Arg! moving – the very word makes my back ache… especially up four floors of stairs… still, progress has been made & my interweb feed is reconnected, phew! So heres a couple of very cool videos people sent me while I was existing in the disconnected netherworld;

First, a very beautiful mechanised instrument/composition by someone called Felix (thanks for the tip Justin!) – the synced light flashes reinforce the mechanics rather than make it feel like a steampunk disco, although the latter conjures up some intriguing ideas… If you happen to be reading this in the UK then you can go experience it for yourself up until January 19th at Gasworks Gallery

Theres an interview with the artist here one bit of which made me smile:

GW: Do you think the absence of a performer makes it easier or harder for an audience to relate?

“I think it makes it easier because the structure of the music is spelt out visually. For example, if I played my mum a powerful piece of Breakcore-Electronica, she would most probably hate it. If the machines performed the exact same piece, she would enjoy it. Rhythmic structures in music are mathematically interesting and it’s good to see them.
Some say that the only people that truly enjoy Breakcore, Glitchcore etc. are the people that make it. You shouldn’t need to understand the inner workings of a computer to take pleasure in the music it plays, but you should be appreciative of work that has gone into it.”

And unrelatedly, some very nifty VR-like head tracking using a wii remote, except backwards (thanks David!)

Stumbled across this on flickr – what a brilliant idea!

Eric Archer makes a number of unique electronic instruments, but his sound cameras do more than just generate sounds – they translate light (captured via the super 8 camera lens) into sound… Check his sound camera sound archive here for some example sonifications including LED signs, dripping water, solar radiation and this evocative description of recording percussion: “The sound camera is tripod-mounted and focused on glare from daylight through a window as it reflects off the cymbal. The camera is 2-3 feet from the instrument. The cymbals are played with mallets, hi hats are played with sticks.”