Etheric Bodies

For Sounding Sculptures, Theremin, Trumpet, Bass Clarinet, Audio Sequencing and Live Electronics Etheric Bodies has been produced at ICCMR (Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research) – Plymouth, for the ..::Electroshop::.. ensemble. ..::Electroshop::.. arises from an original idea by Antonino Chiaramonte and Anna Troisi and has the form of an open working group consisting of performers, composers and artistic collaborators from around the world. It is a workshop, a live and fluid collective, where the building of sounding artworks – the “concrete” musical instruments – overlap with the creation of compositions. A biunique correspondence between these original instruments and the music is thus created. It is in this way that the composition conforms to the concept of a “unique work of art”. Etheric Bodies is an open tripartite score consisting of functional patterns subdivided into blocks (performative/operational score). These blocks, indicating predetermined rhythmic-melodic modules, also notate any composer-determined performative and interpretative features (double sounds, aeolian sounds, toungue ram, dynamics etc.). The score is intended as guidelines for the performers, who are free to improvise within the boundaries of the modules (controlled improvisation). Operational notes useful for the live electronics performer’s actions are also included, indicating processes as well as certain fixed parameters (stored in presets within a Max/MSP patch) as starting points for real-time modification: in this area too, however, ample space is provided for improvisation within the framework of general operational models. During development and rehearsal, musicians have been encouraged to experiment modes of interaction with pre-existent sound material (tape part) played by means of an audio sequencing software. The sounding sculptures, designed and carried out by Anna Troisi starting from a metallic mesh, perform real-time processing of pre-existing audio samples by means of infrared proximity sensors and potentiometers mounted on them. Two Arduino Duemilanove USB boards are wired with the sensors on a side, and with an original Max/MSP granulation-based patch, created by the composer, on the other side. Other kind of real time processing is obtained by combined use of plug-ins (e.g. reverberations, delays, filters, pitch shifting). Among the latter, a major role is played by the GRM Tools bundle. The tape part is composed only using processed trumpet and bass clarinet sounds.