This year’s Making New Waves Festival attempts to introduce the ways how artists apply new linking possibilities and how the cyber-world affects the evolution of nouvelle forms and artistic sections.
The best method to develop bridges and connections is to play music together and work together on art projects. Thus it is no wonder that each year one of the most popular events of the Festival is the creative workshops - the so-called SoundPlayingGround - attached to the concert programme. Its success is not only proved by the enthusiasm of the participants, but also by the quality of the finished works and the possibilities residing in them. This is what led us to establish a creative workshop that provides work in between the festivals. Therefore the SoundPlayingGround of this year’s Festival had already started in June 2005; the Festival’s program includes the art projects that had been forming during last year.
February 22 Wednesday, 20.00:
'Ko kon nashi' audiovisual workshop-concert for shakuhachi, live electronics, live video
The beginning piece of the festival is the result of a workshop that looked at how to bring together an old tradition, that of Shakuhachi’s playing technique with modern technology and today’s playing technique. At the centre of Ko Kon Nashi is an awareness, acceptance and an articulation of “no-difference”. In combining the traditional artforms of the music of the Shakuhachi and the calligraphy of Hitsuzendo (The Way of the Zen Brush) with contemporary computer-based sound and moving image forms, we attempt to destroy the difference between past and present. (all electronic and digital media are quantum mechanical phenomena) Further, through the use of software we attempt to break down the difference between sound and image.
composed and performed by: Michael McInerney (GB) – shakuhachi Zlatko Baracskai (Sr), Duncan Chapman (GB), Stewart Collinson (GB), Balázs Horváth (H), Johannes Kretz (A), Barbara Sterk (H), Andrea Szigetvári (H) – live electronics, video
February 23 Thursday 20.00:
Pamela Z: Voci a solo multimedia performance
Pamela Z is a San Francisco-based composer/performer and audio artist who works primarily with voice, live electronic processing, and sampling technology.
Voci (Voices) is a full-evening, multimedia performance work exploring the sonic, cultural, physical, and artistic worlds of the voice, celebrating the broad range of colours in the singing voice and speaking voice, and examining scientific and cultural phenomena around the voice and the many metaphors for voice. In addition to Pamela Z's dramatic performance work with voice and live electronic processing, Voci features vivid, tall video projections designed by filmmakers Jeanne Finley and John Muse and a stunning lighting design by Elaine Buckholtz.
Written, composed, and performed by Pamela Z, Voci consists of layered, dynamically varied segments incorporating live electroacoustic vocal work with real-time digital processing, vocal samples (triggered with light and gesture controllers), and video (projected and on monitors). The stage is alive with unexpected visual and auditory transformations, and from time to time, Z performs \virtual duets\ with some surprise guests who appear in the form of video samples.
These segments approach voice as anatomy, as character, as identifier, and communicator. Weaving together stories about voice with arias, non-verbal utterances, cries and whispers, choruses of \real\ and synthetic voices, and fragments of scientific information, Pamela Z builds a kind of polyphonic mono-opera.
\Ms. Z, a well-known figure on the international contemporary music circuit, is a wonderfully compelling performer with a lot of range... Ms. Z has created a kind of contemporary-music vaudeville, offering a lot of entertainment, a lot of quality and some fine nuggets to mull over on your way home.\ (Anne Midgette, NEW YORK TIMES)
composed, performed and written by: Pamela Z (USA) – voice and live electronics
www.pamelaz.com
February 23 Thursday 21.30:
Jasch (CH): Codespace audiovisual performance
Jasch, alias Jan Schacher, is a double-bass player, composer and digital artist active in the fields of electronic and improvised music, performance art, jazz and contemporary music. He has written pieces for chamber ensemble, the theatre and films, and focuses on combining digital sound and images, abstract graphics and live improvisation. His work includes personal research in interaction between instruments, moving images and electronic sound, solo and collaborative projects in electro-acoustic music, as well as mixed-media pieces for the stage and for installations. He has been invited as a lecturer and guest artist at various cultural and academic institutions and gives concerts at clubs, festivals and exhibitions throughout Europe, the United States and Canada.
Jasch teaches electric and doublebass, programming for sound and image treatment and sensor technology. courses and lectures a.o. at: barcelona, hangar; paris, betaville; basel, music academy; lucerne, academy of fine arts; basel, h y p e r w e r k ; zurich, HMT academy for musique and theatre; vienna, university for applied arts.
