completed – PING:II 拼图
Date & Time: 25/07/2008; 7:30pm; $20
Location: SINGAPORE ART MUSEUM AUDITORIUM
Live Performance Recording: CLICK HERE
by Dr Gooi Tah Choe and Darren Ng (a.k.a. sonicbrat)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO & TICKETING DETAILS
Poster design: Darren Ng (sonicbrat)
Photos provided by Dr Gooi
UPDATES 13/06/2008:
Met up with Dr Gooi to discuss on initial ideas. We are using the space as a performance space rather than a talk panel setting. We will be going into specific contents soon but for the time being we had meted out certain directions and raw ideas:
- PING, communication between two individuals via two forms of mediums (photography vs. audio); communication between spaces, contextual contrast and association with the actual physical space vs. projected space or content associations.
- To work diffusion into imageries to eradicate the possibilities of actual diffusion caused by long throw of projection.
- Digital projection and manipulation vs. natural projection (ambient light sources) and natural animation (shadows and reflections; water).
- Progression of sounds move from refined tones to harsh analogue modular tones; live sampling of related materials (in context); tonal expositions (Guitar, Xylophone, Toy Instruments?); going back to refined sounds.
- Mix of digital + analogue hardwares; laptop + acoustic/semi-acoustic instrument(s).
- Employment of looper(s) as a form of recording device; building on the notion of capturing audio, “freezing” it and “extending” sounds.
- Progression in audio imageries – movement from 2D to 3D sound imaging.
- Structure: we have discussed about using old structure.
- Perhaps a more interesting structure will be the spaces below HDB block, 3-4am at night where it is somewhat deserted, haunting.
- Reference photos by Dr Gooi HERE
- Photos are grainy. Some are zoomed-in photos, some inverted. Black and white. Put many little photos of these together you get a flat mosaic of darkness bracketing little patches of light. But viewed closely, there is a sense of layers and depth.
- Heartland emotional and functional association with “void decks”; familiarity vs alienation
- Questions “grainy” & inverted
- Explorations of “grainy” timbres and quality.
- Architectural approach; angular
- Use of light and cold digital synthesis (more flexibility) vs warm dark analogue synthesis (more dexterity) – recording coming soon.
UPDATES 27/06/2008
Poster uploaded, embedded at top of entry. More notes from Dr Gooi soon.
UPDATES 01/07/2008 – 10/07/2008
Dr Gooi:
- Technical wise, I have a problem of manipulating the image real-time. Really hope that I can “play” the individual photos like sound samples on the keyboard but looks quite impossible. Have looked at some VJ software such as Module8. It is quite expensive, plus it allows more for looping. I want something with a repetitive rhythm but with subtle variations in the photos. So it looks like I have to make a fixed length movie while you can improvise on the spot. Please give me your thought on this. I saw Flat-e (a visual group) did that to accom the music for London Sinforniatta in a concert last week, but I felt that the idea is a little too static and repetitive. I would want something more varied
- More on the void decks idea: I am always interested in the idea of seeing something appearing of disappearing among pillars or concrete. And especially at night, there is a sort of quietness to it; some form of stasis. And yet, if you walk across the void decks the perspective changes, and the space changes. Occasionally you see people, animals, or broken bicycles. Sometimes the experience can be quite haunting, especially after 12am. There is a certain flatness to it on photograph yet it is 3D….and it can be quite alienating.
- Some images may involve collages from other photos. I want some apparition of people. They are not exactly like Ghosts but rather fragments of lost souls. This I have not done. The duration may intensify towards the “sighting” of more and more of these fragments before it is suddenly cut off at the climax, and everything is empty again…but still “breathing”. This is the most disturbing part!
- And I must warn you that there is a fragment during the climax that the “fragments of lost soul” will suddenly move for about 1 to 1:5 min! Not sure how the effect is going to be like but it is a very important moment that people will remember.
