Research and inspiration 27/03/2018

Discovered the artist Amulets this week. He works with cassettes, players, tape loops and effects , creating woozy soundscapes and atmospheres from these simple sources. Of particular interest is the physical aspect of what he does, manipulating the sounds and machines in real time.

Also reading The Oxford Handbook of Interactive Audio, with a view to developing a more theoretical approach to the sound that will be part of my final installation.

Currently experimenting with combining simple tones to make chords / walls of sound, using this for reference: Frequencies for equal-tempered scale, A4 = 440 Hz

Panned version.

Mono version.

Also read this piece recently on FACT – The Sound of Fear, which mentioned the Ghost Tape Number 10, which was unpacked in this podcast a while ago. An interesting example of using sound to play on people’s cultural preconceptions.

During the Vietnam conflict, US troops played a soundtrack known as Ghost Tape Number 10 against the soldiers of the National Liberation Front. Used as part of Operation Wandering Soul, the unsettling tape collage tapped into Vietnamese beliefs that ancestors not buried in their homeland roam without rest in the afterlife. This spooky mix of voice, sound and music was intended to haunt Vietnamese soldiers and encourage them to abandon their cause.

Quite intrigued by this visualisation of sound in space via AR. Discovered this while reading about the Weird Type AR app.

I have also been investigating a few options for networking and interacting with the objects that will be the 3D models in the installation.

One is X BEE – apparently “the Digi XBee3 Series offers design freedom with easy-to-add functionality and flexible wireless connectivity.”

Another is the Google’s Project SOLI, a sensor which recognises hand gestures.

And finally, a MIDI controller ring, The Wave, as featured on TechCrunch.

Sadly the last two will not be available for a few months yet.

Processed stories: 2. Made Little Idea

Second text created using Markov chain text generation. Again, the text is in the order it was generated, although some slight edits have been made to give the text a bit more flow and ‘sense’.

Made little idea where he was
connect the bothersome sounds of the Earth
only family
had aged in the Desert,
a location on,
announcing the lens,
much less of the horse,
scans the space of whom,
announcing around the music,
waiting like electricity,
and intense, despite simple,

was being much like those back home.

 

Reported quite signals.
As he turned the cottage
whomever was great,

but maybe we’re not quiet.

 

To be honest, they too had seen the nature
wandered
not only more lush
and was unable to make the journey
back to the camera

shows not only family.

 

Looking back
their artists tried
the object details

tenderly.

 

These people live
significant mountains,
much like spider life,
that’s existence

quite done with wandering after all.

 

Being from and surprises the edges.

 

Even as a small life here,
as he looks closely,
careful to ignore
the leaf presents itself,
at first, as he thinks, as she named Kathy,

in honour of the sounds of the object.

 

Families gathered
spirit beautiful,
announcing she is assigned the airport,

sparsely, tendency, finally around the screen.

 

These people live a small listen
to take the creative commune
complex understanding

much less of the object.

 

Under closely, which finally that.

 

A web of careful
to connect is assigned

the artist’s ranch.

 

When they all listen.

 

A kindred spoil the communicating
back down is taken in a row behind

the council would change us all.

 

Or at the flickering moon shots,
the camera shows Beachtown USA,
situated near others

the moon landings.

 

Taken.

 

A kindred spirit beautiful,
and screen searching
signed the dial
view of decided
that is the pictures from memory

and the small life deciphering the stars.

 

As the lens near the Golden Gate Bridge

come riding horses.

 

Some before.

 

A celebration and spirit
behind the sound of the base

the contact with wandering travel.

 

The lens near other
means camera when the moon.

They travel.

 

Hopeful to think
she thinks,

object is so near as macro.

 

The live a similar kind,
was a pretty good idea while they knew it
was concert
have signal

would do the pictures from the lens.

 

Looking at this
was taken in by the concert

have begun.

 

Sat on his

heard the same from.

As he once again see scans them.

 

However, he had it.
They create as them.
However, he looks closely, careful to ignore they made.
With safety being near othered

occasionally the Earth.

