audiovisual performance
presentation “I tried to show how this kind of “gimlet” between the musical theroy, thus a part of the music, and the theory of mathematics are rolled up one on the other.” Iannis Xenakis, 1976 chdh is a live hybrid performance, offering a symbiosis between sound and image, where they complete each other until indivisibility. chdh creates a single universe, cold but organic, between visual arts and electronic music. Cubes, rectangles and others minimal geometric shapes become entangled in complex structures in a black and white environment with simples and precises sounds. This project evokes a virtual world, composed of more or less autonomous abstract creatures. The behavior of these audiovisual instruments is influenced in real time by two performers who make them live and react. These virtuals objects then generate data used for audio and video synthesis. Nothing is recorded.
up: live set at PixelACHE, Helsinki, 2006. bottom: picture taken at Scopitone, Nantes, 2007.
galery and medias Videos extracts of performances, screenshots and live pictures can be seen on the website: http://www.chdh.net
left: duo between the “latent” and “ondoiement” instruments right/up : melodic drone of “pelotte” right/bottom : instabilities of “replis” accompanied by “emergence”
movement as a mean of expression Sound image bond
Physical modeling
Since the appearance of sound in movies, the relationship between sound and animations became a ground of research and experimentation for severals artists. By adding “off” elements, expressing multimodal feelings, playing on synesthetic evolution, the offered possibilities are numerous. The digital technology has widen this field as a data can be directly transduced as a sound or as a picture.
Physical modeling is a simple mathematical way to describe a natural phenomenon and to constrain a system into realistic reactions. Working with physical modeling allows the generation of behavior, each instrument owns a structural and energetic coherence that uses our perceptives experiences to bring us inside its reality. Physical modeling also allows a smooth and natural link between the instrumentalist and the instrument he is playing with.
Audiovisual instruments chdh develops a synesthetic performance work. A single algorithm is the source for both mediums, its data are used to synthetize videos and sounds. This “audiovisual instrument” is build like acoustic instruments, except that its conception is studied empirically inside the computer. Instrumentalists then have to assimilate its operation, in order to exploit them. Movement chdh’s work is based on generating expressives movements. The structure of the movement is more important than the matter. The movements have an identity, in the same way a form or a sound can be recognized, a behavior is understood and evokes a reality thanks to everyone kinaesthetic experiment. The movement is the creative source, bringing energy to the audiovisual matter. An inert object doesn’t emit energy, its movements, displacements and deformations gives it life, make it sensitive, communicative.
Scheme of an audiovisual instrument.
production After the development of the virtual objects, the project is concretized for events during which the two musicians plays with these instruments. These audio-visual objects does not speak without intervention, the members of chdh insufflate life and express themselves on their instruments to create an audiovisual show. The audience attends a movie projection created in real time by the two performers placed next to the screen. The system is based on two laptop computers connected by an Ethernet connection on which musician control information flows. In order to allow representation of fast and complex movement, the images synthesis is fast and accurate. The software environment used is the Pure Data which is the principal source of inspiration and exploration. All the software used and developments made by chdh have an open source license allowing the free use and distribution. duration of a performance : ~40min.
bio Due to the complicity of its members at the time of musical improvisations mixing laptop music and analog synthesis, chdh is created in 2000. In 2001, the collective works for a show connecting electronic music and juggling in which embedded sensors on a juggler allowing the musician to create sounds evolving with the movements of the balls.
Cyrille Henry http://chnry.net Artist and multi-field developer, he is interested in interactions between human gesture and data processing for artistic exploration. He’s work was directed in turn towards the sensors or physical modelling for gestur analysis, human interface devices, as well as sound and visual synthesis in real time. He worked 4 years in La kitchen in Paris (in charge of Following the creation of an independent produced album of electronic the hardware department) for the development of sensors interfaces and music improvisation “Chaos & Dharma” in 2002, chdh focuses around their uses in an artistic context (live spectacle, dance, interactive instalthe relations between images and sound. From 2003 until today, chdh lation, music). He is one of the founder members of the chdh project. presented its performance work in many Parisian and French places Since 2005, he works as a free-lance developer/engineer around pure(Némo - Scopitone - Elektricity - Le Cube - Pt FMR - Les Voutes - Conflu- data/Gem and sensors. ences - Mains d’Oeuvres - makeart) and on festivals abroad (PixelACHE (Helsinki, FI), Cimatics (Bruxelles,BE), Kassel Dokfest (DE) Pure Data convention (Graz, AT & Sao Paulo, BR), the P1k53l (Bergen NW). In Nicolas Montgermont 2004, the collective carries out a creation residence in the “Confluences” http://nim.on.free.fr arts centre leading to a sound & video installation: cinéradian, and to a Researcher and artist, he studies the relations between art and sciences series of workshops. using computer as a workshop. After a formation in signal processing, he studies sciences applied to music at the IRCAM center, being specially focused on real time control of synthesis. Currently, he carries out a PhD In 2005, the arrival of a new member re-instigates the artistic proposal. thesis on the analysis of the flutist playing at the Laboratory of Musical From 2006 to 2008, chdh works on a dvd : vivarium. This dvd is sup- Acoustics (LAM) in Paris. His creating work is the search of a numerical ported by ARCADI and is distributed by the artkillart label. After a series aesthetics, using and developing personal tools to explore the specific of residencies in France (Césaré, Artzoyd, Manège de Maubeuge), the possibilities of a computer. He works mainly on performances with the dvd is released in december 08. chdh collective and on installations in duo with Nicolas Maigret.
tech rider chdh needs for a performance : -
1 table (10 foots x 2 foots minimum) (3m x 0.6m) 1 VGA on stage screen (minimum resolution: 1024 x 768) 1 VGA projector (minimum resolution: 1024 x 768) 1 stereo loudspeaker system (40Hz - 20KHz) for the audience 1 stereo monitor system for the performers 220V power supply (7 plugs) Audio cable (cinch output) VGA video cables (for screen and projector)
chdh provides: -
2 laptops (Acer and Macbook Pro) 2 MIDI faderbox (BCF2000) 1 sound-card (stereo cinch output) 1 VGA splitter
Lights chdh needs the minimum lights to perform Disposition chdh members are two and stands up against the table. The table can be under the screen if it’s big enough or perpendicularly on its side.
contact artist website: http://www.chdh.net mail:
[email protected] tel: +33 664 945 321 address: c/o Cyrille Henry 11 rue Jacques Kablé 75018 Paris - France
