Avatar Orchestra Metaverse
Descriptions of AOM Compositions
in Chronological Order
in Chronological Order
Current as of September, 2010
Vicky's Mosquitos (March, 2007)
Vicky's Mosquitos #13 (2007)
Concept creator: Hars Hefferman;
Score, conducting and sounds by Miulew Takahe;
Instruments by Bingo Onomatopoeia;
Choreography by Vit Latynina;
Premiered at De Waag Festival, Amsterdam, March 2007
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| The Aviophone |
Vicky's Moskitos #13 was presented the 14th of march 2007 simultaneously in Second Life and at the Art.Think.Box Netherbeck, performed by the Avatar Orchestra Metaverse and at the Waag Society Amsterdam, presented and performed by ookoi. The Second Life performance was screened and sounded live to the audience at Waag. With the exception of Vicky's voice reading a text by Harold Shellinx, all the sounds in the piece are found and played within Second Life - sounds of typing, clicks, bumps, water, goats and more - by means of 'aviophones', virtual instruments created by Bingo Onomatopeia.
Wee No Kresh (March, 2007)
Composer: Andreas Müller (aka Bingo Onomatopoeia)
Instruments designed and built by Andreas Müller
Premiered at virtual Haidplatz.
The Onomatophone was created out of the idea to build an instrument with real 3-dimensional sound. The result is an instrument that separates the control-interface from the sound-generation: six spheres sending out audio fly right through the audience, thus giving everybody a unique, continuously changing mix.
W.N.K. is not only a song I made for AOM but also a proof of concept that loop-based/rhythm-oriented music can be arranged/performed/mixed live in SL. Hence the dance/Drum'nBass loops. I simply wanted to see if they play back in sync in laggy live situations. These drum-loops are taken from the web or were freebies from synthesizer magazines; of course I processed them and did not use them unedited. The other loops were (like the rest of the samples used here) created from my library of field-recordings: There are, for examples the heating of a flat I once lived in for a while, a metal lid covering the public water-systems at the place we go to for flying kites and riding sleigh, the mouse-clicks of my old Atari and so on.
Technically, it as a project for learning the coding of LSL (Linden Scrpting Language), I had to create an interface controlling the sounds as well as the movements of the spheres - plus visual feedback for the audience (and player) as the buttons change color when clicked. After a few performances I changed the concept a bit and removed the controls from the in-world instrument (only left the visual representations) and moved this functionality into a HUD. I had had a hard time during performances telling the audiences not to click the buttons all the time and not to stand between me and my instrument - something nobody deliberately did in order to annoy me, but because nobody is acquainted with an Onomatophone. Violins, Pianos and Guitars are well known and nobody dares to touch them without invitation, but this is not the case with an experimental instrument where it is not even obvious at first sight that this IS an instrument.
In order not to make this a solo-piece for me, I extended the instrumentarium and created a special HUD for Miulew to do the vocal/solo role, so the general arc of tension for the whole song would not have to rely on me alone remote-controlling loops. The rest of the orchestra has HUDs to add percussive spice to the whole thing.
Rue Blanche (April, 2007)
by Bjorn Eriksson (aka Miulew Takahe), Solefea, Sweden
Instruments built by Andreas Müller (aka Bingo Onomatopoaia), Regensburg, Germany
Premiered at Ljudrum Eskilstuna, Eskilstuna, May 2007.
http://aom.podomatic.com/entry/2007-07-06T11_27_38-07_00
http://aom.podomatic.com/entry/2007-07-06T11_27_38-07_00
The name of the piece is inspired by the book ‘Le vol d´Icare’ by Raymond Queneau.
Icare is the main character of the author character in this novel Le vol d´Ícare. One day he disappears from his author and this is the frame of this story. The character Icare did not want to be locked inside the story of the author and when suddenly he gets free he explores a new world. Icare finds himself on a zero point and that is the street called Rue Blanche. Icare seems to enjoy this and he from there he explores the new life. Things he has not been able to do before. He feels very free and with lust for life. He also falls in love to with LN.
Icare is the main character of the author character in this novel Le vol d´Ícare. One day he disappears from his author and this is the frame of this story. The character Icare did not want to be locked inside the story of the author and when suddenly he gets free he explores a new world. Icare finds himself on a zero point and that is the street called Rue Blanche. Icare seems to enjoy this and he from there he explores the new life. Things he has not been able to do before. He feels very free and with lust for life. He also falls in love to with LN.
The link i did with this piece Rue Blanche is as follows. I was reading this book during spring 2007. The different planes of being, like characters, avatars, stories in different planes and the connection them between inspired me much. So Rue Blanche is a metaphor for a new perspective with lots of possibilities to play together with different avatars and them making sounds and movements within this piece of Rue Blanche. So thus i wanted to explore in this newborn context of Avatar Orchestra Metaverse.
There are two groups of players in the piece, the sinus players that plays the sine tones only and the cosinus players that plays additional field recordings or other found sounds and beating and sweeping sine tones. The HUDs (which emit the sounds, but are invisible to the audience) are supplemented by receivers that are worn on the back of avatars and are becoming red when a sound is played, visualizing the musicians playing.
Rue Blanche was made as an experiment to work with sine tones in harmonic series in an orchestral context. A sine tone is the most simple and pure waveform consisting of only one frequency. A harmonic series is a progression of tones with start from the fundamental tone frequency and then 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 times the fundamental frequency. The HUDs was prepared with two sets of sine tone harmonic series. In addition to the sine tones the piece includes found sounds or field recordings.
Rue Blanche was made as an experiment to work with sine tones in harmonic series in an orchestral context. A sine tone is the most simple and pure waveform consisting of only one frequency. A harmonic series is a progression of tones with start from the fundamental tone frequency and then 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 times the fundamental frequency. The HUDs was prepared with two sets of sine tone harmonic series. In addition to the sine tones the piece includes found sounds or field recordings.
