These are the early production shots from the piece “Warranty Void” from “Childhood Remixed“, the piece is a circuit bent Nintendo NES. For me when I was around twelve this was my first experience with both chip tune music and circuit bending, after a “traumatic” accident involving my NES I believed I could fix it so I broke it open and started poking the the screwdriver in various places whilst it was still turned on to see what would happen, very dangerous in hindsight. I learned from that early experimentation I was able to freeze a sound or tone, turn some sounds on or off and scramble the graphics.  It was really good to “go back” and recreate that initial encounter with that machine and the very moment that got me into the music I make. The piece will be on display in the Town Hall Galleries May 29 – July 11th as part of my “Childhood Remixed” project, allowing people to have a hands on experience of circuit bending and alter the graphics and sound without the risk of electrocution.

Childrens’ toys are often seen as transitional objects that let the child gain mastery of the world around them. Paradoxically “Childhood Remixed” seeks to re-purpose the toys of my childhood with the skills and understanding of the world I have as an adult.

By rewiring, re-purposing and re-using them I will essentially be remixing my childhood to form an orchestra of automated toys, a learning curve that that folds back on itself.

The interactive pieces will be on display in the Town Hall Galleries, Ipswich between May 29th- July 11th, 2010.  Alongside the main pieces I will also be running workshops and giving talks about my work.

The pieces were commissoned by Ipswich Borough Council & Turnstone Arts Grants sponsor Ip-art Award 2007- 2010 and I am very grateful to be exhibiting this project in my home town. Join the Facebook event page here.

Very pleased to announce I am the winner of the Ip-art Award for Visual Art. I have been very fortunate to have worked with Town Hall Galeries with Ip-art workshops in the past, but to have the opportunity to create an entirely new work for display is a big step for me. The project “Childhood Remixed” will have me scouring the local car-boot sales to find items from my childhood and yours, to create an entirely new work, accompanied by workshops, lectures and more. “Childhood Remixed” will be an automated orchestra of toys from my childhood utilising the skills I have learnt as an adult to bring them to life.

The piece will be on display in the Town Hall Galleries from May 29th – July 11th and forms part of Ip-art 2010, with special events announced nearer the time.

The award is provided by Turnstone and Ipswich Borough Council Arts Grants and I am very pleased to be given the opportunity to do a project such as this in my home town.

Come and join the Facebook event page here.