AOM - Avatar Orchestre Metaverse

uqbar. media art culture e Rinascimento Virtuale

Vi invitano all'apertura di /Invite you at the Opening of

AOM - Avatar Orchestre Metaverse

Saturday, December 20, to Monday, December 22. 2008
10PM CET - 01 PM SLT)

ARENA MdM slurl: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Uqbar/47/222/722

SATURDAY: Slippery Slope - The Heart of Tone - Aleatricity
SUNDAY: Fragula - New Economy -In (whirled) Trance
MONDAY: PwrHm -Avatars's Brew -Wee.No.Kresh

1. VICKY'S MOSKITOS
composer/concept: Harold Shellinx aka Hars Hefferman
realisation : Bjorn Eriksson aka Miulew Takahe , ookoi, Pomodoro Bolzano
world premiere (mixed reality): March14, 2007 at art.think.box SL and de Waag Society Amsterdam
instruments: Andreas Müler aka Bingo Onomatopoeia
text:
Vicky's Moskitos #13, directed by Miulew Takahe has been presented at the Art.Think.Box SL performed by the Avatar Orchestra Metaverse and simultaneously at the Waag Society Amsterdam, presented and performed by ookoi and additionally screened and webcast as part of a live emission of Killer TV. Except for Vicky's voice reading, a text by Harold Shellinx, which was streamed live from Sweden, all sounds used (typing, clicks, bumps, water, goats and more) were found and played within Second Life, by means of 'aviophones', created by Bingo Onomatopeia.
2. FADHEIT
(Variationen über die Fadheit Nr. 2 – für Avatar Orchestra Metaverse)
composer: Shintaro Miyazaki / Maximillian Nakamura
world premiere: March 27, 2007 at amphitheater in Odyssey SL
instruments: designed and build by the composer
text:
'Fadheit' is a piece of soundart, that existed before in RL. Based on a Soloversion for a Laptop (Supercollider 3) the composition was played also by Laptoporchester Berlin. The german word "Fadheit" means something like staleness. The composition deals with elementar sounds of a violin and tries to explore elementally these sounds. This produces a somehow stale environment. In East-Asia (China, Korea, Japan) staleness is often also positivly denoted. Fadheit is then the reduction of the basic things and of the crucial and essential moments.
3. RUE BLANCHE
The name of the piece is inspired by the book 'Le vol d´Icare' by Raymond Queneau. Icare is the main character who walks out on is author. One day he disappears from his author and this is the frame of this story. The character Icare did not want to be locked inside the story of the author and when suddenly he gets free he explores a new world. Icare finds himself on a zero point and that is the street called Rue Blanche. Icare seems to enjoy this and he from there he explores the new life. Things he has not been able to do before. He feels very free and with lust for life. He also falls in love with LN.
Rue Blanche was made as an experiment to work with sine tones in harmonic series in an orchestral context. A sine tone is the most simple and pure waveform consisting of only one frequency. A harmonic series is a progression of tones with start from the fundamental tone frequency and then 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 times the fundamental frequency. The HUDs was prepared with two sets of sine tone harmonic series. In addition to the sine tones the piece includes found sounds or field recordings.
composer: Bjorn Eriksson aka Miulew Takahe
world premiere (mixed reality): May 12, 2007 at Virtual Haidplatz in Odyssey,
presented live at art.xxXtenxion germany and ljudrum sweden happenings.
instruments: Andreas Müller aka Bingo Onomatopoeia
4. WEE NO KRESH
The Onomatophone was created out of the idea to build an instrument with real 3-dimensional sound. The result is an instrument that separates the control-interface from the sound-generation: six spheres sending out audio fly right through the audience, thus giving everybody a unique, continuously changing mix. Technically, it is a project for learning the coding of LSL (Linden Scrpting Language), I had to create an interface controlling the sounds as well as the movements of the spheres - plus visual feedback for the audience (and player) as the buttons change color when clicked.
