Live from somewhere in the Laurentian Mountains, Quebec, and Peterborough, Ontario
Watch it live at:
or https://www.twitch.tv/electriceclecticsfestival
or later on the EE Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/electriceclectics1
4 PM ET: Alexis O’Hara is a transdisciplinary artist whose work comprises elements of cabaret, pop music, spoken-word, stand-up comedy, vocals and electronics, photography and installation.
4:45 PM ET: This collaboration by Bill Coleman and Gordon Monahan uses brainwave sensing technology to produce sound, music, and movement. An EEG interface worn by dancer-choreographer Coleman sends data to several Max/MSP software patches in real-time. As Coleman shifts through various states of mental and physical concentration and movement, he is able to produce and control alphabrainwaves while dancing. He uses these alpha waves in conjunction with Monahan’s software manipulations, to produce various responses in musical instruments such as piano and percussion, to control the fading of stage lights, and to control sound spatialization and audio processing, all in realtime. Monahan simultaneously controls several Max/MSP software patches on stage that harness Coleman’s brain signals to sculpt soundwaves, light, instrumental composition and kinetic actions into a progressively layered multi-media artwork.
Historical note:
This piece follows in the tradition of brainwave music composition pioneered by Alvin Lucier, David Rosenboom, Richard Teitelbaum, and others, beginning in the 1960s. In fact, the history of brainwaves and sound reproduction dates back to 1928, when the British scientist Edgar Adrian (1889–1977) successfully sonified human brainwaves (EEG) in laboratory experiments.
Click on the EE Twitch TV button on the right side of this page to watch it live. Please consider a donation to support the artists by clicking on the donate button, thank you!
Sponsored by Experimental Sound Studios, Chicago, and Public Energy, Peterborough. Piano donation by Yamaha Canada. Coleman-Monahan video production by UNAVOX (Ottawa).
