AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

It's the place where creativity and technology meet
By Cate McQuaid, Globe Correspondent | April 26, 2007

CAMBRIDGE -- Dan Paluska rises in a crowded room. The lights dim,
and he starts up digital slideshow about Totemobile, a 50-foot-tall,
11,000-pound robotic sculpture -- a giant transformer that unfolds
from a car into a totem pole. Paluska got involved with the
Totemobile at artist Chico MacMurtrie's Amorphic Robot Works in
Brooklyn.

"It's the first time I worked on something that really frightened
me, which could have killed someone," Paluska begins. His audience
murmurs appreciatively.

The following article was posted on the Art4Development Yahoo! Groups listserv. I think it's fascinating.

- Unique Arts-Science Research Program Results Published

LONDON, ENGLAND.-The results of a unique program that enables
artists and scientists to work together on research projects have
been published. They include: Capturing the acoustic fingerprints of
a building with the longest echo in the world to create a virtual
sound landscape, which allows composers to create new work specially
tailored to a specific venue; Choreographer Wayne McGregor, working
with neuroscientists and psychologists from Cambridge University to

I think I'm feeding an obsession for organization. My vision for the AMP international arts directory is so massive in scope, I can find an entry pretty much every time I look anywhere. It's going to be years before the flow of information slows down! Tonight was very productive, and I can't seem to make myself really stop. The more I put in, the more I can imagine that needs to be put in. As of tonight, I guess we could say that arts festivals in Australia and more sedate music festivals in Hungary are covered. And who knew there were so very many fringe festivals in this world? All I knew about before was the one in Edinburgh, but there's also a fringe (or several) in Australia, and one (or more) in Hungary.

Hello everybody,

I just wanted to let you know what a great time I've been having with AMP - and what a great time AMP's been having with the world! In Amsterdam, I stayed a night with Nancy, who works with AMP Members creativeresources and Anthony; in Edinburgh, I stayed with AMP Member Jakester for a week; and in Paris, I stayed at AMP Member device's flat for a night. Along the way, we picked up a few new members, including a bagpiper in Edinburgh, Scotland. At the moment, I'm staying a few nights at AMP Member bekka's in Berkeley, California. Bekka's just started her first European tour - largely booked through AMP! In the next couple of months, look for her updates about her tour, as well as an advice forum on how to book your own European tour through AMP.

Last night I headed out to the San Fernando Valley - Northridge, to be exact - to see AMP Member James Hurley's
3-man, 3-song-at-a-time house concert at Gayle's Perks (his announcement was here on AMP: http://pluginamp.com/network/node/698). What a good show! It was really a pleasure to meet James and his friends, and really a pleasure to hear the songs of a very skilled group of songwriters as well. James is getting together a tour in the UK for this fall, and would love to meet some promoters there! Know anyone?

In 3 days, I'll be in Amsterdam for a night, probably seeing AMP Members creative resources and Anthony, as well as future AMP Member Nancy P.

When I had the idea for this community, I was envisioning the great pleasure of connecting my friends. Somehow I hadn't realized that I'd be in line for a great personal benefit as well: meeting my friends' friends, not to mention their friends too! AMP's very young, existing in its fledgling website phase for only a few short months, and already I've begun meeting fellow AMP Members that I had never met before. suebird13 is so cool! I just met Sue on Monday, as she was visiting LA from Massachusetts and wanted to say hello. What a lovely and talented person! Meeting Becky in Amsterdam and roxy in Berlin was great too! I knew this could be good, but I had had no idea of the variety of ways in which we could all help each other. I'm going to try to get out to one of James Hurley's shows, Laurie Notch might visit Los Angeles soon, and baldeep might be here from India in July. More to come, I'm sure. If you're in Los Angeles (or even if you're not), drop me a line by visiting my profile, clicking on "contact" at the top of the profile, and sending me an email - I'd love to hear from you.

Well, I've never actually created a blog entry before, but here goes...I just got back from experiencing the gorgeous collaboration of AMP Member Scrote, who can do anything musically, (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/scrote, http://www.bundinimusic.com/scrote, and
http://www.myspace.com/scrotemusic, among other excellent websites that Scrote inhabits) with David Garza (http://www.davidgarza.com or http://www.myspace.com/davidgarza) at Largo
(http://www.largo-la.com) here in Los Angeles, and decided it was about time I wrote something about AMP's first voyage abroad. It was an excellent trip, and probably the best thing about it was the hospitality I encountered along the way.