FeeedBack5

Media Installation DETAILS / BACKGROUND INFORMATION / MEDIA EXAMPLES

> NEW : PERFORMERS & SET UPS

Introduction

The multi-channel installation FeeedBack 5 (FB5) relies on the stimulating effect of the guitar-feedback sound and beauty - focussing on pure bodily excitement in aesthetic and social contexts - before becoming meaningful . It places the audience in a situation to close and manipulate inter-media feedback loops and to become an integral part of a complex musical circuit.

Partly auto generative inter-medial processes react in context with interaction of the audience. The reciprocal modulation depends on the content defined state of neighbouring sources and to the audience's proximity and movement. Processes and rules of playback and control stay transparent and comprehensible. FB5 performs a real-time concert involving transformations in sound beyond the object sonore, e.g. abstract glass harps, squeaking Berlin subway trains etc.
In contrast to natural born feedback, FB5 sounds already resonate at subtle volume, but that doesn' t exclude the potential for roaring sonic outbursts. At this level the vibrations not only enter through the ears you feel the wind in your hair, and the sound in every cavity of your body. The senses are heightened and your body resonates in sympathy with the sound. This can activate senses to experience 'third ear' tones that seem to emanate from within the skull.

FeeedBack5 is Pop! - communication & multi sensory incitation on a emotional level: The Installation presents beautiful female guitar players from the shining Berlin professional dance & music scene who embody the eternally oscillating relationship between feedback and stimulation and break the macho-guitar persona cliché with another one.

add. reading plus audio visual examples : http://fb5.humatic.net/ & http://www.humatic.net/art/p/HRP/HRP-update.pdf

Visual aesthetics

Flirting with a high end ad / fashion / video clip look, continuous multi helix playback methods proofed in earlier projects such as MindBox and MNM will be the basis for further development

Project history / Team building

The idea was born some years ago after listening to Prof. Jauk's lecture in which he described Jimi Hendrix as the first interactive media artist, using his (full) body movements to create sound. After several concept revisions, test shootings and (unsuccessful) funding applications Christian Graupner decided to realize the project using his own resources and is happy to announce Alan Gleeson as his main collaborator and to receive the continuous support of the scientist Prof. Jauk.

Performance / Choreography

Science Background

The development of the project is based on a long term occupation / research and experience in the field of electroacoustic and contemporary music , socio – cultural aspects of interactive applications, conceptional & technological R&D in the field of new playback methods of pre-recorded and real-time generated media . With our latest project incl. FB5 we are exploring the fields of music, movement and language therapy ' BTW. as non-scientist -developers we are happy to engage in the discussion with experts, we are sure that the project will benefit from this.

Music

The body physically responds to sound as well as the mind, consciously and subconsciously.  These delicate vibrations can now be responded to by a physical unconscious performance where a performer can create at a higher level of interaction and fluidity than ever before.
Music is based on the classical feedback guitar sound '. through multi directional modulation as ring modulation ( where the audible result is a sum or multiplier of two sound sources ) we expect to take the audience on a journey into new sound spheres while preserving the main character of the original material .

Processes

During video shooting 3d motion-data of the performers and instrument will be recorded which serves to create a higher level in authenticity for the following steps of audio-visual (post) production and programming of real time generative functionalities.

Set Up

FB5 in its final version is a full featured reactive audio-visual intallation consisting of
- five vertical 16:9 screens ( letting the protagonists appear in live size)
- minimum 5 channel audio-system plus subwoofer(s)
- up to three fast Pcs and tracking devices.
( We where thinking of smoke machines and stobe lights but this needs to be tested with camera motion tracking on location)
For smaller venues and lower budgets we might offer a triptich ( 3 subs screens) version which is able to run on one machine . In venues where the interactivity is not important or needed we can present a linear version, which runs on 3 syncronized media players as a 20 minutes loop .
We recommend to festival / museums partners to contact us for further details and adjustments. Technical details incl. possible updates are available at http://fb5.humatic.net/techrider.

Technology

MaxMSP patches and random access video TC slave player, tracking devices

Visitors interaction , numbers, durability

In the five- single screen setup version we expect 1- 12 users can participate. By averaging the total activity the installation stays controllable by a single person and groups in a similar way and invites co-operation and communication with other visitors. In is a not a prerequisite that interaction with the installation is required. Those persons not directly engaging with the installation AND the active 'players' still benefit from their experience, through different levels of understanding.

Humatic's installations are made for durability, high visitor numbers in galleries, museums, theme parks and events. FB5 solely works with non-contact user interaction . Setups are tested for long-time operation. Earlier works as Humatic's MindBox have survived exhibitions with tenthousands of visitors as the Japanese Media Art Festival and the Oslo Museum of Science, Technology and Medicine

Credits

FeeedBack5 Concept & Visuals : Christian Graupner (Humatic Berlin)

Sound / Music & Programming : Alan Gleeson (Berln / Dublin)

Collaborators:

partner in research and conceptual development :
Prof. Dr. Werner Jauk, Institute for Music Science, Graz, Austria
Guitar player : Andreas Schwarz-Ruszczynski ,
Developer HUMAsystem TC videoslave : Nils Peters ( Humatic)
Long time project collaborator test shootings & more: Mieko Suzuki
5 Performers: tba
Co-Choreographer: tba
DOP/ media partner: tba
Team assistent: tba

early tests & media examples

Artist & Participants

Christian Graupner In his latest work this Berlin-based artist is exploring the practices and myths around pop and contemporary music and combines multi channel video &sound with partly machine- partly user-controlled 'humatic' interfaces and mechanisms. His recent sculptural / media work includes gambling machines and Asian mojo figures, feedback guitars and beatbox-like vocal- & dance performances. In processing visual and audio material, he not only uses and adapts available computer programs but also uses the developments coded by his project collaborators. CG is composer, artist and the creator and developer of real-time media playback systems. His wide ranging earlier works were made up of drawings, paintings and experimental electronic music, mostly published on records, CDs as well as in movies and radio plays under the pseudonym VOOV (Violation of Ordinary Values). With his works such as '2Lives Left' and newest projects 'MindBox' and 'Don't Dance', he is keeping alive his conceptual platform 'Automatic Clubbing'. In 2000 he formed the independent artist group and production company Humatic Ltd. together with Nils Peters who develops software tools for artists working in a variety of media forms. CG has been guest at ZKM Karlsruhe . His work has been shown and performed worldwide
CV: http://www.humatic.de/cv/cg.html

Alan Gleeson His current work explores, through research and performance, the inner properties of sound in an attempt to derive new meaning, expression, and understanding from sounds with existing associations.  With influences ranging from Musique Concrète, acoustic ecology, psychoacoustics and field recording he questions the sound environment we currently inhabit and reflects on the sonic worlds found in nature and industry. 

Recent work has included performing in a re-interpretation of David Tudor's work ' Rainforest', entitled Regenwald 2011 at the Club Transmediale festival in Berlin, and a showing of an installation piece 'Topological Space' in collaboration with visual artist Katrina Sheena Smyth at the PS2 Gallery in Belfast.

Alan obtained a Masters Degree (1st class) in Music Technology (2010) from the Digital Media and Arts Research Centre at the University of Limerick, Ireland.

about Humatic

Humatic is an independent artist group and production company developing & realizing media concepts and software focussing on digital video & sound . Partly commercial usage of the intentionally artistic developments as in the field of music production and medical technology supports the realization of free artistic projects. This is seen as a model to create complex media art beyond the government's and institutional blessing . .. unless there is a better idea.