Fadheit (June, 2007)
composer: Shintaro Miyazaki (aka Maximillian Nakamura)
instruments designed and build by Shintaro Miyazaki
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| Fadheit rehearsal, showing HUD interface (bottom coloured squares.) |
‘Fadheit’ is properly called "Variationen über die Fadheit Nr. 2 – für Avatar Orchestra Metaverse" is a piece of soundart, that existed before in RL. Based on a Soloversion for a Laptop (Supercollider 3) the composition was played also by Laptoporchester Berlin. The german word "fadheit" means something like staleness.
The composition deals with elemental sounds of a violin and tries to explore elementally these sounds. Which produces a somehow stale environment. In East-Asia (China, Korea, Japan) staleness is often also positivly denoted. Fadheit is then the reduction of the basic things and of the crucial and essential moments.
The composition deals with elemental sounds of a violin and tries to explore elementally these sounds. Which produces a somehow stale environment. In East-Asia (China, Korea, Japan) staleness is often also positivly denoted. Fadheit is then the reduction of the basic things and of the crucial and essential moments.
Fragula (June 2007)
composed by Bjorn Eriksson (aka Miulew Takahe), Solefea, Sweden
Instruments and Animations designed and built by Andreas Mueller (aka Bingo Onomatopoeia), Regensburg, Germany
Occasionally performed using Second Life artist Gazira Babeli's animationsculpture Come Together;
Premiered at PgUp, Notice Gallery, London, June 2007.
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| AOM performing Fragula, 2007. Photo Bingo Onomatopoeia |
The piece is a play with words “fragment”, “fragile”, “fragula” and “Dracula”. The visual part of this piece is made from small and big movements and animations of avatar while having the sound sack being colored in different colours.
One of the major ideas about this piece is to have the orchestra to wander from a fragile and fragmented digital synthesized sound texture into a more analog acoustic and not so fragmented sound texture, and then come back to where it all started. This is aurally symbolized in the granulated synthezised sounds of sine waves, square waves and sawtooth shaped sounds. Also arpeggiated synthetic figures then gradually transforms into the sounds of an old harmonium with unprecise playing. There is also a transitional sound in between the digital and analog sound sources where a time stretched harmonium sounds gets this role.
There are three groups of players in this piece as the different sounds forms chordal sound textures.
SLippery SLope (June, 2007)
by Jeremy Owen Turner (aka Wirxli Flimflam), Vancouver, BC, Canada
Set Built by DeThomas Dibou. Instruments Built by Bingo Onomatopoeia
Composer: Jeremy Owen Turner (aka Wirxli Flimflam), Vancouver, BC, Canada;
Instruments and animations by Bingo Onomatopoeia;
Hyper flutes and cellos by Robbie Dingo;
Set architect is DeThomas Dibou;
Composed site-specific for the Virtual Haidplatz built by Jori Tokyo;
Premiered at PgUp, Notice Gallery, London, June 2007
with additional performers Jannne Janus, Junivers Stockholm and Way Sands.
http://aom.podomatic.com/entry/2007-07-06T09_50_31-07_00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yInQsAFBSMohttp://aom.podomatic.com/entry/2007-07-06T09_50_31-07_00
“SLippery SLope” was composed exclusively for the Avatar Orchestra Metaverse in the popular
virtual world, Second Life by Wirxli Flimflam (a.k.a. Jeremy Owen Turner, Vancouver, Canada). This classically influenced new music composition uses a special written score and custom designed instruments as well as functioning reproductions of classical instruments.
The composition itself is based on the virtually geophysical location and
proximity of each Orchestra performer as well as their respective audience. This
composition is as much an aleatoric endurance performance piece as well as an
experiential product of 19th century Romantic Composer ambitions.
The goal for each Orchestra performer (as well as the composer) is to
successfully ascend 3 coloured slippery slopes. The composition ends once every
performer has successfully ascended all 3 slopes.
For more information about the composition, visit
http://wirxliflimflam.blogspot.com
proximity of each Orchestra performer as well as their respective audience. This
composition is as much an aleatoric endurance performance piece as well as an
experiential product of 19th century Romantic Composer ambitions.
The goal for each Orchestra performer (as well as the composer) is to
successfully ascend 3 coloured slippery slopes. The composition ends once every
performer has successfully ascended all 3 slopes.
For more information about the composition, visit
http://wirxliflimflam.blogspot.com
Ursonate (October, 2007)
Composer: Shintaro Miyazaki (aka Maximillian Nakamura)
Scripts and animation by Gazira Babeli
Premiered at Wien Modern 07, November 2007.
http://transponderfish.podomatic.com/entry/2007-11-28T14_45_21-08_00
http://transponderfish.podomatic.com/entry/2007-11-28T14_45_21-08_00
Riesenrad (October 2007)
RIESENRAD - Wirxli Flimflam (Jeremy Owen Turner - Vancouver, Canada), 2007
Subtitle: An abstract musical ferris wheel Gesamtkunstwerk for Modernist and Classicist Avatars.
Composer/Conductor - Wirxli Flimflam.
Modernist HUD Interface Designer - Bingo Onomatopoeia (Andreas Müller
- Regensburg, Germany)
Flute and Cello Hyper Instruments by Robbie Dingo;
Animations by Bingo Onomatopoeia;
Set Designer and Architect - DeThomas Dibou (Detlef Thomas - Regensburg, Germany)
Performers - Avatar Orchestra Metaverse (Global)
Premiered at Wien Modern 07, November 2007 with additional performer Junivers Stockholm.
http://transponderfish.podomatic.com/entry/2007-11-28T14_41_45-08_00
This timbrally maximalist composition is an homage to all the composers throughout history that have either lived, worked or premiered any of their own compositions in Vienna.
Structurally speaking, this composition can be seen as a hyper-modernist and mechanistic "proof-of-concept" rather than a Romantic style composition with a clearly defined programmatic narrative with a Schenkarian tonal resolution hierarchy.