In order not to make this a solo-piece for me, I extended the instrumentarium and created a special HUD for Miulew to do the vocal/solo role, so the general arc of tension for the whole song would not have to rely on me alone remote-controlling loops. The rest of the orchestra has HUDs to add percussive spice to the whole thing.
composer: Andreas Müller aka Bingo Onomatopoeia
world premiere: May 12, 2007 at Virtual Haidplatz in Odyssey,
presented live at art.xxXtenxion germany and ljudrum sweden happenings.
instruments designed and built by Andreas Müller aka Bingo Onomatopoeia
5. URSONATE DECONSTRUCTED
The original Ursonate consists of a written organization of phonetics,with notations in German. No notes, tempi, or formal dynamics are given, allowing the performer a bit of freedom. In his notes to the piece, Schwitters writes "As with any printed music, many interpretations are possible. As with any other reading, correct reading requires the use of imagination." For the Avatar Orchestra version of Ursonate, composer Shintaro Miyazaki cut up a interpretation by Adachi Tomomi into many audiosamples of different lenghts and visualized this process by using avatar-deforming scripts by Gazira Babeli as "ready-mades" for its own piece of conceptual scriptbased soundart. Schwitters Ursonate can be interpretated as a reflexion on the medium and speaking technics of language itself. The Deconstruction of the avatars in "Ursonate Deconstructed" leads to a reflection of the technical basics of Second Life and thus also of virtual digital art itself. By creating a war-game like situation Miyazaki refers not only on the kittlerian notion that all media technology especially the computer, but also the synthesizer is born out of war technologies, but also on the fact that the development of computer games was a consequence of the simulation systems invented to train troops and soldiers during the cold war. "Ursonate Deconstructed" is an attempt of bringing these facts to an interested audience in a game-like, playful way.
by Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948),
arranged by Shintaro Miyazaki aka Maximillian Nakamura
world premiere: November 2007 at Wien Modern 07
Soundsamples courtesy Adachi Tomomi
SL-Code Scripts courtesy Gariza Babeli
6. FRAGULA
composer: Bjorn Eriksson aka Miulew Takahe
world premiere: June 2007
instruments and animations designed and built by Andreas Müller aka Bingo Onomatopoeia
The piece is a play with words "fragment", "fragile", "fragula" and "Dracula". The visual part of this piece is made from small and big movements and animations of avatars while having the sound sack being colored in different colours. One of the major ideas about this piece is to have the orchestra to wander from a fragile and fragmented digital synthezised sound texture into a more analog acoustic and not so fragmented sound texture, and then come back to where it all started. This is aurally symbolized in the granulated synthezised sounds of sine waves, square waves and sawtooth shaped sounds. Also arpeggiated synthetic figures then gradually transform into the sounds of an old harmonium with unprecise playing. There is also a transitional sound in between the digital and analog sound sources where a time stretched harmonium sounds gets this role. There is three groups of players in this piece as the different sounds forms chordal sound textures.
7. SLippery SLope
"SLippery SLope" was composed exclusively for the Avatar Orchestra Metaverse in the popular virtual world, Second Life. This classically influenced new music composition uses a special written score and custom designed instruments as well as functioning reproductions of classical instruments. The composition itself is based on the virtually geophysical location and proximity of each Orchestra performer as well as their respective audience. Thiscomposition is as much an aleatoric endurance performance piece as well as an experiential product of 19th century Romantic Composer ambitions. The goal for each Orchestra performer (as well as the composer) is to successfully ascend 3 coloured slippery slopes. The composition ends once every performer has successfully ascended all 3 slopes.
composer: Jeremy Owen Turner aka Wirxli Flimflam
world premiere: June 30, 2007 at Virtual Haidplatz, Odyssey SL
and Pages Festival at Notice Gallery, Deptford GB
instruments: Andreas Müler aka Bingo Onamatopoeia
