Postdoc in Sound and Music Computing (23 months, 0.5FTE)

We are hiring! A part-time (50% FTE), 23-month Postdoctoral Research Fellow position is available to work at the forefront of Sound and Music Computing as part of the AHRC-funded project “Sensing the Forest - Let the Forest Speak using the Internet of Things, Acoustic Ecology and Creative AI” at De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester, UK. The project is led by Anna Xambó Sedó (PI, DMU), Peter Batchelor (Co-I, DMU), Matthew Wilkinson (Co-I, Forest Research), and Georgios Xenakis (Co-I, Forest Research).

The proposed project aims to raise awareness among forest visitors/aficionados, artists, scientists, and the general public about the connection between forests and climate change. Community building will centre on looking at a better understanding of forest behaviour using complex scientific data in creative and artistic ways.

• Application link: https://dmuhub.dmu.ac.uk
• Application deadline: 13 August 2023
• Interviews: 24-25 August 2023
• Job start: 1 October 2023

For informal enquiries about the position, please contact Dr Anna Xambó Sedó, PI. E-mail: anna dot xambo at dmu dot ac dot uk

 

Students' installations at DMU May-June 2023

 During the past three weeks (17 May, 24 May, 25 May, 1 June) we have enjoyed several students' installations from the module MATT3002 Installation Art / Community Arts (final undergraduate year), supervised by Dr Peter Batchelor and Dr Anna Xambó Sedó. Here is an outline of the work that has been exhibited! Thanks to all the contributors and visitors!

"A Walk Through Rubble" by Leon Riley

 

"This installation is a multi-channel London Blitz soundscape including firsthand early memories from my grandfather who was present in London until his evacuation.

With samples from mainly the BBC Sound Service Archive, the piece follows footsteps through sonic scenes that would have occurred on London streets between 1940-1941 in addition to images sourced from the Imperial War Museum.

"Artificial Creativity" by Joshua Bentley

This installation is a short audio-visual piece based on computing and Artificial Intelligence, with a focus on phones.

The music throughout the piece is based on musical parameters set by ChatGPT, such as the key, tempo, and timbre of the overall track.

Additionally, there are photographs created by the AI software DALL-E and poems created by ChatGPT. There is also a QR code to anonymously provide feedback on the installation, as well as your thoughts on Artificial Intelligence.

"Nostalgia: dating course in 90's" by Jinil Park

This is part of the Installation/Community arts project.

This project is for a specific community, and in my case, I decided to do this project for everyone who misses the past. The original idea of the project was inspired by an exhibition titled 'I Grew Up 80s Exhibition' at the Leicester Museum. After watching the video of the exhibition by chance, I suddenly wondered, "How many people will miss the past?" and conducted an online survey on 29 people. Surprisingly, more than half of the 17 people (58.6%) found that they missed the past. There were people who missed youth, but the majority missed the feeling of the time itself. People with memories of those times said they went bowling, to the theatre, went on a bike trip, and played video games in arcades. And I considered, those who miss the past can relive those times if you personally experience this and document it in a film! I then put it into practise, and the result is this current exhibition.

"Sonic Reflections" by Adam Roberts

 

Sonic Reflections is an immersive sound installation that delves into the everyday sonic landscapes of urban and rural communities, giving voice to the problems of noise pollution and inviting contemplation on listening attitudes. Drawing inspiration from the renowned World Soundscape Project and the visionary R. Murray Schafer, an artist who devoted a lifetime to raising awareness of the repercussions of noise pollution. The project aims to preserve the delicate sounds of birds, water, as well as the overbearing sounds of urban environments.

Through a combination of recorded soundscapes, sonic manipulations, and visual digital art elements, Sonic Reflections offers a thought-provoking journey into the impact of noise pollution on our environment and ourselves. By engaging with this installation, viewers are prompted to reassess their own auditory experiences and consider the importance of actively listening to the world around them.

‘No more would we be able to hear the delicate sound of birds, of water, the breathing of nature or sounds of our own voices.’ (R. Murray Schafer)

"A message to your younger self" by Yasmina Perez

This Installation will take you on a sweet and intimate journey, reminiscing and healing your younger self with all the knowledge of you now, why not take some time to send a message back in time.

"Deadly Sins" by Cameron Flynn

This installation is an examination of our world expressed and conceived through the lens of the Seven Deadly Sins of Christianity.

"Rain Beacon" by Chris Hartshorn

A sound sculpture using battery-powered motors to mimic the sound of rain. The first of a series of such sculptures, designed to be deployed spatially to produce an immersive, meditative listening environment.

"Hedgerow" by Jeeves Kanth

This work seeks to transplant natural sounds into urban green spaces, allowing a brief moment to reflect on our aural environment and exercise mindfulness. The composition playing is made from field recordings taken around Leicester, transitioning from: bird-song, wind through trees and water - to the sounds of human activities and music. With life so full of noise, it's easy to overlook the sounds we need.

The module has also welcomed online exhibitions:

* "Relaxing music from nature" by Danhyung Yang

* "Sounds of London" by Dominic Demetriou John

Students' installations on the Aural Diversity Workshop 5

On Saturday, January 21st 2023, it took place the Aural Diversity Workshop 5 on Music and Performance, which was organised by Prof Andrew Hugill. The students from the module MATT3002 Community Arts had the opportunity to present a series of installations, supervised by Dr Peter Batchelor, exploring different aspects of aural diversity. The workshop was held at the Attenborough Arts Centre in Leicester.

Here we share the work exhibited during the day.

In the area near the cafeteria, there were two fixed media pieces and an interactive piece:

The Pink Noise by Yasmina Perez is a video with triggering sound effects and noises to raise awareness about misophonia and the physical anxiety that is developed from it.

Danhyung Yang also presented a video about misophonia, including manipulated trigger sounds, for example, fork on plate, chewing, swallowing, breathing, siren, blender, pen clicking, clock ticking, shouting, baby crying, and so on.

SynesthesiArt by Josh Bentley was designed to help visualise synaesthesia, focusing on Clavier & Lumières (Keyboard with Lights). Here, musical notes from a MIDI musical keyboard were linked to colours.

In the main theatre space, there were two interactive pieces:

A Thin Piece of String by Cameron Flynn is an installation inspired by Murray Schaeffer's The Tuning of Our World and responds to the discussion around Universal Deafness and how our environment affects us every day.

The Glowing Tent by Leon Riley is based on the visualisations of a family friend who experiences synaesthesia. A tent contains lights with colours that correspond to those experienced by this person whilst reading the words in the poem "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats.

In the first floor, there were three more interactive pieces:

Inspired by DeafZones for deaf fans at Grateful Dead concerts, Adam Roberts uses a balloon to bring a sensory experience of feeling the frequencies of a composition.

Ears Singing by Jeevan Kanth is based on the artist's own experience of the consequences of working in loud environments and attempts to recontextualise the most common symptom of hearing degradation - ringing in the ears. A wood and metal box act as a vibrating system for sound transduced through two singing bowls with both passive and active interaction with the environment.

PLAY by Jinil Park is inspired by the Playstation game "Moss". The game is well known for applying sign language in a game for the first time. This installation brings the concept of a game to enjoy aural diversity by interacting with a gamepad with programmed sound effects, a poem for the deaf, and morse code with or without vibration, among others.