Thomas Pynchon novels are difficult to understand. Turn one into a four symbol semaphore translated by computer code atop the Adobe building in San Jose, and it becomes downright incomprehensible. And why would someone do this? Well, if we start asking that question, then we have to ask why someone would create destructive robots to stage a rendition of Dante’s Inferno behind the Convention Center? Or why an ice cream truck would function as a mobile karaoke booth while being driven through downtown by a squirrel (seriously, I am not making this up)? The easy answer: these were exhibits at the 2006 ZeroOne Festival, a multi-day technology/art/digital media take over of San Jose.
Tonight, if you head out towards City Hall’s rotunda on Santa Clara Street, you may notice that it’s become psychedelic again. Don’t panic, the 60’s aren’t coming back to haunt you. It is just the opening salvo of 2008’s 01SJ Festival (yes, the name has changed to become more binary-like, but not actually binary seeing as “01” means absolutely nothing in code). From tonight until Sunday, San Jose will become the crossroads between artists and nerds, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Walking around downtown will allow you to find a tent sized dress that doubles as a polar weather station or a “glacier” forming in Cesar Chavez Plaza. The IMAX theater will host DJ Spooky’s musical composition created from the sound of melting and shifting Antarctic ice. And if you head over to Discovery Meadow, you’ll find a really large zoetrope featuring a monkey, a snake, and an apple. The San Jose Museum of Art has a ton of digital art being shown as well and a whole exhibit of robots (though not the destructive one's previously mentioned).
Tonight, if you head out towards City Hall’s rotunda on Santa Clara Street, you may notice that it’s become psychedelic again. Don’t panic, the 60’s aren’t coming back to haunt you. It is just the opening salvo of 2008’s 01SJ Festival (yes, the name has changed to become more binary-like, but not actually binary seeing as “01” means absolutely nothing in code). From tonight until Sunday, San Jose will become the crossroads between artists and nerds, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Walking around downtown will allow you to find a tent sized dress that doubles as a polar weather station or a “glacier” forming in Cesar Chavez Plaza. The IMAX theater will host DJ Spooky’s musical composition created from the sound of melting and shifting Antarctic ice. And if you head over to Discovery Meadow, you’ll find a really large zoetrope featuring a monkey, a snake, and an apple. The San Jose Museum of Art has a ton of digital art being shown as well and a whole exhibit of robots (though not the destructive one's previously mentioned).
If you get the chance, you should head on over and look for the hard answer of "why would someone do this?" And for at least the next 5 days, walking around downtown San Jose, especially at night, is maybe not such a bad idea.
posted by -jw-
