installation/ diy electronics/ circuit bending performance

just to let you guys know the minneapolis group Beatrix Jar is going to be performing this summer June 18th in the Walker Art Center - James Turrell’s Sky Pesher installation. since a few of us were able to see this on our trip to minneapolis i thought it would be interesting to see this group perform in this location. if you want any further information about this performance you can go to Beatrix Jar's Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/beatrixjars

another sound mapping project

here is that sound mapping/photography project i had been talking about.
http://www.theircircularlife.it/frameset.htm

511 sounds

Overall i think that this performance was a success. The thing that i liked about this performance/ installation was the openness of the format for performing it. The thing i didn't like was slicing my hand open on a glass bottle, but that was more performer error than a flaw in the performance guidelines. The only other thing that i felt wasn't as successful was the record player element. The reason i feel this way is because it was so windy that day that it was very hard to use the record players that we had made. It was also very hard to hear the record players because of the wind and the fact that my record player was not working very well. I also didn't feel that the fuse detonation element of the performance worked very well. But this also may be because i was in the bathroom tenting to wounds for half of the performance. I just feel that the sound i made as a fuse were never really responded to directly. (maybe i just had a lot of duds) The way that it seemed to me was that everybody had kinda forgotten about the fuse/detonation aspect of the performance and was focusing on making 511 sounds. But since the performance was so open ended that it works any way that it is performed.

sound installations

The Group Install.

The installation we did as a group was just plain fun. Not only did we get to play with noise making devices we had the campus for an audience. My favorite part was when one of my Buddy's from my England trip walked up and thought we were all crazy. Also i don't know if it was just me but i felt that most of the people that walked by saw were extremely confused, they had a wasn't 420 yesterday look on there face.

Otherwise the problems with the install were just the fact that you didn't really know what the other person was doing and i spent most the time worrying about making 500 different sounds. Then as far as a performer i could only concentrate on my own work so i had trouble with comprehending it as sum of parts.


My Install.

For my own Install i was dead set on using the telephone to record and distribute the piece. This made it unique and it also made it a bit of a pain in the ass. I quickly found out that its not that easy to record stuff on answering machines and then to rerecord then and mix them in pro tools. Especially if your in the same room as the answering machine, this just leads to feedback that just turns into wailing or screeching.

But I bravely moved forward anyway. I simplified the process. I just recorded dial tones and ringer sounds through a Mic and then i recorded the voice parts though the microphone. then mixed it and distributed it through the telephone to some of my profs answering machines.

The piece it self was set up to be the ultimate drunk dial. After i started it i realized that it would work best if it had two parts the drunk and the sober buddy. i thought this would work better because i figured the average person would be really confused if they got a message on the answering machine of two people in a dialog. I furthered the confusion when i mixed the hell out of it. I chopped, inverted, reversed, and added many different sound effects to the piece.

In all i think it was a minor success just because anyone that listen to it would be really confused and that was my ultimate goal. But i say minor because i figure most people probably deleted it before listing to the whole piece.



Leave your# if you would like to hear it.

Wanna set up your own hacked Google Map?

Students:

We've explored the steps necessary to add a hacked map to this page. It's not the easiest thing to do, but the first step is to apply for the Google Maps API.

You can find that information here.

Here is a tutorial that you might find helpful.

Google Maps Standalone Mode from RancidBacon

River sounds

first google map

Sawyer's Concert Map

Soundmap

MN Sounds

The White Horse

Cloud Sounds

This is a google map

Paul's Soundmap

Paul's Soundmap

P.A.C. Bathroom sounds

first google map

Files you will need to make your own Google Map

Right Click and "save link as..."

Right click and "save link as..."

You will need both of these files in order to make the map work, and you will also need to create a folder called "markers" in your own webspace, and place the image below into that new folder:

Red Marker, right click and "save link as..."

Google Map

The map below shows a short sound recorded in the SCSU Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, March 17th at 10:49am.

Sparks

The first event done at the Walker was entitled "Siren" by Ray Lee. We walked into a space that looked like backstage to me. I in fact found that space for this presentation very interesting. I still wonder how the performance of this would have been in an open auditorium instead of having concrete walls enclosing the sounds.

