not in brooklyn

Transmission

2012-01-12T16:48:00.000+01:00

Every so often, you may happen upon, something I affectionately refer to as, the law of thrice. This is when ideas, objects, experiences, etc. come to your awareness within a relatively short span of time. Usually, I find that it is unnecessary to look for the thrice; it will find you. It is coincidence. But, if we did not have coincidence factored into our lives, it would be quite dull. Would it not?

This cycle is of particular interest to me because it is somewhat related to a project I am currently developing. However, the topic may be of interest to any who love sound. The first item is a book edited by Galen Joseph-Hunter of free103point9. Here is a link to a PDF excerpt: Transmission Art: Artists and Airwaves. The book "Features 150 artists notable for their sonic, visual, and live works, spanning early radio experiments of the 1880s up to the present." Those familiar with LoVid will be pleased to see some of there work being featured. A little article captures a bit of spirit of transmission art and its roots in pirate radio.

I think it is unlikely that I will be in Brighton, England any time soon, but a second point of interest (for research or otherwise) may be the Invisible Fields exhibition at the Lighthouse. Also, massive light installations are currently a point of interest for me as well. You will soon see.

I am not sure exactly how the last of the three fits in, but the House of Natural Fiber in Yogyakarta, Indonesia produced electronic music from recordings of the brewing of wine. A small article can be read in Artlog. HONF and The Waag Society of Amsterdam have established a FabLab next to casks. Wine and electronics? Historically, I don't think it has proved well, but maybe we are entering a new age.

@Indian Institute of Technology

2011-12-29T17:21:00.000+01:00

I recently visited the Indian Institute of Technology. It is located on the shore, east of Powai Lake, adjacent a nature reserve to the north. It is misleading because it is quiet; absent of the congestion of Mumbai traffic. Amidst the institute's engineering facilities lies a small department for designers. It is there, among industrial-sized fabrication devices and a MAC lab which resembles a control room for a factory assembly line, that Sachin Datt tells me about the PhD research he has been working on for the last five years.

"Datt Guy"

It is just a small task; reconceptualizing the educational methodology for secondary school children. He envisions a holistic approach in which educational material is logically organized into a narrative, a story. Part fiction, part reality. This is not really a stretch of his imagination. Sachin is someone who has produced illustrations and stories by means of comics for years. He began this research because, at heart, he believes it is possible to teach children "innovation in thinking". It is not really a stretch for the human imagination as well. With all the inefficiencies built into the human genetic code, the one thing we are really good at is telling a story. We have been doing it for thousands of years, for thousands of lines of poetry and prose through the medium of oral traditions. We attribute the Iliad and the Odessey, but scholars are unable to trace historical evidence to a single author. (wiki) But, it only makes perfect sense; how else can you explain the survival of a story, one which reflects the contemporary moral, ethical, and heroic proportion, if not through the morphic, oral medium. It is constantly re-writing itself, much like the evolution of our newly found virtual environment which desperately seeks the same organic process.

It is certainly refreshing to hear someone who is turning their art into something which will, hopefully, have and enduring positive effect on others for years to come. I think this approach, of art-made-innovation, art-made-practical-application, [for lack of better term] is something that is needed. That is, if, as humans, we really wish to better the place in which we live. It is apparent that no one is going to take the helm of the earth ship and steer us clear into the future. It is task left to the ordinary; "dat girl" or "dat guy".

@Clutch Production

2011-10-25T20:18:00.003+02:00

One of the summer's projects... Laura's Clutch Bag productions. Here are a few of the vignettes

Umbra Solis@Melkweg

2011-04-25T12:00:00.004+02:00

La Scala (the staircase) from Umbra SOlis on Vimeo.

I recently contributed a live sound mix and technical support for the performance of Samadhi - Le Furie & Sotto la Radice. The technical support namely came in the form of design and assembling a portable box with light controllers, amplifiers, and power supply. The effect from the light bowls design by Federico Bonelli can be seen in the video above, as well as, a sample of a live mix. Though not perfected, the performance was an opportunity to test the durability of bowls. We have a much better idea of what a proper design should look like. A sample video of Le Furie is also provided here below.

