Abstracts
Danielle Wilde - Body-centric Interactive Sonic Interfaces - A Personal Perspective
Wilde's presentation will include a range of interactive, wearable works designed specifically for the actuation and control of sound. From body extensions realised a decade ago, through to recent explorations into how one might successfully mesh gestural/physical and sonic composition to arrive at gesture sound synchresis, these works characterise an evolution in the author's relationship to body-centric design, wearable interactive interfaces and performance.
While the author's work is not focussed on instrument building or sonic output, per se, interactive sonic interfaces feature prominently in her catalogue of works. The reasons for this - the possible value of augmenting the body with instrumental capabilities as well as the implications, challenges and advantages of working with sound when one's training and specialisation is interaction design and the performative body - will be discussed. Throughout the presentation, Wilde will also reflect upon the limitations and affordances of her body instruments; the role of interface, extension and tangibility; performance and performativity; and the changing role and importance of collaboration in her work.
Donna Hewitt - The eMic - Extended Mic-Stand Interface Controller
This presentation discusses the ongoing development of a gestural control interface for contemporary vocal performance and electronic processing called the eMic (Extended Mic-stand Interface Controller). This instrument is a modified microphone stand, custom fitted with an array of sensors and gesture capturing devices aimed at capturing commonly-used gestures and movements of vocalist who use microphones and microphone stands in performance. These common gestures were discussed in an earlier paper prepared for the New Interfaces for Musical Expression Conference 2003 (Hewitt and Stevenson) and it was seen that the gestures form the basis of a well-practiced language and social code for communication between performers and audiences. The microphone has become a standard performance tool for the contemporary vocalist, allowing for the extension of the voice as an instrument. The eMic aims to further facilitate the performer by giving them more flexibility and control over the processing and sound of their voice in a live context, by providing an gestural data to a software processing system.
Ernest Edmonds - On Audiovisual Discourse
When we watch a film we accept film sound as a natural part of the work. More generally, the sound track is recognised as a crucial element in the quality of the film. However, at times music is thought of as an accompaniment to the visual element, whereas it might alternatively be thought of as having equal importance. Much the most interesting integration, however, is where the sound and the visual elements are equal so that, for example, one can see a visual display as one instrument in piece in which other instruments, such as violins, happen to produce sound. A significant history exists of composition in this area using colour organs and the notion of synesthesia. The construction of such work can begin either with the music or the visual or swap between them. Alternatively, it can begin from some more abstract description or notation that can be mapped into either sound or image or both. This approach yields greater unity and is the basis for the work described and illustrated in this presentation.