The "real" Riesenrad is actually Vienna's largest family-sized Ferris Wheel and a familiar tourist attraction. The Riesenrad (German for "Giant Ferris Wheel") was built with Teutonic and Turkish themes for the amusement of the local royal family of the time. The original wheel was erected in 1897 to celebrate Emperor Franz Josef I's Golden Jubilee. The designer was an Englishman, Walter Bassett.
Since the composer in real life (Jeremy O. Turner) happens to be of direct English ancestry and is one who worships the Germanic Classical Music Tradition, the Riesenrad seems like an ideal choice for a
musical object. Although the original Riesenrad was equipped with 30 plus-sized cabins, the Riesenrad in Second Life only has 12 cabins in order to mirror and honour Vienna's glorious dodecaphonic dynasty (ie. Schoenberg and Webern) that will most certainly ensure the supremacy of Germanic music for another 1,000 days.
The Orchestra repesents the (virtual) wheel's virtually moving chairs/cabins - the ferris wheel itself never spins on its assigned axis...In this case, the original virtualization/asbtraction of the Vienna Riesenrad has been further virtualized/abstracted to suit the playful whimsy of the avatar playground known as Second Life. In this sense, the Riesenrad has been reduced to a theatrical prop without its own
mechanical autonomy.
At the wheel's maximum orchestral capacity, Riesenrad includes aleatoric elements from the North American Kiddie game, Musical Chairs.
If the wheel is not filled to capacity during the performance, the conductor (who produces their own sound drones that emanating from the magical laser baton and the conductor's sidepack) can determine how the piece ends based on his/her personal aesthetic judgement.
In the case of the composition's World Premiere at Wien Modern, the Composer/Conductor will discretely end the composition at the 15 minute mark. For this abridged composition, the Composer will allow the Modernists (who by nature, prefer immediacy to reflection) to play first in order to illustrate the speed and dexterity of the virtual wheel's clockwise and counter-clockwise axis.... These Modernists play 2 custom in-world performance interfaces that allow them to trigger at will 24 recycled samples from various composers affiliated with Vienna. The Modernists have two HUDs to suit their mood(s). One is Germanic and the other is Turkish in order to suit the closeted cosmopolitan character of the historical and contemporary Vienna.
After awhile (well, 5 minutes actually), the Composer and will then gradually introduce the more contemplative Classicist performers (flute and cello players) who are assigned specially composed mini- mantras from which they must perform gruelling circular transposition cycles that have been directly appropriated from the Romantic Genius of Beethoven's later String Quartets.
Riesenrad in essence, is the ultimate abstration of a perpetual Slow-Motion machine built for the hyper-post-modern age.
BRIEFER DESCRIPTION
Subtitle: An abstract musical ferris wheel Gesamtkunstwerk for Modernist and Classicist Avatars.
Composer/Conductor - Wirxli Flimflam.
Modernist HUD Interface Designer - Bingo Onomatopoeia (Andreas Müller
- Regensburg, Germany)
Flute and Cello Hyper Instruments by Robbie Dingo;
Animations by Bingo Onomatopoeia;
Set Designer and Architect - DeThomas Dibou (Detlef Thomas - Regensburg, Germany)
Performers - Avatar Orchestra Metaverse (Global)
Premiered at Wien Modern 07, November 2007 with additional performer Junivers Stockholm.
http://transponderfish.podomatic.com/entry/2007-11-28T14_41_45-08_00
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| Reisenrad performance, Wien Moderne, Vienna, November 2007 |
This timbrally maximalist composition is an homage to all the composers throughout history that have either lived, worked or premiered any of their own compositions in Vienna.
Structurally speaking, this composition can be seen as a hyper-modernist and mechanistic "proof-of-concept" rather than a Romantic style composition with a clearly defined programmatic narrative with a Schenkarian tonal resolution hierarchy.
The "real" Riesenrad is actually Vienna's largest family-sized Ferris Wheel and a familiar tourist attraction. The Riesenrad (German for "Giant Ferris Wheel") was built with Teutonic and Turkish themes for the amusement of the local royal family of the time. The original wheel was erected in 1897 to celebrate Emperor Franz Josef I's Golden Jubilee. The designer was an Englishman, Walter Bassett.
Since the composer in real life (Jeremy O. Turner) happens to be of direct English ancestry and is one who worships the Germanic Classical Music Tradition, the Riesenrad seems like an ideal choice for a
musical object. Although the original Riesenrad was equipped with 30 plus-sized cabins, the Riesenrad in Second Life only has 12 cabins in order to mirror and honour Vienna's glorious dodecaphonic dynasty (ie. Schoenberg and Webern) that will most certainly ensure the supremacy of Germanic music for another 1,000 days.
The Orchestra repesents the (virtual) wheel's virtually moving chairs/cabins - the ferris wheel itself never spins on its assigned axis...In this case, the original virtualization/asbtraction of the Vienna Riesenrad has been further virtualized/abstracted to suit the playful whimsy of the avatar playground known as Second Life. In this sense, the Riesenrad has been reduced to a theatrical prop without its own
mechanical autonomy.
At the wheel's maximum orchestral capacity, Riesenrad includes aleatoric elements from the North American Kiddie game, Musical Chairs.
If the wheel is not filled to capacity during the performance, the conductor (who produces their own sound drones that emanating from the magical laser baton and the conductor's sidepack) can determine how the piece ends based on his/her personal aesthetic judgement.
In the case of the composition's World Premiere at Wien Modern, the Composer/Conductor will discretely end the composition at the 15 minute mark. For this abridged composition, the Composer will allow the Modernists (who by nature, prefer immediacy to reflection) to play first in order to illustrate the speed and dexterity of the virtual wheel's clockwise and counter-clockwise axis.... These Modernists play 2 custom in-world performance interfaces that allow them to trigger at will 24 recycled samples from various composers affiliated with Vienna. The Modernists have two HUDs to suit their mood(s). One is Germanic and the other is Turkish in order to suit the closeted cosmopolitan character of the historical and contemporary Vienna.
