Stan Wijnans

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Bits, Bytes and the Rhetoric of Practice: New Media Artist Statements

 

 

Interactive Transformation of Dance Movements into Spatial Sound Creation

 

 

Keywords: ChoreoSonic, Transformation, Spatiality

 

"A dancer is a 4-dimensional dynamic being, not merely a moving machine.

Spatial digital sound is an aural dimension created out of digital silence.

The artist-technologist is the motion-audio translator in the rhythm-time-space domain."

In dance performance sound still tends to be seen as mainly a "time-rhythm" medium with space as an unobserved and therefore insignificant element of the sound. However, experimentations with the spatial, and thus choreographic elements of sound, have been undertaken by numerous composers and instrumentalists (Boulez, Stockhausen, Cage, Eno etc) in the past.


My artistic practice investigates the creation of a four dimensional rhythm-time-space environment in which the spatiality of dance movements will be transformed into a 3D spatial digital sound composition.

To achieve this I use wireless electronic tracking systems, interactive ambisonic surround sound and the visual programming environment Max/MSP/Jitter. A ChoreoSonic entity within a spherical geometric environment is created emphasizing a virtual spatial sound body outside the dancing body.

NMC Media-N Journal of New Media Caucus 2007

International Journal of Performing and Digital Media

‘Sound Skeleton’
Interactive Transformation of Improvised Dance Movements into a Spatial Sonic Disembodiment


Keywords: ChoreoSonic, Spatiality, Ambisonic, Four Dimensions.

 

Abstract

 

This paper discusses some aspects and ideas of the practice based Ph.D. research project ‘Sound Skeleton’, an interactive ChoreoSonic environment in which the spatiality of dance movements will be transformed into a realtime 3D spatial sound composition. The project resides in the fields of interactive ambi-sonic surround sound design, contemporary improvised dance, wireless electronic tracking systems and computer programming.

 

Several spatial observations referring to movement theorist Laban and psycho-acoustic scientist Blauert are reviewed and integrated in the project development. The Data Interpreting Methodology (DIM) is introduced as the mapping procedure that is developed in ‘Sound Skeleton’. As a conclusion of this paper several parametric mapping models are presented.

 

A virtual spatial sound body outside the dancing body is created: ‘a choreography of a spatial sonic disembodiment’.

IJPDM 4.1 2008 pp.27-44