Installations
Goodness Gracious
composed by Trey Duplantis
In the 18th century, the performance of instrumental music as a personal endeavor was fairly common. Instruments were systems through which one could entertainingly pass the hours, and while composers were writing sonatas and other forms of chamber music to address this desire, many others found joy in improvisation. In our modern era, I feel this position in our society has largely been filled by the nascent art form of video games; as such, Goodness Gracious is an attempt to lay bare the similarities between recreational music performance and today’s gaming landscape.
The game is run on a computer connected to a MIDI piano keyboard and displayed on a screen behind the keyboard. The screen should be easily visible to whoever sits down in front of the piano but large enough that passersby can spectate if they so wish. The game will run continuously, so anyone can start or finish playing whenever they wish.
The game’s visuals are abstract but reminiscent of the arcade shooter classic Galaga. One for each hand, the two player characters sit at the bottom of the screen and oscillate from side to side, giving the performer a hint of a tempo. (This tempo need not necessarily be followed; after all, it is an experiment in improvisation.) As mean triangles fall from the top of the screen, the player plays the piano to shoot great balls of fire at them. The origin and angle of the shot depend on the note pressed. The notes around C3 and E5 shoot straight ahead from the left and right hand, respectively. Shots fired by notes within this range will bank inward from the hand it is most likely to be triggered by, while those fired by notes outside of this range will bank increasingly outward. (For example, the notes immediately below middle C emanate shots from the left “hand” but bank to the right.)
The experience is designed to encourage the player to improve their skills at piano improvisation by placing the action within the context of a video game. By making the response of the video game analogous to that of the piano, players can focus on one pursuit if they feel overwhelmed by the other. The performance criteria for playing the game are loose enough that one could play using a range of different styles; the game’s cues primarily encourage continuous performance with a diversity of pitch and register. Hopefully, each person who sits down to play will find a method that best suits them and leave with a desire to continue the art of improvisation.
Sphere
composed by Eddie Farr
Sphere, an interactive installation, allows a user to control the movement of a lone sphere. Acting as the sphere the user will search within the environment for soundshapes. When the user finds a soundshape they enjoy they can add the sound to the overall sound environment.
Program - Eddie Farr
Sounds - Matt Bryant
Cat Balls
composed by Kristopher Martenn
composed by Trey Duplantis
In the 18th century, the performance of instrumental music as a personal endeavor was fairly common. Instruments were systems through which one could entertainingly pass the hours, and while composers were writing sonatas and other forms of chamber music to address this desire, many others found joy in improvisation. In our modern era, I feel this position in our society has largely been filled by the nascent art form of video games; as such, Goodness Gracious is an attempt to lay bare the similarities between recreational music performance and today’s gaming landscape.
The game is run on a computer connected to a MIDI piano keyboard and displayed on a screen behind the keyboard. The screen should be easily visible to whoever sits down in front of the piano but large enough that passersby can spectate if they so wish. The game will run continuously, so anyone can start or finish playing whenever they wish.
The game’s visuals are abstract but reminiscent of the arcade shooter classic Galaga. One for each hand, the two player characters sit at the bottom of the screen and oscillate from side to side, giving the performer a hint of a tempo. (This tempo need not necessarily be followed; after all, it is an experiment in improvisation.) As mean triangles fall from the top of the screen, the player plays the piano to shoot great balls of fire at them. The origin and angle of the shot depend on the note pressed. The notes around C3 and E5 shoot straight ahead from the left and right hand, respectively. Shots fired by notes within this range will bank inward from the hand it is most likely to be triggered by, while those fired by notes outside of this range will bank increasingly outward. (For example, the notes immediately below middle C emanate shots from the left “hand” but bank to the right.)
The experience is designed to encourage the player to improve their skills at piano improvisation by placing the action within the context of a video game. By making the response of the video game analogous to that of the piano, players can focus on one pursuit if they feel overwhelmed by the other. The performance criteria for playing the game are loose enough that one could play using a range of different styles; the game’s cues primarily encourage continuous performance with a diversity of pitch and register. Hopefully, each person who sits down to play will find a method that best suits them and leave with a desire to continue the art of improvisation.
Sphere
composed by Eddie Farr
Sphere, an interactive installation, allows a user to control the movement of a lone sphere. Acting as the sphere the user will search within the environment for soundshapes. When the user finds a soundshape they enjoy they can add the sound to the overall sound environment.
Program - Eddie Farr
Sounds - Matt Bryant
Cat Balls
composed by Kristopher Martenn