Ellis and I doing a Late at Tate DJ set ages ago

Weekend sunshine and I headed to the new Furtherfield gallery. Media art in the park.

First day at Film and Video Umbrella, and spotted a beauty that looked kind of like this, part of a new Ed Atkins work. I’ve never owned a television but I’d go for this 90s rear-projection technology any day. Our fingers are crossed it doesn’t break down mid-PV :)  The exhibition Tomorrow Never Knows opens at Jerwood on 14 March: http://www.jerwoodvisualarts.org/page/3468/Jerwood/+Film+and+Video+Umbrella+Awards

Just back from Brasilia for more Game On work. I was totally in love with the Neimeyer buildings everywhere. Stayed at a Neimeyer-designed hotel, worked in a Neimeyer-designed gallery, accompanied friends to a Neimyer-designed McDonalds. THE FUTURE (in 1956).

Amiga Research Pt. II. I think this has been widely posted already but is great: Andy Warhol at the launch of the Amiga in 1985, completing his first ‘computer portrait’ of Debbie Harry. Shows that they were pushing the Amiga as a graphics rather than gaming computer from the get go.

Todd Rundgren, O.G. new media artist. Found this video for Change Myself while researching the Commodore Amiga in order to update a display case for the Game On exhibition, now in Brasilia (where I’ll be heading next week). We’re not going to include it because it focuses more on the Amiga’s use as a video and graphics processor rather than gaming PC, but it reminded me that Rundgren is a fascinating guy.

Better known for his pioneering pop and prog music - perhaps Hello Its Me, I Saw the Light, Sometimes I Don’t Know What to Feel better than Change Myself - he was also interested in computers and taught himself to program in order to experiment with them. He made the Change Myself video on an Amiga back in 1991, and also co-wrote a piece of software called Flowfazer, a generative psychedelic screen saver whose Java version almost crashed my browser. To this day he still personally maintains the website he wrote from scratch. All these things have the slightly crude aesthetic of the early computer and early web, but I admire how much he engaged with technology on a code (rather than just user) level. I liked him for his music but I love him for his programming. TR forever.

Video documentation I just found of our Happy Endings finale with a performance by Jeremy Bailey, commissioned with the AND Festival and also featuring LuckyPDF, Organ Freeman and Joel Holmberg as DJ Filetype SWF - the best DJ concept ever.

In Bath, Simon Martin’s exhibition features the new video work Louis Ghost Chair, looking at the history of objects via the Louis XV chair from 1700s transformed to its contemporary interpretation (and Target ripoff) the Louis Ghost Chair. It was co-commissioned by Film and Video Umbrella - where I’ll be acting as Deputy Director for the next 9 months.

Taipei was amazing, but this was the weirdest press/PR event I’ve ever had to do - for the Watch Me Move opening. We’re touching a science globe. That’s a Taiwanese pop star with the specs on the right.

How I’ll be spending my Christmas
…with Studio Ghibli in the Barbican’s Watch Me Move exhibition, which we’re bringing from Glenbow Museum in Canada (closing 24 December) to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall in Taiwan (opening 19 January).

Last ever Happy Endings, we played Earth Song and this time really meant it. Its been a good 2 years of 3D posters, crowdsurfing, html and non-stop-bangers. Thanks to Shipping Forecast for having us and everyone else for coming. Long live dance parties in Liverpool, forever.

Game On includes a replica of this amazing machine: the PDP-1, which ran the earliest known videogame, Space War, in 1962.

I’ve been helping the Barbican out with a few of its touring exhibitions, and getting the chance to visit some great international venues through it. I’m currently at the impressive Museum of Image and Sound in Sao Paulo to tweak/re-curate and represent the seminal videogame art exhibition Game On. Great venue and great show.

Completely inspired by the V&A’s Postmodernism exhibition. The only thing missing is the politics. Updated to add: received the catalogue as a thoughtful gift from someone!