After awhile (well, 5 minutes actually), the Composer and will then gradually introduce the more contemplative Classicist performers (flute and cello players) who are assigned specially composed mini- mantras from which they must perform gruelling circular transposition cycles that have been directly appropriated from the Romantic Genius of Beethoven's later String Quartets.
Riesenrad in essence, is the ultimate abstration of a perpetual Slow-Motion machine built for the hyper-post-modern age.
BRIEFER DESCRIPTION
This timbrally maximalist composition is an homage to all the composers throughout history that have either lived, worked or premiered any of their own compositions in Vienna. Structurally speaking, this composition can be seen as a hypermodernist and mechanistic "proof-of-concept" rather than a Romantic style composition with a clearly defined programmatic narrative with a Schenkarian tonal resolution hierarchy.
The "real" Riesenrad is actually Vienna's largest family-sized Ferris Wheel and a familiar tourist attraction. In addition to virtual clasical instruments, the "modernists" have a special HUD interface where they can improvise using 24 recycled samples from various composers affiliated with Vienna. Another unique feature of this orchestral opus for Second Life is the fact that the composer/conductor is also responsible for producing classical drone/engine sounds from an exclusive HUD interface. So in this sense, the composer/conductor is also a performer in realtime.
The Heart of Tones mixed reality version (November 2007)
composer: Pauline Oliveros (aka Free Noyes), Kingston, New York, USA
Instruments, animations and receivers designed and built by Andreas Mueller (aka Bingo Onomatopoeai), Regensburg, Germany
Premiered at Voice++ Festival at Open Space, Victoria, May, 2008
with additional performers Monique Buzzarte (aka Sum Noyes), Jen Baker (aka Trombonejen Wigglesworth), Seattle Toyoji Band (with Thomasa Eckert, Janice Giteck, Roger Nelson, Paul Taub, Renko Ishida Dempster, Stuart Dempster playing through the avatar StuArtnoise Sass).
Premiered at Voice++ Festival at Open Space, Victoria, May, 2008
with additional performers Monique Buzzarte (aka Sum Noyes), Jen Baker (aka Trombonejen Wigglesworth), Seattle Toyoji Band (with Thomasa Eckert, Janice Giteck, Roger Nelson, Paul Taub, Renko Ishida Dempster, Stuart Dempster playing through the avatar StuArtnoise Sass).
dedicated to the memory of Toyoji Tomita (aka Toyoji MacDonnell)
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| An early rehearsal of Heart of Tones, circa Nov 2007, Toyoji in foreground |
The Heart of Tones (mixed reality version)
This piece was originally composed for trombone and two oscillators, and commissioned by Abbie Conant and her Wired Goddess Project during her residency at Mills College in the Fall of 1999. The premiere of the piece was done at Mills College. This is an ensemble version of the piece adapted for the mixed realities of Second Life and Real Life, combining virtual instruments with live trombones and voices streamed into Second Life.
This piece was originally composed for trombone and two oscillators, and commissioned by Abbie Conant and her Wired Goddess Project during her residency at Mills College in the Fall of 1999. The premiere of the piece was done at Mills College. This is an ensemble version of the piece adapted for the mixed realities of Second Life and Real Life, combining virtual instruments with live trombones and voices streamed into Second Life.
The Heart of Tones: A tone, in this instance, D4, is minutely explored in the smallest possible increments on, above and below the prescribed pitch, through the smallest timbre variations and spatial locations by performers on virtual and physical instruments.
The pitch variations are never more than a half step away from the given pitch. The resultant beats, timbral shifts and audio illusions create rhythms, transformations and textures of depth. The focus is on listening to the acoustic beat frequencies and the overtones that result from playing tones together that are very very close together in frequency. The musicians decide independently and intuitively on the variations.
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| Premiere performance Heart of Tones, May 15, 2008 |
The pitch variations are never more than a half step away from the given pitch. The resultant beats, timbral shifts and audio illusions create rhythms, transformations and textures of depth. The focus is on listening to the acoustic beat frequencies and the overtones that result from playing tones together that are very very close together in frequency. The musicians decide independently and intuitively on the variations.
XAANADRuuL
Stockhausen's Pleasuredome 4 Sirius Business (February 2008)
by Jeremy Owen Turner (aka Wirxli Flimflam), Vancouver, BC, Canada
Instruments designed and built by Andreas Müller (aka Bingo Onomatopoeia), Regensburg, Germany
Set designed and built by DeThomas Dibou
Set designed and built by DeThomas Dibou
Premiered at Voice++ Festival at Open Space, Victoria, May 15, 2008
with additional live voice performers Stephanie Farrington (aka. Aurel Miles) and Chris Reiche (aka Bowlerhat Trenchcoat).
dedicated to the memory of Karlheinz Stockhausen
XANADRuuL is a Second Life composition in 3 sections created for the Avatar Orchestra Metaverse. One can see this composition as an official elegy/tribute to the Modernist music pioneer, Karlheinz Stockhausen. XAANADRuuL was created from samples that were solely derived from the composer's (Wirxli's) own digitally manipulated voice.
This composition was inspired by Stockhausen's claim of being an alien from Sirius and so the 3 sections of this composition correspond to Sirius A, B and C stars. In addition, there are also many references to Xanadu (including the movie with Olivia Newton John). The Opening Ceremonies take place on Sirius A where angels sing along with the selected voice samples from heavenly heights on the ceiling of a pentagonal geodesic dome and also on Sirius B where meandering avatars vainly attempt to communicate with these alien angelic muses using only pre-recorded samples. Sirius C is a "meta-composition" and is performed by the public throughout Second Life.
with additional live voice performers Stephanie Farrington (aka. Aurel Miles) and Chris Reiche (aka Bowlerhat Trenchcoat).
dedicated to the memory of Karlheinz Stockhausen
XANADRuuL is a Second Life composition in 3 sections created for the Avatar Orchestra Metaverse. One can see this composition as an official elegy/tribute to the Modernist music pioneer, Karlheinz Stockhausen. XAANADRuuL was created from samples that were solely derived from the composer's (Wirxli's) own digitally manipulated voice.
