Today I gave a  Q&A session at the V&A it was part of the SAP Digital Design Weekend. There were loads of other events and talks by different artists like Memo Akten and Jason Bruges and the amazing Decode exhibit. I will be giving the talk again tomorrow same time same place.

I also ran a circuit bending workshop earlier that morning for NESTA as part of the idiscover programme which was really good fun and the students really enjoyed it too. They were able to create a fully working circuit bent keyboard for each of them to take home at the end of the workshop. You can listen to the sounds they made below.

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I got to give a work in progress report to the researcher at the Institute of Astronomy about the “Observations” project, and play them a few extracts from the new piece and explain some of the ideas behind the work. Although it went down well, it was pretty tough for me because I wanted to dazzle them but I had to save all the really big moments for the performances on March 12th & 13th.

I am very excited about it, it is both new and yet linked to “Obsolete?” rhythmically in places.  The events on the 12th & 13th are free and are at the Sackler Lecture Theatre, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge between 7:30pm and 9:00pm which includes a performance and Q&A afterwards.

A lot of public talking today about four hours actually! Two events. First up was a visit to ATM Norwich which I am a patron of to talk about chip tune music, circuit bending with some level three students, who asked some very good questions and showed some good lateral thinking with regards to their own music. Secondly was “Decent Exposure” a Q & A on how to deal with the press, I was on a panel with Wendy Roby of Drowned in Sound, Bob Patterson of BPA Live Agency, Bobbi Coppen of All About Promotions and Alex Mann of the Musicians Union. It was very nice to do something for the Musicians Union, who have been very supportive of me in the past. Again good questions were asked and the crowd enjoyed the evening.

Two days in a row I did a Q&A with two different schools the Academy of St.Francis of Assisi and Holly Lodge Girls College and others at FACT, it was great some good questions coming out of the students, I demonstrated circuit bending, discussed “Obsolete?” and did a short mini-gig where the participants could ask questions in between songs about how and what I was doing to create the music.

Photos courtesy of Anna Kronenburg and Louise Latter @ FACT, Liverpool

Today I did a Computer Graphics Workshop with two different schools the Academy of St.Francis of Assisi and Holly Lodge Girls College at FACT, Liverpool as part of the current Space Invaders exhibition. They were a fantastic group, so good in fact we even had time to make sound effects for the game as well. The space was perfect as we could beam the game on a huge cinema screen as we were making it.

The game will be all edited and back to them in a week for them to play on in school and at home. Next up tonight “An Evening With Pixelh8” all sold out!!!

Firstly many thanks to Anna, Hamish, Ben and the support staff at FACT.  Secondly the adults and children who took part.

Today I ran  a day long workshop, teaching people how to use the new “SUPER CHIP TUNE SAMBA BAND” software, the new software is made to encourage people to perform chip tune music together in groups. The day long session included an introduction to chip tune music, why and how I made the software, the rehearsal and the performance by the participants.  Already the event has attracted international press here and here.

The software is designed to mimic the sounds of a samba band albeit a very chip tune samba band with a Sirdu, Caixa, Rep, Ganza and an Agogo, it’s time to turn those game playing skills in to Samba music.

Despite many technical hitches due to several cables being a bit flaky (grrr just bought them for the event, but I can sort this out with a bit of funding or sponsorship) the feedback was very very positive and some nice stories about families coming together for the event to make music.  Can’t post any pictures tonight left my camera adapter at the lab will update this post later in the week.

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I really enjoyed it and the families did too. Very pleased that they really took to the idea of creating something with the DS instead of just being a passive consumer of it. I also gave them copies of SUPER CHIP TUNE SAMBA BAND and Music Tech Master Stroke so they can go away and make there own music.  You can read my paper on it below on the how, what and why of the workshop, minus the conclusion which I will write up next week.

Cultural perceptions, ownership and interaction with re-purposed musical instruments

Some minor hitches with the software (if one drum is exited before it is finished playing it holds it in memory especially the Agogo) and I think the PC/MAC Player software needs to have several more patterns and more simpler patterns as well apart from that it was great.

When it’s all done and written up all the software and teaching notes will be available for download so you can make your own samba band in your schools and homes.

This event forms part of FACTs “Space Invaders: Art and the Computer Game Environment” season and is delivered in partnership with Netherlands Media Art Institution, Amsterdam.

Can’t keep this quiet any longer, the long awaited follow-up to “Obsolete?” is here. Very excited.

“Observations” is an audio visual study of the people, machines and practices at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge University. Culminating in two performances on 12th &13th of March, 2010 at 7.30pm during the Cambridge Science Festival.

The piece poses the question of “What does it mean to be an Astronomer?” and how it has evolved; from observations with the unaided eye and the first telescopic studies 400 years ago, to modern telescopes and satellites collecting data across the full reach of the spectrum, and the importance of theoretical study of astronomical concepts such as cosmology.

Following on from the successful “Obsolete?” in 2009 at The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park, Matthew C. Applegate aka Pixelh8 internationally renowned “chip tune” musician will be directing, composing and performing this entirely new piece.

All of the sounds in the music will be recorded from the machines, people and interpreted from the data they collect at the Institute. This includes electro-mechanical, mechanical, and ambience as well as interviews with leading scientists and curious visitors to the Institute.

The work is supported by the researchers at The Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge and the outreach officer Dr. Carolin Crawford and was funded by the PRS for Music Foundation Live Connections award.

The PRS for Music Foundation (PRSF) is the UK’s largest independent funder of new music across all genres. Widely respected as an adventurous and proactive funding body, the Foundation supports an exceptional range of new music activity – from unsigned band showcases to composer residencies, from commissions for new music to experimental live electronica. Since March 2000 PRSF has given more than £12 million to over 3,000 new music initiatives.

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 I got to finally written this up “A Choice to Compute: Rant in C++” it is part of a talk I give on the decline of programmers and some of the possible causes behind it. You can read the full article on Game People and all of the quotes can be referenced.

Although things are getting better there is still alot of work to be done to turn things around, and on the back of this rant instead of just complaining about the problems I have set up “Computer Club” with several schools to get people programming at an early age. You can see some of the example lessons and projects that I have undertaken with Holywells High School on this Blog here.

Enjoy.

“Our Lady Of Perpetual Succour Catholic Primary School in Widnes collaborated with artist and FACT education freelancer Ross Dalziel on a piece of music using acclaimed artist and musician Pixelh8’s Tech Master Stroke ‘chiptune’ software for Nintendo DS…

FACT’s engagement and education team invited the DS Orchestra to play at the opening of the exhibition “Space Invaders – Art and the Computer game Envirionment” at FACT in Liverpool which continues to run from 18 December 2009 to 21 February 2010.” FACT.

Many thanks to Ross Dalziel of Sound Network and all the staff at FACT, and of course the fantastic DS Orchestra, look out for “Super Chip Tune Samba Band” software, workshops and videos coming soon.