PDCON:Start

A festival of programmed music and art.

What is Pure Data?

Pure Data Icon

Pure Data (abbreviated: Pd) 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, create 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 Linux, 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 with music made with Pure Data
An Exhibition of artworks/installations

Previous conventions have been in Graz (2004), Montréal (2007) and São Paulo (2009). The upcoming convention will be the fourth installment of this venue.

Where?

The close collaboration between Bauhaus-University and Music Academy Franz Liszt where computer science, music, media-arts and media-culture meet create the perfect environment 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.

How to get there

Involving the public

To interact with the public and integrate the citizens of Weimar a number of initiative-projects should be developed. For instance Radio-Lotte could host a live concert with possibilities for interaction. The porcelain bells of the town-hall could be played remotely in some way. A call for works could be issued to encourage the production of artworks which open up ways to interact with the general public.

When?

The convention will take place after the summer semester 2011, in August, parallel to the Bauhaus Summer school with which we collaborate for the workshops: 2011-8-8 to 2011-8-14 (ISO).