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[sh[i]e[l]d]

  • AV Performance
  • Video Theatre
  • Experimental Electronics
  • 502 Views
  • Likes
[sh[i]e[l]d]
[Text available only in English] [sh[i]e[l]d], by lixt, is an audio visual live coding performance focused on information, noise and video feedback. A way to address the power and misuse of the mass media industry which delivers tons of speculative and click bait information to the public causing an endemic vulnerability of social and political understanding and opening space for the fake news industry to thrive. How to protect ourselves from this standardized medium? How to defend our autonomy, free thinking and diversity of viewpoints if the information we consume from the supposedly trustable sources is biased and money driven?

This project does not gives answers but tries to raise questions while uses the homepage of well-known newspapers as an arena for debate, creativity and play, neutralizing its imposing aesthetics. The local side live coding manipulation of the web page through the browser console is blended with musical live coding environment. The result is a noisy, glitched performance which plays around with information (text and image), grid and design of the newspapers front page.

Against the shedding of our sanity
And the shadiness of our conscience
A shield for the mind
A shed for the soul

Duration (minutes)

30

What is needed

[sh[i]e[l]d] is not an improvised performance. The music evolves from a drony ambient background to a noisy, glitchy climax before cooling back down again. For that reason the set works better with true bass speakers with high end twitters. The audio output works better on a 8-channel loudspeaker system, where ThrenoScope can perform better, but it works very well also in 4-channel and stereo systems. If there are more than 2 output channels I need to understand if you can provide a USB3 soundcard or if I must bring my own. For the stereo mode, the laptop stereo output will do the work.

For the visual, I need a monitor to mirror the projector signal. I use my laptop screen for the musical codes and need an extra screen for the hydra code, that will be projected. For that reason I need a passthrough monitor or a HDMI splitter. If that cannot be arranged I can bring it myself.

What the artists brings

For this perfomance I use the browser console to insert JavaScript and CSS code live in the newspaper front page while live code the music using either Sonic Pi, TidalCycles or ThrenoScope, and blend it all in one video source with the use of Hydra.

  • AV Performance
  • Video Theatre
  • Experimental Electronics

Authors

lixt
lixt

Italy Pietrasanta