phonograffiti
“phonograffiti” is a portmanteaux that describes an interactive artistic community performance project where the musician and public audience are able to interact together on an intimate level. It is an event where everyone is able to become a performer.
The sensor fixed canvas serves as source of the music. The audience creates the sound for the musician to process via brush strokes or light tapping while painting on the canvas during the performance. A large blank canvas (see layout ‘a’) or several standard sized canvases (see layout ‘b’) are set up for each performance. A series of public paints, brushes, and plastic pallette knives are provided for the audience to participate with. Each resonant canvas is connected to several contact microphones through which the naturally textural tone and percussive quality of the stretched fabric (similar to a drum) is sent through the sound processing equipment. This project lends itself well to collaborations between musicians as there are several different sound sources from the canvas that can be provided at once.
The video projection aspect consists of a large number of random images/short clips pertaining to a unity between nature art and history that change every time the artist’s brush touches the canvas above a certain force. Symbolically, the images are a representation of the human stream of consciousness. Their random nature occur in sync with the processed sound and live painting to further reinforce the connection between the audience and the musician.
“phonograffiti” can exist as a single 1 hour performance (see layout ‘a’) or as an installation(‘b’, ‘c’) in almost any space equipped with electricity, decent lighting, a table for the musicians and artists supplies, as well as tolerance for the possibility of a slight mess (although laying down a large tarp is sufficient). Surround sound is also an option depending on the layout of the space. Live internet streaming is also recommended depending on whether the space can supply a wireless or open ethernet connection. If the musicians are using either max/msp or reaktor then several canvases – each with its own speaker and unique sound source – can interact with the other canvas’ sounds. The events work well as a series of prescheduled 1 hour interactive performances but can also function as a constantly running installation. The events are exciting to view and interact with and bring together diversity under the common language of creativity.
Video documentation:1.) WRFL88.1 FreeKY Festival - documentary short
2.) arts place gallery - installation prototype
3.) finger painting initial experiments
4.) upper gallery hall - live performance
5.) initial appearance: university of KY art dept. event
6.) live at ice house
