As I approached Hilo airport this cerulean peak with Observatories glistening on its summit is revealed.

Day 1 :

Time – Id like to begin with one of my favourite TS Elliot quotes about time, but my BCI and Brain-to-internet interaction is multitasking to the max already with browsers open for Flickr uploads, HD video files conversions for uploading, SMS messages, iTunes updates, emails and Myspace !
So it’s really interesting to experience time in a real space, via travel. I left Heathrow 10am Friday morning and I flew 21 hours via San Francisco to Honolulu and arrived 12 hours back in time ( 7pm local Hawaiian time).

So – Aloha Waikiki, a tourist heaven – and thank goodness it means I can go to straight to bed.

Day 2 :

Im in a beach hotel in Waikiki and Im still waking up at 5am before sunrise which is great for the mind, but not so good for the dreams. Brain food is plentiful with sushi-a-go-go everywhere and fruit for my recovery. This is the first time high heels have not been worn all day, I think the flight socks made my feet swell !

Waikiki is a weirdly beautiful and artificially augmented city of predominantly Japanese and USA influence. I have been here before, on a different kind of trip and I really like it. Im not a ‘happy shopper’ in the UK, but here all shopping is spacious, perfumed and amazing – with mini beauty products and mini clothes (I dont fit in the UK lady clothes market) and huge luxury Malls with parrots and intermittent delicate tropical rain blessings. The Olfactory is also very stimulated, unlike Barcelona (my last sejourne), this place smells divine.

Its so clean, even the nasty little ants that internationally and without fail can always locate my secret chocolate supply in my luggage before I do have been given the sack here. I think the next location will be somewhat different in Hilo, with bugs, frogs and dreams on the agenda.

Still letting the lovely jet lag change my mood and energy levels ( I feel great until 10pm) I’ve allowed myself to wander, ending up in The Apple store with the iTouch that wouldnt sync with my Macbook,,, and got lost in the ultimate designed tropical serendipity – The Hilton Hawaiian village. Filming gigantic Koi for hours,, Im sure ill use the footage ! I think I was hypnotised by there sheer size and grace.

I can sleep, i just suddenly lose the ability to think by 10pm so no lucidity yet. However Ive had a few stunning details including a lovely white Owl that came to me last night in a dream and I carried around looking for a place to put it.

A beautiful young lady in the Ala Moana shopping mall told me of her innate ability to dream lucidly and how it scares her, since childhood. We got onto this topic when she politely enquired about the nature of my trip ( unusually not a honeymoon like most others in Waikiki ). Naturally I was really interested to hear her experience ( and jealous), especially as she often ’sees’ a hand trying to point to something, and a young man in her dreams even tried to reassure her, and not be alarmed ( how delightful. )

waikdiamond

Originally uploaded by lucianahaill@btinternet.com

Oahu’s volcanic skyline from Waikiki bay

waik_bay

Originally uploaded by lucianahaill@btinternet.com

Ive got 2 days to overcome jet lag here in Waikiki, Oahu ( in tourist paradise ) before flying to Hilo, the Big Island for my final destination.
Another hard day in the office ( everywhere is Wifi ! its great, you really can MOOF or cloud work here ) – I think I will move here for good.

honolulu

Originally uploaded by lucianahaill@btinternet.com

Saturday 8am Waikiki beach, Honolulu

The Institute of Unnecessary Research will be participating in Brussels Meets Brighton scintillating week of cutting-edge multimedia performance, gigs and installations.

Between 30th April and the 3rd of May London’s exciting Shunt Lounge (an incredible labyrinth of caves and arches underneath London Bridge station which serves as an artistic playground, a concert venue and a gallery) will host a massive exhibition involving Arts Collectives from Brighton, Brussels and London. The event will incorporate a feast of fascinating performance including: live music, puppetry, dance and physical theatre, video and sound installations, photography, slam poetry, scientists, robotics and more. The themes for the show are: metacommunication, real-time improvisation and inter-cultural understanding. The exploration of these themes will be facilitated by the MetaHub.

From the point of view of the Institute of Unnecessary Research this is an exciting opportunity to investigate the nature of cross cultural, meta collaboration in a grand scale. We will create a temporary unnecessary research facility at Shunt. IUR Dept Heads taking part are: Luciana Haill (Head of Neurtofeedback), Monia Brizzi (Head of Joy) who will be collaborating with Metaluna, Ian Grant (Dept under contemplation), Theresa Sundt (Head of Colour), The Physarum Dynamic, Blay Whitby (Head of Ethics), Ian Helliwell (Associate in Analogue Arts) and Anna Dumitriu (Director of The IUR).