Codecspace integrates realtime drawing and motion-images with electronic sounds that evoke an abstract place where organical and crystalline shapes pulsate and flow. Generative (rule-based) processes or algorithms and realtime action by the artist are applied to basic shapes which in conjuction with finely graded colours comprise a rich palette of textures and shapes.
Empty dark space is inhabited by fast moving abstract shapes, structures with an architectural quality develop over extended periods of time. The piece evolves from dark and minimalist atmospheres to abstract densities, like a digital painting performed before the viewer’s eyes. Memory of the images accumulates, obtaining qualities like a painting or etching. Reduction and concentration of elements helps to maintain the crucial focus, build the tension and give insights into the enigmatic and invisible world built of code. The lines of flight lead to explorations on shape and colour, choreographic movements and subaquatic flows, plays of lights and surfaces.
Coming from a background of improvised music and composed contemporary soundscapes, Jasch applies processes to images in much the same way as he does with music. Texturing and layering, temporal evolving structures and brief flashes of light play an important role in this abstract visual flow which oscillates and vibrates with a certain musical quality. The interplay between autonomous processes, algorithms and real-time gestural interaction through physical interfaces affects the composition of the pieces deeply. No element is completely prepared or preproduced. The resulting images are surprising, sensuous, sometimes erratic, always with an edge to them.
composed, programmed and performed by: Jasch – live electronics www.kat.ch/jasch/codespace.html
February 24 Friday 20.00:
Mari Kimura (USA, J) & LEMUR (League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots)
During this extremely unique concert music becomes alive on violin, computer and musical robot and sometimes even a video joins the performance. Mari Kimura picks up the tradition of the virtuoso performer/composer and carries it straight into the future. The New York Times raved her solo performance as \Chilling... gripping... charming... Ms. Kimura is a virtuoso playing at the edge.\ Branching out from a mastery of traditional violin repertoire, Ms. Kimura embraces the worlds of extended violin technique and interactive computer music, making them her own. She pushes the boundaries of the instrument, playing both her own works and those that numerous composers have written especially for her. Ms. Kimura has premiered pieces by such composers as Toshi Ichiyanagi, Jean-Claude Risset, and Tania LeÛn. Ms. Kimura has studied with such major teachers as Joseph Fuchs, Roman Totenberg, Toshiya Eto, and Armand Weisbord. She also studied composition with Mario Davidovsky at Columbia University, and computer music at Stanford University. Ms. Kimura holds a doctorate in performance from Juilliard, and taught as assistant professor of violin at New York University, and gave lectures in universities and conservatories throughout the world. Since September 1998, Ms. Kimura has been teaching a graduate class in Computer Music Performance at The Juilliard School.
LEMUR (League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots) is a Brooklyn-based group of artists and technologists developing robotic musical instruments. Founded in 2000 by musician and engineer Eric Singer, LEMUR's philosophy is to build robotic instruments that \play themselves.\ In LEMUR designs, the robots are the instruments.
Eric Singer is a musician, artist, engineer and programmer and the founder of the LEMUR project. He holds a BS in Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon; a Diploma in Music Synthesis (Magna Cum Laude) from Berklee College of Music; and an MS in Computer Science from New York University. He has 18 years of arts and multimedia programming, engineering and performance experience in the areas of interactive performance systems, integrated music and graphics systems, alternative controller design, networked multimedia environments, interface design, artificial intelligence and computercontrolled pyrotechnics. He has performed and lectured throughout the U.S. and Europe and is known internationally for his popular interactive software objects for Cycling 74's Max.
He currently works as an independent arts engineer and consultant, is Technical Director of the Madagascar Institute, an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the NYU Interactive Telecommunication Program and Lead Programmer of Production Designer multimedia theater software from Wet Electrics. Eric recently lead a team to victory on the reality-based television show Junkyard Wars on The Learning Channel.