 

The lens,
as only that there to find the lens.
Looking at thinks,

she notices that finally.

 

A web of carefully during its travels across space

mission for survival.

 

Even as we can tell,
static, waiting to pass.

Before static, waiting the home rest.

 

The city that’s existening
back down,
announcing the moon landing wasn’t enough,
because life wandered
was his headquarters, tunes,
looking for signal would come

time has passed.

 

More stop outside of the creative commune
inhabitants, the lab; an hour.
She glances up momentarily at the violins,

much; it was, but they weren’t enough the map.

 

An experience
up momentarily at a secret astronaut
analysed and scattered
mounted on the was

some time to listen is.

 

Looking at some sound so much;
it was unable to make the create

a sort of us.

 

Hopefully measured veins branch through others
and he decided the collects
antique photos of they weren’t enough,

because life.

 

Maybe was unable to take in the moon.
The sounds they knew the parlour.

They played from memory and the edges.

 

An easier time.
Before will be a fanfare.
A kind, was off to ride
collects antique photograph shows
not so much like electricity,

and the bother means came naturally, tenderly.

 

The sound of the same from the subject.
Unfortunately, tendency to be honest, they trail.
Where he wasn’t enough
other life, general
leave this cue to ride towards home,

and sounding like spider legs.

 

An expedition is.
Out in the Sun
a little idea
where to follow the map and in had it.
The grainy black and white screen.
Another life.
She had food and was being much like the journey
back to the photos of the city

the rider closely.

 

Families gather place.
Gazing in
stopped, tuned, rode again.
It was near to reach it,

communicating against the stars.

 

Lens near other side of time
to connect the screen.
They knew it took some sound.
Occasionally too
had seen this horse,
she tunes,
once again see

scanning their artists travel.

 

Being and expedition is sentimentarily
at a newly acquired piece mounted.
They all smile into her colleagues.
She adjusts the home
side of the commune
and takes it to his her –
she notices sound made little,

he came named.

 

Many have since suggested the decided that reminds they made.
 Without the craft the newly-acquired family

 

Processed stories: 1. Wondensation

The following text is the result of inputting the three stories generated during my Narrative Workshop into a PHP-based Markov chain text generator. The text is in the order it was generated, although some slight edits have been made to give the text a bit more flow and ‘sense’.  This will eventually be narrated as audio for further manipulation and configuration.

Some sound bring around
Take in the ride towards home, as far as to give life here,
As far as to the city the signals.

A densely, tender
standing to receiver

he once again considers the photos of the mission
but not so much less of the soundings.
But all room repeat
a small room repeatedly.

For this receiver,
the camera
when they found the way
an aerial view of flickering again.
He had been searchings
like spider legs.

Being much less of a concert
have gathered our own
she again consider legs.

Out in the airport, sparsely,
as he turned the wall to her
She heard the airported back down (she is supposing).
They wondered with the context
At first, she personifies the micro as macro.

The leaf. The people stopped,
Tunes,
He often is.

There with wandered densely
figure will be a fanfare.
A densations.
The grainy capsule.
The way an aerial view of flight.
She context of the music.
Many other means
camera
when this desert.
He had it.
Maybe was time to static, more static,
waiting
beamed to be late.

All life here, as only
that’s what she is supposing.

They all smile
interpreting the moon landing
off to receive sound
so much;
beautiful, and in,
neighbours’ tiny
black at his side was a flickering
against the flesh to give little,
he heard the evening beamed
around all.

The quartet playing off to give life.
Stopped on
wondensation was a pretty good idea
for similar kind,
his cue to the airport,
spreading on the static,
was a special view of his side of time
has a tenderly.

The crackling voices being horse,
stopped, life into this desert,
a lonely at this horse,
still,
squinting the sound.

Occasionally the photos
of perfect strangers also came naturally,
white simple, accordings.
But it took some time
to the micro as macro.

The looks closely, tenderly.
The crackling voices beautiful,
and sound.

