Alliance of Women in Media Arts & Sciences
2020 Conference
Performance of Somnium for 4 Players and poster presentation of
"Movement, Music & Mapping", outlining recent tech developments through practice based research, at the Alliance of Women in Media Arts and Sciences conference held in February 2020 at The University of California, Santa Barbara.
Somnium for 4 Players is an adaption of Sominum where two additional players and several interactive controllers expanded upon the data driven piece. Players were encouraged to interact with one another, switch controllers and coordinated dynamics and consent through non-verbal communication.
Performers: Susie Green, Ria Rajan, Meg Schedel, Sofy Yuditskaya
photo by: Rachel Wolfe
Journal of New Music Research- Audio First VR ed.
Research article published in the Journal of New Music's Audio for VR edition:
"Concordia: A musical XR instrument for playing the solar system"
Authors: Kelly Snook, Tarik Barri, Monica Bolles, Peter Ericson, Carl Fravel, Joachim Goßmann, Susan E. Green-Mateu, Andrew Luck, Margaret Schedel & Robert Thomas
Journal of New Music Research
DOI: 10.1080/09298215.2020.1714666
ABSTRACT
Kepler Concordia, a new scientific and musical instrument enabling players to explore the solar system and other data within immersive extended-reality (XR) platforms, is being designed by a diverse team of musicians, artists, scientists and engineers using audio-first principles. The core instrument modules will be launched in 2019 for the 400th anniversary of Johannes Kepler's Harmonies of the World, in which he laid out a framework for the harmony of geometric form as well as the three laws of planetary motion. Kepler's own experimental process can be understood as audio-first because he employed his understanding of Western Classical music theory to investigate and discover the heliocentric, elliptical behaviour of planetary orbits. Indeed, principles of harmonic motion govern much of our physical world and show up at all scales in mathematics and physics. Few physical systems, however, offer such rich harmonic complexity and beauty as our own solar system. Concordia is a musical instrument that is modular, extensible and designed to allow players to generate and explore transparent sonifications of planetary movements rooted in the musical and mathematical concepts of Johannes Kepler as well as researchers who have extended Kepler's work, such as Hartmut Warm. Its primary function is to emphasise the auditory experience by encouraging musical explorations using sonification of geometric and relational information of scientifically accurate planetary ephemeris and astrodynamics. Concordia highlights harmonic relationships of the solar system through interactive sonic immersion. This article explains how we prioritise data sonification and then add visualisations and gamification to create a new type of experience and creative distributed-ledger powered ecosystem. Kepler Concordia facilitates the perception of music while presenting the celestial harmonies through multiple senses, with an emphasis on hearing, so that, as Kepler wrote, ‘the mind can seize upon the patterns’.
Peabody Conservatory
Baltimore, MD
Private Lessons with Computer Music Students.
I had the honor of meeting with several of the talented students at the renowned Computer Music department at Peabody Conservatory.
Extremely grateful for such a warm welcome from Dr. Geoffery Wright and Dr. Margaret Schedel.
Somnium: Installation
Concordia Launch Pad, Portland OR
Somnium, composed, programmed and performed in collaboration with Margaret Schedel, D.j. Malinowski , as an installation for Concordia Launch Pad.
This installation version of Somnium uses Ableton Live, Max, Stream Deck and Leap Motion.
Stream Deck was used to pick the "boss planet" melody.
Leap motion, (posture indication drawings by Sam Potter) was used to control the accompaniment volume (pitch of the hand) and chromaticism (roll of the hand) for each planet.
Accompaniment is controlled by the relative position of each planet to the "boss." Gesture control by Glover (mimu), data parsing in Max.
Drone Fest Performance
Sustain/Decay Drone Festival Miami
Live interactive performance for Sustain/Decay Drone Festival in Miami hosted by
Using Ableton Live & Max, Stream from Delta Sound Labs controlled with Leap Motion.
