Timeline / Performances

Jan 24th, 2009 - 12 Min performance with Clara Furey at Montreal’s Studio 303

Fall 2008, Early 2009 - Research residencies continue, including an ice xylophone re-design/build workshop with Michel Duvernet (www.barn-barn.com) from Jan 5-11th, 2009

July 2008 , 50 hrs – Research period with Stamos, Friz and Franinovic to finalize performance pieces developed for the Icebreaker. Audio and video recordings will be created and archived for subsequent examination. This period of reflection on the progress of the project will lead to greater clarity in terms of production possibilities for the future. I will also be working with Franinivic during this phase in developing the interactive installation possibilities of the Icebreaker further, as another potential next step for the project.

April 2008 – “The Pit” Residency in the Carleton Architecture Department (Montreal), 25 hours –
This second week of research will offer the opportunity to work on refining the new possibilities for sound generation uncovered during the Art&D residency. The intent will be to focus on the development of performance material for the instrument, with the articulation of different performance “scenarios” or “choreographies” meant to bring out certain sonic possibilities of the instrument. Lighting design for these performance pieces will also be researched and developed, with an eye towards different possible environmental conditions in terms of presentation, as well as the investigation of different visual “textures” for the installation. Stamos and Friz have been invited to participate in this residency, hosted by Cazabon. Audio and video recordings will be created and archived for subsequent examination.

March 20-27, 2008 – Residency at Laboratoire Art&D (Montreal), 25 hours –
This is the moment when intensive research of performative and compositional possibilities for the Icebreaker begins. Laboratoire Art&D is a CFI-funded research partnership between the Société des arts technologiques (SAT) and a group of research labs from the Université de Montréal. This week-long technical residency will take place at the SAT and include use of Laboratoire Art&D’s equipment found at that location . Members of L’Atelier de l’empirisme radical and the Senselab (two partner labs in the Art&D collective) have already been introduced to components of the Icebreaker during a research-creation event they hosted at the end of August 2007, entitled “Housing the Body, Dressing the Environment.” These same groups will be invited to participate in the research for the Icebreaker through an interactive work-in-progress workshop as well as a presentation of research results. The Laborartoire Art&D contains extremely sophisticated motion-capture and sensor technology which offers a unique mechanism for breaking down the visual and tactile elements of performing the Icebreaker at the same time as rendering these interactions remixable into the system as parameters for the refinement of sounds being generated. Stamos, Rodgers and Friz have been invited to participate in this residency. Audio and video recordings will be created and archived for subsequent examination.

Oct-March, 2007/08 – This preparatory phase involves individual meetings with each specialist as well as the development of a final schedule for the residencies. This is also the period for building additional Icebreaker modules, including approximately 50 more microphones for freezing. I am also begin developing an interface for modulating the sounds coming from the Icebreaker with Tara Rodgers, using the open-source programming platform “SuperCollider”. This phase also involves initial consultations for the development of compositional material with Rodgers, Friz and Franinovic for background diffusion during Icebreaker performances.

Runtime: Since 2007-01-01