Town, NYC Brooklyn (USA) - 08/31/2009

This performance features Elysia Petras in the role of a painter. The painter is painting the face of the seated protagonist by using three colors: red, yellow and green. In this theatrical approach of "I am Here" the painter is wearing a traditional plague mask. Associations of the transformation happening and the transfer of deadly diseases are intended. At the end of the performance the painter puts another plague mask on the performer’s face and thus covers her painting.

The performer sits in front of a Laptop, with a webcam tracking the colors on his face. The colors determine the sounds being created. The performer is controlling the volume of the sounds with a mixer on his lap. Additionally the movements and position of the right hand of the painter, which she uses to paint, are also used to modify the sounds. While staring during the whole performance into his own mirror, the picture of the protagonist face is projected onto four screens. Every wall of the space is equipped with one screen. But not only his face is visible. The performer is also able to ask questions to the machine via written text, creating his own image and sounds to which the machine responds. His responses are added to the sounds with a voice to speech engine, and it is also visible on the projection of his face.

The performance deals explicitly with the generation of subjectivity under media conditions. It posses questions about the subject by provoking a narcissistic situation, (the subject being surrounded with his own image), framed by theatrical acting, thus thematizing the birth of subjectivity through the very event of game-play. In this technical sophisticated performance the staging serves as a amplifier for the question of artificiality and the conflict of inter-subjective communication.

The performance is realized with Max-MSP, a Laptop with webcam, paint, a brush, two plague masks, four projectors, a four way sound system and a Wiimote controller.

link:

I am Here (Adam Rafinski speaks about life and work of Adam Rafinski)
University of Arts and Design, Karlsruhe (Germany) - 07/17/2010

This "I am Here" performance uses a very different approach while sticking to its theme. Its a speech the protagonist gave very seriously about himself, in the third person, seriously by applying the skills he gathered during his studies in Art Research and Media Theory to his own work. The protagonist developed this approach by extending the understanding of the media, including methods of speech and reasonable arguing. The performer introduced the talk by a post, which in itself was communicating a very narcissistic approach toward himself on the one hand, but on the second was a subtle gesture of questioning what it means to be a subject and thus communicating the attempt of the performance and the work, which is summarized in the I am Here lifetime performance cycle. It is a confrontation with the expectations of examiner, by thematizing the developments and achievements and at the same time criticizing them. Since this performance was also the final piece of the protagonist in his Media Art minor, it also subverted the whole idea of an examination in an interesting way. Since "I am Here" is not doing anything more then just framing the existence and thematizing the indifference of being confronted with this existence, the performance staged the very aporia of grading a person's life.

The talk lasted a little bit over one hour, including a lot of examples of the protagonist's work. It is structures in three parts. The first is a psycho-biographical analysis of Adam Rafinski's life. It included baby pictures, anecdotes about his childhood and relevant personal details related to his work. Then the speech analyzed his major works, including some early experiments in video and music, like metalcore video montages. The third and final part was summarizing the whole thesis of the talk: I am Here is failing in retrospection in achieving his goals and thus the performances are inconsequent. However in the final part of the talk the protagonist was speaking about other art works, where Adam Rafinski appeared as an object or subject. Since it was shown how much better these pieces of art worked then his own performances, the attempt of "I am Here" is not successful in a retrospective discussion of the events it created, but can be identified as being successful in the very offspring and representations in other artworks his existence was creating. Thus the performance shows how powerful the minimalistic condition in artistic expression is, which is thematized in the very core of "I am Here": mere presence. An artist does not need to argue in order to find a legitimation for doing what he is doing.

The talk was given in German and was realized by using Power Point, a presenter and a stage.

link:

Test patterns
Video from 2009

"Test pattern" is a video work thematizing telematic noise and algorithmic crash. The 3:06 long clip shows test pattern from broadcast stations and beyond. The useless and unique beauty of test pattern is confronted with an audio recording of a Max-MSP self made drum machine sequencer in the moment of its crash on 8/31/2008 between 9:36 and 9:39pm. The video ends with a blue screen.

