Difference between revisions of "Ritualistic Performance System Research"

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Revision as of 12:08, 1 May 2018

Goal: To create a ritualistic performance system using spacialized audio signals and real-time video manipulation. Ritualistic performance system to consist of water-based video controller and gestural audio looper and controller.


Background:

As part of continued research, I aim to pursue an audio/visual experience that combines spatialized field recordings, voice, sensors, video/light, and software. In its current iteration, water and conductive tape are incorporated to produce proximity sensing as a means to manipulate real-time changes to video content. The audio collection process includes listening, recording, and engaging with a series of natural and machine-made sounds. The piece will culminate in a performance, where I will direct audio signals and light using gesture and sensors. Sonic elements will be controlled using a performance mask, while manipulations of light will occur using an experimental water controller.


Water controller.jpg water controller prototype

Mask full.jpg mask prototype

Mask inside.jpg mask sensors


WK1 -- Brainstorming + Testing

Water sensor to control visual content
Mask to control aural content
Performance Site -- Listening Room
Okay to burn / use scents? -- No. Issues in the past.
Dry Ice? -- Could be okay. Needs ventilation. 
Max capacity in Listening Room -- 15-20 people

Listening room.jpg


To do:

Bare Conductive Touch Board + Water Sensor Testing in Max 
Arduino code + upload to Touch Board
Max MSP/Jitter + Touch Board testing
Add water sensor input to video mixer patch
Collect Field Recordings
   Fire / Machines / Energy Facility / Electrical Drone Sounds


WK2 -- Testing + Collection

Water Sensor Testing in Max MSP/Jitter [1]

Bare conductive.jpg

I managed to get data into Max from the Bare Conductive microcontroller. After a few minutes, the microcontroller seems to get overloaded and freezes. If I reload the Arduino code onto the board data starts to work in Max temporarily. This issue seems relatively consistent. My laptop also seems to be having trouble processing video and receiving data at the same time. The latency of sensor data into Max is painfully slow while video is running. Sensor response is proficient with no video processing.

I will need a new laptop. This is not a surprise.


Readings:

Keywords in Sound, Chapter 15, Resonance, by Veit Erlmann 

"...the concept of resonance, having been derived from core epistemological virtues such as intuition, observation, and experiment, names the natural mechanism governing the interaction of vibrating matter, such as strings, nerves, and air. As such, resonance is the "Other" of the self-constituting Cartesian ego as it discovers truth (of musical harmony, for instance) and reassures itself of its own existence as a thinking entity. On the other hand resonance names the very unity of body and mind that the cogitating ego must unthink before it uncovers truth."

(Erlmann, page 177)


Keywords in Sound, Chapter 17, Space, by Andrew J. Eisenberg 

"As a phenomenon that exists at once within and beyond perceiving subjects, sound cannot but reveal social space as an artifact of material practices complexly interwoven with semiotic processes and the 'imaginations, fears, emotions, psychologies, fantasies, and dreams' that human beings bring to everything (Harvey 2006: 279; see also Lefebvre 1991)."

(Eisenberg, pg 202)


The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment & the Tuning of the World, 
 R. Murray Schaffer, Chapter 12, Symbolism

"...water, the original life element, has the most splendid symbolism... a stream, a fountain, a river, a waterfall, the sea, each makes its unique sound but all share rich symbolism. They speak of cleansing, of purification, of refreshment, and renewal... It is symbolic of eternity... It is symbolic of change."

(Schafer, page 170)


"Without its tactile pressure on the face or body we cannot even tell from what direction it blows. The wind is therefore not to be trusted."

(Schafer, page 170)


"Modern man has sought to escape both the wind and the sea by encapsulating himself in artificial environments... The sounds of machines took on happy symbolism approximately 200 years ago, when it was realized that they could release man from his immemorial bondage to earth... power and progress... noise and power go hand in hand."

(Schafer, page 178-179)


To do:

Research options for new laptop (2015 Macbook Pro) + Stanford support
Mask controller into Max MSP/Jitter
    Build simple looper
Edit field recordings 


WK3 -- More Testing + Collecting

Simple Audio Looper Interface for Testing | Max MSP/Jitter + MIDI Controller:

I built a simple looper patch in Max in order to start manipulating and listening to field recordings from my recent sound hunts. Lately, I've been interested in machine sounds that have similar qualities as sounds from nature... similar to how cars sound similar to the ocean, or specific electrical resonances sound like cicadas and crickets.

Audio interface.jpg

Midi controller.jpg

Audio interface guts.jpg

 audio test -- [2]


Readings:

"...the wind began to funnel down from the high southern pass, gaining more forces with each passing moment... The effect wasn't a chord exactly, but rather a combination of tones, sighs, and midrange groans that played off each other, sometimes setting strange beats into resonance as they nearly matched one another in pitch... strangely dissonant. While never unpleasant, the acoustic experience was disorienting."

(Kraus, pg 37)

The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World's Wild Places, Bernie Kraus


To do:

Research 2015 Macbook Pro 
SLAC audio recordings
Research/Source dry ice
Schedule Audium visit 


WK4 --

Dry Ice Safety + Costs + Storage:

Dry ice3.jpg

Dry ice2.jpg

safety


Dry ice5.jpg

costs


Dry ice.jpg

Dry ice4.jpg

storage+


Searchworks Audio Finds:

Over the past week or so, I've been reading Art of Immersive Soundscapes which has revitalized my interest in musique concrète. Today I spent some time digging around Searchworks for online audio files/compilations/albums. In my hunt so far, I have found several resources that rely heavily on field recordings from nature to form audio compositions.


Here are a few:

Arctic Winds, Maggie Payne, 2010
Gateway Summer Sound: Abstracted Animal and Other Sounds Ann McMillan, 1979 
Desert Winds: Six Windblown Sound Pieces and Other Works, Scott Smallwood, 2007
Highlights of Vortex, 1959, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings [2003]


SLAC Site Visit:

Slac.jpg

The tour of SLAC was a bit of a disappointment, but only because I didn't fully comprehend the context of the tour. I didn't realize our MFA tour was part of a larger public tour. Unfortunately, it was nearly impossible to record an audio sample without tour-talk and human ruckus. We only visited two small areas of the facilities, which didn't really give an overall impression of the scale of the accelerometer. There were, however, some exciting/uncomfortable oscillations coming from machinery that I would like to revisit under a more sound-oriented tour of SLAC. Outside of my sound hunt, it was astounding to hear about the some of the research taking place.


Audium:

In class, I mentioned an interest in utilizing darkness as part of my performance. Visiting Audium in San Francisco was suggested, and I've been meaning to check it out for far too long, so I looked into tickets. I plan to go to a showing in a few weeks (May 5th) and will inquire with the group about attending as well.


Floor Plan + Spacial Thoughts:

LR sketch.png


Light + Sound + Water Experiments:

[3]

[4]

[5]


To do:

 Visit Listening Room
 Contact Nando for Listening Room Orientation
 Contact Nette for LR keycard access
 Book out LR rehearsal schedule
 Purchase 2015 Macbook Pro


WK5 --


Listening Room Speaker Location + Layout:

Listening rm2 no layer.jpg


Possible Performance Date(s): I'm getting closer to scheduling an official performance date(s), and am considering how to best resolve the format for sharing the piece. I haven't quite decided if I'd like to do two performances on one night or if it makes more sense to do two or three performances over two days.

Friday, June 1 -- 4pm doors / 4:33pm performance
                OR
                        7pm doors / 7:30pm performance
Saturday, June 2 -- 4pm doors / 4:33pm performance    
                AND
                          7pm doors / 7:30pm performance