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| XANADRuuL performance, May 2008, showing singer avatars dressed in white. |
This composition was inspired by Stockhausen's claim of being an alien from Sirius and so the 3 sections of this composition correspond to Sirius A, B and C stars. In addition, there are also many references to Xanadu (including the movie with Olivia Newton John). The Opening Ceremonies take place on Sirius A where angels sing along with the selected voice samples from heavenly heights on the ceiling of a pentagonal geodesic dome and also on Sirius B where meandering avatars vainly attempt to communicate with these alien angelic muses using only pre-recorded samples. Sirius C is a "meta-composition" and is performed by the public throughout Second Life.
PwRHm (March, 2008)
Composed by Tina Pearson (aka Humming Pera), Victoria, BC, Canada
Instruments and field recordings by Andreas Mueller (aka Bingo Onomatopoeia), Regensburg, Germany
Particles and set for first version by Sachiko Hayashi (aka Goodwind Seiling), Stockholm, Sweden
Commissioned by the Deep Listening Institute
Premiered at Deep Listening Women and Identity Festival, New York, April 17, 2008
PwRHm explores electricity and connectivity through the relationship of 2 sets sine tones tuned to the harmonic series of the Alternating Currents of the North American (60 Hz) and European/Asian (50 Hz) electric systems respectively; modified field recordings of electric motors and generators from each continent; and the live breath rhythms of the globally dispersed players.
PwRHm uses 4 'instruments' created within the Second Life platform. The instrument sounds are made from sets of short (3- 7 second) sound samples put together in a HUD (Heads Up Display) configuration. Each avatar/player is playing one or more of the instruments designated by their geographic location to make the combined sound of the piece. The globes held by the players are 'receivers' that emit differently coloured particles according to the particular instrument they each play, and the pitch and volume of each sound as it is played. In some ways, PwRHm is an investigation of the musical expressiveness that might be possible with these electrically rooted source sounds through a combination of conducting and telematic improvisation.
Instruments and field recordings by Andreas Mueller (aka Bingo Onomatopoeia), Regensburg, Germany
Particles and set for first version by Sachiko Hayashi (aka Goodwind Seiling), Stockholm, Sweden
Commissioned by the Deep Listening Institute
Premiered at Deep Listening Women and Identity Festival, New York, April 17, 2008
PwRHm explores electricity and connectivity through the relationship of 2 sets sine tones tuned to the harmonic series of the Alternating Currents of the North American (60 Hz) and European/Asian (50 Hz) electric systems respectively; modified field recordings of electric motors and generators from each continent; and the live breath rhythms of the globally dispersed players.
PwRHm uses 4 'instruments' created within the Second Life platform. The instrument sounds are made from sets of short (3- 7 second) sound samples put together in a HUD (Heads Up Display) configuration. Each avatar/player is playing one or more of the instruments designated by their geographic location to make the combined sound of the piece. The globes held by the players are 'receivers' that emit differently coloured particles according to the particular instrument they each play, and the pitch and volume of each sound as it is played. In some ways, PwRHm is an investigation of the musical expressiveness that might be possible with these electrically rooted source sounds through a combination of conducting and telematic improvisation.
Waste From Real Life (May, 2008)
composed by Biagio Francia (aka BlaiseDeLaFrance Voom), Agropoli, Italy
instrument samples by Biagio Francia
instruments and animations built by Andreas Mueller
With a blend of sounds including synthesizer patches, drum and piano samples, this piece can be performed with live percussion and other instruments, and includes samples of sounds gathered by the performers from their 'real' lives.
The New Economy (July, 2008)
composed by Biagio Francia (aka BlaiseDeLaFrance Voom), Agropoli, Italy
This piece was composed for a concert by AOM at Centre for Culture and Politics, De Balie Movie Theatre, Amsterdam. In his real life, Biagio Francia is an economist and musician. He composed this piece with sounds from field recordings, text in different languages about currencies, and samples from piano and synthesizer sounds.
In Whirled (Trance) Formations (August, 2008)
composed by Norman Lowrey (aka North Zipper), New Jersey, USA
instruments, virtual masks and animations designed and built by Norman Lowrey
An improvisatory piece that invites participants to transform themselves through sounding and moving, with members of AOM employing North's virtual versions of his RL Singing Masks as "vehicles of transformation." The result is intended to be a spontaneously playful shaping of sound, light, and motion.
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| In Whirled (Trance)formations: the Sampanophone |
This is a simple conceptual piece calling for improvization, "spontaneous order",
as Pauline Oliveros calls it given a particular mind-set.
In this as well as other Singing Mask ceremonies,
my interest is in listening into the moment and
using masks to connect with alternate realities,
modes of cognition, if you will, or
underlying fabrics, weaves of energies.
Within this framework, everything is "perfect."
No need to worry about making mistakes. Simply remain aware of the basic conditions:
listening, transforming, or in other words being in whirled trance (formation).
as Pauline Oliveros calls it given a particular mind-set.
In this as well as other Singing Mask ceremonies,
my interest is in listening into the moment and
using masks to connect with alternate realities,
modes of cognition, if you will, or
underlying fabrics, weaves of energies.
Within this framework, everything is "perfect."
No need to worry about making mistakes. Simply remain aware of the basic conditions:
listening, transforming, or in other words being in whirled trance (formation).
Aleatricity (September 2008)
Composed by Andreas Mueller (aka Bingo Onomatopoeia)
Instruments, set and particles designed and built by Andreas Mueller (aka Bingo Onomatopoeia)
Aleatricity is 200 years of science, technology and cultural history put into a noisy little piece, with Frankenstein as the glue sticking it all together.