One is Missing
5th Sound and Music Computing Conference, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin (Germany) - 07/31/2008 - 08/03/2008
Kamuna / Long Night of Museums, University for Art and Design, Karlsruhe (Germany) - 07/08/2007
Sommerloch 2007, University for Arts and Design, Karlsruhe (Germany) - 06/10/2007 - 06/15/2007

"One is Missing" is a 38-channel composition based on sine waves. The volume of the sine waves is altered casually. Additional noise sources circle around the listener. The piece is quite ruminant and dedicated to the one standing outside of the sphere. This minimalistic composition is only experienced in its entirety from the inside of the sphere. Every little move the listener is taking within the sphere is already changing the experience drastically. It therefore provides a unique acoustic experience to which recordings or even reproductions cannot do justice. One is missing relates to the nostalgia for the already vanished in the presence of the possible.

The speakers are configured as a complete sphere. The level of the listeners is about the center of the sphere. Listeners access the sphere through a stairway onto a platform of about 3x3 sqm size and 1m height. The sphere has an inner radius of 2m and holds 38 speakers and 2 subwoofers on the ground. The composition is realized directly within Max-MSP.

Dr. Pest
Nancyhalle, Karlsruhe (Germany) - 15.08.2009 & 27.09.2009

The "Dr. Pest" performances were realized during an artistic persiflage of the popular TV-show Americas Idol, named "Karlsruhe sucht den Superkuenstler" (Karlsruhe is looking for the super artist) by Christian Roll, aka Maria von Bolla. The show was streamed live via the internet and allowed viewers to vote for their favorite super artist by dialing a number. The winner of each show between July and September 2010 would come together for a final show in which the super artist of Karlsruhe was found.

"Dr. Pest" is a performative reflection about the very absurdity of the whole situation. The artist, equipped with a pest (plague) mask and sunglasses, gave a speech entitled "Ihr bloeden Wixer. Ueber die Unmoeglichkeit revolutionaerer Kommunikation" (You stupid Wankers. About the Impossibility of Revolutionary Communication). The speech was an improvised talk aiming to amplify the given differentiation between the people on stage and the audience observing and rating them. It was given under the assumption that the surrealist technique of ecriture automatique is possible to put out in speech form. Thus the serious intention of the talk was broken down with irrational turns and very loose suggestive poetic elements. It aimed for a provocation, speaking about the next consequent artwork being a fight at the bar. The protagonist tried to provoke a fight with the audience, which of course did not work. His failure was confronting the audience with the inability to interact with the artist in such a setting, and thus revealing that the interactivity in such vote for your favorite artist is an illusion. Dr. Pest won the first show and thus reappeared in the final show, in which a jury was installed, which Dr. Pest was attracting heavily. Although he tried to use election fraud to win, he lost after revealing the inaccuracy of the voting result.

In conclusion "Dr. Pest" is a performative reflection about TV reality Gameshows such as casting shows. It unmasks the very deterministic and dogmatic structures by progressively reenacting the conflict between the audience and the performers on stage. It is furthermore, like the I am Here performance in Harvestworks NYC, a criticism on the reasonability of language in terms of communication. In local press Dr. Pest was the favorite character of the media, proving that this performative gesture did not only work on this particular stage, but also has its effect in the representation of its mere idea celebrating the absurdity of the whole situation.

The Original Rafinski Seal of Quality
since 2010 - ongoing
online performance

The Original Rafinski Seal of Quality is an ongoing site-specific online performance developed for the intern email distribution list of the University of Arts and Design Karlsruhe (HfG). The seal is a label mixing the typography of the Nintendo Original Seal of Quality with a picture of the protagonist. Since the intern email distribution list is a very unique public place scattered with announcements and strange commentaries and discussion, the Original Rafinski Seal of Quality addresses the very absurdity of the way communication happens in this virtual space.

It is given from time to time on event announcements by just placing the picture and the following text: "This event just received the Rafinski approved SEAL OF QUALITY!"

On the one hand it appears as a narcissistic judging of the quality of the mail over the distribution list, and on the other it is reminding the readers about the presence of the protagonist in regards to the honored events. It is a subversive attempt to outline and comment on the events intended to happen in real space-time in a very punctual virtual sphere, and thus underlines the playfulness in between. On the other hand since the label is communicating and underlining a recommendation of the protagonist, it is also intended to be seen as a statement of indifference. Furthermore the performance is a questioning of the very value of a performance in an extended context of its definition, by pushing the narcissistic gesture of evaluating content to its extremes.