For full details of performances and timings see:
http://web.mac.com/annadumitriu/IUR/Brussels_Meets_Brighton.html
and www.brusselsmeetsbrighton.org for how to get there etc

On April 18th I will fly out to Hilo (Big Island), Hawaii to attend an annual and unique workshop for development of Lucid Dreaming in Kalani. I aim through my first hand experience and by extending my network of contacts, to be immersed in an environment with dedicated ‘Oneironauts’ (lucid dreamers). I will keep a record of the group’s achievements and with their consent – monitor their brainwaves (EEG). I will also try to investigate recording a lucid dreamer’s brainwaves whilst communicating with the “waking world”.

We spend over a third of our lives sleeping – so why should sleeping be downtime for artistic yield?

In the 1950s Norbert Wiener developed the field of Cybernetics, coining the term “Cyber” from the Greek ‘to steer’ – to take control. He claims that the quality of man-machine communication influences man’s inner well being. This inspired scientists to think of computer technology as a means to extend human capabilities. As an Interactive Artist EEG monitors are my tools, these ‘Cyber-technologies’ for detecting and amplifying biological signals. My work also encompasses the exploration of States of Consciousness and techniques (such as hypnosis) to master self control, enrich creativity and psychic equilibrium, Brain Computer Interaction (BCI), Esoteric practices, and through lecturing – the context in which Brainwave Music has evolved.

When I return from the workshop I will study the identifiable electrical signatures of Lucid Dreaming, comparing these to others in my ‘Thought Depository’ an online EEG Gallery. Brainwaves are measured in units of Hertz (Hz) the same for quantifying sound, which I give a lot of emphasis to. This is particularly evident whenever I perform for The Future of Sound with the 3D Audioscape sound system.

The new multimedia elements of my project will be made with a programmer creating the Quartz Composer (QC) elements generating the interaction. I will digitally edit footage from the workshop location – video and sounds. The multimedia in the interactive performance allows the audience to explore how effectively we may control an environment from within sleep

This will be an improvised audiovisual coalescence of lucid and real-time EEG. It will be an interactive performance to be experienced live. When recorded the performance will be streamed over the Internet worldwide. It will be disseminated at events where the audiences already expect to participate when I perform, including The Institute for Unnecessary Research in Shunt, London and The Future of Sound in Futuresonic, Manchester.

In 1965 Alvin Lucier composed the first piece of music using human brainwaves as a generative source in ‘Music for Solo Performer’, since then brainwave music has undergone a fascinating evolution. All my work involves brainwaves to facilitate a cybernetic system – of human, machine, information, and the arising contingencies and uncertainties.

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”

-Goethe

My home in Heathfield, UK

Where my temporary home is Hawaii will be :
Kalani Oceanside retreat

On April 18th I will fly out to Hilo (Big Island), Hawaii to attend an annual and unique workshop for development of Lucid Dreaming in Kalani. I aim through my first hand experience and by extending my network of contacts, to be immersed in an environment with dedicated ‘Oneironauts’ (lucid dreamers). I will keep a record of the group’s achievements and with their consent – monitor their brainwaves (EEG). I will also try to investigate recording a lucid dreamer’s brainwaves whilst communicating with the “waking world”.

We spend over a third of our lives sleeping – so why should sleeping be downtime for artistic yield?

In the 1950s Norbert Wiener developed the field of Cybernetics, coining the term “Cyber” from the Greek ‘to steer’ – to take control. He claims that the quality of man-machine communication influences man’s inner well being. This inspired scientists to think of computer technology as a means to extend human capabilities. As an Interactive Artist EEG monitors are my tools, these ‘Cyber-technologies’ for detecting and amplifying biological signals. My work also encompasses the exploration of States of Consciousness and techniques (such as hypnosis) to master self control, enrich creativity and psychic equilibrium, Brain Computer Interaction (BCI), Esoteric practices, and through lecturing – the context in which Brainwave Music has evolved.

When I return from the workshop I will study the identifiable electrical signatures of Lucid Dreaming, comparing these to others in my ‘Thought Depository’ an online EEG Gallery. Brainwaves are measured in units of Hertz (Hz) the same for quantifying sound, which I give a lot of emphasis to. This is particularly evident whenever I perform for The Future of Sound with the 3D Audioscape sound system.

The new multimedia elements of my project will be made with a programmer creating the Quartz Composer (QC) elements generating the interaction. I will digitally edit footage from the workshop location – video and sounds. The multimedia in the interactive performance allows the audience to explore how effectively we may control an environment from within sleep

This will be an improvised audiovisual coalescence of lucid and real-time EEG. It will be an interactive performance to be experienced live. When recorded the performance will be streamed over the Internet worldwide. It will be disseminated at events where the audiences already expect to participate when I perform, including The Institute for Unnecessary Research in Shunt, London and The Future of Sound in Futuresonic, Manchester.

In 1965 Alvin Lucier composed the first piece of music using human brainwaves as a generative source in ‘Music for Solo Performer’, since then brainwave music has undergone a fascinating evolution. All my work involves brainwaves to facilitate a cybernetic system – of human, machine, information, and the arising contingencies and uncertainties.

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”

-Goethe