Social d[ist]ancing

Wednesday, 17 February 2021

SoDA node (v1.0)

This is the new version of the APP. You can download it as usual HERE. I hope this will solve most of the problems. See you tonight!

Thursday, 11 February 2021

SoDA node

In today's session, we are also going to try out the beta Version of the Social Distacing App (SoDA-node).

→ Our goal is only to test that everything works and communicate with the server (and with each other). Next week we will be using it to play audio, synchronise cues and correct latency. Most importantly, we will be able to affect others' movement score with our own gestures and sounds!

What I need you to do is the following:

Download the SoDA-node application
Install it using the instructions
Run it (to test whether it works in your OS)

* If the installation doesn't work or you get errors, please let me know in an email/WhatsApp message with the following info:

What is your operating system's version (Example: Max OS 10.10.5)
What error did you get (unknown developer, missing package, missing JVM...

→ THANKS A LOT (this will helps me debug it for the next session)

We will also be using a third party app developed by GRAME, the INScore viewer. Please download it and install it as well :)

Finally, for the audio tests we will be using this numbers.mp3 test file. Please download it to have it ready for the session.

Tuesday, 2 February 2021

SAR Conference

Social d[ist]ancing: Developing a networked artistic practice out of confinement

Out of the struggle of dancers and performers in general to pursue artistic col-laboration amidst social distancing restrictions, a particular kind of network artistic practice seems to be nevertheless flourishing; one that relies on webcamsas windows into a shared collaborative space. As part of the ongoing artistic research project Social d[ist]ancing, participants are encouraged to create choreomusical works that delve into the idiosyncrasy of the webcam language, using only freely available tools for networked collaboration. Beyond exploring the aesthetics of this particular medium, the presented case studies also reveal a transformative process that requires artists to re-examine the fundamental con-ditions for group creativity and artistic collaboration.

The social distancing measures in place since 2020 has led to a considerable amount of artistic projects being cancelled or postponed. Paradoxically, out of the struggle that results from the restrictions in movement, a particular kind of networked artistic practice is flourishing; one that relies on webcams as windows into a shared virtual collaborative space. An ever-expanding list of online tools are been constantly re-purposed by performers, dancers and musicians to enable quick and productive collaboration over the internet, regardless of their physicallocation.As part of an ongoing artistic research project at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Prof. Hanne Pilgrim and researcher Adrián Artacho work together with study participants to create choreomusical works that delve into the idiosyncrasy of the webcam language. Not only does this approach explore the aesthetics of this particular medium, it is also a transformative process that requires artists to re-examine the fundamental conditions for group creativity and artistic collaboration. Over the course of six small case studies, the participants produced a series of choreomusical works which explore different approaches towards networkedartistic collaboration in the context of music and dance. Transposition acrossmedia is executed in the raster of Laban’s Motion Factors –Time, Space Effort/Weight and Flow–, which also serves as a springboard for cross-media artistic experimentation. Using freely available online tools as an initial restriction, over the course of the project additional tools for technology-mediated performance were also developed, which will be publicly presented for the first time in the SAR 2021 conference. During this brief presentation, the researchers will introduce the strategies and insights yielded by the research project and discuss potential pitfalls and successful strategies that can inform creative collaboration for other artists in akin translocal configurations.

Monday, 1 February 2021

ReconnectingSpaces (collaborative score)

Last week we developed a collective performance based upon the sync points, words and silences from a given score. Our 'synchronised improvisation' proved to fun to experiment with, and by now everybody understands the mechanics of our —very simple yet— visual cue system.

This week we take it in our own hands to create the piece for our next session from the ground up: ReconnectingSpaces*. The purpose for the piece is to explore the fragile nature of our virtual connections, always dependent on technology to function, often frustrating, perhaps less authentic as compared to a real life encounter in the physical world.

In order to make collaboration as intuitive as possible, we will be the musiclab online tool to put together an event score (similar to the one we have used in ShareDareCare). Once finished, the project will be used to generate 'visual cues' that will help us perform together next week.

This shared project is set to 10 bars, with 5 beats per bar at tempo 60 bpm. That means, every beat is 1 second long and every bar just 5 seconds long. The first bar should be empty (except for the starting clap at the beginning). Each of the tracks (notes) is assigned to one of us alphabetically, using a similar color scheme as we did in the first Case Study:

The second bar is where the piece really starts. I suggest a collaborative approach in that anybody can edit anything, but still have each of us curate one bar each; Adrián will be responsible for bar number 2, Benedikt shall do the same for number 3, and so on...

Bar #2 → Adrián
Bar #3 → Benedikt
Bar #4 → Dalma
Bar #5 → Hanne
Bar #6 → Katharina
Bar #7 → Magdalena
Bar #8 → Maria
Bar #9 → Mariama
Bar #10 → Max

The blocks in the score can only represent when an action (talking, for example) takes place. As we did in ShareDareCare, the starting point of an action is represented by the beginning of a rectangle, and the action lasts as long as the block. When there is no block in the track of a given participant, it is interpreted as <TACET>, meaning that the perfoFootnotesrmer is free to do anything he/she pleases, as long as it doesn't produce hearable speech.

IMPORTANT: Making / Saving changes

Every time you edit / save the musiclab project, it becomes a different project (with a different online link). In order for us to collaborate, save regularly and share the link in our WhatsApp group everytime! Do not worry if you share multiple links as you are editing the project; it will ensure that everybody sees the newest version (and that we don't delete somebody else's work).

Footnotes

For more specific descriptions of the actions, we shall use footnotes (see the picture above). Here is an example:

7.4: /where/ Performers say the word /where/ (or a phonetic equivalent)

The reference of the footnote [7.4] describes the position of the note in the score measured in beats (which in our case are equivalent to seconds) and semiquavers (four for each beat).

The description of the action is completely up to you. It makes sense, however, to build upon what others have already suggested. For the footnote descriptions we shall use this online document. Feel free to type, edit and comment as much as you need.

*) 'Reconnecting Spaces' is also the motto of the SMC 2021 conference (which hosts a call for networked performances like this 😉)

Chrome Music Lab (Link)

Here is the final version of the shared musiclab project.

And here is the progress over multiple iterations:

Iteration #1 (Adrian)

Iteration #2 (Maria)

Iteration #3 (Ben)

Iteration #4 (Dalma)

Iteration #5 (Kathi)

Iteration #6 (Magdalena)

Iteration #7 (Mariama)

Iteration #8 (Max)

Iteration #9 (housekeeping)

Iteration #10 (StillePost#1: Ben, Dalma, Kathi, Maria)

Iteration #11 (StillePost#2: Max, mariama)

Iteration #12 (StillePost#3: Hanne, Magdalena)

Monday, 25 January 2021

ShareDareCare (different versions)

Version 1.0 (18:00)

Monday, 18 January 2021

ShareDareCare (asynchronous task)

Hi everybody!

In preparation for the second Case Study which starts next week, here is a task for you.

(if you cannot see the video, click HERE)

This should be the centerpiece of our presentation at the SAR conference in April. I shot a brief video explaining what we need to do, with some examples of how you may follow the visual cues corresponding to your part. Feel free to explore what you can do within these 2 minutes in front of the camera. As long as your part 'line' goes on, you should be speaking, but it is completely up to you what to say. Just make sure to carefully work in the syllables (written in phonetic) as part of your speech as naturally as possible.

Here is the score (which you can download here):

As for which part correspond to whom, I suggest we take the same order we used in our last session, and I will jump in so that we have a nice 3x3 grid...