Sound and Media lecture and workshop with artists Atau Tanaka and Adam Parkinson

March 10, 14.00 / Lecture: Music One Participates In by Atau Tanaka

Digital music has undergone fundamental shifts – it has gone real time, it has become interactive, it has become miniaturized, and completely democratized. I’ll map out my personal trajectory in this time to look at broader evolutions in the field with sensors, networks, and mobility. These are not just technological changes, but changes that bring about shifts in musical approaches. Form factors change, analogue is reconciled with digital, and new directions in Open Source and DIY culture continue to challenge our assumptions on what it means to be an artist, composer, performer, participant, in these evolving musical/technological landscapes.

March 11, 10.00 - 17.00 / Workshop: Exploring sensor instruments - Pure Data programming for iThings by Atau Tanaka and Adam Parkinson

This one-day workshop is intended to give participants the skills to develop their own personalized sensor instruments on the iThing, without the need to purchase a developers license, learn much coding or ʻjailbreak’ their phone. The iPhone is well known as an iconic object of desire in our society of consumption. The use of these ubiquitous iThings is tightly controlled by Apple, who only allow certain apps to be allowed onto the market. Developing apps requires a grasp of programming that most people don’t have, and the purchasing of a developer’s license from Apple. Most of the existing musical apps are somewhat inflexible, trapping the user within someone else’s idea of musical expression. Mostly, it plays music as a commodity, and this is the way most listeners interact with it: it’s potential remains unrealized. However, we believe that the iPhone offers a new paradigm in post-laptop digital performance, and the workshop will give students the tools to begin unlocking this potential.
The workshop will suit students of multiple abilities interested sound, performance and interaction. Those with no experience in using Pure Data will still be able to modify existing patches and turn them into sensor instruments, which is a great gateway into learning Pure Data itself. Those with knowledge and experience of how to use Pure Data will quickly be able to design their own patches and run them on the iPhone. We’ll make sure that everyone goes away knowing where to look on the web for further help and support amongst the large online communities already using Pure Data.

The workshop will be followed by an evening concert by Atau and Adam: to be announced.

Atau Tanaka, bridges the fields of media art and experimental music. He creates music for sensor instruments, wireless network infrastructures, and democratized digital forms. In the 90ʼs he formed Sensorband with Zbigniew Karkowski and Edwin van der Heide. In Japan at the arrival of the laptop and noise scenes, he came in contact with and played with Merzbow, Otomo, KK Null and others. Atau has released solo, group, and compilation recordings on labels such as Sub Rosa, Bip- hop, Caipirinha Music, Touch/Ash, Sonoris, Sirr-ecords. His work has been presented at Ars Electronica, STEIM, ZKM, Sonar Festival.

Adam Parkinson is an electronic musician based in Newcastle, England. Interested in the embodied experience of music, he likes to use improvisations to explore immersive bass tones and electrifying crackles. For performances, he regularly uses two ipod touches running RJDJ alongside other electronics. He also performs with harpist Rhodri Davies, vocalizer Gwilly Edmondez and turntablist Mariam Rezaei. His musical output incorporates textural laptop improvisations, stuttering, bass-ridden electronica and disco-pop.

http://www.ataut.net/site/Adam-Atau-4-Hands-iPhone

Workform:

Prequalifications:

Bring along iPhones, iPods & Macbooks, if available. Equipment will also be provided.

The course starts 10/03/2011 / Week 10, and ends 11/03/2011 / Week 10

Location: 6th floor project room

Provider: Akademiet

Target group: Alle studenter

Target year of study: Alle årstrinn

Capacity: 12

Course/projectleader: