December 5, 2006 3:55 AM PST
From November 30 through December 3, Manhattan's famed Financial District was home to something very out of the ordinary: the Blip Festival, a showcase of artists, musicians and filmmakers who use low-bit video game consoles and computers as creative instruments. Presented by local experimental-arts organization The Tank and music distributor 8bitpeoples, the Blip Festival featured performances from musical acts who came from places as far-flung as Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden and Spain.
Here, Japanese duo Portalenz test out their instruments, consisting primarily of a half dozen Game Boy consoles and a MIDI keyboard, before their show on Sunday night.