Category: SectionC

Looking Outwards Blog 04

The FORMS string quartet is a string quartet performance that includes digital visual elements based on sounds played during performances. As shown in the link below, they use various shapes and colors to interpret the noises from the string instruments to visual data that is played to create a more engaging experience for classical music than ever before. The scores are created previous to the performance using generative graphic algorithms that allow each sound to be interpreted into a visual shape/color. The FORMS creators allow the audience to view what is to come through visuals, making it an interactive experience, one that I would love to experience, as current classical music performances do not encourage some of the amazing visuals that have been reached by more “casual” concerts.

FORMS String Quartet 

Below is a link to information on Alexander Scriabin and his use of color in creating his circle of fifths. I found it interesting that these ideas of relating music to color can be traced back to the 1800’s and, through technology, can become musical performances similar to what Scriabin expected – though he imagined one performance with lights flashing colors related to their notes would end the world completely! This performance by FORMS seems like something that could be created with the P5.js program and inspires me to learn about the possibilities connecting sound, art, and technology.

Alexander Scriabin and Color

Project 04: String Art

Move your mouse to create different forms!

sketch
//Angela Yang
//Section C

var numLines = 100;
var r;
var g; 
var b;

function setup() {
    createCanvas(300, 400);
    r = random (0, 255); 
    g = random (20, 255);
    b = random (100, 255);
}

function draw() {
    background("#F6F4D8");
    //The mouse controls the motion of the strings on canvas. 
    var x = constrain(mouseX, 50, width);
    var y = constrain(mouseY, 50, height);
  
    //Mirror x and y coordinates. 
    var x2 = width - x;
    var y2 = height - y;

  
    // First set
    //The string is incremeting by 5 for each line that is drawn on canvas.
    for (var i = 0; i <=numLines; i += 5) {
        stroke(r, g, b);
          line(i, y2, x2, height + i);
          line(width + i, y, x, i);
          line(width + i, y2, x, height + i);
          line(i, y, x2, i);
    }
    
    //Second Set
    for (var i = 0; i <=numLines; i += 10) {
        stroke(0, 204, 204);
           line(width - i, y, x2, height);
           line(i, y2, x, i);
           line(width - i, y2, x2, i);
           line(i, y, x, height);
      
    //Third Set
    for (var i = 0; i <=numLines; i += 5) {
        stroke(0, 160, 150);
           line(width - i, y, x2, height+i);
           line(i, y2, x2, i);
           line(width - i, y, x2, i);
           line(i, y, x, height+i);
    }
  
   }
}

Project 04

sketch
// Sowang Kundeling skundeli Section C Project 04


function setup() {
    createCanvas(400, 300);
}

function draw() {
    background('lavender');
    noLoop();

    var x = 0;
    var y = 0;
    var x2 = 400;
    var y2 = 300;
    var numLines = 100;
    var diam;
    var d1 = 2;

    // cross shapes that make a butterfly
    stroke('teal');
    for (var i = 0; i <= numLines; i += 1) {
        line(width - i, y, x, y + i*3);
        line(i, y2, x2, y2 - i*3);
        line(width - i, y2, x, y2 - i*3);
        line(i, y, x2, y + i*3);
    }

    // circles
    noFill();
    stroke('darkblue');
    for(diam = d1; diam <= 37; diam *= 1.15) {
        ellipse(165, 30, diam, diam);
        ellipse(width - 165, 30, diam, diam);
    }

    // inside body
    stroke('lightblue');
    for (var i = 150; i <=250; i += 3) {
        line(width/2, height/3, i, height/2);
        line(width/2, height*(2/3), i, height/2);
    }

    // antenna
    stroke('darkblue');
    line(width/2, height/3.05, 165, 30);
    line(width/2, height/3.05, width-165, 30);
}

I made a butterfly!