Sonar
Sustain/Decay Drone Festival Miami
Sonar, collaboration with visual artist Monica Lopez DeVictoria, is a site specific installation with three layered compositions in our respective mediums. The installation ran for 48 hours during Sustain/Decay Drone Festival in Miami hosted by Vidium & Mana Contemporary.
Housed in an abandoned storefront, we chose to feature the ambient elements that often go unnoticed the low rumble of a huge Air-conditioning system's interval of operation & the surface, dips, injuries and angles of the walls that contain the space. We tuned our practices to the space between. As for the music compositions: Drones, Sonar and Bells, all three played simultaneously, weaving together from separate points in the room causing a visceral pulse and swirling that complimented the beautiful video collage that was projected onto the walls and played on two suspended monitors.
Radio Interview & Helix
Strange Waves on Jolt Radio
Strange Waves interview about my music & graduate research through on Jolt Radio can be heard HERE
Ease of Elision by Margaret Schedel for Yarn|Wire
Graphic Notation & Movement Transcription
Movement transcription & graphic notation for Margaret Schedel's
Ease of Elision premiered by Yarn | Wire.
60 page graphic score based on the transcription of movement, from a dance piece called Underland performed by a company of 12 dancers, using Laban Movement Theory was created for two pianists, two percussionists & electronics.
The notation has grown out of Rudolph Laban's Efforts and drawn over a representation of a 3D plane. A legend accompanied the notation however, as always, players were encouraged to interpret it as their conscious & artistry dictated.
Ripples Surfacing
Ripples Surfacing (see August 9, 2019 below), collaboration with Monica Lopez DeVictoria, has been invited to be a part of the Gwangju Media Art Festival "White Magic City", October 11-18, 2019 in - Gwangjiu, Korea. It will be featured 24/7, mapped and composed specifically for the Asia Cultural Center Building.
“Gwangju is a symbolic place because from May 18- 27, 1980 Gwangju democratic movement began the democratization of South Korea. Many people in Gwangju and students died for freedom under the dictatorial regime. Considering this historical and political background the main concept of Gwangju Media Art Festival 2019, ‘Healing City or White Magic City’, hopes that this festival can heal our historical pain. Under the theme of ‘White Magic City’, artworks of more than 20 media artists will be exhibited to cure traumatic memories. In fact, white magic is a magic which gives positive influence to people contrary to black magic. So, like white magic the festival hopes to influence Korea positively.”
Ripples Surfacing is available in various formats and can be made site specific as an installation or interactive performance. Please contact us for more information.
Website only accessible in Korea- http://gimp.kr/
CubeFest2019
Somnium @The Cube
Somnium, composed, programmed and performed in collaboration with Margaret Schedel, D.j. Malinowski , was included as the first movement of a piece called Mysterium Cosmographicum (ConcordiaCrew) at CubeFest 2019 in The Cube, Virginia Tech, USA.
This 4 minute version sonifies and spatializes 400 years (1619-2019) of planetary orbital data using Ableton, Max, Mimu Gloves, touch controller and lasers with fellow collaborator artist Sonya Yuditskaya .
Somnium is inspired by one of the first works of science fiction (according to Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov) written by Johannes Kepler. Audiences are taken on a tour of the solar system lead by two ethereal guides (left hand & right hand) as the venue's inner space is transformed into outer space.
The journey begins with the sound of solar plasma combined with the cosmic magnetic background just before landing on Mars, the red planet. The complete voyage includes visits to Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury & Earth. (This itinerary was set by taking into consideration both the Hohmann Transfer Orbit , the key of each planets' rotation period, and the relative key progression from one to the next.)
More details:
Course & Color -The course toward a planet was engaged by an ios touch controller called Gliss (beta from MiMu). This also set the laser color in the starfield as well as the stage lighting dependant upon which planet we were journeying to.