set design: Detlef Thomas aka Dethomas Dibou
hyper-instruments: Robbie Dingo
8. RIESENRAD
This timbrally maximalist composition is an homage to all the composers throughout history that have either lived, worked or premiered any of their own compositions in Vienna. Structurally speaking, this composition can be seen as a hypermodernist and mechanistic "proof-of-concept" rather than a Romantic style composition with a clearly defined programmatic narrative with a Schenkarian tonal resolution hierarchy. The "real" Riesenrad is actually Vienna's largest family-sized Ferris Wheel and a familiar tourist attraction. In addition to virtual clasical instruments, the "modernists" have a special HUD interface where they can improvise using 24 recycled samples from various composers affiliated with Vienna. Another unique feature of this orchestral opus for Second Life is the fact that the composer/conductor is also responsible for producing classical drone/engine sounds from an exclusive HUD interface. So in this sense, the composer/conductor is also a performer in realtime. composer: Jeremy Owen Turner aka Wirxli Flimflam
composer: Jeremy Owen Turner aka Wirxli Flimflam
world premiere: November 24, 2007 at Wien Modern Festival, Austria
set design: Detlef Thomas aka Dethomas Dibou
instrument: Andreas Müler aka Bingo Onamatopoeia
9. THE HEART OF TONES
dedicated to the memory of Toyoji Tomita
composer: Pauline Oliveros aka Free Noyes
world premiere: April 17, 2008 at Deep Listening Institute's Women and Identity Festival , New York City, USA
instruments + receivers: Andreas Müller aka Bingo Onomatopoea
This piece was originally composed for trombone and two oscillators, and commissioned by Abbie Conant and her Wired Goddess Project during her residency at Mills College in the Fall of 1999. The premiere of the piece was done at Mills College. This is an ensemble version of the piece adapted for the mixed realities of Second Life and Real Life, combining virtual instruments with live trombones and voices streamed into Second Life. The Heart of Tones: A tone, in this instance, D4, is minutely explored in the smallest possible increments on, above and below the prescribed pitch, through the smallest timbre variations and spatial locations by performers on virtual and physical instruments. The pitch variations are never more than a half step away from the given pitch. The resultant beats, timbral shifts and audio illusions create rhythms, transformations and textures of depth. The focus is on listening to the acoustic beat frequencies and the overtones that result from playing tones together that are very very close together in frequency. The musicians decide independently and intuitively on the variations.
10. XAANADRuuL
Stockhausen's Pleasuredome 4 Sirius Business
dedicated to the memory of Karlheinz Stockhausen
composer: Jeremy Owen Turner aka Wirxli Flimflam
world premiere: May 2008 Voice + + Festival 2008, Open Space, Victoria, Canada
instruments: Andreas Müller aka Bingo Onomatopoea
architect + set design: Detlef Thomas aka Dethomas Dibou
world premiere: XAANADRuuL is a Second Life composition in 3 sections created for the Avatar Orchestra Metaverse. One can see this composition as an official elegy/tribute to the Modernist music pioneer, Karlheinz Stockhausen. XAANADRuuL was created from the samples that were solely derived from the composer's own digitally manipulated voice. This composition was inspired by Stockhausen's claim of being an alien from Sirius and so the 3 sections of this composition correspond to Sirius A, B and C stars. In addition, there are also many references to Xanadu (including the movie with Olivia Newton John) The Opening Ceremonies take place on Sirius A where angels sing along with the selected voice samples heavenly heights on the ceiling of a pentagonal geodesic dome and also on Sirius B where meandering avatars vainly attempt to communicate with these alien angelic muses using only pre-recorded samples. Sirius C is a "meta-composition" and is performed by the public throughout Second Life.
11. PwRHm