Looking Outwards – 04

Work Title: The Sweet Screen, A multiplayer touch installation

Artist: DA Z Digital Art Zurich

https://studiomoniker.com/projects/the-sweet-screen

“The phone has become an extension of our body, and our finger is navigating through the endless seductive space of information or entertainment.”

This project is an interactive mobile design that invites the audience to use their fingers on the screen, and the hand mirrors the touching back motion from behind the screen. While people gather in the screening room, one can also see other people’s fingers on the digital screen and interact with one another. As the finger touches back, there is also a “knock” sound playing. I am interested in this project because yet it’s generated by a very simple motion, the multimedia experience is prolific in both 2-dimension and 4-dimension spaces. I suppose the algorithm behind this work to be mimicking the user’s finger as mouseX and mouseY. When mouseX and mouseY are tracked, there is a reaction sent from the computer, which includes the audio effect and another finger appearing.  

Blog 04

French American jazz pianist Dan Tepfer is also a coder and has developed a series of algorithms so that his computer can play with him. Jazz is known for its unpredictability and improvisations, which Tepfer’s algorithms can respond to. Tepfer, however, is a strong proponent of believing that computers should not be too intelligent but rather broaden the horizons of one’s imagination. Tepfer connects his Yamaha Disklavier to his computer where his playing is understood and the algorithms and “plays” the piano as well. His album showcasing his work, Natural Machines, was released in 2018. Tepfer is currently working on bringing his ideas to the Melbourne Planetarium where his algorithm will also project moving images in the dome.

Looking Outwards – 04

“5 Horizons” Installation by Ryoichi Kurokawa

The artwork “5 Horizons” is an audiovisual installation created by Japanese artist Ryoichi Kurokawa. Created in 2010, it is made up of five screens and speakers. The experince is an eight minutes long loop. He builds his structures with recordings and digitally-made structures. Kurokawa synthesizes the image to the sound, creating a very cool, immersive spatial experience for the viewers. I admire the layering of this installation, not only between the sound and imagery, but also how the imagery is able to morph (from dynamic waves to nature scenes and so on)! It is very well executed for all the moving parts. With further research, Kurokawa is interested in synesthtesia which you can see come though his work as he blends together the visual and audtiory senses. He also is inspired by nature, and it very interesting to see how he blurs the boundary between the natural and digital world in this installation.

Title : 5 Horizons
Artist : Ryoichi Kurokawa

Links : http://www.ryoichikurokawa.com/project/r5h.html
https://mutek.org/en/artists/ryoichi-kurokawa

Looking Outward-04 Sound Art

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gk9n-2lBb8&ab_channel=MediaArtTube

I looked at the project The Prouduct – Soundmachines, where it is three rotating disks mimicking the form of a vinyl disk player. Different from a traditional disk player, the disk contains visual information displayed through color and black and white patterns and the receiver reads these patterns and returns a sound for each color. The project includes three of these disks, each holding different visual information.

What I really admire about the project is its abstraction of sound, where in many music software, sound is displayed in a sonogram, which is often harder for people of comprehend. However, the abstraction of the audial qualities into easy-to-understand visual patterns make very simple for one to understand the audio qualities which otherwise is illegible.

The algorithm as the description as said, “translates concentric visual patterns into control signals.” I assume the receiver would reads the color values on the disk as the disk rotates in concentric motion, in the algorithm, each color would represent a different signal input into a music software, and outputs a sound through the software.

The artist’s sensibilities with both visual and audible qualities is clearly expressed in the project, where the artist uses simple geometric shapes to create a symphony of sounds. The artists is also most likely a follow of digital music, where the output comes from a music sequencer.