Pieces: J. Brendan Adamson: Four Studies for GuitarBot Robert Rowe: Interactive Piece Mari Kimura: Polytopia for violin and electronics and interactive graphics Mari Kimura: GuitarBotana for violin and GuitarBot Frances White: The Old Rose Reader for violin and electronics with projection Conlon Nancarrow: Toccata for violin and electronics
performed by: Mari Kimura (J, USA) – violin, GuiterBot, live electronics Eric Singer (USA) – live electronics www.lemurbots.org
February 24 Friday 21.30:
Eavesdropper & Visual Kitchen (B) a live audio visual concert
After a long rehearsal period playing quite a few concerts together, Eavesdropper and Visual Kitchen finally developed their close cooperated live AVshow. The linked quadruple laptop set emerges the spectator to take them on a trip through our world of grains and pixels. The performance presents a dual screen projection where two identical features interact and synchronise two appearances of the same world. The performance is a sensorial game of cause and effect that puts the spectator on the wrong foot and back in sync again with the surroundings. Eavesdropper – Yves De May started out as a drum'n'bass and breakbeat producer. After playing extensively throughout Flanders and a few releases he got asked to make a score for \Aars\, a huge theatre play by Het Toneelhuis – Antwerpt. One year later he made the soundtrack for \Scratching the Inner Fields\ by Wim Vandekeybus/Ultima Vez. Since then Eavesdropper has been very active on different levels; sound installations, scores for dance, theatre, performance and film, sound design for films and commercials, DJ-sets, live gigs and many more. He also runs the Io profile label Knobsounds and collaborates with Glamor Is Undead. Visual Kitchen started in the late nineties as a collective that focused on live media mixing and is considered one of the pioneers in the Belgian vj-history. In the early days the main activities aimed for the dance floor, with a residency at the Brussels' Cybertheatre, collaborations with mayor Belgian dance events (10daysOff, I love techno, Groovecity) and a long track record of underground performances (rephlexNight, Seats'nBeats). An 'artist in residency'-status at 'Concertgebouw' in Bruges in 2003 was a turning point in the artistic approach, opening up the horizons towards all kinds of different musicians to play with and acquiring a personal set of semantics in performing. With interpretations of the K.H.Stockhausen score 'Pole für 2' for dual MX50 with feedback or the visual adaptation of the original audiotape that accompanied the 'Laborintus II' opera by L. Berio, they set themselves a new standard. The collaborations with Eavesdropper, also resident, continued and intensified, resulting in several forms of collaborations such as the Massive Central collective or the Locker03 DVD/installation. Through the years the active collective grew smaller and the network of visual artists grew stronger, resulting in a totally different approach nowadays: Only two of the original members (Sam Vanoverschelde & Jurgen Van Gemert) are still active in the organization producing live visuals and audiovisual art in their own right, but also co producing live audiovisual events such as the Cimatics Festival, or act as a service to organizations (such as Pukkelpop).
www.visualkitchen.org/html/projects.htm
February 25 Saturday 20.00:
Audible light multimedia performance for dance, laser beams and live electronics
Let us imagine a massive room split up by laser rays. In this magnificent-looking space two dancers (Andrea Ladányi és Csaba Horváth) are moving. With their movements they touch and intersect the laser strings, in a way playing with them and thus they call forth sounds and change the vocal space.
compositions by: Zlatko Baracskai, Balázs Horváth, Gyula Pintér, László Sáry, Andrea Szigetvári, László Vidovszky
performed by: Andrea Ladányi, Csaba Horváth – dance, choreography
programming: Szabolcs Kerestes laser technology: Multimedia Studio – LaserTeather light instruments: János Wieser, Attila Kalcsú
idea: András Kapitány, Zoltán Prosek
February 25 Saturday 21.30:
S.S.S. SensorsSonicsSights (F, J)
Cécile Babiole, Laurent Dailleau, and Atau Tanaka create together a dynamic sound/image environment. S.S.S is a trio performing visual music with sensors and gestures. They create a work of sound and sight, a laptop performance that goes beyond with the intensity of bodies in movement. Going beyond media: music that is more than a soundtrack, images going further than video wallpaper. A three-way conversation modulating sonic and luminous pulse and flow.
Sensors capture gesture and corporeal movement, translating them into digital data: * Ultrasound sensors measure the distance between the performer’s hands and her machine, allowing her to articulate 3D imagery, navigating in color, scale, texture… * The Theremin, historical electronic instrument invented in 1919, an oscillator responds to perturbations of electrostatic fields based on the distance of the hands and body to the instrument… * The BioMuse places gel electrodes on the performer’s forearms, analyzing EMG biosignals. Muscle tension through concentrated movement allows the musician to sculpt sound synthesis.
S.S.S’s singular approach brings them to present their work in a wide range of contexts in music and the digital arts. They are equally at home performing in galleries or underground spaces, in arts centers or research laboratories.
composed and performed by: Cécile Babiole (F), Laurent Dailleau (F), Atau Tanaka (J, F)– live electronics
www.xmira.com/sss/
February 26 Sunday 20.00:
BRIDGES audiovisual concert on a local network using quintet.net software
Quintet.net is Georg Hajdu, composer and computer musician’s program which lets 5 musicians all around the world to play music together at the internet at the same time. After four internet-concerts the participating 6 musicians will connect their computers in the presence of each other.