Shamadi (the furies) - synthesis from Umbra SOlis on Vimeo.

Rooting - Sequence 01: Kore from Umbra SOlis on Vimeo.

tower sessions

2011-03-02T21:24:00.005+01:00

Over the course of the past two months I have been recording and mixing a range of sounds, found and contrived. Well, not entirely. Much is improvised. Overall, I am structuring the collection in the form of a Latin mass. It is not particularly holy, though meditative at times. Maybe such an organization is the result of the acoustics where I am recording.

Munda cor Meum by Defenestrated

Section: RockDocs

2011-02-12T00:26:00.019+01:00

Here is a partial list of some biographic video programmes that I have viewed. The production values are mixed. However, the docs which have a more musicological and technical assessment are marked with a *. The videos which I am not so interested in either have poor production or do not use the music they are talking about.

*Led Zepplin - Physical Graffiti
Led Zepplin - Origin of The Species
Kate Bush - Under Review
Neil Young - Under Review
The Smiths - Under Review
*ok computer - Under Review
*in Utero
White Strips - Candied Color Blues (not very interesting)
The Cure - Into the Woods (not very interesting)
*Pink Floyd - Meddle
Zappa - In the 60s
*Velvet Underground
*David Bowie - Plastic Soul

New Year's Shock and Awe

2011-01-05T12:08:00.001+01:00

This is an excerpt of a recording made on made on New Year's in Amsterdam Zuid-Oost. As a comparison of ambient levels, the first 20 seconds are recorded from the same location on a different day. Needless to say, following the activity a sulfur fog blotted the visibility of a relatively clear night to just a few blocks.

open studios@rijksakademie

2010-11-28T13:16:00.038+01:00

The website for the openstudios does not have any usable links, and the artists do not seem to have much of an online presence as well. Overall, I was quite confused as to the roll which video plays in much of the students' work. It appears as though video was being heavily used as an ornament for mixed media works. In some cases it was clear that it serves as a tool for process. However, aside from those exceptions, there was no clear purpose, direction or relevance which supported the addition of the medium. With that being said, here are a few of the artists that I did like.

Anna Franceschini's films make use of the medium with a clear aesthetic. That is, the images are simple but the composition and lighting of the shots bring out the textures that the medium of film is capable of producing.


Reliques of ancient english poetry	signature

Jian Yang's work (above left) reminds me a little bit of Tim Hawkinson.(above right) Hawkinson's exhibition at the Whitney in 2005 included many delicate and mechanical works, including a pipe organ made of paper, and 'signature' - a student's desk-chair which automated the process of copying out the artist's name on paper, before being cut and discarded onto a pile on the floor. Jian also had a small mirco/marco film box which intermittently illuminated a body hanging from a tree. Macabre tends to be more palpable when it is cute.

Thank God there are still artists with humor. Feiko Beckers' work is not only entertaining but provocative.

'The Matrix'

Some other work I enjoyed was Kianoosh Motallebi's 'The Matrix' - an incandescent light bulb fused with fluorescent tube. The inductor hanging from the wall was a nice touch.

Finally, There is no image available for Giorgi Andreotta's work; however, this image is similiar, only a mirror was used in place of leaves. It is also nice to see someone who is using the particularities of their work space and integrating such a sensitivity into their process.

'Dead Leaves. Still life. Still alive']

Turntable Music Night 8@STEIM

2010-11-27T13:18:00.007+01:00

A lovely cold and wet evening, what else to do but cycle to see a little turntable action at STEIM. Not only does Yann Leguay have a really nice website where you can download some free tracks, but he builds and appropriates his own sound-making devices. One turntable was comprised of a reel-to-reel recorder, in which the reels were replaced with discs. By popping it into FFWD, the needle bounces out the beats. The flexibility comes from the free-standing arm and stylus he constructs. Therefore, he is able to put the needle in places such as, on the heads of tape recorders, Record(?)-to-Reel, and a hacked hard-disk drive. The sounds were as interesting as is the theater of his performance. read more from STEIM...