The performance was started one tone at a time. I like this in fact, because it gave us (audience) the chance to incorporate each sound to each other or by themselves. If say the sounds were set off at the same time I would have not gotten as much from that. As more of the tones are set off you get kind of a drone sound. Then the arms on the metal tripods were set to spin at different speeds, which caused a rhythmic pattern depending on where you were standing. This was also very interesting for me, because what I saw was the tripods which were lower to the ground were set off first, causing them to reach the maximum rotation speed first. So at one point in time I heard a rhythmic patter coming from high tones. As the lower tripods started to slow down the high tripods were spinning faster so then I got a rhythmic patter from different tones.

I liked the lights on the tripods very much. I think they added a visual effect along with the sounds, more so when the lights were turned off. That was sweet as heck. Here is a picture: http://calendar.walkerart.org/enlarge.wac?id=10820

More to come..........

Bathroom fun II

Upon revisiting the bathrooms of the P.A.C. I noticed quite a few other things going on. In addition to the reverb of the space, I noticed quite a few other sounds that i had not noticed before. This may have been due to the fact that the first door to the bathroom was propped open so many more sounds could enter the bathroom. The sounds that I noticed that were produced inside or from the bathroom include
*air being moved by the ventilation of the bathroom
*doors squeaking and thumping closed
*toilet flushes
*water from the sink
*hand dryers
*the slight buzz from the florescent lights

In addition to these sounds I could also hear many sounds coming from outside the bathroom.
*chatter from people in the hallway
*instrument cases being set on the floor
*the squeak of shoes on the floor
*water pipes from the adjacent womens bathroom

bathroom fun

A space that has really intrigued me for a while now is the bathrooms of the P.A.C. The reason that they intrigue me is the amount of reverb that is present inside of the bathroom. Since there are so many flat hard surfaces, sound tends to bounce around in the space. The other thing that really intrigues me is the double doors that lead into the bathrooms. I have never seen this kind of double door on any other bathroom around campus or anywhere for that matter. I'm guessing that they are used to dampen sound coming from the bathrooms, so as not to disturb the music or performances going on in the performing arts center. They also give the space some additional attributes. The reverb in the space between the doors is completely different from that of the bathroom itself.

Helluva Stairwell

So ive decided on a new space to potentially use for my final project. as long as everything works out. I will be doing a piece in one of the four massive concrete stairwells in the wicke science building. These stairwells are pretty unbelievable. Because of their shape and size they are incredibly reverborous. Short transient sounds ring out for a very long time and long sweeping sounds seem to completeley fill the space and swim about the space as they are constantly reflected about the walls.

The spaces are big enough, and interesting enough that Paul and myself have decided to each do a piece in these stairwells. We will either do installations in opposite stairwells or two in the same stairwell. We would like to create installations which contrast and/or compliment each other in some way. We are playing ideas concern duality and opposites. For the wicke building, unnatural and natural might be a good place to start.

These stairwells are also perfect for creating imaginary spaces. They are so massive and open that sound can be heard throughout, but your line of sight is restricted to a small section. Any amount of imaginary action can be created above or below the unsuspecting student. We tested this out and the effect is startling.

My favorite, very most favorite characteristic of these stairwells is the way its architecture resonates sound to the point were the volume seems to be the same no matter where the sound is coming from or where you are in the stairwell. A chime can play at the very, very top and at the bottom it sounds like the sound is coming straight out of the walls around you. This environment will be perfect for heterodining*? as well as many other effects.

Robert Irwin

I am a big fan of Irwin’s approach to art. I believe that many people spend most of their lives completely blind to all that is happening around them. The entire universe can be a very aesthetically pleasing place, but so much of what is happening in our day to day lives is overlooked. Sometimes it takes an artist to bring our attention to the things we miss.

Kantian philosophers believe that the only true beauty exists in nature. I believe that this also encompasses natural phenomena, like light and gravity. These things are beautiful because they have no finality, no purpose, no reason, or end. They inspire wonder and awe in us and have no answer. They are pleasing for us to experience but for no clear reason. A tree just is, colors just are, and sound just happens.

These things are truly beautiful and opposed to unnatural things which are not. Such as things created by man, which are fundamentally flawed by the purpose assigned to them or the means to an end they inevitably become.

It seems like the beauty of the natural world is often overlooked. At the same time, almost all men find pleasure in experiencing large scale natural wonders, such massive canyons, mountains, oceans, solar eclipses, and the starry night. However, these things inspire pleasure and awe because they are the sublime, and we simply cannot fully comprehend them for they are much too large. The beautiful which we can comprehend, but not necessarily understand, happens on a smaller scale. This beauty often is missed. Irwin finds it and portrays it in a way which we can appreciate and comprehend.

