Untitled Sound Objects by Pe Lang and Zimoun is a series of works displayed as installation, performance and autonomous objects. Physical materials are made to generate sound by vibrating them using computer controlled motors, machines and robots.

One example of this (shown in the top two images above) is as follows:

Vibrating motors cause glass plates, on which various materials are placed, to oscillate. The vibrations move the materials and the frictions caused by this generate sounds, which are amplified via contact microphones and edited through DSP (Digital Signal Processing). Through a multiple channel speaker system amplified sounds are projected and reassembled into new sound architectures. Continue reading

The Olympics are not simply a matter of fun and games. They are a multi-national media spectacle that–as we’ve seen in recent protests–can arouse and galvanize political action. The event’s organizers pitch it as a zone outside of politics, but of course issues of national identity, human rights, autonomy, economic might, and foreign policy all coalesce around the Olympics. While much of the current attention to these matters is directed at Beijing, groups in Montreal and London are already forming to address the impact that the arrival of the famous torch (ceremoniously relayed in a model invented by the Nazis to promote a strong image of the Third Reich around the 1936 Berlin games) will have upon local communities. Continue reading

London’s audiovisual Howlin’ Wolf (it’s a sideburn thing), Toby Harris (aka *spark), has been steadily building strong live video performances since the turn of the century, exploring his real-time video skills at countless festivals, sophisticated audiovisual performances and most recently on giant touchscreen plasmas within motor shows. He also founded AVIT, the real world spin-off of vjforums.com that prompted festivals around the world, so it was a pleasure to meet him @ Sonar in Barcelona mid 2007, as well as get his reflections on audiovisual possibility. Lotta words to follow, but worth the read for the pixel-inclined…

What appeals about real-time video manipulation, about ‘live cinema’?

The world is catching up with vjs in enjoying a spot of real-time video manipulation: just watch people using PhotoBooth on any modern Mac. Continue reading

I often describe people I write about here at Serial Consign as friends and peers and both of these terms definitely apply to David McCallum. David is a Toronto-based artist and musician whose subverts electronic hardware, software and networks towards playful and performative ends. He has a background in physics and music and received a Masters in Art and Technology from Chalmers University of Technology in Göteborg, Sweden.

I met David in 2006 at Mutek, and got to know him and his work through his excellent curation of our Vague Terrain issue on locative media. David’s creative practice is quite varied, and perusal of his recent work reveals interests in improv performance, modified timepieces and insect orchestras. Continue reading

Masayuki Akamatsu has taught sound/media arts at IAMAS (Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences/Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences, Gifu, Japan) since 1997. He has exhibited multimedia electronic installations and performed throughout the world, and is also a member of The Breadboard Band, a group that performs electronic music made from circuits on solderless breadboards. His numerous installations incorporate sound, visual manipulations, and many other forms of mixed media. Continue reading

Tunnel Vision is an interactive sound and light sculpture inspired by Nikola Tesla, the famous Serbian inventor, physicist, and electrical engineer. Putting you hands inside the sculpture changes the appearance and the sound produced by it.

According to the creator, the shape of the installation is based on an abstraction of the 100Hz tone made by electrical generators which is known as magnetostriction. The installation is a 5 metres long sculpture that changes it’s appearance when you put your hands in the opening. Continue reading

I posted about some work of Rodrigo Derteano’s last week (here) but this third work I omitted as it didn’t quite seem suitable to include with the other two works.

Recomputing Space is a sound installation which employs field recordings as a psychogeographic study of urban sound. “Following the commands and rhythm imposed by an algorithm, two persons walk around in chosen locations in the city, recording a mix of noise, language, music and the sound of their own steps. The chosen locations are public places, such as public squares, parks, tram stations etc. Continue reading

Bernhard Leitner: TonRaumSkulptur / Sound Space Sculpture (1968-1973) :: Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart - Berlin :: February 1 - March 24, 2008 :: [info] :: [video] :: [bernhard leitner website]

Sound Spaces are not just spaces in which sound can be heard. Rather, it is sound itself that creates the space and its special qualities. Therefore the experience of hearing not only enables us to experience the space around us, they can also make it possible to experience physical space as an “inner” space. Bernhard Leitner’s work leads us to a quality of sound (as space) that remains concealed within stimulus streams. It shows the potentials of sensual experience that we are barely conscious of because they are either lost or have remained unknown as possibilities. - Cathrin Pichler Continue reading

[Image: Lifton and Zoline] What a difference a quarter century makes. In a radio program from 1973 about electronically mediated art, various experimenters discuss their ambitions. These include cybernetic figure John Lifton, synthesizer developer Don Buchla, and his colleague, Richard Friedman. Also participating is American painter and writer Pamela Zoline. The discussion was moderated by Charles Amirkhanian and is available from archive.org. Continue reading

Douglas Repetto is a legend in New York City, where he has fostered a thriving electronic music and new media community. He is founder of the Dorkbot discussion series (which now has local branches around the world), the ArtBots Robot Talent Show, and Organism, a collective of people “making art with living systems.” By day, he is Director of Research at Columbia University’s famous Computer Music Center, and it’s unlikely he’ll ever be able to live down the glory of being deemed “sexiest geek” by Wired. But all of Repetto’s accolades and extracurricular activities unfold from his position as a respected artist whose captivating installations appear deceptively simple, only to convey complex sonic experiences. Continue reading