Daniel Peltz, professor of film, animation and video at Rhode Island School of Design, wanted to bring the people of Denver closer to the Democratic National Convention that will take place there Aug. 25 to 28.

Peltz wanted the Denver folks to become part of the quadrennial political extravaganza – or, at least, feel as if they’re part of it. “I wanted local manipulation of the video feeds coming out of the convention, some way to allow the people of Denver to intervene in that signal,” he said.

But he wasn’t sure exactly how to do that until an idea struck while visiting the city: karaoke speechmaking.

RISD graduate Seth Goldenberg had invited Peltz to present a proposal for “Dialog: City.” Goldenberg is the curator and director of the unique multi-media event. The first of its kind at a political convention, according to Denver officials, Dialog: City will comprise 10 art installations located throughout the city, with the aim of sparking public dialogue about politics. Another RISD professor, Charlie Cannon, and his students are working on a climate change exhibit, “Partly Sunny: Designs to Change the Forecast.”

When visiting the Denver area in February, Peltz noticed that political discussions already were going on, but at places where people went for entertainment, such as bars, clubs and taverns. Each establishment had several widescreen television sets, which were on all the time and usually tuned to the news.

Suddenly, “it dawned on me,” he said.

He remembered that, while studying for his master’s degree in fine arts from Northwestern University, he had made a karaoke version of former President Bill Clinton’s televised four-minute speech Aug. 17, 1998, apologizing to the American public for the Monica Lewinski scandal.

Peltz is preparing for Denver a brand new kind of karaoke, one political junkies should love. He has taken victory, concession and drop-out speeches given by the 2008 candidates, turned the words into big-print karaoke text fit for video screens, and retained as background audio the cheers and jeers of the live crowds. So, using the Peltz system, anyone can now stand up before an audience and re-enact Hillary Clinton’s victory speech in New Hampshire or Barack Obama’s concession speech. He will offer his system to clubs and taverns all over Denver, with each becoming a “karaoke convention site.”

Nowadays, with the popularity of programs like “American Idol,” everyone wants to be the star of his or her own show, and karaoke allows a spectator to become the performer. “It matters if we remain an audience or if we become performers,” Peltz said. “By performing [politicians’] gestures, you gain some access to them in a way you never could have otherwise, you get to know them in some new sense.”

“The most interesting thing has been in watching the speeches over and over again while creating the karaoke files,” said Filip Olszewski, a 2006 RISD graduate working on the project. “Tactics become clearer, desperation or confidence start to show through in speeches that don’t seem that different. It’s giving me a new perspective on the campaign and on the potentials of karaoke.”

Peltz is also intrigued by the idea of converting famous presidential speeches, like President Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address, into karaoke. Asked if someday anyone will be able to purchase a political karaoke set for home use, he laughs and says he really hasn’t thought about that. He does note that, while Americans tend to belittle karaoke as an art form, the Japanese see it as “high culture.”

Besides Olszewski, Jessie Rauch-Dickson, a RISD graduate student, and Alison Naturale, 2007 RISD graduate, are working with Peltz. “Karaoke Convention: Participatory Democracy and the Future of Karaoke” is an independent project, not affiliated with RISD. •