Building sonic instruments workshop with Russian artist Dmitry Morozov - Vtol.
DATE: 6 & 7 September // 3 – 9 pm
MENTOR: Dmitry Morozov - Vtol
LOCATION: Poligon, Tobačna 5, 1000 Ljubljana
REGISTRATION: delavnica@ljudmila.org
About the workshop
The workshop involves creating a small sonic instrument, which will convert small objects with a rough surface into sound. The main part of the project is a DIY laser pickup, which will pick up the reflected light of the laser beam from the uneven surface and turn it into data. To enter data into a computer Arduino will be used. Sound and control logic will made in Pure Data software. It also assumes version without a computer, which will use Arduino to control simple analog synthesizer - both variants are not mutually exclusive. Also 2 motors will be used - one stepper motor to rotate the object, and the second - the servo motor to control the pickup. Workshop is intended for musicians and technology and DIY enthusiasts.
The core idea for the workshop is taken from Vtol's project Ra. Ra is a sound object / synthesizer which uses laser for scanning the irregularities of the surface of the pyrite disc and further transforms this data to produce sound. Pyrite disc is a rare form of pyrite which is crystallized in radial shape (as unusual disc spherulites) which also was named ‘pyrite suns’ or ‘pyrite dollars’.
Artist considers this project to be a landmark for him, as he united several practices and technical skills which he was working on in the last years - as well as the new resources and ideas which he approach for the first time. I.e. – creation of the synthesizers and sound objects, collecting minerals, topic of rotation, Pure Data programming, Arduino and Python, working with servo and stepper motors, Raspberry Pi and lasers, etc.
About the mentor
Dmitry Morozov aka Vtol (RU), is a Moscow media artist, musician and engineer of strange-sounding mechanisms. He implements his ideas in technological art: robotics, sound art, science art. In the beginig of the millennium Dmitry started actively using his DIY and circuit-bent instruments for his own music projects, as well as making instruments for other musicians and media artists. Besides making music and instruments, Dmitry creates audiovisual art installations and promotes circuit bending and DIY electronics through lectures and workshops.
He took part in 4th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, festivals Archstoyanie and CTM (Germany), exhibitions at such prominent venues as: NCCA (Moscow), MMOMA (Moscow), Central Exhibition Hall Manege (Moscow), Laboratoria Art&Science Space (Moscow), Electromuseum (Moscow), Garage museum of contemporary art (Moscow), ZKM (Germany), Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art (USA). Laureate of Sergei Kuryokhin Prize (2013), Prix Cube (France, 2014). Honorary mentions of the VIDA 16.0 (Spain, 2014), Ars Electronica (Austria, 2015).
Registration
Contribution for the workshop is 35 € and covers the materials for building the Sound Scanner. Please bring your own computers and whatever materials you'd like to use and experiment (rocks, minerals, all sorts of rough objects,... ).
Workshop will be in English language, the number of participants is limited, so please apply/announce yourself to delavnica@ljudmila.org. No previous skills are needed, newbies are welcome.
Workshop is a collaboration between Zavod Projekt Atol, Ljudmila Lab and Poligon and is a part of Changing Weathers programme, with financial support from Ministry of Culture and Municipality of Ljubljana, Department for Culture. Co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
