This workshop introduces participants to the use of creative interaction design methods when exploring the design of sonic
interactions with computational artefacts. Specifically, focus will be on physical interactions that rely on continuous sonic feedback. Participants will generate future scenarios and concepts for such interactions, and everyday sounding objects in context will be taken as a starting point. By taking part in the workshop activities, participants will get an embodied understanding of the challenges of designing for meaningful and engaging physical interaction with computational sonic artefacts. Methods employed in the workshop will thus be good complements to the cognition or technology-based approaches to designing sounding objects that are mainstream within the ICAD community.

This one day, hands-on workshop will be divided in fours parts: warm-up exercises, creative idea generation, concept exploration through bodystorming and final presentation and discussion. The workshop is aimed at an ICAD audience, but welcomes a wide range of participants with various backgrounds such as artists, designers, musicians, programmers, cultural and media studies scholars, etc. No previous technical knowledge or design experience is required.

The workshop will give participants the opportunity to explore key aspects of tangible interaction and continuous sonic feedback, all in an activity-based way: the fact that the workshop consists of low-tech small group exercises and interaction-focused creative activities instead of paper presentations or technology tutorials, invites participants to have an active role and to engage all senses in the exploration of this type of situated sonic interaction. The focus is taken away from technology itself and turned instead towards the situated activities of using technology.

If you would like to participate in this workshop, please e-mail an expression of interest to sonicinteraction at googlemail dot com by 6 June 2008, as places are limited. Your expression of interest should explain in a few sentences why you are interested in participating in the workshop and include a short biography. The submission should not excess one A4 page. Please state if you are a member of SID or are applying for a Short Term Scientific Mission (http://www.cost-sid.org/wiki/STSMCall3).

DATES
Deadline for expression of interest: 6 June 2008
Notification of acceptance: 10 June 2008
Workshop: 23 June 2008

CONTACT AND INFORMATION
sonicinteraction at googlemail dot com
http://sonicinteraction.wordpress.com/
http://icad08.ircam.fr/site/

Go to the site. Drag instruments, switches, and transporter pipes from the conveyor belt to the checkerboard to make music. Rotate the pieces. Choose a melody. Change pitch, tempo and volume to fine-tune the composition.

Original concept and production by LeCielEstBleu on an initiative of the Cité de la Musique. FluxTunes, the new version of Pâte à Son, all grown-up, will be available soon.

Herbier, by LeCielEstBleu, is an Interactive Kaleidoscope you can play with your microphone. You’ll find it here.

You need Shockwave for both.

View the Table of Contents and abstracts for LMJ 17

CALL FOR PAPERS: LMJ 18: Why Live? Performance in the Age of Digital Reproduction (2008)

The Future Of Sound is a sonic spectacular that showcases cutting edge artists in music and audio design, performing their innovations and discoveries in surround-sound in the Entrance Hall of the Library, and against a sumptuous projected backdrop. Inspired by the experiments of the 20th Century Avant Garde, the event will present contributions by the infamous Scanner (aka Robin Rimbaud), who recently composed a new national anthem for Europe, the Modified Toy Orchestra and their new electronic instruments created from abandoned children’s toys, Tal Rosner’s image-scapes to scores by Stravinsky and other composers, and audio / visual / digital band The Sancho Plan. The Future Of Sound is conceived and presented by Martyn Ware of Illustrious Company.

This event is part of a programme of events accompanying the Breaking the Rules exhibition.

Maybe you remember some from your own childhood, but I’m sure you haven’t seen most of them in your life. Enjoy watching the constantly growing collection of these little beeping creatures. There are 16 pages of toys, including MATTEL MAGICAL MUSICAL THING (1978), a masterpiece of the golden age of electronic musical toys. You can play it with your knee, hip or elbow! The collector (Eric) played it with his nose… very funny experience. This online collection includes over 120 toys, with more added several times a year. You can contact Eric from the site. With thanks to pixelsumo.