This piece, written by Andreas Müller (aka Bingo Onomatopoeia) for the Avatar Orchestra Metaverse in 2008 uses only samples generated by circuit-bent instrument and homemade oscillators. Thus, these sounds cannot be assigned to a definite pitch or scale, they seem to be aleatoric at first glance. But upon a closer look at the technology of their electronic generation, one quickly realizes that they are not at all: they are created by unambiguous laws of digital logic, following simple yes/no-decisions. This is reflected in the title: "Aleatricity" is a blend of "aleatoric" (random) and "electriciy", two words whose close relation is being illustrated by the visual realization in Second Life: the accidental discovery of the nerve-system by Luigi Galvani and the act of writing against the boredom of a rainy summer by Mary Shelley, which procreated the world's first science-fiction novel "Frankenstein" are brought into a visual and acoustic relation which exemplifies that seemingly unconnected things are often closely related.
Composed by Andreas Mueller (aka Bingo Onomatopoeia)
Instruments, set and particles designed and built by Andreas Mueller (aka Bingo Onomatopoeia)
Aleatricity is 200 years of science, technology and cultural history put into a noisy little piece, with Frankenstein as the glue sticking it all together.
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| Aleatricity performance, Blaise, Bingo, Free. Photo by Frieda Korda. 2009. |
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| Aleatricity performance, showing HUD interface top left. |
Pataphone Aomprovisation (September, 2008)
composed by AOM as inspired by Michel Waisvicz' Pataphone
Second Life instrument installation designed and built by Michel Waisvicz
Michel Waisvisz was a composer, performer and inventor of experimental electronic musical instruments. He was the artistic director of STEIM in Amsterdam from 1981 to his passing in June of 2008. At STEIM, he collaborated with musicians and artists from all over the world. As the avatar Pata Mayo, he made the Pataphone in Second Life, planning to develop it over time. Its delightful sounds reflect the adventurous sonic mind of its creator, who infected all of us with a love for play and delightful discovery in sound. Thank you, Michel.
Birth (September, 2008)
composed by Liz Solo (aka lizsolo Mathilde), St. John's Newfoundland, Canada
instruments and installation designed and built by Liz Solo
instruments and installation designed and built by Liz Solo
This new piece by media artist and rock musician Liz Solo is a work in progress exploring notions of birth in real life and the virtual world. The sounds include recordings from inside the womb, fetus heartbeats, baby cries, bells, and other sounds. The 3 instruments played by the avatars were built by Liz in Second Life, and will become HUD instruments worn by the avatars for future versions of the piece.
Pleiades (October, 2008)
Pleiades is a collaborative mixed reality composition created and performed by members of Tintinnabulate and Avatar Orchestra Metaverse. Tintinnabulate is the performance ensemble formed with Pauline Oliveros' advanced seminar at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, USA.
Avatar Orchestra Metaverse materials used in Pleiades:
Pleiades instruments and starships designed and built by Norman Lowrey
Pleiades is a collaborative mixed reality composition created and performed by members of Tintinnabulate and Avatar Orchestra Metaverse. Tintinnabulate is the performance ensemble formed with Pauline Oliveros' advanced seminar at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, USA.
Avatar Orchestra Metaverse materials used in Pleiades:
Pleiades instruments and starships designed and built by Norman Lowrey
Singing Masks and mask instruments designed and built by Norman Lowrey
PwRHm instruments conceived by Tina Pearson and built by Andreas Mueller
XaanaDruuL instruments conceived by Jeremy Owen Turner and built by Andreas Mueller
Fire Balls built by Tina Pearson (aka Humming Pera)
PwRHm instruments conceived by Tina Pearson and built by Andreas Mueller
XaanaDruuL instruments conceived by Jeremy Owen Turner and built by Andreas Mueller
Fire Balls built by Tina Pearson (aka Humming Pera)
Talarepsincrobiugh
composer: Erik Rzepka
Instruments, Sets and Animations designed and built by Erik Rzepka
Avatars Brew (November, 2008)
composer: Leif Inge (aka gumnosophistai nurmi ), Oslo, Norway
The hint in the title to Miles Davis is to inspire the members to listen, improvise and rehearse on stage. Within this frame each member of the orchestra will play with the framework and a dedicated choice of all other sources of sounds and animations available live through environment or inventory. The premiere performance (ISIM, Denver, November 20, 2008) included 2 giant pianos, Michel Waicvicz' Pataphone, a virtual cello, Norman Lowrey's virtual masks, Andreas Mueller's Aleatricity keyboard, Shintaro Miyazaki's Fadheit sounds and a few mysteries.
Ritual (September, 2009)
composer: Tim Risher (aka Flivelwitz Alsop), Durham, NC.
Instruments, visuals and animations designed and built by Tim Risher.
This piece follows a specific pattern, and could be considered the Ur-ritual; the original rituals follow. The calling out, the sprinkling of water, the dance. The sounds are voices, the movements are patterns that repeat.
Rotating Brains / Beating Heart (September, 2010)
Concept:
Stelarc (Stelarc Luic), Pauline Oliveros (Free Noyes), Franziska Schroeder (sikChick Sakertorte), Tina Pearson (Humming Pera)
Stelarc (Stelarc Luic), Pauline Oliveros (Free Noyes), Franziska Schroeder (sikChick Sakertorte), Tina Pearson (Humming Pera)
Installation Design: Stelarc and Daniel Mouncey
Robots and Script Animations: Daniel Mouncey
Robots and Script Animations: Daniel Mouncey
Composers: Franziska Schroeder, Tina Pearson, Pauline Oliveros, Norman Lowrey, Andreas Mueller.
Instruments Designed by Tina Pearson and Andreas Mueller, Built by Andreas Mueller
Installation Sounds and Particles by Norman Lowrey
Sound and Brain mixers by Norman Lowrey
Avatar Animations by Stelarc, Daniel Mouncey and Tim Risher
Additional colour design by Yael Gilks.
Additional colour design by Yael Gilks.
Premiered September 5, 2010
Sensual Technologies: Collaborative Practices of Interdisciplinarity
(A networked collaboration between performance artist Stelarc, the Avatar Orchestra Metaverse and composer Pauline Oliveros in Second Life, with composer/sound artist Martin Parker and saxophonist Franziska Schroeder live at Brunel.)
