'Raumlichtmusik' - Early 20th Century Abstract Cinema Immersive Environments.

"'Raumlichtmusik' - Early 20th Century Abstract Cinema Immersive Environments."
Essay by Cindy Keefer (Director Center for Visual Music)

"Leonardo Electronic Almanac, Creative Data Special Issue. Leonardo: The International Society for the Arts, Sciences, and Technology, and MIT Press. October 2009."

This is an important historical visual music essay on Oskar Fischinger and Jordan Belson's early experiments in creating abstract cinema for immersive projection environments. It traces the origins in their work of what is more common today - the immersive multimedia environment. Information about plans Fischinger had to present a multimedia performance for the Farblichtmusik shows (started by László) has been researched and documented in this essay and is very exciting information to check out for the scholar interested in accurately tracing the origins of visual music and in particular, its links to contemporary multimedia performance. The vortex concerts, are discussed in detail. These concerts are important to check out for both historical visual music but also in relation to tracing the origins of using projected visuals alongside electronic music, which is so common today, in relation to video projection with electroacoustic music. This article traces these connections and provides an introduction to its history. Do go and read.

Abstract

"Filmmakers Oskar Fischinger and Jordan Belson created cinematic multimedia experiments from 1926 to 1959; three of these events are predecessors to immersive environments: (A) Beginning in 1926, Fischinger's multiple projector shows combining abstract films, colored light projections, and painted slides; (B) Fischinger's 1944 (unrealized) concept for a dome theatre with center film projectors filling the sphere, creating "endless space without perspective" and (c) Belson and Henry Jacobs’ 1950s Vortex Concerts at Morrison Planetarium, utilizing multiple projectors and 38 speakers, with
“no separation of audience and stage or screen; the entire domed area becomes a living theater of sound and light."

Article can be read online at:
http://www.leonardo.info/LEA/CreativeData/CD_Keefer.pdf

Visit CVM Library Page for more resources in relation to visual music.
http://www.centerforvisualmusic.org/Library.html

Andrew Hill - Flux

I have been coming across Andrew Hill's name in relation to visual music quite frequently recently. An up and coming artist and researcher in the audio-visual artwork genre. Flux is quite beautiful in its sound and image relationships - ordered, synaesthetic, gorgeous.

More info on Andrew Hill

"Andrew Hill is a composer from the UK. He studied electroacoustic music and music technology at Keele and De Montfort Universities electing to focus his studies upon audio-visual composition. He is currently conducting PhD research investigating audience reception of electroacoustic audio-visual artworks with Leigh Landy and Bret Battey at De Montfort University."
Source: http://vimeo.com/andrewhill

Flux


Flux from Andrew Hill on Vimeo.

"An audiovisual piece inspired by cyclic patterns, exploring sound and image relationships."
Source: http://vimeo.com/20174827

See also: http://visualmusic.ning.com/profile/AndrewHill

Understanding Visual Music 2011 - Conference - Call for Works

Call for works

Understanding VISUAL Music 2011

Hexagram-Concordia Centre for Research-Creation in Media Arts and Technologies
in collaboration with the Department of Music
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
Montreal - Canada
August 26th and 27th, 2011
Website for more information: http://uvm2011.hexagram.ca/index.html

INFORMATION ABOUT CALL FOR WORK AND SUBMISSIONS

CALL FOR PAPERS AND CREATIVE WORKS

*_DESCRIPTION_*

A two-day conference focused on developing an understanding of the
practice of visual music, its definition, related creative and
perceptual considerations, current trends, technological innovation, and
possible future directions.

The event will take place on *Friday the 26th and Saturday the 27th of
August 2011* and will include paper sessions, roundtable discussions,
and creative works presentations.

We are inviting researchers to present studies that address visual
music's multiple definitions and dimensions, questions around visual
music aesthetics and meaning, hierarchy and correlation of sound and
image in this context, and the audience's perception thereof. Artists
are also invited to propose visual music presentations -- both live and
fixed. Attendance is required in both cases.

*_SUBMISSION PROCEDURES_*

*Paper presentation*: please use the *online submission engine *at
http://uvm2011.hexagram.ca/ to send: [1] an *abstract* (250 words or
less)**and [2] a *short biography *ready for printing (250 words or
less). Additionally send [3] *a 3-page CV as a PDF file *to
uvm2011.concordia@gmail.com .

*Visual music presentation*: please use the *online submission engine
*at http://uvm2011.hexagram.ca/ to send: [1] the title of your *piece,
duration*, indication whether the presentation will be *live or fixed*,
[2] a *short description* of the proposed piece (250 words or less), [3]
a *short biography *ready for printing (250 words or less), and [4]
*detailed technical needs*. Also include [5] *links to audiovisual
sample material* hosted in a *non-expiring URL* (for this reason, please
do not send your audio-visual material using /yousendit/ or any similar
applications, and do NOT send your audio-visual material by email) and
[6] send a *3-page CV as a PDF file* to uvm2011.concordia@gmail.com
.

*_SESSION FORMATS_*

*Paper presentations*: each paper will be presented in person by the
author for approx. 20 minutes followed by 5-10 minutes of discussion.

*Visual music presentations*: creative works presentations will take
place in a visual music show that will conclude the colloquium and
between paper sessions throughout the day.

*Roundtable discussion[s]*: an hour-long open discussion on key issues
related to the main theme of the colloquium.

*_DATES_*

- *Deadline *for reception of proposals: *June 18th, 2011*

- *Notification* of acceptance: *June 30th, 2011*

- *Confirmation of attendance* by artist/researchers: *July 20th, 2011*

- *Colloquium* UVM2011: *August 26th-27th, 2011*

*_UVM-2011 ORGANIZERS _*

Ricardo Dal Farra (co-director)

Eldad Tsabary (co-director)

Luigi Allemano (collaborator)

*_CONTACT, INFORMATION and ABSTRACTS:_*

Email: uvm2011.concordia@gmail.com

UVM2011 website: http://uvm2011.hexagram.ca/

*Understanding**V**I**S**U**AL Music 2011*

Radio Dada by Rosa Menkman

Rosa Menkman's work is beautiful in how it works with glitch and artifact images in her video work.

"Every technology possess its own inherent accidents. ЯOSΛ MEИKMΛN is a Dutch visualist who focuses on visual artifacts created by accidents in digital media. The visuals she makes are the result of glitches, compressions, feedback and other forms of noise. Although many people perceive these accidents as negative experiences, Rosa emphasizes their positive consequences."
Source of quote: http://aboutrosamenkman.blogspot.com/

Radio Dada by Rosa Menkman
Video: Rosa Menkman
Music: Extraboy


Radio Dada from Rosa Menkman on Vimeo.

"The video-images are constructed out of nothing but the image created by feedback (I turned a high-end camera on a screen that was showing, in real time, what I was filming, creating a feedback loop). Then I glitched the video by changing its format and subsequently exporting it into animated gifs. I (minimalistically) edited the video in Quicktime. Then I sent the file to Extraboy, who composed music for the video. The composing process started with a hand held world radio. Extraboy scanned through frequencies and experimented with holding the radio in different parts of the room while touching different objects. Eventually he got the radio to oscillate noise in the tempo that he perceived in the video. The added synthesizer sounds were played live to further build on the non-digital sound and rhythm. This was later contrasted with drums which were digitally synthesized and processed through effects with a very digital sound to them. Just like with the video, the digital and analogue media and aesthetics of sound are mixed into one coherent whole."
Source: http://vimeo.com/2321833

Rosa's website is a homage to her aesthetic - wow! (with audio too and flickering favicon)

Website: http://rosa-menkman.blogspot.com/

CCRMA Stage - Light Dreams: Visual Music by Vibeke Sorensen

Light Dreams: Visual Music by Vibeke Sorensen

Date: Mon, 05/16/2011 - 8:00pm - 9:45pm
Location: CCRMA Stage, The Knoll, Stanford University, USA
Event Type: Concert

"a retrospective of works by the renowned visual music artist and scholar Vibeke Sorensen. The concert will include a world premiere of Green Space, a new work in stereoscopic 3D."

Website with more information:
https://ccrma.stanford.edu/events/light-dreams-visual-music-vibeke-sorensen

Call for Works - MuVi3. International exhibition of video and moving image on synesthesia and visual music

"MuVi3. International exhibition of video and moving image on synesthesia
and visual music"
Palacio de los Condes de Gabia (Granada, Spain) and Almeria University
16 th -19 th of February 2012

MuVi3, invites artists, musicians, designers and performers, also
professors and university students, to submit proposals of kinetic works to
be part of a public exhibition, with performances and discussions.
The event is organized by the Foundation of Artecittà (Granada), the
Politecnico di Milano, the University of Granada and the University of
Almeria.

Deadline for submissions: 15 July 2011
Fee of submission: Free
For informations:
http://muvi-visualmusic.tumblr.com/

Download of the Text and Forms of the Call in:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7288487/CallMuVi3%20%2812apr11%29.zip
Contact: info@sinestesie.it and info@artecitta.es

Audiovisuelle Rauminstallation fear:love by Gerrit Kress

This is a very fascinating audio visual work - emulating human emotion - those of love and fear, and how wonderful this piece is. The introduction is like the audiovisual elements breathe together.... a beautiful artwork.


Audiovisuelle Rauminstallation fear:love from Institut Fuer Musik Und Medien on Vimeo.

"fear: love is an audiovisual installation by Gerrit Kress, which deals with the two emotions fear and love. It shows the center of human emotion: an inner core that contains the particular emotion, grown in a system of transmitting and receiving arms that allow communication with the body and mind."[google translate from German]
Source: vimeo link: http://vimeo.com/23318809