Todd Machover (b.1953) is renowned for his work with computer music, having pioneered at IRCAM and now, at MIT’s Media Lab, a series of works using hyperinstruments that extend traditional performance practice with interaction, real-time digital processing. These pieces are uniformly entertaining and often very funny. You can squeeze squishy embroidered balls, play soundless violins or bang on glowing bugs with antennae.

These hyperinstruments were developed by Machover in an attempt to break free of conventional musical instrument design. Building on technologies developed for Machover’s groundbreaking Brain Opera, the Music Shapers enable children to engage in sophisticated listening, performing and composing activities normally accessible only after years of study. The instruments have a short learning curve that allows children and adults alike to achieve a basic level of understanding in just three to five two-hour sessions.

For more on Todd:

SYS*011. Mie>AbE/SoS\ SYS*010, aka the Spiral is a sculptural sound installation and performance space created by the French artist Mathieu Briand (b1972). It comprises five turntables, one etching machine to burn new vinyl records, a matrix of four vinyl records on which sounds from machines and other samples have been etched into locked groove loops by the artist, two mixing desks and the possibility of plugging in up to seven additional instruments, laptops and other hardware. Mathieu Briand’s Spiral intends to create an alternative space within the museum structure. He envisions this installation as a “Temporary Autonomous Zone” (Hakim Bey) that would disrupt the traditional structure of the museum by deconstructing its hierarchies and altering its rules for a certain period of time.

On Saturday, Briand and experimental DJs, MCs and sound artists from the UK: Sarah Washington and Xentos ‘Fray’ Bentos, SI-CUT.DB, Charlie Dark, The Bug in collaboration with Spaceape and Radio Active Man will perform live within the Spiral, exploring its potential for sampling sounds and re-mixing them on open decks. It will be turned into an eclectic performative platform as well as a massive, experimental sound recording studio.

Programme

12.00 Mathieu Briand
13.00 Sarah Washington and Xentos ‘Fray’ Bentos
14.00 SI-CUT.DB
15.00 Charlie Dark
16.00 The Bug in collaboration with Spaceape
17.00 Radio Active Man

Biographies

Charlie Dark first popped onto the musical radar back in the nineties as a DJ and founding father of Hip-Hop-inspired trio Attica Blues, releasing records on James Lavelle’s Mo Wax Records and Sony Records respectively. As a remixer and producer his distinctive drum driven sound has found favor with a multitude of artists from around the world gracing the turntables of DJs in the know from many different scenes. When not buried deep in the studio Charlie can be found in classrooms across the county sharing his love of poetry and creative writing and helping young people discover their inner voices. In the remaining midnight hours Charlie heads a loose collective of artists known as Blacktronica, holds a monthly gathering at the BFI and spins records in clubs across the globe. On this occasion he’ll be debuting brand new work under his new Bass Poet moniker, a fusion of Dub, Hip Hop and spoken word.

Xentos ‘Fray’ Bentos is an unwilling hero of the London sound art underworld. Over 30 years he has continued to amaze, confound and wrong-foot his peers, ultimately creating a world-wide fanatical following for his prolific and unclassifiable work. From his un-humble beginnings as the fresh-faced firebrand bass player of a cult punk band, his personas soon became unlimited, including the ever-popular Harmon E. Phraisyar of the eponymous Resonance 104.4FM radio serial. The latter serves as a cunning vehicle for him to kill off characters from the world of improvised music. He did not write this biography.

Sarah Washington is an artist and an cultural coordinator working with sound and radio. Formerly a Director of the London Musicians’ Collective, she helped set-up the radio station Resonance 104.4FM. For her performances she creates hand-made electronic instruments by circuit bending toys, and utilizes ultrasonic devices and radio technology. Sarah creates innovative radio works, writes articles on radio and sound art, and teaches workshops for cultural institutions across Europe. She helped instigate the international network of independent radio stations called Radia and has been on the road since 2005 with the travelling European radio and sound art project Mobile Radio.

