Research

Our research archive here presents the tech and knowledge gathered through the developing practicing of bicrophonics since The Marvelo Project kicked it all off in 2008. Throughout we have had a fundamental interest to make the sonic bike more alive for the rider and interactive with its environment. These aims have been realised through bike-as-instrument, bike-to-bike communication, live sonification of air and water pollution along with hardware design updates as listed below.

2013

We want to consider the sonic bike as a collective instrument. How will bikes play if they are aware of each other? If they can behave as a swarm or a herd rather than simply solo? If they can create or alter the sounds they play dependent on the proximity or presence of another bike? We decide to run an Open summer workshop to explore these ideas and make experiments in the local park with anyone passing invited to contribute. Dave Griffiths comes to direct with Kaffe, and local artists Ryan Jordan and Cat Picton-Phillips contribute. London Fields, Hackney, London, 25-26.07.2013.   (MORE)

2016

The Sonic Kayak is an on water development of the sonic bike which carries underwater sensors to generate extraordinary music from the marine world whilst enabling on water deep listening.  At the same time, it gathers this data adding to worldwide knowledge of water pollution wherever it goes.  Dave Griffiths, co-director of Then Try This and part of the bicrophonics team, initiated this extension on moving south to Cornwall, with close access to water and a commitment to raising awareness of the environment. We continue to collaborate, sharing skills, concepts and growing tech through three stages of development as follows: –

1.  Sonic Kayak launches  :   British Science Festival, Swansea, Wales, 6-8.09.16

2.  Sonic Kayak evolves  :      on Trevassack Lake, Cornwall, UK,  29.08.19

3.  Sonic Kayak today :          scientific papers and new projects, Berlin.  Ongoing.

2016

The fundamentals of a Sensory Bike were first explored in an open workshop with Dave Griffiths 2013, and then developed with Sukander Kartadinata @bicrophonics studio, London in 2016. The overall aim was to turn the bike into more of an instrument, so that the rider can play sounds from how they ride, not just where. Pedal forwards or backwards through a sound for example, or synthesize it directly by twisting or bending or riding round and around as slow as possible in the tiniest of circles.

Matthews coming Berlin professorship sprang from this work and the launch of the Sensory Bike with new compositions presented at SoundCycleGarden, and lean to go up, slow to go loud, commissioned by mikromusic Festival, Berlin, 1 – 4.9.16   (MORE)

2016

2020

Enviro Bike is a bike that sonifies the passing air quality making music and sound live as you ride whilst enabling a more interactive and investigatory experience for the rider. Come try. Can you find a clean path?

Initial work was enabled by our remote Sonification Lab with Then Try This and the Sonic Kayak, where we began dealing with the realities of mobile sonification to make not only worthwhile listening but a clear indication of the air’s quality to the rider. Making indicative audio outcomes for a composer presents new challenges. Intellectual, technical and collaborative, culminating in making a robust technical system which became the foundation of the Environmental Bike.     (MORE)

So how are we updating the sonic bike? In all its forms?  (MORE)