Dancing, AI & AR
Thursday 5 September, 20:15 - 21:15 - TivoliVredenburg - Hertz
When The Rain God Sings Storm Lions Are Born
Yunyu Ong (University of Technology Sydney), Emma Smith (Independant), Ryuji Hamada (Taikoz), Maddie Duncan (Aftrs), Lee McIver (Taikoz)


When The Rain God Sings Storm Lions Are Born
Abstract:

Curiosity does not always kill a cat, sometimes it makes a god. Welcome to the world of When the Rain God Sings, Storm Lions Are Born (‘Rain Gods’) by multi-award winning composer Yunyu. This is a supernatural world of cats, thunder and new gods. The old god has gone fishing, you see, so she leaves her drums for the next unsuspecting human to play, for this is how new gods are made. This is the world where drums play tunes and cats must first be appeased and fed so they can grow up and make thunder for the new gods. It is all very hard work. Commissioned by Taikoz, Percussion Australia and brought to life by the masterful Ryuji Hamada, Yunyu re-purposes a linear DAW, Logic X with a goal of turning a single performer into a performer/conductor. This is a seamless exploration of musical composition and instrument making, where traditional playing techniques of Taiko drumming are considered and mapped onto their electronic counterparts [Roland’s Taiko-1], pushing the limits of what taiko playing can be. This is a cautionary tale for the accidental gods amongst us. In a further development by Vfx Artist/Director Emma Smith, the performance intertwines sound and light with reactive weather patterns and a responsive ecosystem primarily comprised of cats, all changing in response to the playful musical landscape. Keep an eye out for the installation that accompanies this this performance – Be your own Rain God where audiences can make their own thunderstorm. This is a tale of negotiation between environmental forces and human will, where humankind are not always in control although we often think we are.


Unspoken
Sandy Ma (Independent Artist), Yichen Wang (Australian National University)


Unspoken
Abstract:

Unspoken is a mixed reality duet performance that explores the aesthetic possibilities of augmented reality technology as a medium for collaborative musical expression. Two performers with their tangible musical systems are communicated of each other's gestural and spatial musical intention through a collaborative augmented reality interface.


Performance with Esteso: Interactive AI Music Duet Based on Player-Idiosyncratic Extended Double Bass Techniques
Filiippo Angeloni (Independent), Matteo Tomasetti (University of Trento), Domenico Stefani (University of Trento)


Performance with Esteso: Interactive AI Music Duet Based on Player-Idiosyncratic Extended Double Bass Techniques
Abstract:

Esteso is an interactive improvisational system for double-bass based on player-idiosyncratic extended techniques. It was created in collaboration with the contemporary double-bass player and composer Filippo Angeloni and tailored for his personal vocabulary of extended techniques. In Esteso, the musician and an AI counterpart take turns in an improvisational duet. The system's response consists of a manipulation of the real double-bass, achieved live through a timbre-transfer neural network, granular synthesis, and reverberation. The timbre-transfer network was trained on generic double-bass recordings, resulting in a peculiar hybrid double-bass sound. We Machine listening is integrated in the form of a real-time classifier of extended techniques played on the double-bass, whose output controls the sound manipulation process to affect various techniques differently. The personal extended techniques chosen for Esteso are: Brushed Jeté, Sfregato con legno, and Percussive. Here, we propose a 10/15 minutes improvised duet performance where the double bass player interacts with Esteso, creating an action-reaction interplay between acoustic and virtual.


Phantom of Utopia
Ka Hei Cheng (Louisiana State University), Irina Kruchinina (Louisiana State University), Matin Esmaeili (Louisiana State University)



Abstract:

Chinese Calligraphic Dance (CCD) is introduced in this paper as an innovative artistic discipline synthesizing traditional calligraphy dance and interactive technology. The elements utilized in the performance derive exclusively from traditional Chinese characters grounded in the clerical script that originated during the Han Dynasty around 200 BCE. In the historical context of Chinese calligraphic strokes (elements of Chinese words) our interdisciplinary approach transcribes these strokes into gestures translating them into generative music and visual media through motion tracking. The present interdisciplinary exploration influenced by somaesthetic principles aims to deepen our awareness of bodily perception as well as provide an immersive engagement with Chinese calligraphy culture.


generative open graphic score #1
Nolan A Hildebrand (University of Toronto)


generative open graphic score #1
Abstract:

generative open graphic score #1 is a work that uses the software program Touchdesigner to design and build generative processes that create an open graphic score/notation. In performance the digital score produces a plethora of graphic symbols—from simple ink blot-esque dots and abstract globular shapes to complex webs of broken grid patterns interacting with sharp and angular geometric shapes. The electroacoustic aspects of this work utilize mixer feedback. Mixer feedback is created when the inputs of the mixer are routed back into its outputs to create a (feedback) loop. Manipulating the mixer’s faders dials and buttons creates unpredictable electronic sounds ranging from simple and harmonious to chaotic and noisy. The setup for generative open graphic score #1 consists of an instrumentalist patched into a mixer with feedback loops being played by another performer. In this novel electroacoustic setup the sounds and timbres of the two instruments can clash and contrast or synthesize and melt together. In performance the instrument patched into the mixer transmutes into a noise-laden super-instrument that in turn can mutate the behavior of the electronic sounds together with the mixer performer. I have dubbed this live electroacoustic system/process as “Instrumentalist and Mixer Feedback Transmutation” (IMFT).