ERASMUS+ lectures in Foggia
Lecture-workshops at Conservatorio di musica Umberto Giordano, Italy - facets of electroacoustic music.
This workshop was held as a part of the VIBRA project in November 2017 and consisted in an introduction and concert by Siegel at Kunsthallen, Trondheim, followed by a practical workshop at DansIT. Both events were open to the public.
In the introduction to the workshop that took place at Kunsthallen, Siegel started by provideding an introduction to his work with motion tracking and music. He started with work he did in the mid-1990s when he developed a system in collaboration with an engineer based on flex sensors on the dancers’ joints, and signals from these were wirelessly transmitted to the sound system (Max). Since these had wires that got in the way of the dancers and quickly broke when the dancers rolled on the floor, etc., he switched to camera-based systems, where the image from a video camera is analyzed and converted into data streams that can be connected to sound.
One minute video from the workshop. Shot and edited by Gina Sandberg
Siegel further discussed his aesthetics and approach to interactive dance and other forms of interactive art. He mentioned, among other things, that he does not want to impose too many restrictions on what movements the dancer can make. The dancer is not a musician, and the system is not an instrument. AND: Siegel does not want to act as a choreographer: “I am not a choreographer,” he says. Siegel emphasizes intuitive connections but is happy to mix them with connections that are less obvious and/or non-existent.
The dancer is not a musician, and the system is not an instrument
Wayne Siegel
The practical part of the workshop took place at DansIT and had both invited participants and participants who had signed up in an open call. In addition to myself, the participants were: Sigurd Saue, Arnhild Staal Pettersen, Gina Sandberg, Luis Della Mea, Rebecka (present for half the day), Viktoria (student at NOMADS/NTNU, IMU).
In the first practical part of the workshop, we tried out the system that Siegel uses in many of his compositions (e.g., Two Hands (not clapping)). The video image is divided into 3x4 square zones, each controlling the playback of a sound file that is played in a loop. This can be initiated in several overlapping versions or without overlap - meaning the sound file must finish playing before a new one starts. The sound files are composed in such a way that they together constitute a specific sound world, mood, sound source, or sound type. In some compositions, there are also contrasting sounds. The rectangles on the right side for the performer play sounds in the right channel and vice versa. In many of the compositions, high-pitched sounds are placed on the top row, while bass sounds are placed at the bottom. Siegel also mentioned that in several pieces (including one he performed at the Black Diamond in Copenhagen), he has connected each rectangle to a separate sound channel, resulting in a piece for 12-channel sound.
Viktoria tries the system. Photo: Gina Sandberg.
Each participant then got to try playing the system with the built-in camera on Siegel’s computer. Participants tried several different sound compositions. Several participants, including Luis, played as much with their bodies as with their hands (which was what Siegel primarily did). Several workshop participants expressed that they could have continued with this much longer.
Rebecka in action. Photo: Gina Sandberg.
After lunch, the system was reconfigured, this time with an external USB camera as the input signal. This camera was placed on a tripod and directed inward into the studio. This setup allowed for a much larger area to be captured than before - now perhaps 3 meters wide near the camera and nearly double that 5-6 meters from the camera. The area was marked with mats. This part of the workshop was the longest, and it was only now that participants were encouraged to dance to play the system.
Participants were divided into two groups: Viktoria and Luis, and Sigurd, Arnhild, and Andreas. Each group tried out four different sound compositions. Luis and Viktoria chose fire, water, rhythms (including a slightly oriental string riff), and (synthetic?) bell sounds. The latter was such that a new bell sound could only be initiated after the previous sound had finished playing. Otherwise, one had to move into a new rectangle to start the sound. This way of initiating the sounds made the participants’ movements different from the other sound compositions. After each group had improvised for a while in the four different sound compositions, they were challenged to create a small piece where they played for a little over a minute on each of these.
Sigurd and Arnhild. Photo: Gina Sandberg.
Luis and Viktoria had a relatively clear plan where they, among other things, ended with contact improvisation without arms. Sigurd, Arnhild, and Andreas initially wanted to work more improvisationally but ended up with an overarching plan for each of the four soundscapes. The workshop concluded with a discussion about the experiences from the day.
A longer video showing some activities from the workshop. Shot and edited by Gina Sandberg