PwRHm explores electricity and connectivity through the relationship of 2 sets sine tones tuned to the harmonic series of the Alternating Currents of the North American (60 Hz) and European/Asian (50 Hz) electric systems respectively; modified field recordings of electric motors and generators from each continent; and the live breath rhythms of the globally dispersed players. PwRHm uses 4 'instruments' created within the Second Life platform. The instrument sounds are made from sets of short (3- 7 second) sound samples put together in a HUD (Heads Up Display) configuration. Each avatar/player is playing one or more of the instruments designated by their geographic location to make the combined sound of the piece. The globes held by the players are 'receivers' that emit differently coloured particles according to the particular instrument they each play, and the pitch and volume of each sound as it is played. In some ways, PwRHm is an investigation of the musical expressiveness that might be possible with these electrically rooted source sounds through a combination of conducting and telematic improvisation.
composer: Humming Pera aka Tina Pearson
world premiere: April 17, 2008 at Deep Listening Institute's Women and Identity Festival , New York City, USA
instruments + field recordings: Andreas Müller aka Bingo Onomatopoea
particles by Sachiko Hayashi aka Goodwind Seiling
12. WASTE FROM REAL LIFE
With a blend of sounds including synthesizer patches, drum and piano samples, this piece can be performed with live percussion and other instruments, and includes samples of sounds gathered by the performers from their 'real' lives.
composer: Biagio Francia aka BlaiseDeLaFrance Voom
world premiere: July 26, 2008 at art.xXtenxion 2008, Regensburg, Germany and art.think.box, Netherbeck SL
sampling: Biagio Francia aka BlaiseDeLaFrance Voom
instruments and animations built by Andreas Mueller
13. THE NEW ECONOMY
This piece was composed for a concert by AOM at the Centre for Culture and Politics, De Balie Movie Theatre, Amsterdam. In his real life, Biagio Francia is an economist and musician. He composed this piece with sounds from field recordings, text in different languages about currencies, and samples from piano and synthesizer sounds.
composer: Biagio Francia aka BlaiseDeLaFrance Voom
world premiere: August 30, 2008 at the Goodbye Dollar Festival, deBalie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
instruments + animations: Andreas Müller aka Bingo Onomatopoeia
14. IN WHIRLED (TRANCE) FORMATIONS
An improvisatory piece that invites participants to transform themselves through sounding and moving, with members of AOM employing North's virtual versions of his RL Singing Masks as "vehicles of transformation." The result is intended to be a spontaneously playful shaping of sound, light, and motion. This is a simple conceptual piece calling for improvization, "spontaneous order",as Pauline Oliveros calls it given a particular mind-set. In this as well as other Singing Mask ceremonies, my interest is in listening into the moment and using masks to connect with alternate realities, modes of cognition, if you will, or underlying fabrics, weaves of energies. Within this framework, everything is "perfect." No need to worry about making mistakes. Simply remain aware of the basic conditions: listening, transforming, or in other words being in whirled trance (formation).
composer: Norman Lowrey aka North Zipper
world premiere: October 3, 2008 at Drew University, Madison, New Jersey, USA
instruments, virtual masks + animations: Norman Lowrey aka North Zipper
15. ALEATRICITY
"Aleatricity is 200 years of science, technology and cultural history put into a noisy little piece, with Frankenstein as the glue sticking it all together. " This piece, written by Andreas Müller (aka Bingo Onomatopoeia) for the Avatar Orchestra Metaverse in 2008 uses only samples generated by circuit-bent instrument and homemade oscillators. Thus, these sounds cannot be assigned to a definite pitch or scale, they seem to be aleatoric at first glance. But upon a closer look at the technology of their electronic generation, one quickly realizes that they are not at all: they are created by unambiguous laws of digital logic, following simple yes/no-decisions. This is reflected in the title: "Aleatricity" is a blend of "aleatoric" (random) and "electriciy", two words whose close relation is being illustrated by the visual realization in Second Life: the accidental discovery of the nerve-system by Luigi Galvani and the act of writing against the boredom of a rainy summer by Mary Shelley, which procreated the world's first science-fiction novel "Frankenstein" are brought into a visual and acoustic relation which exemplifies that seemingly unconnected things are often closely related.