Kevin Martin has recorded as God, Experimental Audio Research, Techno Animal, The Sidewinder, Ice and The Bug. At present, Kevin Martin works solo as The Bug. He recorded for Rephlex, Wordsound, Tigerbeat 6 and Klein in the past, and
is now recording an album for Ninja Tune. He has received public praise from the likes of Aphex Twin, Massive Attack, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, The Special’s Jerry Dammers and Adrian Sherwood. For the upcoming Tate Modern performance he will
collaborate with spoken word artist, Spaceape. Spaceape has recorded a critically acclaimed album for the Hyperdub label (Home to Burial), with long term collaborator Kode 9. For their collaboration debut, the Bug will soundtrack Spaceape’s afro-futurist poetry with heavyweight rhythms and electronic abrasion, fusing the deepest dub with intense ragga and experimental soundscapes.

Keith Tenniswood aka Radio Active Man started playing guitar aged nine and then proceeded
through his teenage years to join various local bands until he discovered the joys of Acid House and rave in the early 90’s, which culminated in the rave that took place at Castlemorton. After this scene died down a bit he started to frequent legendary clubs like the Drum Club, Sabresonic, and Full Circle where he met Jagz Kooner and Andrew Weatherall of Sabres of Paradise. Using
the minimal knowledge of studios and a keen ear, he did the front of house sound for the Sabres on their support tour with Primal Scream in 1995. Through his now ten years partnership with Andrew Weatherall as Two Lone Swordsmen, Keith released 4 albums as well as countless EP’s and 12’s. As Radio Active Man, Keith recorded 2 albums, ‘Radioactive Man’ and ‘Booby Trap’ on Rotters Golf Club, and various EP’s, inc. ‘The Uranium EP’ and ‘Dive and Lie Wrecked’. The third album entitled ‘Growl’ will be out in autumn 2006 also on Rotters Golf Club while a 12″ will be out on his own label, Control Tower, in Sept 06. Control Tower has started in 99 with fellow cohort Simon Srown, a.k.a The Dexorcist. Keith’s DJing has taken him all over the planet including Tokyo, New York, San Francisco, Istanbul, Budapest, Barcelona, Rome or Paris. His DJ style is underground dancing music taking in Electro, Breaks, Techno and Drum n’ Bass.

Based in west London, Douglas Benford has been releasing his digital music under the alias SI-CUT.DB (and other guises) since 1991, with seven albums released under this moniker. His soundscapes range from microsound and electronica to dub. Benford has released music on labels F?llt, Bip Hop, BackGround, Highpoint Lowlife and 12K, as well as works on Mutek Rec, Warp and Wire magazine compilations, performing at internationally at MUTEK & New Forms (Canada), Ars Electronica, Nokialab (Moscow), Transmediale, Lovebytes, Synch (Athens), Sintesi (Naples), Dis-patch (Belgrade) Sightsonic (York, as part as the Touch label 25 performances), Transit (Switzerland) festivals amongst other events. In the last two years Benford has been nominated and short-listed in both the QWARTZ (twice) awards in France, and the Arts Foundation (London). His Collaborators include Scanner, Rechenzentrum, Janek Schaefer, Iris Garrelfs, and currently Stephan Mathieu, Granny’Ark and Benge [as Tennis]. Benford’s current approach to his work tends to be generative, employing morphing source techniques, from improvised acoustic, analogue & field recordings. Benford and has also been a co-curator of Sprawl music events and label for over eleven years, as well as founding the Suburbs Of Hell and Pantunes labels.

Sunday, May 6, 2007, 4:00 p.m. (Programs subject to change.) The Choir Boys (Jeff Kaiser and Andrew Pask), Vinny Golia, and Cosmologic (San Diego) :: 8:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m. :: The legendary Z’ev (two sets) and here.

