Disclaimer: this is not the official Website for the Pure Data convention 2011 instead it is a draft page to collect information on the current planning on where this event will take place with the focus on the developments regarding Weimar's application. To my knowledge only London is the competition. Priority number one is to secure funding for the event.
What is Pure Data?
Pure Data is a dataflow programming language. It is inspired by the way early telecommunication switchboards and modules of analogue synthesizers were interconnected by patch cords. Programs written in Pure Data are flowcharts visualizing their function. Musicians and artists are using Pd to perform, crate music and artworks. Pure Data is free open source software and developed by University of California, San Diego's Professor Miller Puckette and a global community. It runs on Linus, OS X, Windows and even mobile devices.
What is a Pd-convention?
A Pure Data convention is an event where users and developers meet, discuss and present their research and artworks. It consists of
- A Conference program where developments are presented,
- Workshops for in-depth instructions from professionals aimed at interested beginners, ambitioned users and specialists
- Concerts and Performances
Previous conventions have been in Graz (2004), Montréal (2007) and São Paulo (2009)
Why Weimar?
The close collaboration between Bauhaus-University and Music Academy Franz Liszt where computer science, music, media-arts and media-culture meet is the perfect situation for a Pure Data convention. Weimar has a solid tourist infrastructure with accommodation from budget hostels to 5 star. Weimar is a small place which has many venues and places of interest but is small enough not to get lost or to loose much time in transportation from one place to another.
Funding
The funding situation seems difficult. Volkswagen Stiftung for example only fund conferences to one specific question with speakers focussing around this. May be that one panel can be condensed something what the Stiftung is willing to support. DFG only funds conferences according to how many speakers have PhD or equivalent. In the last Pd conventions there were only a few. Kunststiftung Thüringen might be another possible partner. EU Funding for Festivals. Sponsors could help to keep the costs at a low level. A travel agency should be among them.
Examples of similar conferences (and their funding) are LAC Köln, LAC Berlin, LAC Karlsruhe, SuperCollider Symposium Berlin
Musikalmanach index of german trusts for funding
bpb
Partners
- Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
- Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Studio for electro-acoustic music
- (we should get DEGEM to be a partner)