Description

The goal of this composition is to create a perceived composition or the illusion of a composition tailored or customized to the listener taste but according to some constraints developed by the composer. The constrains follow the next mainly technical guidelines: about 45 sound-files can be performed by four or more virtual players (CD - Players or PD-Players). They can be performed sequentially or superimposed. One player can perform all sound-files sequentially depending on various determined order types: least to Max, palindromic or random. The duration in this choice can exceed 75 minutes and therefore is not too desired by most visitors. Superimposed sound-files can benefit of harmonies given by the nine degrees of a diatonic scale built upon the Bohlen - Pierce scale. In this sense counterpoint can be perceived while pitch abstraction and line contrast create generative melodic grammars in the mind of the listener. This idea creates the illusion of composing melodies while mixing different sound-files, its textures and intensity.only one given visitor is in control of the interaction in the installation although a group or ensemble of visitors might also interact. The actions for interacting are: sound-file choice, sound-file start or stop loudspeaker choice, panning and mixing.

Figure 1: Equipment, signal and Installation layout

Once inside the room a visitor is confronted with an array of loudspeakers of different shapes and sizes which resemble the idea of a pipe organ. The light sources give the impression of tinted glass which changes its intensity by the sun's position according to the time of day. Candles can also be added if proper ventilation is provided. Several CD players are available and at sight and arranged in such a way that they will persuade the visitor on interacting with its controls. In the software version sensors replace play, stop, volume and shuffle controls and add proximity and position sensors. The output of the sensors is controlled and transmitted to the Pure Data patch by a Basic Stamp II micro-processor and MIDI Boolean values. One CD will interrupt silence and continue as the visitor wish. This can also be combined thereafter by another track or many more. Rhythmic patterns will be subsequently heard and then tone combination, rhythmic manipulation and phase manipulation. The visitor can then choose to stop or continue any track, to change its volume, to repeat. Future improvements will include signal processing like reverb and sample rate conversion to take advantage of more sensors.