The performance is realized with an active HfG email account, a mail program and Photoshop. It is intended to be performed as long the protagonist is taking part in this community.

Project Facebook
01/14/2011 - ongoing
online performance

"Project Facebook" is an ongoing online performance developed for the social network Facebook. The work was developed as an experiment: Taking the idea of a Facebook literally the protagonist takes a picture of his face everyday with his IPhone and tries to not make any expressions in the photo and posts this picture with nothing more than the date on his Facebook profile. Furthermore every picture is set as a profile picture and the protagonist is tagged in it. The performance is an open experiment questioning the potential of communication within game-play structure offered by social networks.

The pictures are visible only to so called "friends" within the social network. Due to the stringency and endurance of the performance the simple gesture of taking the playful system of Facebook literally turned out to provoke people not only because of its very absurdity, but also in terms of personal representation. Often seen as mere spam the pictures have been questioned by other users. Some "friends" seemed to adore the gesture of letting them being part of the protagonist's life, although the information revealed in the picture does not communicate anything more than the mere existence of the subject. Furthermore the performance underlines the fleetingness within the idea of subjective representation and the portrait in general. It shows how variable and still consistent the very idea of subjective representation is online.

The questions of the rights of the pictures is also an integral part of Project Facebook. Since every picture is erased by the protagonist from his own hard drive, thus any usage of this pictures e.g. for an exhibition or a publications now requires the protagonist to contact Facebook and ask for the pictures in printable resolution. Since this online performance is an ongoing project the potential of this very action is not yet maxed out/exhausted.

The performance is realized with an IPhone G4, a Facebook account and a web-connection. It is intended to last as long as Facebook exists or the artist having the possibility to make these self-portraits and upload them.

Paparazzi (Arbeitstitel)
2010/2011

"Paparazzi (Arbeitstitel)" is a very ambitious meta-artwork, which was developed in a workshop on game design for artistic purposes by Adam Rafinski at the University of Art and Design Karlsruhe (HfG). The project was developed in cooperation with four students: Markus Zielke, Hannes Gerlach, Greta Luise Hoffmann and Marco Zampella. The team modified the popular university game "Assassins" to the context of art production and reception. In this game, play, or exhibition concept students from the whole HfG were invited to participate in an experimental exhibition project dealing with the borderline of photography and performance. After applying to the show, the students received an official letter from the school stating the rules of the game. With the letter also came a card with the name of another student that also applied. Every player, or artist, only knew who his next target was, but not who was after his own portrait, or even how many participants were in the game. The task was to make a portrait of this person and turn it in as an artwork for the exhibition. The artists whose photo is taken by another looses his own paparazzi target and thus looses the right to turn his or her own artworks. 13 artworks were turned in. The winner of the game, meaning the artist who submitted the most artworks, became the curator of the show. Adam Rafinski was the puppetmaster and the only person with an overview about what is really going on during the production sequence. The process happened between 28th of January and 31st of May 2010 and could be observed on project's website, where new works could also be rated and commended.

The exhibition was on display between 22nd and 28th of June. During the exhibition a party version of the game was staged. The team also made a publication, which was edited by Adam Rafinski with text contributions by Michael Bielicky, Adam Rafinski, Markus Zielke, Hedi Haase and Corinne Schlichting. It was published with the very limited edition of 50 pieces, and on display during the yearly exhibition of the HfG 2011. The publication revealed the whole process, and thus continued the project on another layer. Recently the project received an award of the Center for Art and Media (ZKM). Instead of giving a regular presentation about the project, the group decided to stage a performance inviting the audience to participate in the game, which continued the project on another layer. Five works were turned in, which are now also on display on the website.

The project is still ongoing and questions the role and understanding of the process of artistic production, what the role of the artist is, what art means under such circumstances, what a exhibition is, what a publication is, etc. by creating a myth about a process that is constantly present but disappears as soon as one thinks that he can actually grasp it. "Paparazzi (Arbeitstitel)" is the first research project on Augmented Game-Play of the GameLab at the HfG.

Link to the project website:
Link to the publication: