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Update #5: Kaleidoscope Music in Dig Boston
Just prior to the opening of Kaleidoscope Music last week at the Axiom Center for New and Experimental Media, I spoke about the piece with Hannah Martin of Dig Boston (the web portal of local alternative newspaper The Weekly Dig), and she's published this fine report.
The show is up through November 6, so swing on by!
BTW, you may also be interested to know that Boston Cyberarts (with which Axiom merged in 2010) is presenting a slick new show of new media works at Atlantic Wharf, with an opening party on October 21, featuring artists Golan Levin, Daniel Rozin, Sheila Gallager, and David Rokeby. This is in addition to their ongoing Cybersounds concert series. Check out the Boston Cyberarts website for the latest info!
As for me, I'm heading to Brooklyn this weekend to lead this workshop on using Max/MSP to prototype video game music soundtracks!
Update #4: Kaleidoscope Music Opens at Axiom on October 6!
Hello, dear Kickstarter backers! You're overdue for an update, and here it is: after two date scoots, Kaleidoscope Music is finally opening at the Axiom Center this Thursday, October 6, and it will remain up through November 6. There will be an opening reception with an informal artist presentation (by me) on October 6 from 6-9 pm.
While the show is up and running, I'll be generating everybody's custom recordings, so expect a survey soon for those of you to whom I need to mail things.
Thanks again for your support, and hope to see you at the opening or later in the month!
-Ben.
PS I just posted a bunch of info about another recent project, Mobile 4, presented in August at the San Diego Museum of Art. Read all about it here: http://www.benhouge.com/writings/?p=732
And if you'd like to keep apprised of other projects, feel free to sign up for my newsletter: http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=83f19565f275160fda4e6cfd2&id=4d179dfc17
Update #3: Thank You!
Wow, as of about 15 minutes ago, Kaleidoscope Music is officially 138.6% funded! This is a greater success than I dared to hope for. Thanks so much to everyone for supporting this project, whether through financial pledges, spreading the word, or just transmitting good vibes. Not only is this money going to be critical in mounting Kaleidoscope Music at the Axiom Center this fall, but it represents an important validation that the work I'm doing really matters to people. So thank you so much!
I'm now working with Axiom to nail down the specific dates for Kaleidoscope Music, sometime in early fall. I'll post that info here as soon as possible. And for those with rewards coming, I'll be in touch in the coming days about how to get them to you.
Thanks again, everyone!
-Ben.
Update #2: What's So Great about Six Channels?
This Axiom exhibition will be the the first time I'm able to present Kaleidoscope Music as originally conceived, for six independent channels of sound. That means that when you hear the piece at Axiom, there will be a nice hexagram of six speakers hanging from the ceiling, each playing a different audio signal generated by the computer in real-time.
This configuration allows you to alter your experience of the piece by moving around the gallery. Max Neuhaus, the artist who coined the term "sound installation," considered this idea of fixing sounds in space, rather than in time, to be a key concept of the genre, and having six speakers allows me to explore this parameter more fully. But of course more speakers means more money, which is why we're asking for your support for the project via this campaign.
Watch this video for more rhapsodizing on the wonders of multi-channel sound!
Update #1: Kaleidoscope Music and Video Game Sound
I consider sound installation pieces such as Kaleidoscope Music to be very closely related to my video game audio work. In both cases, I'm dealing with indeterminate amounts of time, which necessitates finding new ways to structure sound that has no beginning or end, as explained in this video!
42
Backers
$1,386
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on July 21, 2011.
Pledge $2 or more Pledge $2 or more
A custom, one-of-a-kind Kaleidoscope Music MP3. For each individual who contributes at this level, I will hand-generate a unique rendering of the piece, unlike any other! Duration will be at least 1 minute, but the algorithm ultimately decides.
Pledge $35 or more Pledge $35 or more
A custom, signed Kaleidoscope Music CD. Each CD is an absolutely unique rendering of the piece, a one-of-a-kind art object in an individually hand-assembled package. No two are alike! Duration of the CD will be around 30 minutes.
Pledge $125 or more Pledge $125 or more
A signed, limited edition print from my series 29 Giraffes, which algorithmically reconfigures photographs of neon lights on Shanghai's East Nanjing Road pedestrian corridor. For more information, visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/7286111@N07/sets/72157623756785236/. Prints are 16" x 16" (including a 4" border).
Pledge $225 or more Pledge $225 or more
A one-on-one 3 hour composition class with me. We can talk about Max/MSP, video game music, aleatoric scores, sound art, the kinds of things I cover in my classes at Boston University CDIA and (starting later this summer) the Berklee College of Music. I can provide feedback on your work and walk you through some of my Max/MSP patches for projects like Kaleidoscope Music and the EndWar music system.
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The algorithmic techniques that drive Kaleidoscope Music are drawn from my work designing audio for the inherently non-linear medium of video games over the past 15 years. I've contributed to a range of projects, including Tom Clancy's EndWar, Arcanum, Leisure Suit Larry 7, and Half-Life: Opposing Force, at companies including Sierra, Microsoft, and Ubisoft. I studied classical music composition and digital media at St. Olaf College (BA) and the University of Washington (MM), and now I teach game audio at Boston University CDIA and the Berklee College of Music. I've spent about 1/3 of my life living outside of the US, and I find this international perspective very helpful in developing art that crosses boundaries and finds connections between different genres, practices, and people. Recent performances and exhibitions include Boston Cyberarts, e4c in Seattle, and the True Color Museum in Suzhou.
