WORKSHOPS

A workshop with Foam-Kernow – Dave Griffiths and Amber Griffiths, vision impaired paddlers, inclusive outdoor adventure club Access Lizard Adventure, underwater noise researcher Dr Jo Garret and GPS researcher James Duffy at the quiet Trevassack Lake.

The workshop aimed to explore the possibility of using the Sonic Kayak as a navigational instrument to enable inclusive independent kayaking, whilst revisiting sound composition and listening while moving on water.

MORE INFO ….

We’re excited to be working with FoAM Kernow, Dave Griffiths, Amber Griffiths and marine biologist Dr. Kirsty Kemp on a new collaborative Sonic Kayak project.

We invite you to join us to collaboratively prototype the Sonic Kayak. Bring an explorative mind and experience in any field, and come to tinker with electronics, coding, sound art, boats and climate science.

Kayaks will be rigged with a bolt-on unit consisting of under-water environmental sensors (we’ll start with temperature) and above-water speakers. The sensor data generated as the kayak is paddled will trigger sonifications, generating music to provide the paddler with an extra dimension of senses with which to explore the underwater climate. The sonification will be developed with award winning sound artist and composer, Kaffe Matthews. The project will be developed in collaboration with climate science researchers, offering for the first time a citizen-science approach to collecting valuable aquatic microclimate data. This builds on work by the Bicrophonic Research Institute.

This project was funded by FEAST (Cornwall Council and Arts Council England) and the British Science Association.

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Hosted by the BRI, taught by Andy Farnell,  our second workshop weekend will focus on applying Pd to enable the making of meaningful sound and music from live data streams gathered from a variety of sensors and Arduinos.

It is designed as a follow up to Pd#1 (January) : ‘What is Pd and how does it work? and ‘Pd on a raspberry Pi2’.   

Everyone welcome. No need to have attended Pd#1 , but it is assumed that participants will have some Pd capability and familiarity with Arduino IO.   Contact  info@sonicbikes.net with any queries.    Booking essential.

TIMETABLE:-

Saturday  : Arduino & microcontroller interfaces to Pd for interactive audio

“Pure Data (aka Pd) is an open source visual programming language that enables musicians, visual artists, performers, researchers, and developers to create software graphically, without writing lines of code. Pd can be used to process and generate sound, video, 2D/3D graphics, and interface sensors, input devices, and MIDI. Pd can easily work over local and remote networks to integrate wearable technology,  and much much more. Pd is can be simple or complex. Find out more here.”  Puredata.info

The BRI are hosting this series of workshops with a view to working with live data input from sonic bike riding during ongoing research. We welcome your input.

Kick off the New Year inspired with a dazzling and practical introduction to Pure Data (Pd) as a synthesis and sound environment.

“Pure Data (aka Pd) is an open source visual programming language that enables musicians, visual artists, performers, researchers, and developers to create software graphically, without writing lines of code.”

Timetable –
Saturday: What is Pd and how does it work?
An Introduction to Pd  as a synthesis and sound environment. An introduction to control and integration aspects of Pd.
Sunday: Pd on a raspberry Pi2
Embedding Pd on SBC (raspberry pi2) for stand alone operations, with a view to working with a live data input from sonic bicycle riding and play
via Arduino and micro-controller interfaces in March.

What students will need to bring …

• A laptop with Pd already installed and tested.
• A spare USB stick for sharing patches.
• Please bring any Raspberry Pi2, Arduino and bread board, connectors, sensors etc if you have them. The BRI do have some equipment that can be borrowed.  Just ask when booking.

Development of concept and practical realisation for interactive Sonic Bike games in Brussels, with Kaffe Matthews and Tom Keene. Open to anyone. Technical skills not required. Permanent presence and inscription preferred but not imperative.

Timetable:

1st part: 21 – 22.2.15 : 10 – 16.00h

• The BRI will present its past and present projects, including the current technique used on sonic bikes.

• Open discussion on the restrictions this kind of approach has created.

• How can we enable bikes to be sonically interactive?  How might the bikes operate as a swarm of sound? What games could emerge using the technologies we introduce? How might live and recorded sounds comment on the lives of a migrant population?

• Together and in small groups we will develop ideas for games on paper with these ideas.

• We will then look at how these ideas could be achieved technically.

2nd part: 23-26.2.15

• Explore, experiment and devise sonic interactions locally and practically with sonic bikes.

Aims: to develop a sonic bike as instrument that will respond to movement around the city, other bikes and the actions of the rider.

• Working with GPS signals, omnipresent WiFi and sensors that respond to the immediate physical actions of the rider.

• Explorations with as many of the workshop participants who might want to work with them at any moment.

Hosted and commissioned by Q-02 in collaboration with Bicrophonic Research Institute, Cyclo, FoAM, Globearoma, Rits/School of Arts, Huis van Culturen en Sociale Samenhang van Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Vaartkapoen, VisitBrussels, Overtoon.

Supported by the Vlaamse Gemeenschap, the Creative Europe program of the European Union en de Stad Brussel.

An introduction to the sonic bikes, software, hardware and compositional processes for 9 new bicrphonic artists in The Summer Pedalling Games, led by Kaffe Matthews.

Timetable:

Sat 15th August: 10 – 5pm

• am: An introduction to the sonic bikes, soft and hardware and compositional processes used to create a new sonic bike work. Kaffe Matthews.

• Introductions by each participating artist, also briefly presenting their ideas.

•pm: Sound testings on bikes

Sunday August 16th: 10 – 5pm

• Continue testing sounds outside on bikes.  Discovering the software and new mobile compositional processes.

At the conclusion, artists will have the opportunity to take a bike away to continue developing their own independent sound works that will be presented at The Summer Pedalling Games London Fields, in 5-6.09.15