Category: Art

Creations that have artistic values, sound art installations, performance art; interesting and challenging exploratory works

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Art

Sonification of a graphical piece – Sounds of Calligraphy

Image into Sound

The three pieces of Sounds of Calligraphy playlist are the continuation from the Sarana performance at the opening of Viiva & Viiru calligraphy group exhibition in Helsinki, Finland. The pieces are based on a real time process that analyzes the images in three color channels, and some of the oscillator sound waves are derived from the image properties too. The process has 128 oscillators and filters per channel, and they are positioned to the stereo panorama to exactly follow the figures. The resulting music is thus a true voyage across the image.

The sonification process was realized with Max/MSP/Jitter. A very warm thanks to the Viiva & Viiru group for their openness to the abstract.

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Art

Mechatronic art decoration for a party

Arduino-Max_MSP-Motor-Heart-Application

A mechatronic art decoration for Aortta Party by Hytky. Max/MSP listened for a beat and triggered Arduino, which in turn controlled an electric motor. The motor had a rod attached to it, and a cardboard heart was taped to the tip of the rod. The position of the rod was monitored with a hall sensor. Heart struck against a thin veil, which was illuminated with red light from behind.

Video: Oskari Niitamo.

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Art

Generative and interactive sound installation

Ambient2

AMBIENT² interprets the sound landscape of Harakka island in Helsinki into music into another language through a computer-abled generative process. We are born into a sound landscape to which we get used to through our lives and we take it as the familiar foundation, compared to which everything is strange and peculiar. It is about interpretation. When the same sound landscape is repeated as music something weird and unexpected is revealed. Video of the interactive sound installation.

Ambient^2 Generatiivinen ääni-installaatioMusic created by the AMBIENT² does not strive to fit its tones into any existing note system. It re-creates the frequencies of the source material by synthetic instruments as a spectral musical application. The final result is a musical work which never quite exactly repeats itself. The composer is the observed space which creates its own tonal system. The music thus created is not aleatory but determined by its own rules.

The basic form of the music is defined by ambient aesthetics, and in this case ambient sound creates the ambient music and the borders of music and the world are seamlessly intertwined.

The work was part of the La-Bas -biennale 2012 and it was presented at the sound art gallery Akusmata.

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Art

Light controlled ambient music piece

Sound Design Programming

The ambient piece acted as the musical introduction to a discussion between photographer Victoria Schultz,  psychoanalyst Heikki Majava and sound explorer (Me). The topic of the discussion was My Body and I – Synchronic Image, Vision and Sound.

The pitches of the piece were controlled with light dependent resistors. I had built two simple enclosures for the resistors, which I held in my hands. In a slow dance I moved about and explored the light and dark areas of the gallery, Laterna Magica, where the event was held.

Laterna Magica Light to Sound PerformanceVictoria’s photos were on display in the gallery, and I thought that light controlled music would bridge the media and weave the topic together. I had built a light controlled audio device a few years ago, which was perfect for the idea.

It has two oscillators, which can be independently controlled. I connected the stereo out of the device to a laptop, in which a modular sound processing software turned the pitches of the oscillators into synthesizer control messages. The other channel was used for texture and the other had more soloish character.

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Art

Jungle of Sound

Sound Design Programming

Ääniviidakko (Jungle of Sound) is a generative and synthetic rainforest/jungle soundscape installation. It was created for the chill out space of Manaus techno party, held in Helsinki. It was not possible to sonically separate the chill out space very well from the main stage, and it would have been futile to have a DJ there.

The totality consists of eight separate layers, which are in constant tranformation and rhythmically independend of each other. No natural sounds have been used as the source. A few irrelevant rhythmical and melodious elements are driven through a multitude of effects, which create a jungle-like soundscape, which never repeats itself.

The cycles are quite long, and the soundscape goes through impressions of night and day, relaxation and activity. On top of that stochastic midi generators drive a few software synthesizers, which simulate wind and water-like noises.

A collage of real jungle and rainforest sounds is used as a secondary source to liven up the synthetic main composition. These are mainly birds, which at times rise up to be heard.

Realized with Plogue Bidule

Exhibitions:
2008 Manaus party chill out area, Helsinki