Patrick Becker at GMX11
Theatre Intangible was asked to host two circuit bending panels at last October’s Geek Media Expo, Nashville’s premier multi-fandom convention. In the first panel, Circuit Bending 101, we broke open some toys and showed people how to make simple bends. In Circuit Bending 201, we performed. Podcast 79 is that performance.
The GMX11 performance features BRIDGET VENUTI (Aether Jag), JOSH GUMIELA (Foster Dad), PIMPDADDYSUPREME, and maker-extraordinaire PATRICK BECKER.
GMX hosted the panels in multiple rooms at a local hotel and convention center. Panelists were given just 10 minutes to prepare the room after the previous panelists left. I’m not sure what the creative writing panel thought of the weirdos in the hallway armed with abused toys and wirey contraptions. (Come to think of it, they probably weren’t fazed. One word: Steampunk!) As we were setting up the equipment, the room started to fill with eager faces. By the time we started playing, we had amassed quite a crowd! As a gun-shy member of the Nashville experimental community, where a crowd of five is a good night, I wasn’t expecting this. As it turns out, the convention-goers really seemed to enjoy learning about circuit-bending. This was counter to my only other experience of doing Theatre Intangible live at a convention: Podcamp 2010. (See Podcast 12: Live at Podcamp Nashville.) At that Barcamp-style conference about social media, search engine optimization, and pretty much anything BUT podcasting, we drew a crowd of two. I believe the reactions were so different because GMX is at its heart a convention about creativity. Podcamp is at its heart a convention about technology. As much as I love technology, I’ll take the creative people any day of the week.
All in all, Geek Media Expo 2011 was an absolute blast, and I would be honored to participate next year.
What’s circuit bending? Find out here.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:06 — 38.8MB)