FA 2013: Parsons + Mannes + Miami New World Symphony Collab


Mini-doc of the 2012 pilot collaboration between Parsons [Keller, Saavedra, Percifield] and Miami NWS

CTM is co-sponsoring a Parsons collab in Fall 2013 between Parsons The New School for Design, Mannes College, and the Miami New World Symphony.

[ ] COLLAB : EXPANDED CINEMA and SOUND-IMAGE Taught by Ed Keller [Parsons SDS], with Joe Saavedra and Leif Percifield [MFADT], and the participation of Mannes faculty and students TBD. Open to graduate students in Parsons and across The New School. Of interest to transdisciplinary design, design technology, media studies, music. This course will be project focused with concert / performance deadlines scheduled for November [main performance in Miami] and December [TBD, performance in NY/Mannes/Parsons].

Keywords: future of cinema, cinema and gesture, Son/Image, live music, performance, expanded cinema, physical computing, string quartet, new music, contemporary classical music, sensor networks, processing, MaxMSP, Kinect

Collab details: Parsons has the opportunity to work with the Miami New World Symphony and Mannes School of Music to explore the future of HD digital imagery and software driven sound/image interfaces in a live performance context, at the Miami New World Symphony, culminating in a performance in November in Miami in the new, cutting edge Frank Gehry designed concert hall, which is equipped with 12 HD projectors and a 4K projector. Biometrics and sensors on the musicians and their instruments will inflect realtime camera feeds also mounted on/around the performers, developing a series of ‘interactive/expanded cinema’ pieces. We will work in partnership with Mannes School of Music. A second performance in NYC, possibly at the new University Center building, will take place in December or January.

The Center for Transformative Media will be running ‘Future of Guitar & Instrument Design’ workshops across the year, and a spring 2014 conference on the ‘Present and Future of Sound’, which will in part support this collaboration.

[ ] PROCESS Biometrics & cameras mounted on the musicians/instruments, with codein between the camera feed and projector to slow down/speed up, possibly use Kinect as well to modulate images. Generative visual components and possibly audio as well. Live performance. Violin, flute, percussion, clarinet, bass.

Teams of students, with people in project focusing on • code to modulate image • building custom parts/gear/harnesses/wiring/sensors • film/sound ‘theory’ & ‘direction’ component