The Second Life graphic environment consists of an installation of giant body organs - a ring of rotating semi-transparent brains and a beating heart, floating in the virtual space. The transparency of the organs allows avatars to travel ‘inside’ them, triggering the emission of sounds and particles of light. Stelarc’ s avatar, accompanied by automaton Stelarc clones, perform a choreography of prompted and scripted avatar movements within the ‘organ installation’, mimicking limb movements of Real Life Stelarc muscle stimulations. Stelarc's clones and visual text scripts are performed by Second Life artist Pyewacket Kazyanenko.
Pauline Oliveros, as her avatar Free Noyes in Second Life, plays a set of nine drones built into a virtual mixer within Second Life. The drones contain sounds of Stelarc's brain waves and muscle stimulation, Franziska's sax playing, a drone from her virtual reality composition Heart of Tones, and sounds of the voices of Viv Corringham (Zonzo Spyker) and Tina Pearson (Humming Pera).
The Avatar Orchestra will perform with a set of two audio visual instruments. One contains increasing frequency heartbeats, sounds of circulation and mechanical sounds, and the emission of textured particles released simultaneously as the sound samples. The other instrument consists of sine tones built on harmonic series frequencies from AC currents. While playing their audio visual instruments, AOM will be using a set of ten looped avatar movement sequences as they come together and fall apart in gracefully entwined avatar shapes. The avatars are encased in amoeba-like forms that glow and emit particles that light up the surrounding space and target the giant organs when sound is emitted.
a special thank you to Lilith, whose in-womb heartbeats form the core of one of the AOM audio visual instruments.
The Avatar Orchestra Metaverse creative team for Rotating Brains / Beating Heart:
---Design and construction of the two AOM performer virtual audio-visual instruments
---Sound samples and Virtual Sound Design (Mechanical sounds, Heartbeat sounds), Particle textures
---Particle textures for both instruments
Norman Lowrey (North Zipper in SL),
---Design and construction of the virtual 9-channel mixer and animations used by Pauline Oliveros (Free Noyes in SL)
---Sound and particle design for the 5 Giant Brain installation,
---Design and construction of virtual 5-channel Giant Brain mixer
---Brain wave, Circulation and other sound samples
Tim Risher (Flivelwitz Alsop in SL)
---design and construction of avatar animation set used by AOM in performance
---Circulation sound samples
Tina Pearson (Humming Pera in SL)
---Conception of AOM performer audio-visual instruments
---Sound samples (sine tones)
---Composition structures - AOM
The concept and structure for ROTATING BRAINS / BEATING HEART was collectively created by Stelarc, Pyewacket Kazyanenko, Franziska Schroeder, Pauline Oliveros, Tina Pearson and members of the Avatar Orchestra Metaverse.
August 2010 Rehearsal video, filmed by Pyewacket Kazyanenko
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIw0LLP7pps&feature=player_embedded
2 John (October, 2010)
Composed by Viv Corringham (aka Zonzo Spyker), Minneapolis, USA / London, UK
Instruments and animations by Norman Lowrey (aka North Zipper), New Jersey, USA
Premiere performance: New Adventures In Sound Art, Toronto, November 6th, 2010
2 John combines slow breathing with fast playing, mixes voice samples and live singers, and adds a dash of Carmen Miranda to spice it all up. The piece is dedicated to the late British improviser John Stevens, who used the term "scribbling" to describe improvising too fast for the brain to control.
2 John uses 2 'instruments' created within the Second Life platform. Both use samples of Viv Corringham's voice. One instrument is used for "scribbling" and contains short vocal sound samples put together in a HUD (Heads Up Display) whose configuration changes each time it is played, allowing the player no control over which sounds are played. The other instrument uses long vocal tones that fade in and out.
The score requires that sounds are coordinated with the players' breathing, beginning with two different but simultaneous time scales: fast playing and slow, deep breathing.
AOMprovisations
FILMS
Aomprovisations [result always dated]
Aomprovisations should be about free instrumentation, collective conducting and playing. Aomprovisation is any attempt of the orchestra to improvise not based on only one piece for the repertoir. Aomprovisations can leads to more fixed pieces, and Pieces for Sites is a sort of aomprovisationderivation.
Aomprovisation 16 feb 2008 *****
improvised in AngryBeths Super-Colliders, an interactive sound installation with her Float Cube Sound Generators. Improvisation with a base in Rue sounds
Aomprovisation 21 feb 2008 **
at Sine Wave Island. With a base in Riesenrad sounds and with Nnoizes crows, it had great potential, but lag screwed up
Piece for Site
A series of site-specific orchestral pieces with free instrumentation and generally scored, built on what a site and the orchestra can jointly do. The pieces can then afterwards be used outside of the original site, ignoring the original siterelated spesifications. Can be arranged by anybody in the orchestra.Working with Humm on an event initially thought of as an Aomprovisation, we definately end up with a scored event. Even if this is equally independent on piece specific instrumentation as is Aomprovisation, it is not collective conducting. Do excuse if all this gets a bit confusing...
4 Endings for Baghdad Streets
(arrangers: Gumno and Humm) in progress
includes: 1st of 4 Endings..., 2nd of 4 Endings..., 3rd of 4 Endings.... (used @ nimk), 4th of 4 Endings....
We Swärmer for The Fairytale Forrest
(arranger: Gumno)
executed first time september 08, with Erielle Clary's Enchanted Fairy Circle @ The Fairytale Forrest, Norgesbibilioteket.
Norths masks, Humms pwrhm, Blaise piano and individual sound contributions)
1. Orchestra stands, sit and / or walks around mushroom, all or almost all with a North mask. Chose one North mask to wear during the piece. One or few ready with Humms pwrhm solo / pwrhm non-solo sounds (For premiere: Bingo pwrhm solo)
2. Play masks. Sparse. Play Humms pwrhm solo and / or pwrhm non-solo sounds. Sparse.
3. Each by each enter flying animation of mushroom. This will start insect sounds.
4. Add other sounds that is fitting, but with careful listening. Please do have an idea of what will be fitting before playing it. All are recommended to test and play with sounds, yours, others, whatever. Leave space for environmental sounds. (For premiere: Leave space for the insect sounds. For premiere: Gumno used Vickys mosquito Click and Typing sound, A05 xana sound + own samples)
5. Add Blaise piano. At start very sparse. One or few playing. (For premiere: Blaise play, others can join but never dense playing.)