Harmonies & Sound - The harmonies of the surrounding planets were based on the angle derived from the planetary data at any given moment. This was spacialized in real-time across a 64 channel speaker array to activate the space for the rest of the movements in full ambisonic sound. The chromaticism of harmonies was controlled by the MiMu gloves. Each hand gesture also controlled a particular planet's volume along with haptic and LED feedback on the gloves for navigational assistance. The key, melody, time signature and bpm of each planet was extrapolated from the orbital data. Sound design accounted for the speed of sound through the primary gas on each planet, giving each its own voice and ears as it also affected the way in which the surrounding planets were heard through the atmosphere on the planet we were touring at any given time.
Lasers & Light: The 5 lasers were controlled by the sum of both gloves:
1) total volume became 'refresh rate' which translated to the number of stars in space, while 2) total chromaticism controlled the density of the starfield.
View the 4 minute version of Somnium HERE
For inquiries please contact us HERE.
Ripples-SlowHands-Swimmers
MMCA- Seoul, Korea
"Slow Hands" and "Swimmers" are two original sonic works, specifically designed to be layered as an aural extension of Monica Lopez DeVictoria's visual aesthetic in her digital video collage installation called Ripples.
The first, "Slow Hands", was peeled into three thin layers hi, mid, and low to give the artist various stratum of sound material to experiment with through the mounted video monitors. The composition was inspired by two pairs of hands reaching, pulling back, going under, surfacing and their co-existence in the same waters yet, not quite touching. An imbricated double helix became another intersection of two swirls - two lives - two paths. The sound palette washes with deep bends and mid-range nearly buoyant lifts. A momentary natural lens flare in the shape of an octagon became the portal from "Slow Hands" to "Swimmers".
The second piece, "Swimmers", was played over a loudspeaker array. The composition and sound design were inspired by the liveliness & joy of the national synchronized swimming team athletes who were filmed by the artist. These visuals were woven into a digital representation of the artists' original helix textile pieces which used a mixture of textured paper and sewn swirling patterns. The athletes' smiles on deck became the gentle glittery bells. While in the water, their elaborate precision pulsed with baritone and alto hydro-synths...like hope singing and peeking through "Slow Hands".
"Facing the Flat World" runs from August 9-22, 2019. Visit Ripples at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, Korea.
A short sample of a variation of the layered pieces can be heard HERE.
Dome Residency
Nashville
Dome Residency, July 11-14, 2019- Nashville, TN USA
Composed and performed an interactive piece for Movement One (of three) called Whimsy using Ableton, Max processing planetary data, Stream by Delta Sound Labs with my own vocals and sound design controlled by Leap Motion and a MiMu glove with Glover.
Lead by Jenn Deafenbaugh, a team* of visual, graphic, sound, movement and performance artists created a 3 movement production of completely original content designed for a mini mobile dome.
It has since garnered interest from several planetariums and dome festivals. The complete live production is a multimedia and interactive experience that takes the audience on a 3 part journey from childhood whimsy to research wormholes to wise wonder.
The documentation film will be available before the end of 2019.
*Eva Celeste Imber, Ralph Edge, Kat Jones, Kelly Snook, Angela Thomas, Crystal Bumpus, Monica Bolles
The Cube (mini)Residency
Virginia Tech
July 7-10, 2019- Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA USA
This mini-residency was an introduction to The Cube. A massive 4 story black box venue with two concave screens called the "cyclorama", a multichannel system with 140 speaker array, complete coverage Qualysys mobcap system (+more) and an inspiring faculty and staff.
RearView 360
Immersive/VR Film
Immersive Music & Sound Design
in collaboration with Monty Adkins
for IOU Theater 360/VR film production of "Rear View", United Kingdom
Screening from March 21-25, 2019 at Square Chapel Arts Centre
Halifax, England
For tickets click HERE.
Enter the immersive 360° film version of IOU’s Rear View and take an unforgettable virtual journey from the intimacy of a life class to the reality of the streets following the story of a life lived in the town.
