music, improvisation, technology, design
I’m working with Martina Sprenghart (fashion photographer) to produce an installation for her latest work.
The exhibition is in in the Mall Galleries: 17 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5BD http://www.mallgalleries.org.
Click the photo to see the story of the installation’s development.
I made a laser tripwire for Fluxx theatre company. The system was installed at the Soho Theatre.
Chris wanted something that would be interactive and amusing for the audience. As the audience entered the space to sit down, they broke the invisible tripwire and a random farmyard or DIY sample was played over the PA.
Here’s what they said:
MATTHEW VENN is an inventive and industrious artist exploring a range of approaches to improvisation. His particular skils in working with technology allowed him to create a unique laser-based interactive device for use during Fluxx’s ten-year anniversary series of shows at the Soho Theatre in 2008. The device – generating sounds triggered by movements of spectators – proved a great hit.
I got the puredata patch to respond to midi, so now we can sequence the gas organ. For the flame and flesh event we’re going to have some performers who want to play their electric violin and cello with the gas organ. Martin came in and played a sequence (top right photo) which we recorded, and you can hear here.
I’ve been working on the wiimote -> puredata -> bluemelon controlled gas organ for a while now, and we are getting ready for a full test on Monday.
We have a big event called ‘flame and flesh’ happening on the 22nd February at Corsica Studios. Come along and check it out!
update!
the test went really well! We have good intuitive control of the organ using 2 wiimotes. I’ve also got a basic random mode going down too. It was great seeing Shawn dancing with the controllers because the sound was so well linked to his movement. I began to be able to recognise and predict what the sound was going to do as he moved. I think the use of wiimotes is going to really make waves in synchronising music, movement, visuals and who knows what else. Exciting!