Programming and conduction by: Georg Hajdu (D)
Composed and presented by: Johannes Kretz (A), Kai Niggermann (D), Ivana Ognjanovic (Yu), Marlon Schumacher (D), Szigetvári Andrea (H)– live electronics
www.quintet.net
SoundPlayingGround
SoundPlayingGround is a series of creative workshops of the festival, where participants can experience themselves the joy of music making and playing. The workshops will be attached closely to the main theme (Digital Bridges) and concert programme of the festival. We will focus on new technology which creates connections between different genres of art and science.
Application: www.makingnewwaves.hu E-mail: info@hcmf.hu tel.: 06-20 3470716
Alternative composition techniques workshop for singers and composers conducted by: Pamela Z (USA)
Pamela Z is a San Francisco-based composer/performer and audio artist who works primarily with voice, live electronic processing, and sampling technology. Processing her live voice through MAX MSP software on a PowerBook, she creates solo works that combine operatic bel canto and experimental extended vocal techniques with found percussion objects, spoken word, and sampled concrete sounds. At Pamela Z's workshop participants experiment with vocal techniques and gesture activities, while building spontaneous group voice pieces. Pamela Z will demonstrate her computer system, including the BodySynth MIDI controller. The participants will have a possibility for hands on experiments with the technology used by her. The workshop will aim towards an improvisation of a common musical piece, which will be performed at the end of the workshop.
Venue: Telecom Zeneház (IX. ker. Budapest, Páva u. 10–12.)
Schedule: Feb 24, Friday 15-18h Feb 25, Saturday 11-13h, 14-16h, 19-20h (demonstration)
eye and ear / sound and image audiovisual workshop conducted by: Jasch (Jan Schacher) (CH)
This workshop addresses creators from both the fields of music and fine arts but also people from other backgrounds interested in reflecting on the usage and mixing of old and new media in the fields of visual and sonic expressions.
venue: Trafó, Dinamó
schedule: Feb 23., Thursday 11-14h, 15-17h Feb 24., Friday 14-19h Feb 25., Saturday 11-14h, 16-19h Feb 26., Sunday 11-14h, 18-21h (demonstration concert)
LEMUR workshop conducted by: Mari Kimura (J, USA) and Eric Singer – LEMUR (USA)
Group A: for amateurs, children demonstrating Eric Singer will demonstrate the GuitarBot, LEMUR's guitar-like robotic musical instrument. He will explain how it works and give participants a chance to control and play the instrument.
Group B: for composers, musicians, programmers Eric Singer will demonstrate the GuitarBot, LEMUR's guitar-like robotic musical instrument. He will explain how it works and give technical information on how the instrument may be controlled and played via MIDI. He will also be on hand to work with composers to create pieces for the instrument.
Mari Kimura – lecture on performing with interactive computer
Venue: Trafó, Studio Schedule: Group A: Feb 24, Friday 10-11h Feb 25, Saturday 10-11h
Group B: Feb 23, Thursday 14-18h Feb 25, Saturday 14-18h Feb 26, Sunday 11-13h, 15-17h, 18-21h(demostartion concert)
Mari Kimura - lecture: Feb 25, Saturday 11-13h
SENSORSSONICSSIGHTS workshop conducted by: Laurent Dailleau (F) and Cécile Babiole (F)
Music workshop with Laurent Dailleau Participants are supposed to play an electronic instrument (analogue or digital synthesizer, sampler, vintage electronic instrument (e.g. theremin, ondes martenot…), laptop, running a musical software, sensor-based instrument…, alternate controllers. Participants are supposed to know how to use their instrument. The goal is to build/compose/improvise a musical piece, which will be performed live in front of an audience at the end of the workshop, along with images (see Cécile Babiole’s workshop content).
Video workshop with Cécile Babiole Each participant will shoot a video sequence based on what’s happening in Laurent Dailleau workshop room. Any thing from what’s happening in this room, for instance the various aspects of the instruments, the movements of the musicians, the lights and shadows of the blinking interfaces… The 10 video sequences will be shown during the 15/20 minutes performance of Laurent Dailleau’s musicians. We shall coordinate with them to set the videoclips together, the video could also be some kind of a visual notation for the music piece in addition to the graphic notation.
Venue: Trafó Schedule: Feb 26 Sunday 11-14h, 15-18h, 20h (demonstration concert)