Robert Irwin finds ways to bring our attention to true beauty in a way which does not corrupt the natural perfection of the experience. Irwin is not a creator, but a guide.

My Secret Place

My preffered liar is under construction so i had to find a default liar.

I chose to go in the upstairs of atwood. In a little area with chairs thats next to some display cases.My spot was in the center of the seating aragenments.

On my right side was a lonely woman eating lunch. On my right was two Asian students speaking their native language. And after few minutes a couple of women sat across from me and and ate and conversed.

Besides these noises there were people coming and going pass me and around me allot of feet sounds and random conversation.

There was also a lot of noise coming up the stairwell from all of the constant traffic from some sort of mini convention going on.

There was also the sound of children because for some reason there were allot of kids in the ballroom.

There is also a constant drone from something either mechanical or electrical if you listen really close.

Irwin Vid

Robert Irwin is an artist that does allot of his work with out using a frame.

By doing this the public is never sure of what they are looking at. So some people get what he is going for and some people not and this is alright with him.

He does this by making it so the audiance may not be drawin directly to the piece, this is done by no frames or labels.

When making his artwork he took in to account that the lights could be used to create a rainbow effect and he also took in to account that the walls my destract from this. And that by adding a cable across the room it would increase the odds of having at least some people notice it.

The Organ, The Wind, The Baby

In the art gallery there were 4 different works.

One was broken it just said something about S video input so I did not spend much time on that.

The first one that I really noticed was the organ, probably because of the giant spinning skulls.
When I went to play it I noticed that certain keys were marked with black or blue bars, So those were the ones that I played. This is when I realized that its pretty loud. And I think this is why its not payed for to long by people that come in there. Other interesting things about it is that it does have a microphone set up and it also has a guitar jack, so I assume you can plug in to it with other instruments.

The Baby is the other piece that you notice almost instantly. This is a loop of what sounds like baby gibberish played constantly along with a colored projection. This piece is semi soothing but it is quickly ignored because of its consistancey.

The one that is often noticed last is a loop of wind and what sounds like a motorcycle. This was interesting because it rarely went off and when it did it only lasted for a few minutes. The best part about this piece was that it quite often startled people because you do not expect it. This piece also had a projection screen with it.

Robert Irwin's Art

Reflections on the floor, shadows on the wall, refracted light, colors overlapping and combining; a single Irwin work could generate dozens of artistic photographs, but the experience of the actual space trumps them all. Wish I could have seen his wire.

This week's assignment

I'd like each of you to return to the space in which you spent time this past week, and attempt to record an essential element, using the universities portable gear (from the library). Please note that I am asking you to focus on the passive sounds in the space, not you purposely adding sounds into it (although any sounds that are normal in the space, such as students talking, or footsteps, etc are fine).

Robert Irwin Video

After watching this video I did some research on Robert Irwin, out of my own curiosity. What I found interesting was that the work in which he talks about in the video was not the only untitled work that he did. From what I could find, most or all his works were untitled. (don't quote me on this because I'm not to sure about that statement.)

I really liked his thinking behind not putting a label on his works. Like with anything else putting a label puts a thought into a viewers head. But Robert was aiming for the responsibility of thought to be put in the viewer.

I also liked the comment he made about isolating an object that has become so common to the world, that is goes unseen. It is very admirable that he has worked on making common objects in a given room to be viewed in a new way.

I wanted to put up one of his works in the walker art center, but the web address won't show up on my post.

http://www.imamuseum.org/explore/artwork/718?

