~FREE~ eSymposium 10/22/14

Wednesday, October 22, 2014
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Geek Bar Chicago
1941 W North Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60622 (map)

Experimental Electronics Artists, Video Glitchers, and Circuit Benders gather for an evening of eating, drinking, soldering, toy hacking, project sharing, and jamming. ~FREE~
(facebook event link)

Roth Mobot's "Introduction to Circuit Bending" Sunday, October 5th, 2014, Noon - 3:00 PM

The Experimental Sound Studio

5925 N Ravenswood, Chicago, IL 60660 (map)
Register for the Workshop

Roth Mobot has been invited to conduct one of their Introduction to Circuit Bending workshops as part of this year's Chicago Artists Month festival.

Tommy Stephenson and Patrick McCarthy, both vanguards of the circuit bending movement, have set the standard for immersive, interactive, alternative education with their unique focus on technology, invention, and problem solving through creative thinking and electronics tinkering.

Circuit Bending is the creative recycling of discarded consumer electronics, usually children’s toys, guitar effects units, inexpensive battery-powered musical instruments, portable CD players, etc., to create unique experimental electronic art by adding wires, knobs, and switches to control new connections within the device’s pre-existing circuitry.

No prior knowledge of electronics is required.

Take apart an old toy and make a brand new musical instrument! At the end of this workshop participants will be able to identify and explore the basic components of a typical circuit board, the basics of soldering, install output jacks, switches, body contacts (and more!), and control a world of new sounds. Tools and components will be provided.

Participants are required to bring one or two battery-powered devices (with batteries!) to the workshop.

Register for Roth Mobot's Introduction to Circuit Bending Workshop

Toy Hacking at Teen Ignite

Line for the Circuit Bending Session	Patrick McCarthy & students
Overbooked class = floor lab	Patrick watches demo

Naperville's 95th Street Public Library hosted its first day-long Teen Ignite technology and arts seminar. Approximately 115 teens participated in over two dozen hour-long hands-on sessions. Roth Mobot's Patrick McCarthy gave a crash course in Circuit Bending and Toy Hacking to an overbooked crowd of 40 students in a conference room on the library's second floor.

"We'll just have to remove all the chairs." Patrick announced at the beginning of the session, "We'll 'hack' the room!"

You can read more about the event in this Chicago Tribune article, and the Trib also posted some video.

EGS7 (Experimental Garage Sale 7)

Annual Circuit Benders Experimental Garage Sale.

Roth Mobot's Minnesota Residency

Roth Mobot was awarded a grant* for a three day teaching residency at South Ridge School in Culver Minnesota. We taught over 120 students grades 7-12 the principles of prototyping experimental electronic circuits, and finally how to build an Optical Theremin, a light-sensitive tone generator.

On the last day of the residency Roth Mobot then performed a short circuit bent improvisation for some of the students in an open-ended circuit bent jam session. Before and after the performance various students from the school were invited to play their newly created Optical Theremins with Roth Mobot and their DIY electronic equipment.

The following day Roth Mobot held a free Introduction to Circuit Bending workshop at the Prøve Gallery in Duluth. Later that evening Roth Mobot performed a concert with Duluth's own Tim Kaiser.

* Funded in part by the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council with money from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund as appropriated by the Minnesota State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008 and by Minnesota Power Foundation.

Roth Mobot at South Ridge School

Roth Mobot has been invited to South Ridge School in Culver Minnesota to teach students 3rd through 12th how to build experimental electronic instruments.

Then on Saturday, April 26th, from 1- 3 Pm they will be conducting a Introduction to Circuit Bending workshop at the Prøve Gallery in Duluth followed by an evening 's performance with Duluths' own Tim Kaiser.

Introduction to Circuit Bending
(BYOT) Bring Your Own Toy
Saturday, April 26th, 2014, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Prøve Gallery
21 N Lake Ave
Duluth, MN 55805 (map)

WFMT Radio at eSymposium!

Sunday, April 6, 2014, 12:00 - 4:00

Pumping Station: One

3519 N. Elston, Chicago, IL 60618 (Google map)

WFMT radio will be recording a documentary about the eSymposium that day!

AND PS:1 has graciously donated two spaces for us to use that day -- their electronics lab, and their new "music lounge." So we will have the ability to not only hack away at our projects as usual, but we will also have a space to set up our equipment and make some noise!

I've been advised that we should bring our own amplification equipment. I can bring a mixer, anyone want to volunteer on the amp?

Please be prompt -- radios and microphones wait for no one.