Upcoming Events: Visual Bits, Audible Bytes (VBAB) 2016, 17/2

Wednesday 17th February 2016, 6:30PM

The seventh annual Visible Bits, Audible Bytes brings stunning, genre-breaking works of audiovisual art to Phoenix.

Stimulate the eye and the ear with contemporary fusions of new and old technologies: from computer-animated tessellation patterns driven by music, hacked analogue video circuits pulsing to stuttering electronica beats, hand-painted films complementing intimate digital soundscapes, and abstract particle-systems forming ambient vision-sound worlds.

The screening presents new digital aesthetics from around the globe, including China, Canada, Holland, Israel and the USA, including works by:

• Asher Arnon
• Mark Pilkington
• Eli Stine
• Emptyset + Clayton Welham and Sam Williams
• Raven Kwok + Karmafields
• Johan Rijpma
• Oerd
• Inés Wickmann + Francis Dhomont
• Jean Piché
• Louise Harris

Presented by the Music, Technology and Innovation Research Centre at De Montfort University.
Image Credit: Raven Kwok, from ‘Skyline’

This is a free event but booking is required.

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Two MTI staff members return from a busy trip to China

Professor Leigh Landy and Dr John Richards have both just returned from a fleeting and varied trip to China, where they visited historic institutions, gave performances and presentations, and continued work to strengthen international ties between China and De Montfort University. 

John Richards presented a talk at the Shanghai Electroacoustic Music Week Festival and followed that up with a combined workshop and performance at the Shanghai Theatre Academy. He also gave a presentation on design and sound objects at the Centre for Digital Innovation, Tongji University, Shanghai. In Beijing the following week, he performed in the Miji Minifest curated by Yan Jun where he also worked with musicians and artist from Beijing. Finally, he joined Leigh Landy to present a talk at the China Conservatory in Beijing, the MTI’s newest partner.

Leigh Landy had a slightly lengthier schedule there including a talk at the Shanghai Conservatory’s Composition Department and meetings with their Dean of Sound Engineering regarding potential future collaboration. He also met with staff from the new Zhejiang Conservatory in Hangzhou (in Shanghai) and is expected to visit this new conservatoire in the spring.

He was featured composer at this year’s Musicacoustica Festival at the Central Conservatory in Beijing where he also presented a master class and sat on two juries (as well as visiting the China Conservatory). Further meetings were held with a staff member from the Xinghai Conservatory in Guangzhou where a draft proposal is being circulated including the creation of an MTI China. A further Musicacoustica concert was held in the Southeastern city of Xiamen as part of the eMac Festival there, so his new work was performed there for the second time.

Finally, he was in residence for a week at the Tianjin Conservatory where he is Visiting Lecturer. This visit included two talks, a one-composer concert and discussions with the conservatoire President concerning various forms of collaboration with DMU. Negotiations will commence in the near future to investigate which forms of collaboration will be pursued.

Recent News: Leigh Landy visits China Conservatory of Music & Tianjin Conservatory of Music

In June 2015, Leigh Landy visited several institutions in China to discuss EARS2.  Two of the most significant venues – the China Conservatory of Music (CCM), based in Beijing, and the Tianjin Conservatory of Music (TJCM) – have featured information about these visits on their websites.

Translated from Chinese by MTI doctoral student Mungo Zhangruibo, these two news pieces can be found on the CHEARS (The Chinese ElectroAcoustic Resource Survey) website.

Leigh's lecture at CCM discussed the work of the Music Technology & Innovation Research Centre, within De Montfort University, alongside a broader discussion of music technology within the UK.
(Read more: Chinese/English).

At the Tianjin Conservatory, Leigh met first with Prof. Xu Changjun, the president of TJCM and Mrs. Wang Jianying, the secretary of the Composition Department. The subsequent lecture then saw Leigh talking about the the music technology subject area in the UK, followed more specifically by a discussion about the research areas of the MTI.  Key projects of the MTI were introduced, including the EARS projects.
(Read more: Chinese/English)

In both lectures, Compose with Sounds (CwS) was demonstrated in relation to the EARS2 project. CwS is available as a free download.