composer: Andreas Müller aka Bingo Onomatopoeia
world premiere: November 20, 2008 at EMPAC, RPI, Troy New York
instruments + animations: Andreas Müller aka Bingo Onomatopoeia
16. PATAPHONE AOMPROVISATION
Michel Waisvisz was a composer, performer and inventor of experimental electronic musical instruments. He was the artistic director of STEIM in Amsterdam from 1981 to his passing in June of 2008. At STEIM, he collaborated with musicians and artists from all over the world. As the avatar Pata Mayo, he made the Pataphone in Second Life, planning to develop it over time. Its delightful sounds reflect the adventurous sonic mind of its creator, who infected all of us with a love for play and delightful discovery in sound. Thank you, Michel.
composed by AOM as inspired by Michel Waisvicz' Pataphone
world premiere: September, 2008
Second Life instrument installation designed and built by Michel Waisvicz
17. BIRTH
This new piece by media artist and rock musician Liz Solo is a work in progress exploring notions of birth in real life and the virtual world. The sounds include recordings from inside the womb, fetus heartbeats, baby cries, bells, and other sounds. The 3 instruments played by the avatars were built by Liz in Second Life, and will become HUD instruments worn by the avatars for future versions of the piece.
composer: Liz Solo aka lizsolo Mathilde
world premiere: Octobre 24, Rock Can Roll Festival, St. John's Newfoundland, Canada
instruments + installation: Liz Solo aka lizsolo Mathilde
18. PLEIADES
Pleiades is a collaborative mixed reality composition created and performed by members of Tintinnabulate and Avatar Orchestra Metaverse. Tintinnabulate is the performance ensemble formed with Pauline Oliveros' advanced seminar at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, USA.
composer: Norman Lowrey aka North Zipper
world premiere: November 20, 2008 AOM concert with Tintinnabulate
at EMPAC, RPI, Troy New York
Avatar Orchestra Metaverse materials used in Pleiades:
Pleiades instruments and starships designed and built by Norman Lowrey
Singing Masks and mask instruments designed and built by Norman Lowrey
PwRHm instruments conceived by Tina Pearson and built by Andreas Mueller
XaanaDruuL instruments conceived by Jeremy Owen Turner and built by Andreas Mueller
Fire Balls built by Tina Pearson (aka Humming Pera)
19. AVATARS BREW
The hint in the title to Miles Davis is to inspire the members to listen, improvise and rehearse on stage. Within this frame each member of the orchestra will play with the framework and a dedicated choice of all other sources of sounds and animations available live through environment or inventory. The premiere performance (ISIM, Denver, November 20, 2008) included 2 giant pianos, Michel Waicvicz' Pataphone, a virtual cello, Norman Lowrey's virtual masks, Andreas Mueller's Aleatricity keyboard, Shintaro Miyazaki's Fadheit sounds and a few mysteries.
composer: Leif Inge aka Gumnosophistai Nurmi
world premiere: December 5, 2008 at ISIM Denver, USA
Prim instruments:
Patafone by Pata Mayo aka Michel Waicvicz
Giant pianos by Elixer Aero
Single samples:
Bitches Brew samples, especially «lastbop» that is cue for others to join.
Mechanics:
Onomatophone with Bitches Brew cords (Andreas Müller aka Bingo Onomatopoeia
Floating Sound Cube by AngryBeth Shortbread

BIO

Avatar Orchestra Metaverse is a global collaboration of musicians, media-artists and sound artists, who meet in the virtual space of Second Life to explore the boundaries of space and music. Although being globally distributed (Canada, USA, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Japan), they meet to play and work together in real-time. They do not try to imitate a conventional orchestra, but use the new medium as an instrument, where the generation of a sound can also trigger movements and graphics. The result is a new audio-visual experience, where the audience is witnessing a live-event, played by musicians thousands of miles apart.