In it’s first year, NMASS was know as “Modern Aural Sculpture Symposium South (MASSS)” and was suported by Fusebox.
Photos from the event.
April 25 12:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Acton School of Business
M.A.S.S.S is a two day event exploring modern creative music in Texas and other southern states, Mexico, and the rest of the world including guest speakers and performers from other places in the states and abroad. Attendees will explore different facets of creative arts by engaging in workshops and panel discussions. The creative landscape of Austin and Texas will come together in the spirit of community for a focused cultural exchange and coordinated resource sharing effort.
Who should attend?
Anyone interested in ideas regarding practical issues and concepts in the creative music landscape will want to attend M.A.S.S.S. ’09. Participation is open in panel discussions, but not required. Practical workshops afford the opportunity for hands on demonstrations and skill building. An attendee may take advantage of workshops, panels, and lectures as well as enjoy though-provoking sound art installations and performances throughout the two day event, as well as related performances in the evening. One not need be a musician to attend; the symposium is geared toward a broad application of ideas and experiences across genres and in-between disciplines.
What is offered?
Panel Discussions, practical workshops, lectures, Installations, short-form performances, and an awards ceremony honoring some of the great talents in Texas Creative Music are among the offerings for attendees. Over all, it’s an unprecedented opportunity for adventurous artists and cultural benefactors to gather under one roof, exploring new possibilities and synthesizing ideas in cross genre negotiations. At this first annual event, we’ll build on the ideas that bubble up to explore as many creative vectors as possible, reaching for greater understandings, communication, and in doing so achieve innovation.
Where is it?
Acton School of Business
1404 East Riverside Drive
Austin, Texas 78741
When is it?
Friday April 24, 2009
12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Saturday April 25, 2009
12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Schedule:
FRIDAY APRIL 24, 2009
Modern Jazz Artists Interview
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM
Presenter: Clifford Allen
Event Description: Interview of Jazz Pianist Burton Greene and Clarinetist Perry Robinson
Alternate Controller
Time: 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM
Presenter: William Meadows
Event Description: Lecture discussing the implementation of non ordinary use of electronic control devices
Visual Improv Orchestra
Time: 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Presenter: David Demaris, Ph.D
Event Description: A lecture on interpreting images as a spatial signal and how that maps to interpreting music in the same way; the dynamical view of the perception of images, eye movements etc, with a bit of history of graphical scores, variable interpretation of image and poetry followed by a conducted workshop with images chosen for the source material. Participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops.
Improvising on images
How can an instant composer navigate an image? We are all composers when we explore a complex scene or work of art – if our eye movements are captured with an instrument, every individual will leave a unique trace of the “music” created in their consciousness by a particular image.
Both improvisation on graphical scores and inspiration of composer by visual forms have a long history. In this workshop we’ll touch on these briefly and delve into how our eyes and brains automatically turn complex images into a time structured experience. Artists, vision scientists, and the mystically inclined have developed complimentary ways of thinking about how the structure of images generates feeling or project “energy”. We’ll examine some of these technique and devise strategies for turning images into music.
Photographs and other artworks are solicited for review by the curator and participating improvisers. The second half of the workshop will consist of structured or conducted improvisation on images using methods and cues developed in the workshop. An evening program will allow improvisers to choose free or conducted improvisation on images.
Participants may want to bring a laptop to their images and mark them up in a software application supporting drawing. If you haven’t tried the free ArtRage, you should.
Some example photographs solicited from a call for work with a musical nature can be viewed at
http://photo.net/no-words-forum/00SvPw
http://photo.net/no-words-forum/00Szc5
Images that strike you as musical, with rhythm, variation, contrast, balance, interest and structure at many scales.
Bio
David DeMaris is a longtime improviser in both music and visual art in the medium of live video, but is also known internationally for research in computational neuroscience, mathematical psychology of vision, and semiconductor design. He performs video as Dr. Strangevibe, while full spectrum jazz group Alien Time Ensemble rises from the ashes periodically. He has lectured on history and practice of visual music at Berkley College of Music.
Call for visual artist participation
Imagine your image as a musical score.
We are soliciting contributions of photos paintings, or synthetic images that strike you as musical: with rhythm, variation, contrast, balance, interest and structure at many scales. You will be acknowledged but no compensation is provided. Performers will choose from among submissions for an evening performance. All submissions will be projected at the performance space.
Some example photographs solicited from a call for work with a musical nature can be viewed at
http://photo.net/no-words-forum/00SvPw
http://photo.net/no-words-forum/00Szc5
E-mail: modernauralsculpture@gmail.com to submit your work.
SATURDAY APRIL 25, 2009
Re-Sculpting Our City With Sound
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM
Presenter: Alex Keller recreatingthedomain.org
Event Description: Lecture discussing a project consisting of a set of artist-created recorded walking tours.
Moderated by: Josh Lasserre, State Coordinator, Visionaries in Preservation – Community Heritage Development Division, Texas Historical Commission
Creative Process Panel
Time: 1:30 PM – 2:45 PM
Presenter: Carl Smith
Event Description: Panel discussing the many facets involved in the creative process
Circuitry Workshop
Time: 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Presenter: Thomas Fang and Bleep Labs
Event Description: Hands on workshop in which participants bring a sound emitting device such as a toy and are shown how to bend circuits to change the shape of the sound. Circuit bending is the experimental process of creatively short-circuiting electronic devices (such as battery-powered children’s toys, keyboards, and drum machines) to create unusual sounds. Extensive knowledge of circuitry or electrical engineering is not required.
In this workshop, Thomas Fang (co-founder of the Artificial Music Machine record label) and John-Mike Reed (owner of Bleep Labs) will present an overview of the basic concepts and techniques used in circuit bending, followed by a demonstration of bent devices and then hands-on instruction. Necessary equipment including screwdrivers, drills, test leads, wire, soldering irons, potentiometers, resistors, and switches will be provided. Participants may bring electronic toys or other devices to be modified, but some toys and keyboards will also be provided by the workshop organizers. At the end of the workshop, participants will take home a newly bent device!