Wearing VR headsets, feel the sensation of riding on IOU’s ‘one-of-a-kind’ Rear View bus and share the stage with writer and performer Cecilia Knapp as she leads the audience through the urban
landscape with her lyrical narrative. IOU has a 40- year tradition of creating work that combines many art forms presented in unusual indoor and outdoor spaces, festivals, venues, galleries and digital worlds. Experience IOU in 360° for the first time!
Sunrise
EDM Release
Sunrise (4'07) lyrics, melody, vocals, vocal production
Collaboration with adeeperrhythm
Record label: Beneath The Noise Recordings
Listen now:
The Dome Tour
Sound design for "The Dome Tour" promo video
"Dome Tour is a project envisioned by Monica Bolles and Ben Gondrez to help connect, inspire, and promote the use of fulldome spaces for artistic expression and other innovative experiential purposes."
Sunrise- [de]mix
NYE: Race to Midnight Challenge
Listen to it HERE
Each New Year's Eve I challenge myself to write, record, arrange, produce, mix & master a song to be released as-is by midnight (or at least at first light on New Year's Day). Part of the "NYE: Race to Midnight Challenge" is the hands-off public release of whatever was done by the time the sun rises.
While approaching the threshold from 2018 into 2019 I created what I call a "[de]mix", born out of a collaborative work with adeeperrhythm to be released in March 2019.
Paper Sings
CS50 Holiday Innovation Bash
Paper Sings is an interactive sculpture made of paper and paint designed to utilize touch & proximity as a conductor to both generate & sculpt sound. It was used as a demonstration for the various ways in which Computer Science + STEM + the Arts can come together. "Paper Sings" has become a catalyst for the generation of various STEAM workshops throughout the community in Miami, FL USA.
For more info please send inquiries HERE.
DNA
EDM Single
DNA (4'00) melody, lyrics, vocals, vocal production
EDM compilation album released on Pulse Premonitions by Global Heist Recordings
Insight into the creation process of a lyricist/vocal producer:
In 2013 I was invited by a team of producers to contribute to a song demo submission for consideration to an artist in development. The instructions were: club, dance, hit, femme fatale. The management for the artist in development wanted a club anthem. I was also given "DNA" as the hook and title to work around. Now, in order for me to write lyrics for concepts that are out of my comfort zone for a client, I need to reach for something authentic inside of me to pull from. So, the idea behind the lyrics was that of unlocking ones own potential from within to overcome setbacks by acknowledging both wins & losses. Regardless of my conceptual starting point to complete the project...it's always important that the lyrics are open enough for interpretation.
The demo made the short list for the artist in development but the project did not go forward. So, this song hung out on a hard drive for a five years. It resurfaced in 2018 when a team of producers were releasing an EDM compilation. And, here we are.
For those who create, keep going and keep being authentic. You never know...
Reviews:
"Each of the ten tracks featured on the record is exceptionally unique but one shines brighter than the rest,”DNA – Lost Lenox & LÄZRO” ft. Susie Luna Green. The track reflects the fresh danceable tunes with a hint of softness, provided by the vocalist featured on the track, Susie Luna Green."
Songs for the Moment, Every moment has a soundtrack
"One track featuring lyrics that remind of Daft Punk’s Technologic. Lost Lenox, LÄZRO, and Susie Luna Green’s DNA is a banger. I found myself playing this during my workout routine quite often."
Listen now:
Transmutation
World Premiere of "Transmutation" on November 21, 2018, 4:30pm, UK
Transmutation, 8’ (2018)
An exploration of the amalgamation of artificial intelligence and the human soul. These two concepts act, at first, as two separate characters weaving themselves together into one cord. The piece then follows this tether-like portal to understanding connectedness over time and space as it moves on to tinker and reverse engineer various rhythmic elements, vocalizations, tonalities, and frequencies. As these elements begin to pick up the pace and heat the two entities meld together; robotics and consciousness. Body movement mapping was used to shape the dynamics of the journey into the mysteries of the alchemical process of machine/human interaction.
Computer scientist Ken Loomis, of Harvard's CS50x Miami, describes computers as “…dumbed down...they process simple instructions very rapidly.” In juxtaposition, he says, the human mind as a “slow processor of complex instructions”.
