Balls

Keywords

algorithmic composition, realtime composition, interactive art

Year

2018

Media

Mixed Media(Visual + Audio)

Size: Variable

Balls = compositional agents

This installation is inspired by the "Musikalisches Würfelspiel (musical dice game)" system, which uses dice to randomly generate music from precomposed options. The installation depicts spatial music played by motor-in balls. The music is composed using general methods, but the part scores are distributed in various places on the table. As a ball enters the area of an instrument, the corresponding instrument can be heard. The closer the ball moves into the center of that area, the higher the amplitude of the part (the corresponding instrument) becomes. Therefore, the whole music can never be played in the same way, nor even how it is written in the scores. Various aspects, such as the number, speed, and direction of the balls, can change and influence the actual form of music.

The work depicts an early form of a native African party where people play percussion and dance together when they succeed in haunting. There is no distinction between the singer, dancer, and the player. The balls in this work can be described the same way. The balls are like the dancers, who decide how the music is played. For this reason, African instruments are selected for this music. The appearance of the balls also gives that primeval impression. Thus, the audience is free from pressure in trying to understand and interpret this work. The rules are simple. The numbers and movements of the balls determine the music. When I installed this work this February, even a child could enjoy the essence of the work.