Gijs Gieskes is an incredible machine inventor (as well as an esteemed VJ and performer). Among his latest creations Strobovj deserves particular attention: it's a sequencer for vjing that uses the working principle of the stroboscope: looking at a spinning wheel. The machine created by this eclectic artist is not just limited to real-time observation; it is also able to record the rotation of some miniature figures (most of which are sent from a Game Boy camera and arranged in a circle using a special script created by Gieskes himself) that appear on discs of paper mounted on the top of Strobovj. Both the camera and the rotating speed of the disk are controlled by knobs and buttons that are seated on the bottom of the machine, where there are also controls to set the sequencer. The animation shows the movement of the images synchronizing with the clock of a Gameboy, through use of audio software called LittleSoundDJ. It’s a wonderful tool for creating audio-visual performances that bring into play nineteenth century animation techniques and 8-bit music.
Vito Campanelli