Transmutation examines the coalescence of the two as an evolution of quantum computing in the near future.
Phipps Hall, Creative Arts Building
Mistress of The Tesseract
Distinction/Summa Cum Laude
Awarded Master of Arts by Research with Distinction for my work in composition, music technology and sonic art.
View my portfolio & research.
Read my dissertation: The Tesseract
UK Screenings
International screenings for my experimental audio/visual piece "Memories of Filey":
- Seeing Sound Symposium in Bath Spa, UK on March 25, 2018.
- Noise Floor Symposium in Staffordshire, UK on May 8, 2018
Program notes:
This piece portrays the experience of sound-inside-sound, and the interaction of two simultaneous embodied experiences. Field recordings from a visit to Filey, UK were played through an underwater speaker in a pool in Miami, FL, USA and recorded, along with my singing, by a hydrophone. My movements underwater were filmed and gestures were run through The Tesseract, a bespoke software system created during my research at The University of Huddersfield which interprets movements to shape sound using Laban Movement Theory. Rhythm and phrases were analyzed and extracted from the underwater recordings and structured as a palindrome. It begins with the raw sounds of Filey waves and progresses into a pop-driven central section. The third section of the piece slowly morphs back into the original Filey field recordings. This piece represents the embodiment of the entire experience containing the two soundscapes and the memory of one processing into the other and back again. The cycling of these two is also a virtual tesseract in motion creating a separate dimension of experience altogether. It was in this water-within-water where two very different environments were unified and the movement of one inside the other created textures and shapes that would not have existed otherwise.
Underwater Videography by Monica Lopez DeVictoria
Video Editing by Susie Green
Music/Mapping/Writing/Text/Voice/Field Recording/Performance by Susie Green
Fall 2016 - All of 2017
Life...not one moment wasted
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Mad Men- My song contribution to V / A - Rhinoceritis: Voices in Dissent compilation album.
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"Inter-Act"- Interactive, movement-music-visual installation (using my movement mapping research) for International Women's Day Festival curated by the Yorkshire Sound Women Network in Huddersfield, England, UK.
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Visiting Lecturer at The University of Huddersfield, England UK, for Pop Composition and String/Horn Arranging/Recording & Electronic Music Composition courses.
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"Rear View"- 75 minutes of Binaural Sound Design in collaboration with Monty Adkins for IOU Theater's multi-sensory & immersive production.
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Movement as Memory- Mid-year update on my post-graduate research adventure into movement mapping and music tech.
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Point person for production and audio/visual tech support for visiting artists performing and/or setting up installations at Activating Inclusive Sound Spaces Conference.
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Mind blown at Ableton Loop2017 Conference, Berlin, Germany
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Testing at Dolby Atmos Studios in Soho London, England UK- Experimented with my research in mapping motion to stereo diffusion and 360 Immersive sound.
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Traceforms- My post-graduate dissertation in a nutshell. Introduction of the "The Tesseract", a dynamics chain mapped to movement & the space a person occupies, inspired by Laban's Movement Theory, to shape sound through the body's motions.
2015
Chrysalis
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Vocals for Fallabella Bank Chile Commercial.
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Orchestral Arrangment, Charts, Programming, Recording, Engineering for two commissioned pieces- L'dorV'dor & Sim Shalom
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Sound design for "Speculations in Sound", 3 short films by Angela Guyton for The Center for Research in New Music at The University of Huddersfield, UK.
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Arrangment, Production & Direction for Childrens Theater Program
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Remixing, Direction and Production for Children's Glee Club Program
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DJ/Live Performances
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Re-Imagined Production & Recording of "Let it Snow" for Youtube's Stormie Grace.
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Sound Design for "Live Coding", short film by Angela Guyton for Yorkshire Sound Women Networks' Algorave Workshop.
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Released original production "Have it All". Vocals, Production, Programming, Engineering, Mixing, Mastering.