LO-10

Badlands by Don Ritter is a sound art project that pairs sound with images of the Canadian Badlands. The image aspect of the project is controlled by live music; the speed at which the image moves is based on the tempo and pitch of the music being played. I was very interested in this project because the music controls the image, not the other way around. Most projects that I have looked at up to this point are based around the image first. In order to do this, Ritter uses a software called o8, which is based on Orpheus. The software is made to interpret and analyze the music that is being played in order to control the image. This also allows for artistic interpretation: Ritter (or anyone with the proper set up) could set the image to any music that he wanted and the project would be different than it would be with any other musical selection.

A link to a diagram that shows the technical requirements and setup, along with other information about Don Ritter’s Badlands project (2001)

Don Ritter’s website