Page 27 Spring 1996
JW:
In the proposal for the 911 grant, you describe some rather
provocative / lofty philosophical issues about the relationship
between technology and human interactions. JJ:
Well, originally, my idea was that it would be funny to hook up a
human being to a real vending machine, instead of using the hat. The
dollar bill acceptor took the place of the hat. Then Bret added the
interactive music, and then, although the ideas about human / machine
tension were present in the background the whole time, they came
forward in the grant proposal. On a certain level, they
are overstated. At the most basic level, the contrast between
electronic and human is really designed more for humor than for any
sort of philosophical message. I do think the finished piece allows
for exploration of those issues if you want to get into them, but it
is not didactic. It is not saying human beings are starting to be
controlled by computers or that computers are superior to human beings
...unless the viewer wants it to! Really, the issues listed in the
grant are contrasts that function as design tools. These art tools are
used to create aesthetic enjoyment and laughter. You can get deeper if
you wish.
JW:
Do you consider the Jukebox as
a new art form? JJ:
The idea of wiring human movement to computer output / processing
is a very resonant idea
that I feel can go much deeper than a juggling act, but I
personally don't view my juggling as art. It is certainly a creative
process, but to me art must get more at the soul than juggling is
capable of - although I should say that there are a few jugglers that
I would consider artists in the strict sense of the term. JW:
Do you have any specific jugglers in mind? JJ:
Michael Moschen. He's the preeminent artist-juggler.
JW:
You described juggling as a "creative" process, if not
necessarily a high art. So can you describe how you develop new
tricks? What is your method of developing new material for your
performances? JJ:
I want to clarify what I said earlier about art. I don't want
to sound like an art snob. High art is important to me, but I don't
think it is inherently more valuable than anything else. I love
juggling because it combines the mind and body, the literal and the
abstract, and so on.
As
far as developing new material, I would divide that process into
tricks and presentation. I'm not really that creative with my tricks
on a certain level. I have that one trick that I feel is original, and
I have some cool combinations that I've "invented" but for
the most part my juggling is pretty traditional. So I guess I just
develop material by trying out different combinations.
I'm
working on a club trick now that combines behind-the-backs with chin
rolls. Every left is a back-cross and every right is a chin roll. And
that combination looks nice. To me the development process is just
about playing around with possibilities in a serious way. I'm really
trying to make my practice time focused, too. That helps mostly in
terms of technical development, but probably also in terms of
developing new combinations. I believe that (and this is the
conventional juggling wisdom) the area where you can really
distinguish yourself is character and theater and gimmick.
I
certainly need to concentrate on this because I'm never going to be a
top-notch technical juggler. And up to this point, I've been coasting
on one good idea. I have a lot of other ideas sketched out, but I
never find the time to practice implementing them. I've been
performing the Juggling Jukebox for three years now, and it's time to
develop something new not to replace it, but to complement it. Right
now I'm limited to street performing (which I love) and gigs that
would normally hire strolling entertainment.
The
idea of walkaround juggling is one of my pet peeves. I try to sell my
act as a focused alternative to traditional atmosphere
entertainment. So I would like to get together a stage show to round
out my repertoire. Since
our interview last fall, James Jay has in fact developed and premiered
a new stage show at a First Night Festival in Bloomington, Ill,
performing a "concert"
of juggling "songs" called "Five Movements." He
explained, "The name reflects my formalist tendencies." The
act included formal juggling in his trademark musical style, but also
tried to integrate audience participation and choreography to exploit
the ample space available on the stage (which is a change of pace
since the Jukebox has always required Jay to stand in one spot).
"Five
Movements" presents five different juggling routines, some
choreographed to music and some silent. The various routines involve
three, four, and five balls and three clubs. For the finale, Jay
"sculpts" an audience
In
the coming months, Jay hopes to develop a pared down high-tech act
that will be easier to transport and less equipment intensive (perhaps
a Powerbook, sampler, and MIDI tools box). This act will focus less on
music and more on sound effects and sampled speech. "I have a
high-tech music act now because I was collaborating with a composer.
That was great! But long-term, I'd like something that I can develop
and maintain myself. Since I'm not a composer, but I do have a lot of
experience with language, I am thinking about a "Laurie Anderson-esque"
act that uses sampled speech almost like a cyborg standup comedian.
I can have a mime character that 'talks' and even improvises, without
saying a word!"
Jay
is contacting agents in New York, San Francisco, and elsewhere whose
work relates to his high-tech act, hoping to start performing
nationally later this year. He will test his new high-tech act
regionally first, but his ultimate goal is to go international. With a
wider geographic reach, Jay plans to expand his relatively small,
niche market. In the meantime, James Jay will continue to explore the
frontier where juggling meets high-tech.
Bret
Battey is a composer who works primarily, though not exclusively, in
computer music. One specific area in which he works is called
algorithmic music. In this type of computer music, input information
(from a MIDI keyboard, custom-rigged instrument or juggler) is
processed using probabilistic algorithms rather than a pre-established
traditional score. This introduces a degree of randomness into the
music, which makes each performance unique.
Battey
studied computer music composition at Oberlin Conservatory, and
recently enrolled in the University of Washington's MFA program in
composition. Jay and Battey met in Peter
D.
Mark teaches computer science at Seattle University and juggles
with the Cascade |
![]() Fans prepare to make a selection from the menu of songs the Juggling Jukebox will play. (Photo by Lincoln McNey) |