1993 – 1994
In the early 1990s Robert created another system for traversing pre-recorded media files.
This is the first system that I navigated using a MIDI guitar.
The overall structure had a matrix of files about five layers deep: digitized video, digitized audio, MIDI music, and two text files.
The graphic is a rectangle surrounded by triangles surrounded by a circle.
Navigation could be accomplished by either playing one of four notes, or using a mouse to click one of the arrows.
Moving vertically changed the media content, and moving horizontally changed the developmental stage of the narrative.
Shown here is one of the only existing examples from the system, which Robert sold when undertaking a startup company. Built around an Amiga 3000, he sold it and used the money to buy a more businesslike computer for the bay area…a Macintosh.
Initially the “Living Cinema” system was hooked up to SAND, controlling the videodisc player. The combined system looked like this:
