Presentation at NODEM 2010

1. The Media Mixer:
User Creativity through
Production, Deconstruction
and Reconstruction of Digital
Media Content
Christian Hviid Mortensen
PhD fellow, Curator, The Media Museum
Vitus Vestergaard
PhD fellow, DREAM, University of Southern
Denmark

2. Overview

3. Remix? Remix Culture?
• a crosscultural trans-media
phenomenon
• collage, montage, parody, imitation,
sampling, reinterpretation etc...

7. Remixing is not a new
phenomenon
• Panchatantra , India 4th century BC
• ...
• ...
• ...
• Hip hop music and beyond!

8. Sampling, remixing and
mash-up music
• Coolio (1997) C U when U get there
• Mash-up madness: Girl Talk

9. Remix
• Remix / Mashup
• A derivative work
• One transformed work, or…
• ...several works mashed together
• E.g. a collage

10. RW-culture
• RO: Read-Only
• RW: Read-Write
• RW-culture doesn’t require digital
media, but…
• …digital media and the web makes
RW-culture and remixing easy!

11. Hardworking George

12. Der Untergang parodies
• An Internet meme
• Extremely popular
• Millions of views

13. Remixing as a cultural
practice
• Museums are part of society
• Museums could (or should?) reflect
what is happening in society
• Remixing is a significant cultural
practice

14. Header
Text

15. Header
Text

16. … and one RW-example
Text

17. The RW-museum
Our notion: The RW-museum
…over to Christian ;-)

18. The Media Mixer

19. The Media Mixer
Studio Activities:
• The Hot Seat.
• Chromakey Studio.
• The Soundbox.
A (Re-) Mixer Station
A Hot Spot Area.

20. Goals & Means
GOALS:
• Reach and engage a new younger audience.
• Facilitate a more reflective perspective on
media.
• Inspire to take (inter-)active part in RW-
culture.
MEANS:
• Provide unique resources on-site.
• Provide situated experiences of both front
stage and backstage aspects of media.

21. The Hot Seat
• Activity: Virtual interview
• Experience: Answering coherent on
live TV is not as easy as it seems!
• Outcome: Understanding different
styles of interview and the
importance of giving a quick and
concise answer.

22. Header
text

23. Chromakey Studio
• Acitivity: “Live” reporting.
• Experience: The chromakey illusion
and Framing is everything!
• Outcome: Understanding the power
of narrative framing.

25. The Mixer
• Activity: Remixing and sharing
productions.
• Experience: The editor has the last
word!
• Outcome: Understanding the power
of editing.

27. The SoundBox
• Acitivity: Foley sound production
• Experience: There are no “right” way
to make sound. And sound in media
is different from real world sound!
• Outcome: Understanding the role of
sound in audiovisual media

30. The Word is Yours
• Comment on a current topic or
question
• Small exhibit on the topic
• Topic should be a bit provocative or
perhaps a dilemma
• RW-museum; strong incitements to
write ;-)

32. The provocative display

36. The Word is yours
• Statements related to the topic
• Meta debate
• Graffiti
• Errors.

45. Learning in the Media
Mixer
• Experiental learning
• Discovery Learning & Constructivist
Learning (Hein)
• Scaffolding devices

46. Challenges

47. Challenges:
Copyright
• No concept of ‘fair use’ in Danish law.
• We do not provide commercial content.
• We do provide access to material on
the web.
• We cannot stop the users from
remixing with copyrighted material.
• We will remove any productions
infringing copyright.

48. Challenges:
Organizational
EXTERNAL:
• Disadvantage when dealing with
subcontractors.
• Coordinating diverse specialties.
INTERNAL:
• Entrenched notions of the museum-user
relationship.
• Loss of professional authority?
• Compartmentalization

49. Do’s and Don’ts

50. Do’s and Don’ts
DO:
• Make a detailed description of every installation and how it
functions before engaging with subcontractors. Early technical
proof-of-concept is important.
• An iterative design process + early technical installation on site
• Concentrate on what you are good at. Outsource the rest.
• Seek expert advice in evaluating subcontractor deliverances.
• Uphold all your promises on time.
DON’T:
• Make too tight time schedules. Make space for extensive (user)
tests on site.
• Take subcontractor assurances at face value. Demand proof of
progress.
• Be Mr. Nice Guy.

51. Perspectives &
Discussion
• Cultural references are essential for
remix culture.
• Museum collections are treasure
troves for remixers!
• Copyright: We are convinced that
time is working with us, not against
us

52. Thanks!
Thanks for listening 
Time for question, comments and
discussion.