The Aural Shortcomings of Kiehle

Yesterday I visited the exhibit at Kiehle and spent about half an hour observing, listening, and taking notes on the three works featuring sound. When I entered I first noticed the large organ flanked by spinning skull disks, however I chose to investigate the dark speaker-corner first. When I entered the small side exhibit I didn't notice any immediate sound coming from the four speakers (apx. 3" speaker cones w/1" tweeters). Thinking the device might somehow be activated by motion I made a brisk walk around the strange boxed television in the center of the floorspace and watched the lightening-over-water video. Suddenly I realized there were small chirps coming from each of the speakers. They were so quiet I had been dismissing them as audio glitches and crackles coming from the audio track. When I moved closer (with my ear about an inch from the back left speaker) I heard faint birdsong behind the louder chirps. Moving close proved to be a poor decision however because the birds were quickly replaced with much louder audio of something that sounded like cars accelerating within a large warehouse (added reverb I think). As I jerked my head away from the speaker I heard the sound distort strangely as if granulated or chopped and edited in order to repeat a portion of the acceleration sound. More cars were gradually added to the audio and overlapping accelerations were heard for about two or three minutes. The sound seemed to come primarily from the left and right front speakers with a slight pan between the two of them. After the cars died away it went back to the bird chirps. The full audio loop seems to run about five or six minutes total.
After listening to the loop a second time I was able to form an opinion of the piece (though it would have been helpful to find out what exactly the artist was trying to achieve). I consider this piece to be a failure (at least in its auditory aspects) for several reasons. Though the artist has four speakers surrounding their audience, there was hardly any spacilzation in the piece. Why not make the cars accelerate around the listener? Why not have birds chirping on your left, and then your right, and then in front of you? Additionally, the material itself (cars and bird chirps) was rater dull in my opinion. If this piece is commenting on a contrast between nature and technology, with natural and unnatural sounds, there are plenty more samples they could have used to add variety and keep the listener interested. As for the television in the center of the floor... I guess it's just over my head.
The second exhibit I observed was a projected image of what appeared to be the corner of wall or column slowly changing hues across the spectrum. The projector sat on a raised white block along with a single speaker box about 7" by 5". The speaker was playing what sounded like a young girl making indistinguishable, slightly melodic sounds. Her voice sample was about 2 minutes long and looped on the audio track repeatedly.
As far as the audio goes, I think it could have been looped better. There is an audible click as the loop repeats and it doesn't sound as if it's intentional. This piece seemed more focused on the visual aspect of presentation then the previous exhibit. Without knowing the artist's motivation I don't think I can judge the art as a success or failure. I really have no idea what they were trying to achieve with this and walked away with a general sense of confusion.
The final artwork I examined was the organ with the spinning speakers. Two sets of three 8" speakers mounted to a spinning disk driven by a motor belt. My intimidate interest was drawn to the spinning mechanisms as I wondered how they made the speakers rotate without creating a twisted mess of wires in the back. I discovered that the audio signal was sent through two contacts pressed against the rotating axle. Kudos on the build design. Moving to the front of the organ I saw a loop pedal attached to the organ output and an unplugged 1/4" jack running out from it. A microphone on a stand was also attached to the setup. On top of the left side of the organ a projector displayed a video of what appeared to be the artist recording several chords on the organ into his loop pedal, then picking up his guitar and playing it while singing into the microphone. Audio could barely be heard as it came from a small inaccessible speaker attached to the window of the exhibit hall. I could hear the organ chords but the guitar and vocals were practically inaudible.
This work was also a disappointment to me as it seemed to have great potential. He has an organ, he has a guitar, he has a microphone, he has a loop pedal and six spinning speakers and a complete recording of a performance with his remarkable setup. Why aren't I allowed to hear anything? I'd like to know what six spinning speakers sound like! Instead I get one tiny speaker I can't hear. What gives man? Is this a piece about a performance? Are we supposed to be satisfied with the knowledge that we could have heard something unique and interesting if we had been in the right place at the right time? Artistically and technically the work is quite impressive. From the skulled speakers, to the looming organ with written lyrics and song, to the guitar pick set casually beside the keyboard, the whole setup screams music and sound and showmanship. Where's the show? It's sure not coming through that projector very well.

singing tree

so i found this on youtube after clicking a bunch of links from the Irwin video. its kinda a new "twist" on the wind chime. it thought it was pretty cool and pretty cool looking.

mixed media art.

when i went to the art exhibit in kiehle (sp?) the very first thing that i noticed was the very large organ facing the front window, which appeared to be spin art of some kind but after a later look saw that picture was a skull. not sure if it was because i was visiting the exhibit at 9:30 am and things weren't completely set up but the organ was not making any sounds that i could hear. from there i was immediately drawn by the sound of the baby's voice to behind the pilar to where the sound was coming from and saw thespeaker next to a projector which was projecting mainly a single color onto the pilar. this sound piece didn't make much sense to me and so i was drawn away from that piece fairly quickly to the small boxed in room in the corner, to find a small screen in the middle of the floor with almost a wooden deck around it. i was surprised that i had not heard any sound coming from this corner since the small room was sourounded with four speakers one in each corner. so since i couldnt hear any sound i figured that it had some kind of trigger so i viewed the screen from every angle to see if i would trip a motion sensor of some sort. after not achieving any sound from my circle around the screen i thought maybe i it was in the wood or something so i though "well it looks like a deck maybe you have to step on it". but having a little bit of art knowledge i know you are not supposed to touch art since many times it is fragile. so i proceded to tap the wood with my toe and that didn't seem to do anything so i waited a little and then i heard what i would describe as a thunderous sound (although i may just use that word because of my long analysis of the video being played as being some storm clouds and lightning) after listening to the sound for a bit i my semantic listening makes me think it is the sound of a motorcycle. so i figured the artist was trying to imitate a natural sound with the sound of something man-made.