Yesterday@November Music Festival

2010-11-25T12:21:00.012+01:00

When I first heard all of these music boxes, I was really not sure what the tune was or even if the boxes were playing the same melody. What stood out more was the mechanistic quality of the tines and the drone of motors. It is mildly disorienting.

Despite the melody burning ghostly traces into my sonic memory, I enjoyed helping out Dyane and Evelien with their installation. I hope they will develop other projects centered on music boxes; they really do have nice sonic qualities. After all, there are not so many automated mechanisms which have survived for centuries. Certainly, none with so much poetic and nostalgic relevance. See more of Yesterday

Yesterday at Orgelpark, April 2011.

Open Circuit@MU

2010-11-21T23:30:00.000+01:00

If you are visiting the STRP Festival, you might want to pop over to Eindhoven and visit the Funware exhibit at MU. Some young German artists have put together a nice installation you can play with. I am particularly interested in their work because it fills much of the criteria I like to see in the electronic arts. That is, it is made with relatively low costs, it minimizes CPU usage and it is a simple idea.

What they have done is cut and place adhesive strips of conductive metal throughout the gallery which are carrying low voltages of various sounds. You can hear the sounds by placing hand-crafted speakers containing piezo transducers on the "rails".There are few other pieces you may like as well, so take some time to visit.

@Acid Mothers Temple

2010-11-14T23:32:00.015+01:00

So for Dorian's birthday, I thought it best to convince everyone at the party to head to OCCII to catch a set from Acid Mothers Temple. (I think they enjoyed it, anyway they seem to.) I have admired them ever since Mr. Stanley, designer extraodinaire, turned me on to them. I am not sure what else to say about the AMT, perhaps "epic freedom". They are talented musicians who are comfortable with non-trivial (musical) experimentation. Meaning: it is not all about defining a particular sound or trademark style, e.g. you don't go to see them because you know what is going to happen. It is as much about the process as it is about producing some-sort-of product. You *can* go to a show expecting the the unexpected. Of course, they do not perform with a routine energy. No. It is all very fresh and genki.

In short, it is a performance that makes the rainy bike ride worth while. Also, I realized that I have not had the opportunity to rock out, laughingly, in some time.
ありがとう

@STEIM

2010-11-12T15:03:00.010+01:00

Technology can often be a distraction in a performance which is heavily dependent upon hardware, software, etc. Last week, Byungjun Kwon blended sound, live video and audience participation into a performance that focused on the medium, not the means.

The acoustic and visual imagery was simple and presented in such a way that the technology was not a distraction, even overtly apparent. From a compositional perspective, the shape of the piece was interesting because it shifted in dynamics, rhythm, texture, and, even melodic at times.

There were basically four sections to the piece. The first section presented the elements of AM transmissions, an amplified pen with mounted camera. The live video of Mr. Kwon's writing combined with the tactile sound of paper being scored with the stylus of ink pen was a musical gesture because it shaped my sense of time passing as something I viewing from the outside. The characters (which I assume are from the Hangul alphabet) in, and of themselves, require strong gestures. The live video of this act instilled a sense of something nostalgic. Not only because the materials, but quality of the video as well which almost appeared as candle light. Section two of the piece was (really) a pop-song accompanied by a simple rhythmic loop. The twist being a strong visual image consisting of a close-up of his eye. The close-up was so close that I lost my reference to anatomy; the iris appeared as swirling gas on a planet. Of course, the reflection from his lens of the light source, was like that of a nearby star. Also, his processed voice was modulated similar to a warped record. The third section involved threading an electrically sensitive rope that produced chaotic clicks and pops through the audience. The fourth, and last section, was a slow moving ebb and flow of tidal white noise which fading into the ether. Again, a feeling of nostalgia as I thought I might of heard voices on the AM frequency again.

The ocean, AM radio, the sound of pen on paper (the original text message), and a vintage sounding voice, are elements which can evoke some metaphorical references. What I walked away with was a sense of timelessness of the human experience in the context of displacement or travel. That is, continuous processes that we all face and experience. The sea is constant, as is the quality of voice on the radio. And, though our lives shift more quickly over this slower moving landscape, each of us are in some way, connected. In reference to the rope, I think of what a friend once said, "Don't fall off the boat."
more about the event...

