Glitch

Authors

• Dr. Bradley Robin, DePaul University, Chicago, IL USA - composer, programmer

• Sarah Joyce Church, Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, Fort Worth, TX USA - dancer, choreography

PubPub Link

https://nime.pubpub.org/pub/hh6fsa3p/draft?access=7adyn8dp

Conference Abstraction

Music was composed by improvising with a MIDI granulator. The dance was created by routing the piano notes through a patch that controls the video playback region. Thus, repetition in the music will create patterns in the computer controlled dancer. The same patch contains GUI allowing the user to manually control the dance, including looping, playback speed and direction, and playback region. The patch also allows for video capture, creating the opportunity to interact with a live dancer.

Requirements

Glitch as a fixed piece can be performed three ways: as a fixed media video presented through speakers, performed with live piano alongside the finished video, or as a live electronics piece, wherein a MIDI piano or keyboard provides sound as well as controls the video dance.

As a composition and performance tool, the granulation software can be used to generate MIDI material live, which can be routed to control video and generate sound. Thus, Glitch is an example of the software’s potential.

Program Description

Glitch was composed by improvising with a MIDI granulator. Originally, a short dance sequence was improvised by the dancer. The actual choreography for the video was then created by routing the piano notes through a patch that controls the video playback region. Thus, repetition in the music creates patterns in the computer controlled dancer. The same patch contains GUI allowing the user to manually control the dance, including looping, playback speed and direction, and playback region. The patch also allows for video capture, creating the opportunity to interact with a live dancer.

VIDEO

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Video hosted on PubPub CDN (256 MB · 6 min). Not included in this static site.

archive file: 2021/other/work-in-progress_showcase/35/video1.mp4

Software screenshots:

• video control software

• midi granulation, score generation software

• score:

  Attachment: Bradley Robin Glitch score.pdf 382 KB · on PubPub CDN

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

— many thanks to CEMI at UNT, where the seeds of inspiration began to grow, Claudia Howard Queen, my original music for dance mentor, the SAI program at Northwestern where my artistic aspirations finally began to congeal, and to Nicole for endless hours of patience and support.