I had to go to Kiehle twice. The first time I went I could not grasp what I heard and saw. The second time though was different. I still can't say I understand what the artists wanted the viewer to perceive from their works, but I did put some of my own thoughts the second time. When I walked into the art gallery space I noticed right away a child’s voice. At first when I was standing at the entrance I thought the child was trying to sing. As I walked closer to the speakers the sound changed in that I heard the child change pitches in baby babble. Colors were being showing on a wall in front of the speakers, and I’m not sure what to put with them. I thought maybe the change of color had to do with the pitches, but as far as I could tell that was not the case.
The second thing I saw in the gallery was the organ. A small video was being played to one of the sides. There were two wheels spinning on either side of the organ. I was not able to hear anything from the organ till I walked right up to it. When I did that I heard a very quiet organ sound. It was not consistently playing, It seemed to me like an organist practicing with the stops and starts. At first I thought the video was making the sounds, but when a guitar was playing in the video with no sound representing that, I threw that idea out.
The other display I saw had no sound to it. It looked like a white bag that had air put in it and then closed. The background was a sky blue with the white bag kind of floating up and down on the screen. It reminded me of jelly fish, and I mistook it for that till the entire bag was put in view.
The last exhibit I walked right past and did not take notice to it, till a low rumble filled the gallery. It was in a corner of the gallery enclosed in a kind of a boxed area. In the middle was a small screen which lay on the floor. The small TV screen had wood put around it. I’m not sure why, but my thought is it was for the visual effect. The area had surround sound to it, with a video of lighting playing on the TV screen. The first sound I heard when I entered was a high chirp. It sounded like a bird to me. While standing in there for a bit a load sound was played . I could not get an idea of it , because it was gone as fast as it had started. Then the loudest sound came. Along with that the chirping was amplified as well. The sound reminded me of traffic and cars passing by on a wet road. It lasted for a short amount of time and then ended back to the quiet chirping sound.

I found this while looking at the Robert Irwin video. Check the video out.

Baby Talk

I stopped by Kiehle the other day to check out the sound installation art in the main gallery. There were three different artists on display, all of which were very different and each had on display visual art as well as sonic art. The fist sound I noticed was the voice of what sounded like a baby making unrecognizable speech sounds. The baby's voice was played out of a "super cube" speaker which sat on a table next to a projector. The speaker was small and white and looked like a baby monitor, which could have been intended by the artist. The projector was projecting a colored square which slowly changed gradient to different colors in a looped cycle. The baby's voice was on a loop, several minutes long, and could be heard clearly throughout the space. Although I am usually not the biggest fan of baby audio, it was very interesting how the constant sound of a rambling baby changes the way you perceive the other visual works in the space. When viewing paintings by other artists, the baby's voice is coupled to the visual artwork in the overall, perceptual experience. The colors chosen for the projection as well as the timbre and other acoustic qualities of the recording created an innocent, pure, and simple aesthetic. I believe it was effective as sound installation art. When you enter the gallery as well as how long you stay changes your experience of the baby audio. Because it is on a loop you could enter and begin hearing it at any time during the recording. Also if you stay for an hour, you will hear the baby the whole time, which could be a an intense psychological experience considering it gets a little creepy after a while, especially because there is a giant black organ with slowly rotating skull speakers in the corner. The audio is on a loop but it is difficult to tell. I do not think it was intended to seem like a looped recording of any specific phrase or section of baby talk. There isn't really a melody to the baby's voice but it has a pleasant musical quality. There is a slight rhythm to the way the baby rambles, probably because it has to take breaths. Also the recording is of a voice but it lacks any distinguishable semantic content. I believe it was intended mostly to create the feeling and atmosphere of a small person playing with the creation of sound for the first time, or something like that. There was much more happening there which I could talk more about but I would like to read what others will say about the additional sound art, as well as "the baby one".

Robert Irwin

This week's assignment for Sound Installation is to watch the video below and comment on their content. What kind of work does Robert Irwin do? What are his goals for the audience/viewer? How does he achieve those goals? What sorts of things did he take into account when creating his works?

Interesting

Sound of the stars.

From the BBC.

Check it out.