- Presentation: Look through the photos, and don’t just look at one photo. You can imagine them in several ways: 1) One image fade into the others; 2) Rapid changes of images (yes very rapid), 3) Looping of a group of images in various ways, 4) a mosaic of all images as if you are looking at little tiles; 5) an image breathing (fade out but not entirely, then fade in as if a regular breathing pulse);
- As you may have realized, I am actually composing a music composition with images, to match another track of music, which is yours. If you look at the whole idea of the images, it is like theme and variation. You have the same objects in the photos, only to appear in different arrangement and order.
[2 draft videos from Dr Gooi viewed by Darren]
Response: Pacing –> patterns, structures. Live sound/music to match up to video. Create cohesive mood and ambient rather than synchronizing to frame.
At this point.. my question (to you and to myself actually) is how does it tie in to “communication” (i.e. PING) and also about our idea of “time”. I think your side seems plausible to tie in to “time”… I’ll have to dream up a link. Perhaps it’s about “catching on time”… “missed time”… “indirect time” and also extended time… perhaps I can play with the idea of “synchronization”. Loose thoughts at the moment.
I think in terms of “sounds”… I will explore analogue vs digital synthesis plus void deck field recordings–> then going into segment two I can bring in something more accessible with tonal structure (but not strictly melodious).
FURTHER THOUGHTS: Need something organic. Possibility of an electric guitar + violin bow + looper pedal set up; on top of synthesis (analogue and synthesis)
Tentative Instruments:
- Doepfer A100 Modular System + Sherman Filterbank II
- Laptop synthesis via Reaktor 5 and msp/max patches + ixiQuarks graining and sample manipulation; field recording playback and processing via Plogue Bidule (?)
- Efx processors: Alesis Ineko, KP3, MF105 (?)
- Electric Guitar + Violin Bow + E-bow + RC20 Looper
Darren – Some thoughts on sound vs photography:
A camera captures an image and “stops” a particular time-in-space into perpetuity. The straight forward “translation” into audio is in “recording”. The cross over happens when sounds are being captured (recorded) and moments in time are “extended” into perpetuity. This is somewhat similar to how photography translates. However, this may not necessarily spell similitude as audio “recording” relates better to “filming” rather than photography as it is a continuum of time in time, and not a “stopped” frame – we work on the notion of a “split second” where the camera snaps and the subject(s) become(s) “immobile”, stopped, captured into time ad infinitum. However, a “split-second” of sound can hardly be perceived and hence, a continuum of time in time is necessary for any sensible perception.
Running along this notion, the communication in PING:II happens between these two seemingly similar “capturing” devices/methods when pictures are put into motion to create continuum in time (extended time) and audio fleets in time (performed live; looped but not a permanent recording) and not, and cannot be, re-lived again; setting a common ground (of stepping out from their forms) for the two mediums to communicate.
The approach taken in sound is still minimalist with ambient textures and layerings. These audio textures are created on the spot and layered via the use of a looping device (a form of recording that is not permanent) to extend “a moment” into time. However, the so-called “recording” in this context is not the same as recording in a studio environment sense as the data will be lost (hence fleeting) the moment the next few layers of sounds over-write the previous captured sounds.
This paradox can be an interesting “starting point” and I feel is not an end in itself but means to open up further future explorations. The aim of PING:II is not to conclude but to question and explore.
UPDATES 20/07/2008
Dr Gooi dropped by to listen to the elements in sounds. Discussed about the visuals and ran through the flow of the presentation. Discussed about the physical set up of the presentation. Counting down to 25/07/2008.
And here’s a view of my messy modular patch on the Doepfer A100 for the show (yes, messy, I said):
POST PRODUCTION
I would like to thank Dr Gooi for the very exciting process and enjoyable experience, Amy for organizing this presentation cum talk, the venue (SAM) for the technical support and also to those that turned up and making the talk and discussion lively, thank you so much for taking your Friday evening off to attend the event. I hope you guys had enjoyed what Dr Gooi and I had came up with during this short span of time.
Warmest,
darren
Pictures of technical rehearsals and performance:
Photos taken by Yuan Zhiying. Audio recording coming up soon.
Live Performance Recording: CLICK HERE
