I had the great pleasure to chat to Annika on State of the Art about Playable Streets’ new online platform ‘Playable Web’. We discuss moving from interaction online onto the internet. How does a company that is so focussed on real and tangible touch interactions create work that is still collaborative in spirit?
You can listen to the interview here and go to the PBS website to listen and support their great work!
Support PBS & keep it loud and local
A seminar on Envelop by Christopher Willits. Envelop is a set of immersive sound apps (placing sound in space by routing to various speakers).
It is also a space in California where people go to experiment with immersive sound.
Since I saw Suzanne Cianni play a quadraphonic set in Bristol I have been hooked on immersive sound. I started experimenting for Polglto Theatre’s Light Pickers work with an octophonic soundscape that swept around the space. There is so much more to play with in this space.
Christopher talked about immersive music bringing people together in the action of listening. It can be a truly stunning experience when done well.
“Envelop’s mission is to unite humanity through profound communal listening experiences. We achieve our mission through community-supported immersive audio venues, inspiring events, educational programs, and free open-source immersive audio software tools. Envelop leads the future of immersive listening, bringing us back to our ancestral connection to sound, and the social-emotional benefits of listening together. ”
Check out the Daphne Oram website
Check out this great article about Suzanne Ciani’s career!
Here I will attempt to collect some of the amazing experiments happening that turn plants into musical interfaces.
Playable Streets have developed a public installation called The Plants over several years of experiments in public space.
THE PLANTS IS A SITE-SPECIFIC MUSICAL INSTALLATION THAT INVITES PARTICIPANTS TO CREATE THEIR OWN MUSICAL COMPOSITIONS USING UNIQUE DIGITAL INSTRUMENTS... PLANTS!
The installation has evolved a lot since our first experiments, new sounds, new shapes and new plants! Before the COVID lockdowns hit we were working on a new expressive version of ‘The Plants’ installation with Electronics engineer and Playable Streets intern Tony.
Human Plant Interactions | Symposium & One Week Project
Check out this article from Red Bull Music Academy on the history of collaborative instruments!
Collaborative Instruments: An illustrated history of remarkable instruments devised for two or more players https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2018/07/collaborative-instruments
This New York Times article by Nellie Bowles discusses the saturation of screens in our lives and the way they illustrate class divides.
Check out this great new study led by Melbourne University into the effects of music on people with dementia.
Playable Streets are currently working with Maroondah City Council’s Arts and Cultural Development and Aged and Disability teams to create an 'instrument' that allows participants with dementia and their carers to make music together. More soon! Stay tuned!
So your off to Ars Electronica festival for the first time? Awesome! After our first time at the festival my wife and I have decided to try and make it an annual pilgrimage to this technology festival in the small town of Linz that has been running since 1979.
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