Abelardo Morell@NYC

2010-11-01T16:29:00.010+01:00

Unfortunately, I am not in NYC to see this exhibition, but I am a big fan of his work. I would recommend him to anyone interested in light. Abelardo has been working on this particular camera obscura technique for some years now. He is really getting some fantastic images. The image he is recording, is an image of an image. That is, he is using a camera inside of a camera. . Basically, he is taking a photo with (small) camera inside of a camera that has but a pinhole to the outside world. As you can image, capturing low-level, refracted and reflected light requires long exposure times. The image from a pinhole is usually inverted, so he is incorporating either a mirror or lens to re-invert the image.

Here is the link to some of his works being exhibited. Unfortunately, it is one of those ridiculous flash sites, which despite being fancy, still looks 90's cheap. Click on EXHIBITIONS and there you will see Morell's work. http://brycewolkowitz.com/www/. The photos from Italy are quite extraordinary.

@ROBODOCK

2010-09-27T15:52:00.001+02:00

ROBODOCK held, what is very likely, its last event: the FENIX. It was a festival of music, sculpture performance, pyrotechnics, and, to a lesser extent, debauchery. Though the setting was smaller than in previous years, the mechanical type-of fairyland, steeped in archaic ritual, still provided a magical transportation to another time and space. Well, at least I forgot that I was in Amsterdam North for a little time.

The finale was reached in an episode entitled: "the Story of the FeniX"
..."The Pyrophonic Ensemble Berlin meets les resonateurs de La machine, meets la Mécanique Vivante meets Dutch Tetzepi meets actors in a apotheosis of flame throwers, fire organs, sirens, blowers and more."
One standing far from the blasts could easily feel the heat. A side note, on the day following the festival, while my housemate was listening to Jesus Christ Superstar, I could not help but notice the similarities (in-part) between the music at the festival. Anyhow, it was a spectacular event.

@PICNIC 2010

2010-09-24T13:11:00.007+02:00

I recently sat-in on a set of presentations connected by the internet of things. This was like an exercise in evolution theory. The forecast is somewhat reassuring, as with all future events, it is better to be skeptically optimistic then overly zealous. The basic premise is that technology, specifically peer-to-peer communication, lends itself to tribal or self-organizing, social structures which will inevitably challenge traditional notions and procedures of governance to provide meaningful leadership. Presentations were given by: Ben Schouten, Usman Haque, Natacha Roussel, Francesca Bria, Jo Caudron, Peter van Waart, Constantijn Van Oranje-Nassau
"New ways of decision making: Representative democracy as we know it in the West is becoming a historical position rapidly and will disappear as a direct result of the internet and the internet of things..." more

@STEIM

2010-09-21T11:58:00.005+02:00

Astro Twin (Ami Yoshida & Utah Kawasaki), Gail Priest, dj sniff
The first set of Gail Priest was meditative. Laptop, voice manipulation, and glass filtered feedback. Astro Twin with dj sniff could almost be described as pain control with elements of happiness. Overall, rather plaintive. But, you can check it out for yourself...more

@Unexpected

2010-09-11T02:04:00.006+02:00

Here is my short list from the Night of the Unexpected: Sergey Khismatov, Francisco López,Gamelan Kyai Fatahillah, second place goes to, Gong Semara Ratih, and first place goes to: Knalpot. Major disappointment goes to American Men. I was really expecting costumes and Miami-styled Lasers.

Knalpot - Casio Halbzeit from Thijs Molenaar on Vimeo.

@V2 Summer Sessions

2010-09-06T15:05:00.001+02:00

I was at V2 to check some of the projects of the summer residence. I was most interested in Mark Shepard's work, http://survival.sentientcity.net/blog/

"Every year, V2_ invites a small group of up-and-coming artists to spend their summer in the V2_Lab for an intense short-term residency..." read more

DeFenestrated@V2

2010-07-12T10:29:00.005+02:00

At this event, I presented brief synopsis of my thesis and research with ultrasound. V2 is calling the series, Test_Lab: The Invisible City. The Invisible City is a reference to none other than one of the most influential artist of the 20th century, Italo Calvino. (hint, that is my opinion.) The title of this event was also the theme of the Master works being presented.
The audience was really patient; it was one of the hottest days, but the cold beverages and ices helped everyone keep cool. Special thanks to Michel and Ivana for inviting me.