Occasionally led to the space
complex understanding wasn’t enough,
because life.

At his cue
to catch in roughly
an odd practice,
according
on the way an aerial view
of flight before then.

Another place
bouncing like spirit
behind the evening before
thinks, she occupies
the sounding was going.

Just had receiver,
more food, some sense.

The cello and scattered notes.

With safety being
signal would complete.

He had been searching
life into new
the lens near
other happy
played from memory and the sounding
like another place, announcing.

The Quartet – a short story for an installation

This text was written as part of a workshop based on a series of five randomly-selected images that were originally sent into space as part of the Voyager Golden Record in 1977.

The Quartet. 19/03/2018

The quartet played in the parlour. They are interpreting the sounds they heard the evening before, when they watch the moon landing on their neighbours’ tiny black and white screen. They played from memory and the sound bounced around the small room repeatedly. For this reason, they played softly, sparsely, tenderly. The people stop outside of the cottage they are playing in stopped occasionally to listen to the sounds they made. Without the context of the screen and the flickering moon shots, the sound made little sense. But they found it beautiful, and intense, despite seemingly-random and scattered notes. 

Families gathered outside in the street. At the gate. Stopping for a while to take in the music. Many others also came to listen. Standing still. They wondered at the sound. They too had seen the moon landings. But it took some time to connect the sounds of the instruments to the pictures from the night before. The grainy capsule. The crackling voices beamed down, announcing the moment that would change us all. Or at least most of us.

 

Out in the Desert, a lonely figure wandered with this horse, scanning the horizon for signs of life. At his side was a small listening device. A radio, tuned to static, waiting to receive some sound. Occasionally the rider stops, tunes, looking for signals. As he tunes, he once again see scans the horizon. Once or twice he looks back at his trail. Where he came from. As he had little idea where he was going. Just had to find the end to this desert. He rode, stopped, tuned, rode again. He had food and water for a few days more.

 

Hopefully the signal would come before then. Another day passed. More static, more water, more food, some rest. And then, slowly, as he turned the dial of his receiver, he had it. The sound he had been searching for. The concert have begun. Sat on his horse, still, squinting against the Sun a little, he heard the sound of the violins, the cello and the bass. Being from another place, and sounding like another time.  An easier time. Before space was conquered. Before we landed on the moon. The sound was being beamed around the world. Into space and back again. It was his cue to ride towards home. He had found the signal and reported back to the city that the mission was complete. He is unsure of the purpose of the mission, but he knew the part he played.  Had to relay the message home, and the council would do the rest. 
There will be a fanfare. A celebration. A parade of vehicles of all kinds. Some riding horses. Some driving. Others on foot. But all happy that finally they could leave this place and fly to the stars.

Narrative workshop 19/03/2018

On 19th March I conducted a 3 hour workshop with my fellow Interactive Digital Media colleagues to explore ideas of narrative for What Goes Around.

To kick off the session, each participant told a story about and item they had brought to the workshop that had a personal significance.

FM3 Buddah Machine
FM3 Buddah Machine

The object I chose was the FM3 Buddah Machine purchased at Sonar Festival a few years back.

Kat chose a piece of jewellery given to her by her ex and that belonged to his mother.

Kat Jewelry
Kat Jewelry

And KP brought along his drone that has traveled around the world with him, and has provided many images for his Instagram feed.

KP Drone
KP Drone

Next, we each chose five random images from print outs of photographs originally sent into space on the Voyager probe in 1977. The task was to write a story based on the sequence of five images.

Richard’s story, based on these images:

My 5 images
My 5 images
My 5 images
My 5 images

(The text of this story can be read here.)

Kat’s story, based on these images:

Kat's 5 images
Kat’s 5 images

KP’s story, based on these images:

KP's 5 images
KP’s 5 images

As you can hear above, each of us read out our stories.

The final task was to combine the two each of the images originally chosen with two new images each, totaling 12 images. These were then arranged collaboratively into another story, as you can see in the following images.