String Art?

sketch
//Emily Brunner, ebrunner
//Section C

function setup() {
    createCanvas(400, 300);
    background(200);

}

function draw() {
background(200);
for(i = 0; i <= width; i += 10){                 //DARK RED LINES
    stroke("darkred");
    line(width/2 - width, height/2, i, 0);
    line(width/2 - width, height/2, i, height);
}
for(i = 0; i <= width; i += 10){
    stroke("darkred");
    line(width/2 + width, height/2, i, 0);
    line(width/2 + width, height/2, i, height);
}
for(i = 0; i <= width; i += 10){
    stroke("darkred");
    line(width/2 + width/2, height/2, i, 0);
    line(width/2 + width/2, height/2, i, height);
}
for(i = 0; i <= width; i += 10){
    stroke("darkred");
    line(width/2 - width/2, height/2, i, 0);
    line(width/2 - width/2, height/2, i, height);
}
for(i = 0; i <= width; i += 10){
    stroke("darkred");
    line(width/2 + width/3, height/2, i, 0);
    line(width/2 + width/3, height/2, i, height);
}for(i = 0; i <= width; i += 10){
    stroke("darkred");
    line(width/2 - width/3, height/2, i, 0);
    line(width/2 - width/3, height/2, i, height);
}
for(i = 0; i <= width; i += 10){
    stroke("darkred");
    line(width/2 + width/4, height/2, i, 0);
    line(width/2 + width/4, height/2, i, height);
}for(i = 0; i <= width; i += 10){
    stroke("darkred");
    line(width/2 - width/4, height/2, i, 0);
    line(width/2 - width/4, height/2, i, height);
}



for(i = 0; i <= width; i += 10){         //YELLOW LINES
    stroke(246, 190, 0);
    line(width/5, height/2, i, 0);
    line(width/5, height/2, i, height);
}
for(i = 0; i <= width; i += 10){
    stroke(246, 190, 0);
    line(width/3 + width/2, height/2, i, 0);
    line(width/3 + width/2, height/2, i, height);
}


for(i = 0; i <= height; i += 10){             //ORANGE LINES
    stroke("orange");
    line(width/5, height/2, 0, i);
    line(width/5, height/2, width, i);
}
for(i = 0; i <= width; i += 10){
    stroke("darkorange");
    line(width/3 + width/2, height/2, 0, i);
    line(width/3 + width/2, height/2, width, i);
}
}

I had trouble with the math of this project, and understanding how to get the lines to do what I wanted. I didn’t get to draw a picture that was similar to what I pictured or found on the internet, but I made something that visually looks appealing so I call that a win.

Looking Outwards-04

Since starting to research different computational artists for future blog posts, I have been amazed by the flexibility and application of coding software to art. This week’s topic, Sound Art, has led me to the discovery of Renick Bell, an American musician, programmer, and teacher based in Tokyo. Bell is famous for his live coded music performances, which have become a recent phenomenon in the underground electronic music scene known as ‘Algorave’.

Bell first used SuperCollider, a programming platform for audio synthesis and algorithmic composition, to create some applications which produced generative music. He realized he didn’t need the graphical part of interface, and began to focus more on the manipulation of symbols, creating abstractions. Bell started live coding with his self-built live coding system ‘Conductive‘, following a pattern of 130 to 160 bpm. I can see Bell’s artistic sensibilities manifest into his work because he creates a utopian and complex experience through his design, contextual symbols, and storytelling.

I admire Renick Bell’s live coding algorave performance at Algorave Tokyo in 2016. I’m amazed at how fast he is able to code, and also orchestrate the code on its own in order to a literal concert (which I wouldn’t mind attending). Bell has truly created a trans-disciplinary tool for innovative collaborative live coding.

LookingOutwards – 04

Christian Marclay is an artist and composer with a strong interest in collages. In 2018, he used Snapchat videos and audio to compose and visualize a series of projects made up of a collage of video cuts. In one project a collection of phones hanging from the ceiling; as people speak to them the software matches the frequency of their voice to Snapchat videos and displays them on the screen as a reply. In another, a piano’s keys are connected to sound clippings from Snapchat videos, and as a player presses the keys videos and their sound display on a large screen. All the projects in this collection are interactive; I think this makes it more interesting because Snapchat is an app most people are familiar with and his project series allows them to use it in an entirely different way.