Phoenix Experimental Arts Festival
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Paradise Valley Community College
Center for the Performing Arts (CPA)
#puttingtheAinsteam
Events/Activities:
12:00pm-4:00pm: OPEN HOUSE
Center for the Performing Arts Lobby/Gallery:
• PLAY, located in the SE corner of the gallery, is an interactive sound installation featuring a Theremin (electronic musical instrument) and several audio filters to alter the sound (via guitar effects pedals). Visitors are invited to PLAY the theremin and engage the guitar effects pedals to create unique tambres. In addition, schematic diagrams of the theremin and filters will be displayed for those interested in electronics and engineering.
• D!G, located in the West corner of the gallery. Designed as a dance/installation piece, D!G comprises 22 self-contained microprocessor/sensor/speaker assemblies. Each assembly utilizes a micro SD card to store and playback sensor data and a LiPo battery for power. Sensor/speaker assemblies are covered by hand-made crocheted pieces to give them a more appealing aesthetic. In playback mode in installation, sensors are distributed on string tapestries throughout the gallery. The intention is to allow audiences a more exploratory approach to the sound. Other features of the installation include a subsonic vibrating bench and tablets preloaded with an Android app. All elements work with the concept of the measurement/capture/representation of movement.
Center for the Performing Arts Music Room (CPA 115):
• A live electro-acoustic music performance featuring acoustic musical instruments (piano, percussion, strings, etc.) and electronic components, filters, compressors, effects units and computer software. PVCC commercial music faculty members Jacob Adler (instruments) and Tony Obr (technology) will lead the performance and hold a series of Q & A’s with audience members.
6:00pm-7:00pm: PRE-PERFORMANCE EXHIBITS
Center for the Performing Arts Lobby/Gallery:
• PLAY, located in the SE corner of the gallery, is an interactive sound installation featuring a Theremin (electronic musical instrument) and several audio filters to alter the sound (via guitar effects pedals). Visitors are invited to PLAY the theremin and engage the guitar effects pedals to create unique tambres. In addition, schematic diagrams of the theremin and filters will be displayed for those interested in electronics and engineering.
• D!G, located in the West corner of the gallery. Designed as a dance/installation piece, D!G comprises 22 self-contained microprocessor/sensor/speaker assemblies. Each assembly utilizes a micro SD card to store and playback sensor data and a LiPo battery for power. Sensor/speaker assemblies are covered by hand-made crocheted pieces to give them a more appealing aesthetic. In playback mode in installation, sensors are distributed on string tapestries throughout the gallery. The intention is to allow audiences a more exploratory approach to the sound. Other features of the installation include a subsonic vibrating bench and tablets preloaded with an Android app. All elements work with the concept of the measurement/capture/representation of movement.
7:00-10:00pm: SIGNATURE PERFORMANCES
Center for the Performing Arts Mainstage:
• An electro-acoustic musical performance featuring 3 miniature toy pianos and specially constructed speaker cones to playback 3 channels of 1-bit electronics.
• A new electro-acoustic performance and a multimedia embodiment (visual/audio) of real-time Twitter data. The Twitter data creates a generative graphic score that is interpreted by the performer on percussion instruments. Audience members are encouraged to participate by including the hashtag #SIFTT in their reaction tweets during the performance. Tweets that include the #SIFTT influence the algorithms that generate the audio and visual components of the work.
• A live, improvised, multi-media work that blends digital and analog instruments and processes during a live performance
• A new percussion composition, Omónoia combines specific constellations (listed by Ptolemy) mapped as musical material and visual stimuli. The purpose is to create a graphic score that can be read in any direction. Additionally, the performers participate in creating the score by matching up portions of the score to make a map for performance. Performers use a wide range of implements to create various timbres while occasionally returning to the conventional method of playing the instrument. This piece demonstrates the importance of perspective and how vastly different interpretations can arise from the same material.
• A real-time collaborative performance between two dancers, two musicians and a lighting designer. These five artists come together to compose a piece with light, music and dance in real-time. Each performance offers unique perspectives to the audience as it unfolds. Inspired by the passage of time, this collaboration revels in a temporal ebb and flow via the body, sound and shifting light.