6. Leave flying stage one by one. Play less until none.
8. Only Blaise piano play until finishing.
2. Play masks. Sparse. Play Humms pwrhm solo and / or pwrhm non-solo sounds. Sparse.
3. Each by each enter flying animation of mushroom. This will start insect sounds.
4. Add other sounds that is fitting, but with careful listening. Please do have an idea of what will be fitting before playing it. All are recommended to test and play with sounds, yours, others, whatever. Leave space for environmental sounds. (For premiere: Leave space for the insect sounds. For premiere: Gumno used Vickys mosquito Click and Typing sound, A05 xana sound + own samples)
5. Add Blaise piano. At start very sparse. One or few playing. (For premiere: Blaise play, others can join but never dense playing.)
6. Leave flying stage one by one. Play less until none.
8. Only Blaise piano play until finishing.
Would it be interesting to buy Erielles mushroom in order to perfor this occationally at other venues?
Please ignore site specific features to this piece if performing this piece on other sims.
Aomprovisations are about free instrumentation, collective conducting and playing. Aomprovisation is any attempt of the orchestra to improvise not based on only one piece for the repertoir. Aomprovisations can leads to more fixed pieces, and Pieces for Sites (pieces made for the context and reality of a specific site) is a sort of aomprovisationderivation.
Aomprovisation 16 feb 2008 *****
Arranged by Leif Inge (aka Gumnosophistai Nurmi).
Improvised in AngryBeths Super-Colliders, an interactive sound installation with her Float Cube Sound Generators.
Improvisation with a base in Rue sounds
Aomprovisation 21 feb 2008 **
Arranged by Leif Inge (aka Gumnosophistai Nurmi
At Sine Wave Island. With a base in Riesenrad sounds and with Nnoizes crows, it had great potential, but lag screwed up!
Pieces for Site
A series of site-specific orchestral pieces with free instrumentation and generally scored, built on what a site and the orchestra can jointly do. The pieces can then afterwards be used outside of the original site, ignoring the original siterelated spesifications. Can be arranged by anybody in the orchestra. Gumnosophistai working with Humming on an event initially thought of as an Aomprovisation ended up with a scored event. Even if this is equally independent on piece specific instrumentation as is Aomprovisation, it is not collective conducting. Do excuse if all this gets a bit confusing...
4 Endings for Baghdad Streets
Arranged by Leif Inge (aka Gumnosophistai Nurmi) and Tina Pearson (aka Humming Pera) in progress
includes: 1st of 4 Endings..., 2nd of 4 Endings..., 3rd of 4 Endings.... (used @ nimk), 4th of 4 Endings....
We Swärmer for The Fairytale Forrest
Arranged by Leif Inge (aka Gumnosophistai Nurmi)
Executed first time september 2008, with Erielle Clary's Enchanted Fairy Circle @ The Fairytale Forrest, Norgesbibilioteket.
Instruments / HUDs used: North's Singing Masks, Humming's PwrHm, Blaise's Piano and individual sound contributions.
1. Orchestra stands, sit and / or walks around mushroom, all or almost all with a North mask. Chose one North mask to wear during the piece. One or few ready with Humms pwrhm solo / pwrhm non-solo sounds (For premiere: Bingo pwrhm solo)
2. Play masks. Sparse. Play Humming's PwRhm solo and / or PwRhm non-solo sounds. Sparse.
3. Each by each enter flying animation of mushroom. This will start insect sounds.
4. Add other sounds that is fitting, but with careful listening. Please do have an idea of what will be fitting before playing it. All are recommended to test and play with sounds, yours, others, whatever. Leave space for environmental sounds. (For premiere: Leave space for the insect sounds. For premiere: Gumno used Vickys mosquito Click and Typing sound, A05 XAANADRuuL sound + own samples)
5. Add Blaise piano. At start very sparse. One or few playing. (For premiere: Blaise play, others can join but never dense playing.)
6. Leave flying stage one by one. Play less until none.
8. Only Blaise piano play until finishing.
2. Play masks. Sparse. Play Humming's PwRhm solo and / or PwRhm non-solo sounds. Sparse.
3. Each by each enter flying animation of mushroom. This will start insect sounds.
4. Add other sounds that is fitting, but with careful listening. Please do have an idea of what will be fitting before playing it. All are recommended to test and play with sounds, yours, others, whatever. Leave space for environmental sounds. (For premiere: Leave space for the insect sounds. For premiere: Gumno used Vickys mosquito Click and Typing sound, A05 XAANADRuuL sound + own samples)
5. Add Blaise piano. At start very sparse. One or few playing. (For premiere: Blaise play, others can join but never dense playing.)
6. Leave flying stage one by one. Play less until none.
8. Only Blaise piano play until finishing.
Would it be interesting to buy Erielles mushroom in order to perfor this occationally at other venues?
Please ignore site specific features to this piece if performing this piece on other sims.
FILMS
Orchestral Investigation #9: Rooftop Fragula (March 2008)
Videography by Brigit Lichtenegger aka Evo Szuyuan (Rotterdam, Netherlands), directed by Brigit Lichtenegger and Leif Inge (akaGumnosophistai Nurmi) (Oslo, Norway).
Filmed mar 04 2008 Kyoot Army HQ (roof cafe) in Second Life
The film documents a performance of Fragula (composed by Bjorn Eriksson aka Miulew Takahe with instruments by Andreas Mueller aka Bingo Onomatopoaeia), a little adapted to the grey environment and to cafe (orchestra drinking by table both before and after playing). The orchestral footage is intersperced with scenes and landscapes from Second Life. This piece marks the AOM ochestral investigation for film.