DeFenestrated@NP3

2010-07-09T23:30:00.003+02:00

FMI's Interactive Media and Environment graduates mounted their show at NP3 on July 3 to the 12th.
My thesis work, entitled, Species: approaching a light fountain, was based on the research I conducted into ultrasound. The acoustic heterodyning effect could be heard if one was able to mentally filter out the ambient sounds in the gallery. The installation uses 42 piezo transducers and a steel bowl weighing about 100kg with the stand. The holes in the steel were made possible by a sponsorship from Machinefabriek Börger.
The process was involved, more so than I anticipated. However, I discovered a comfort in working with metal and plastics, and generated many ideas for new works. In this way, the project did more than I could imagine. More information is located at defenestrated.

@Optifonica

2010-06-25T12:58:00.000+02:00

Lab Optifonica hosted another Synergetica event in their lab in Amsterdam. The white wine was refreshing. The host of this installment was Canadian theorist and immersive artist Chris Salter.

"The visual arts world increasingly embraces temporal “unobjects” and events that range from phenomenological investigations to technically saturated, responsive a/v environments—dissolving not only Michael Fried’s notion of object-hood but also the notion of the work external to human perception itself. This talk will examine the repercussions of James Turrell’s and Robert Irwin’s proposal to investigate the thresholds of perception in an experiential environment. Specifically, it will focus on the conception of the self and body in both contemporary artistic practices with media coupled with recent concepts arising from enactive cognition. What happens to the “sensing self” and its embodiment in audio-visual environments that overload or reduce our perception and how does this self expand or dissolve through such encounters?"

@SMART PROJECT SPACE

2010-06-15T21:02:00.000+02:00

Immersive sound artist Francisco Lopez (Madrid, Amsterdam) in collaboration for the first time with generative artist Paul Prudence (London) forge live mutating morphologies. The organic and the virtual collide in crisp detail.
Shortly after this performance, as I walked through the streets of Amsterdam, the feeling that washed over me was one of fluidity. This show was a brain wash.

Gregory Taylor @FMI

2010-05-18T17:58:00.000+02:00

It was nice to have a lecture and studio visit with American performer/composer and cycling 74 accomplice, Gregory Taylor yesterday. The visit started with a lunchtime concert in studio A7 (photo: top left to right, bottom) with myself, adapted mandolin; Greg, laptop; and Kasper, re-appropriated and homemade instruments. The topic of his lecture centered on data control structures. I will say, he is not one to hold back; even after the lecture, he was forth-coming with suggestions and ideas for approaching musical ideas. Thanks to Jan for organizing the visit.

FMI@TUIG

2010-05-14T16:05:00.000+02:00

Yesterday, IME and Scenography students were
invited for an afternoon of learning about the technology that is used for SCHRAAPZUCHT, which is a performance created by the theatre group TUIG. Special thanks to Jan Klug for orgnaizing the afternoon and Marc van Vliet for taking the time to show us everything.

After the show, we were able to catch a set of handmade-goth by the Sexton Creeps.

FMI@Planet Art

2010-05-04T10:58:00.001+02:00

Last week was the opening of a show for FMI students at PlanetArt in Amsterdam. Installations, as well as, a set from Kasper (with his homemade electro-acousitc instrument) and myself (with my extended mandolin and pedal o' metal, which actually added a good deal of distortion) joined by Sahal running the visuals. A very special thanks to Kees de Groot for the opportunity.

modified metal

2010-04-24T00:57:00.000+02:00

ver. [mid-modified] adding a second row of buttons,
breakout cable to pressure and IR sensors, as well as,
LED indicators.

ver. (mid) designed with 5 foot-worthy buttons.

ver. (pre) designed to accommodate an Arduino.