“Dim Effigies” from The Choir Boys

Los Angeles, CA, April 24, 2007 - “Is it music?” you ask? Yes, it is, and you’ve gotta love it! Join us sooner rather than later for some New Music, which you’re gonna love, because it’s so fun! You’ll see music played not only on “traditional” instruments, but also using circuit-bent toys, vacuum cleaners, cardboard boxes, prepared pianos, you name it! All this in a a low-attitude atmosphere that allows you an intimate brush with world-class musicians and their colleagues. Direct questions to the musicians are welcome! Stay after the concerts to ask away!

Here’s a quote from a happy customer, Nate Scoble: “One of the best venues I’ve ever been to to hear challenging sonic work presents it to you in a setting as intimate as your home. The New Music Series at Dangerous Curve consistently features top-quality work by a full range of modern players and composers, from the newly- emerging to the globally-revered, from local residents to denizens of far lands, from the brilliantly improvisational to the just as brilliantly scored.”

This week, we have a double hitter on Sunday, starting with a 4:00 p.m. show with The Choir Boys (Jeff Kaiser and Andrew Pask) Vinny Golia, and Cosmologic, and then the out-of-this-world Z’ev at 8:00 p.m. As always, beverages will be served, and most of the times, a great art show will be up (we are an art gallery, after all.) We’re located at 1020 East Fourth Place, between Molino and Mateo Streets, in the back of the 500 Molino Street Lofts, #102, between the Fourth Street Bridge’s (on the LA River side of downtown) two on/off ramps. See our website for directions, pictures, and updates.

More Information on the Performers:

The Choir Boys are really trippy horns! They can bring about almost any sound out of their horns, with the panache of true masters! Our boomy room really helps matters, too.

Vinny Golia is a CalArts instructor originally from New York, who’s used his visual art as a basis for musical compositions. He plays a ton of reed instruments. In 1982, he founded a huge (37 pieces) ensemble, The Vinny Golia Large Ensemble, as a way of bringing together getting diverse camps of Los Angeles musicians.

Cosmologic, from San Diego, was founded in 1999. Their music “traverses the broad terrain of creative jazz and improvised music, integrating high-energy playing, intense introspection, rich grooves, open textures, and collective alchemy.” The group improvises what start out as a certain member’s original composition. The members are Jason Robinson, http://www.circumventionmusic.com, Michael Dessen, Scott Walton, and Nathan Hubbard.

New Music Series:

Friday, May 11, 2007, 8:00–10:00 p.m.
Sadjeljko (Japan) http://www.sadjeljko.com, http://www.myspace.com/sadjeljko TBA

Sunday, May 13, 2007, 4:00 p.m.
Non Credo http://www.noncredo.com, http://myspace.com/noncredo Brad Dutz, Kaoru and Carey Fosse, and Nora Keys.

Sunday, May 20, 2007, 4:00 p.m.
Brother Mallard (John Marr and Norman Weston, directors): minimalist masterpieces Lloyd Rogers, Paul Bailey.

Sunday, May 27, 2007, 4:00 p.m.
plAy Ensemble (Kimberly Fitch, Danny Holt, Shirley Hunt, Andrew Leonard, Alison Lowell, Laura Patterson) Celer, http://www.last.fm/music/celer Bettina Wenzel and Hans W. Koch.

Friday, June 1, 2007, 8:00–10:00 p.m.
Yximalloo (Tokyo) http://www014.upp.so-net.ne.jp/yximalloo, http://www.myspace.com/yximalloo, http://www.myspace.com/jadfairandnaofumiishimaru
GE Stinson http://codedsource.com

Dangerous Curve is a leading contemporary art space in the Arts District of Los Angeles. It is a privately run venue for live art/visual art performance, experimental art and music, and installations. The gallery supports visionary established and emerging artists of all ages, with live art residencies and one-person shows of high-quality, risky and intelligent work that’s ahead of the curve. We are always looking for submissions of live art and experimental music. Visit our website at http://dangerouscurve.org.