spark is an audio-visual producer and performer, the alter-ego of toby harris with an eye for the graphic. Everyone reacts to concrete brutalism differently, and in the birmingham-back-then it seemed almost natural to embrace it with big cameras, clunky video mixers and a extreme amounts of bass. then came digital media and laptops live; what had seemed madness suddenly made sense, it could all be brought together. *spark came out of that realisation, and has been a pioneer within the emergent field of vjing ever since. From those early days, *spark has toured the country with fuel records, held long-standing club residencies
and performed showcase sets at festivals worldwide. developing the field, *spark has taken improvisational video into theatre; coordinated visuals talent and technology for festivals and tours; worked with arts education bodies; helped support and develop realtime video software; and is currently deep int exploring
just what ‘live cinema’ could be.
*spark is also known for representing vjing, being a leading figure behind vjcentral.com and a founder of its
real-world partner AVIT - “the best evidence yet of the burgeoning international community that has grown up
around [vjs] art” and “an important internationally focussed event, which has particular significance for
burgeoning art forms based on digital technologies”. [DJ Mag; UK Arts Council].
2004 saw the landmark ‘rbn_esc’ project realised, a fusion between cinema and live experimental visuals
first seen to much acclaim alongside four tet at the big chill festival. also marking the year was ‘context is
everything’, a motion graphic piece showcasing *spark’s honed studio based audio-reactive production
techniques.
2005 saw Toby chairman of AVITUK and working with narrative lab to invest meaning into the vj artform. The
week long AVITUK2005 festival and symposium held in April was an acclaimed success, bringing together
high-level arts education, accomplished technical setups, inspiring commercial and cultural showcases, an
environment of networking and discourse into a polished and inspiring whole, while remaining true to the avit
ethos of community and participation.
2006 was the year the audio-visual work broke out of the studio and onto stage, with a commission by the
2020collective to produce and perform rbn_esc in audiovisual form. refined further for the opening of
narrative lab’s residency at london’s new roxy bar and screen venue, the challenge for 2007 is to create an
performance interface worthy of the ideas of ‘live cinema’. watch this space...