FMI(kind-of)@De Cast

2010-04-22T12:43:00.001+02:00

This week a few of us from the FMI organized an afternoon of performance, exhibition, and experimentation at the De Cast cafe which is located at the Hanzehogeschool: Thijs Jansen, painting; Francesca Bardaro, Scenography; Sahal, Paco, and myself from IME. Thanks to Hielke Wenselaar for inviting us to perform.

DeFenestrated@Vera

2010-04-17T19:01:00.002+02:00

It was presented to the musicians with liberal interpretations. This performance became quite abstract; a welcomed surprise. The musicians were René van Munster, Thóra Margrét Sveinsdóttir with Jelte Althuis and Ivar Berix from Calefax. Thanks to Timon Abels for inviting me to the after-party.

Also, this is the third incarnation of the real-time composer program. It has become apparent to me that further development will require a more stable programming environment.

Presentation by Bert Otten

2010-03-23T13:52:00.001+01:00

Bert Otten gave two lectures at the FMI for the Interactive Media students. Basically, the theme of the lectures was about the function that movement plays in the evolution of biological organisms, the various control and response systems embedded in the mechanics of our bodies, and how neurological processes are integrated. Overall, Bert does many things, notably his attention is devoted to NeuroMechanics at the Center for Human Movement Sciences.

SONIC ACTS XIII...pity, you should have gone.

2010-03-01T14:54:00.000+01:00

Well, I just have to say, if I can compare this festival to Ars Electronica, this was far more interesting for the audio minded, and, maybe, a little more contemporary. A big thanks to Arie for allowing me to participate!
The basis of the content was sound (which, as I have already stated before, is the medium for highest art form known to man.) but space, architecture, light (video&film), interactivity, autonomous systems, umm...topped with some cosmology and buttered with philos of antiquity, were discussed as well.

The quality of programming, as well as, the presentations and performances, were well organized and executed. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the entire event, so I should not make broad-sweeping generalizations. However, I did see two days worth of presentations, and I was able to exchange some ideas and gather a bit of information from individuals outside of the event. It was reassuring to approach some of these personalities (as these hybrid science-art types can be quite eccentric,) to find that they were unpretentious. Not all, but many. As far as the content of the work and ideas; I have a short list of individuals who stand out. with links for reference. Philip Beesley, Roger Malina, Paul Prudence, Jacob Kirkegaard, Steven Connor, Hans Koch (on the worst day, this man can bring a smile to my face.) and, Marcos Novak.

I was also really pleased to see (quite a few) references to the work of my friend and former teacher, David Dunn, from my days in Santa Fe.

studio visit with Dmitry Gelfand and Evelina Domnitch

2010-02-19T16:10:00.001+01:00

Yesterday, I was afforded the opportunity to spend the afternoon talking with Dmitry and Evelina about topics such as; evolution, cosmology, biophysics, optics and ultrasound, as well as, collaborations between the arts and sciences. The discussion of ultrasound centered around two works in particular: Camera Lucida and Sonolevitation, simply because this area of their work closely resembles my own interests in developing sonic environments. Overall, the importance of collaborations between highly specific fields of research and practice (e.g. artistic and scientific) was a recurring theme. There are mutual benefits, if only given the opportunity to lift the box off of one's head.

Studio Presentation #3

2010-02-19T16:06:00.001+01:00

Soon to come, an audio/visual sample from the third studio presentation that was held on january 29. René van Munster, cello and Þóra Margrét Sveinsdóttir, viola.

UFO@FMI

2010-01-19T17:57:00.001+01:00

Kasper and myself assembled a unidentified frequency oscillator from various analogue technologies. Magnets and playback heads are producing the oscillation. Thanks to Benjamin Gaulon & Laurens Rozema for leading the eWaste-workshop.

A Maze Game

2009-12-29T19:10:00.002+01:00

In collaboration with Sahal, and students from the Department of Art History and Theory at the RUG, this game was derived from the letters B-L-U in the context of game theory and play.

The players imaged here are directing their co-players through a maze that is mapped on the floor before them, using only a scaled, tactile interface. The game's objective is to navigate the co-player through the maze without getting lost or confused.

