One of my primary musical interests is instruments themselves–the tools that we use to make sound. I’m also interest in unique ways to display or package these instruments. Below shows some of my experiments in sound sculpture, circuit bending, and more.
Junk synths
To be updated soon – three suitcase-enclosed performance systems made with small instruments.
Junk synth
Junk modular synth: contains (from top left) Korg Monotron, Donner guitar pedal power supply, Atari Punk Console, Bleep Labs Pico Paso, bent Speak & Spell, Stylophone, Zoom multi-effects pedal, Velleman digital delay, passive mixer, Nady mixer, radio, mini-Marshall amps.
Demo:
sound sculptures
My sound sculptures all play generative music within unique housings. Although not created as a series, these pieces reflect my interests in the visual aesthetics of childhood, domesticity, DIY, and kitsch. The music reflects my fascination with the differing perceptions of music — what some might call ethereal and soothing, others call eerie and strange. They were shown together at MoxiePOP in Greenville, NC in June 2017.
101 Lullabies
This sculpture is an old doll house with ghostly lights and speakers playing computer-generated lullabies. I made a program in the computer music language “SuperCollider” which creates the lullabies by randomly choosing a mode, meter, accompaniment pattern, and melody. Since they were created somewhat randomly, they range from cute to wistful to creepy!
Sunflower Salutation
This sculpture is a flower pot with deliberately fake-looking flowers, each of which contains a speaker. There are four different elements in the music, which was put together in the computer music program Pure Data: long organ tones, stretched choir notes, recordings of birds, and synthesized percussion (vibraphones, marimbas, etc.). Much of the music is bright and peaceful, but some mornings (ahem, Monday), there could be a lurking sense of dread!
Spectral Cathedral
This sculpture features speakers hidden inside decorative bells. I made the music in SuperCollider. The program synthesize tones based on bells, and can be set to loop any number of times. For each loop, the computer chooses a “root” note, rhythm and melody, and whether it triggers other sounds (a trickling water sound, gongs, or ghostly whistles). The “root” note gradually moves up and down in each loop, so you may hear something bright and sparkly, then come back in five minutes and hear something dark and murky.
circuit bending
I enjoy working with small electronic kits and circuit bending electronic toys to create unpredictable sound sources for improvisation and composition. I’m drawn to the tactile, exploratory nature of bending—opening devices, discovering new behaviors, and embracing the unstable or noisy qualities that result.
Casio Rapman
Leapfrog
Speak & Read
bends is a video piece made with some of these instruments:
