Electronic Voiceworks

Description:

Concert

where the <body> begins (Curator: Gwen Howard)

where the <body> begins was a concert curated by Gwen Howard engaging with cyborgism in contemporary music.

I collaborated with Hugh Beckwith (tenor) to produce a composition for solo singer and electronics.

The Parting Glass [4min 22sec]

MP4 (Dropbox)

We produced the piece using MIDI implementation of the ‘Leap Motion’ controller, which employs the latest hand-tracking technology to allow touch-less control of digital parameters.

Front view of the Max Patch converting Leap Outputs to MIDI
Custom Max Mapping allowing assignment of scaled Leap Motion MIDI outputs to Ableton parameters

We responded to the topic of cyborgism by reworking a folk song through intense electronic processing. We wanted to highlight at once the opportunities of technology-assisted performance and the uncanny elements of technology.

Using the Leap Motion, Hugh controlled spatial effects and panning, as well as the rate and dry/wet parameters of an auto filter, a composite bitcrush/grain delay effect, and the level of an accompanying soundscape. The soundscape was constructed entirely from recordings of Hugh exploring extended vocal techniques.

Venue:

Guildhall School of Music & Drama

Collaborators:

Hugh Beckwith, Gwen Howard

Date:

May 31, 2022

Project Duration:

2 Months