Random Sessions

2009-12-07T17:41:00.002+01:00

Random Collision is a dance studio that encourages other forms of art as well. They have hosted three sessions so far. On Dec. 4 Jan Klug and I did some live sound making. The organizers encourage any artist who is interested in experimenting with their 'media' to join. Photos were taken by Sahal.

the bird: a short subject film

2009-12-03T19:29:00.001+01:00

Finally, I finished editing a short subject film project that I began in the spring of 2008. However, the film will not be available for the web for some time. In the meantime, here is a little trailer.

The Bird from de fenestrated on Vimeo.

CalArts presentation @ STEIM

2009-10-28T14:03:00.000+01:00

A performance of ensemble-style, improvised electro-acoustic/electronic music at (where else, but) STEIM on Oct. 14th. The ensemble consisted of students from the CalArts MFA program. I was particularly taken by the "subtle theatre" of Aniela Perry's performance, toe sensors and all. It reminds me how important a hint of theatre is to a performance, even if it is one of improvised music. The intention and the focus of one's energy is that much more important.

RealTime @ Studio A7

2009-10-28T13:06:00.001+01:00

On Oct. 9th I hosted an evening of performance. The only guideline was that things had to be in real-time or performed. The domain was open to any expressive form. Conservatively, the event consisted of A/V improvisations, aside from a few minutes of spoken word. The form was rigid, as performers regarded each others' work with a reserved discretion. Most notably, performance, as a distinct and fluid motion, allowed the performers with an audio (or musician's) practice to stand apart from the visually minded. However, performance skills are only acquired through experience. Never-the-less, the fact still remains that music is the highest art form humanity has realized.

Here is an edited video of the evening's events.
Participants included; Hideki, Kasper, Avik, Paco the Taco, Sahal, Debbie, HsienYu and Myself with Þóra on Viola, and René playing Cello in this audio mix:

Sketch #4

Gunung Sari @ Bar Matchless

2009-07-18T03:26:00.001+02:00

Nick Lesley curated an evening of music for the IS THIS POP? series at Bar Matchless in Brooklyn. (Ok, this section of the blog is called "In Brooklyn".) Calling it computer music, real-time processing, electro-acoustic, there was also over-driven guitars, hardcore noise and a stoner-rock band that had just everyone banging their heads. The owner of the bar also repairs motorcycles. Here is more about the lineup: Neg-Fi / Yoni Niv / Gunung Sari / Light In August / Alien Whale (Colin from USAisaMonster, Matt from Talibam!, Nick from Necking)

G.Sari from left to right: Nick Lesley, Stanley Ruiz and Myself

UltraSonic Probe

2009-06-21T15:49:00.000+02:00

An afternoon of ultrasound with Peter R. Lesterhuis from the Hanze University, School of Health Care Studies - Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy, in which is discussed ultrasonic behavior when applied to imaging, and observations of cavitation and harmonics.

Studio Presentation

2009-06-20T17:46:00.002+02:00

A studio presentation of Three Sketches in the mediums of light and sound on June 16 @ Studio A7, Radesingel 6.
with:
Þóra Margrét Sveinsdóttir - Viola
René van Munster - Cello
DJ KnoKno - turntable, electric guitar
Michael Dotolo - video/audio mixing
and Jan Klug - Theremin

AFTER LOVE

2009-02-20T22:11:00.000+01:00

AFTER LOVE is a theatre performance conceived by Sally Jaber. My contribution includes sound and video design. There are two performances scheduled at the Grand Theatre Groningen, March 1, 16.00 & March 3, 20.30.

tiNK cliNK

2009-02-18T23:38:00.001+01:00

tiNK cliNK is an album that I have recently completed. Basically, it is multi-track improvisation with various instruments including: mandolin, bouzouki, flute, vox, and percussion. Contact me if you are interested in receiving copy of the music: md(at)defenestrated.org

... ... ... LANGZAAM

2009-02-18T23:03:00.001+01:00

The second semester at the FMI begins... Langzaam is (was) a film that was made for the Cinema Solubile festival of futurism which was held on February 10&11. It features the acting talents of Hideki Kanno. Participants had 23 hours in which to create a film. Of course, in the tradition of impermanence, the master copy was destroyed shortly after it was premiered. Enjoy the stills that I extracted before the showing.