For more information about these lectures (in English) please visit the links below, via CHEARS:
The China Conservatory of Music: Link
Tianjin Conservatory of Music: Link

Rossiter Music Ambassador to China

Doctoral student Louise Rossiter is currently in China as the Music Ambassador for the Scotland China Education Network (SCEN). In collaboration with SCEN and other partners, Louise, along with audiovisual artist Andrew Connor, will be undertaking a major new sound and image project exploring the links shared between Scotland and China through the use of sound and image. Building on SCENs mission to promote links between Scotland and China — particularly in Scottish schools — Louise will develop several new pieces of work — including a collaborative sound installation with Andrew. You can follow the day to day progress in their project site and blog.

Leigh Landy's ‘Radio Series’ in Madrid, Bordeaux, Karlsruhe & Shenyang

In March and April, all three of Professor Leigh Landy’s radio compositions are receiving international performances. To BBC or Not was presented on the 14th of March in the Reina Sofia Concert Hall in Madrid as part of the international conference/festival, Sound Spaces and Visual Spaces (where he also gave two talks). On the 21st of March Oh là la radio will be performed in Bordeaux at l’Agora du Haut Carré as part of the national TPMC (Tout pour la musique contemporaine – Everything for Contemporary Music) series. On the 26th of April, Radio-aktiv will be performed in the closing concert of the MTI’s EU Culture project Composing with Sounds concert at the ZKM’s Kubus concert hall (Centre for Art and Media Technology) in Karlsruhe, Germany. Landy will be creating the fourth work in the series in Mandarin with students from the Shenyang Conservatory of Music in the autumn.

Shenyang Conservatory of Music - Lunchtime Concert 12.00 - Wednesday 21st November - PACE Studio 1

We welcome composers and instrumentalists from the Shenyang Conservatory in China. They will introduce us to the work of the Conservatory and play some electroacoustic music by members of their community, both staff and graduates of the composition department.

Looking of a Lad by Zhao Ziwen, Wei Fangxia, Zhao Yitong, Deng Ruochuan, Ren Xiu

Ambush on All Sides in Acousmographe by Zhang Ruibo

Birth and Rebirth by Zhang Ruibo (for Guqin and Max/MSP/Jitter)
Guqin soloist: Zhu Mohan

Heng (Perserverence, Duration) for live khoomei and industrial noise with VJ - Creative Design: Xie Bingyuan, Zhang Ruibo; Khoomei: Wumuti Anniwa (bass), Zhang Ruibo (tenor); Programmer: Zhao Zhongye, Yang Tianyang; VJ: Zhou Zhengqi

Entry Free! All Welcome!

Luca Forcucci "Formant / Forms of Listening to Forms"

Formant / Forms of Listening to Forms, a collaborative sound art project with members of the Shanghainese scene & doctoral student Luca Forcucci, opens in Shanghai on March 30. The exhibition is part of ongoing work by Luca Forcucci and Yin Yi to advance the development of sound art in China. It will include sound art works, talks, and concerts from Yan Jun, Yin Yi, Zhang Ding, Lawrence English and Luca Forcucci.

Luca will also play at NOISHANGHAI, curated by Torturing Noise. Appearing on the same bill are G.A.F, Tupperwear, AnastasiaAx & LarsSiltberg (Sweden, Spain and Beijing).

Leigh Landy and MTI Concert at Musicacoustica, Beijing 2011

Leigh Landy performed in the opening concert at this year’s Musicacoustica 2011 festival in Beijing in October. A picture of Landy performing appeared in ‘China Daily’. He also presented an entire MTI concert at this festival.

Luca Forcucci: Chinese Soundscape Research

The Electronic Music Foundation's "Ear to the Earth" website featured doctoral student Luca Forcucci's Chinese soundscape research this past August.