Epi-thet : A Musical Performance Installation and a Choreography of Stillness

Tim Humphrey, Madeleine Flynn, and Jesse Stevens

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

This paper articulates an interest in a kind of interactive musical instrument and artwork that defines the mechanisms for instrumental interactivity from the iconic morphologies of ready-mades, casting historical utilitarian objects as the basis for performed musical experiences by spectators. The interactive repertoires are therefore partially pre-determined through enculturated behaviors that are associated with particular objects, but more importantly, inextricably linked to the thematic and meaningful assemblage of the work itself. Our new work epi-thet gathers data from individual interactions with common microscopes placed on platforms within a large space. This data is correlated with public domain genetic datasets obtained from micro-array analysis. A sonification algorithm generates unique compositions associated with the spectator "as measured" through their individual specification in performing an iconic measurement action. The apparatus is a receptacle for unique compositions in sound, and invites a participatory choreography of stillness that is available for reception as a live musical performance.

Citation

Tim Humphrey, Madeleine Flynn, and Jesse Stevens. 2010. Epi-thet : A Musical Performance Installation and a Choreography of Stillness. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1177811

BibTeX Entry

@inproceedings{Humphrey2010,
 abstract = {This paper articulates an interest in a kind of interactive musical instrument and artwork that defines the mechanisms for instrumental interactivity from the iconic morphologies of {ready-mades}, casting historical utilitarian objects as the basis for performed musical experiences by spectators. The interactive repertoires are therefore partially pre-determined through enculturated behaviors that are associated with particular objects, but more importantly, inextricably linked to the thematic and meaningful assemblage of the work itself. Our new work epi-thet gathers data from individual interactions with common microscopes placed on platforms within a large space. This data is correlated with public domain genetic datasets obtained from micro-array analysis. A sonification algorithm generates unique compositions associated with the spectator "as measured" through their individual specification in performing an iconic measurement action. The apparatus is a receptacle for unique compositions in sound, and invites a participatory choreography of stillness that is available for reception as a live musical performance. },
 address = {Sydney, Australia},
 author = {Humphrey, Tim and Flynn, Madeleine and Stevens, Jesse},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.1177811},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 keywords = {Sonification installation spectator-choreography micro-array ready-mades morphology stillness},
 pages = {69--71},
 title = {Epi-thet : A Musical Performance Installation and a Choreography of Stillness},
 url = {http://www.nime.org/proceedings/2010/nime2010_069.pdf},
 year = {2010}
}