FUCINAOFF '08

2008-12-11T15:17:00.002+01:00

After a busy week or so in Spoleta at the Fucinaoff '08 http://www.fucinaoff.net/ two projects that I had worked were presented on 12/8. One was a collaboration with Francesca Bardaro and Cassandra Hernandez in which I implemented the audio interaction.

I also prepared a sound installation in the stairwell at the museum, entitled "Passing the Harvest". I was pleased with the characteristics of the space and how the sound behaved. For instance, the geometry in the stairwell created many nodes or instances of direct acoustic projection. Also, the amplification did not need to be very loud. Kasper made a quick 4min. recording. There was no strong visual component, so I have included a small slide-show of some images from Spoleto. The audio is simply loops from my mandolin recorded periodically throughout the evening. So, if someone entered the stairwell, it is possible they would find me playing mandolin. However, if they did pass throgh the stairwell at a later time, it is possible they would not see me, but they would hear the remnants of what I was playing. This idea of live and recorded events and the expectation or illusion that I was either present or not present in the space, was my interpretation of the theme of 'Harvest' that was incorporated into the evening's work. Also, I wanted to introduce my sixth element, "impermanance" which was developed in the workshop given by Andrea Paciotto. In his workshop, Andrea included the ideas presented in Calvino's Six Memos for the Next Millenium.

JIZO at V2 Institute for Unstable Media

2008-12-11T14:26:00.000+01:00

Hideki Kanno and myself completed a quick 3D audio map titled "Jizo" at V2 in Rotterdam, NL http://www.v2.nl/
There is not a great deal of interaction. However, the contents of the map change when the participant bows 3 times. Here is a sample of Hideki walking through the map.

RedLight@A7

2008-11-10T17:33:00.002+01:00

This video installation is (in-part) an exercise in futility. The other part is a re-contextualization of mundane behavior performed in a sacred space. The content consists of many women realizing mundanity. But, the setting is staged for only three women (hence, three video channels) simultaneously. There is no audio component. The dynamics of content and texture are produced sensory activity generated by pedestrians (voyeurs).

he light that outlines the woman's figure are a slight, if not completely obscured indication of her physical attributes. It is possible that the observant eye may decipher subtle detail. Although, her geographic origins, her ethnicity, her age approximated, her emotional state (even her gender) may be assumed. Is she the every, any or neither woman?

It is likely one may have a vague (if not certain) familiarity with the image presented. Perhaps she is reminiscent of a sister, a mother, a friend, or a lover. Maybe her contours and actions correlate to an image from the past, present or (possible) future. However, no sooner than one is presented with such an image - or a memory - than is one given yet another image and another opportunity to reminisce. So, the process begins anew.

However, one may never even reach such a condition. One may simply be confronted with the question, "What is the meaning of red?" This, I will not even to pretend to answer. However, given the context in which the women have been placed, one may realize a particular set of questions about the color, such as, "Does red signify intimacy? Urgency? Propriety? Is this the color of sin? The blood of a holy crime?" One may even become a little self-conscious, "Does the color make me feel uncomfortable? or can I study the detail with impunity without the guilt of conscience?"

Exercise #1 - Three at work

2008-11-10T12:13:00.000+01:00

This video installation is an exercise in recording and projecting video for a site-specific location where the beamer's projection is exact to the camera's (recorded) perspective. The result should be a convincing illusion that exploits structural elements of a space with the superimposed light of the recording. The content consists of myself and my studio mates at work in our studio. The video and audio playback is reversed at a rate which is controlled by sensory information generated by the visitors who enter the space.

2008-10-01T20:22:00.000+02:00

Thinking again of the simple and contemplating my observations, as well as, what it means to observe.

In the 4th century AD, Theon of Alexandria observed how "candlelight passing through a pinhole will create an illuminated spot on a screen that is directly in line with the aperture and the center of the candle."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_obscura