Interactive Robotic Sound Art

Concert

  • Workshop table covered with electronic sound-making devices, motors, circuit boards, cables, laptop, tools, and robotic instruments for interactive performance © Yunfei Zhang
  • Students perform with electronic sound equipment at tables on an elevated platform beneath two projection screens showing hands and yellow circles © Hongyu Guo
  • Students performing with interactive robotic sound instruments and electronic devices at a table with projection screen in background © Hongyu Guo
  • Person in pink shirt adjusting controls on electronic equipment during Interactive Robotic Sound Art performance © Jihye Jang
  • A person adjusts a wire mechanism on a stand above a table with electronic sound devices and cables during an Interactive Robotic Sound Art performance © Jihye Jang
  • Twelve performers at a long table on stage, with two projection screens above showing robotic close-ups and underwater imagery © Paul Modler
Date(s)
Fri, 2 Aug 2024
Time
20:00
Duration
40min
Venue
Large Performance Studio of the HfG

Following a two-week intensive course with San Francisco machine-art pioneer and media artist Kal Spelletich, HfG artists presented Robotic Soundscape at KAMUNA 2024. The performance brought together self-built interactive sound robots, electromechanical sound generators, and automatic instruments in a collective interaction between humans and machines. Video projections depicting Karlsruhe functioned as a topological and visual score.

Informed by the work of Terry Riley, Kraftwerk, David Tudor, John Cage, Einstürzende Neubauten, and Pauline Oliveros, the machine orchestra developed an improvised soundscape of rhythmic pulses, string-like resonances, drones, and ambient textures. Its open form made each performance distinct.

The event offered a rare opportunity to experience Spelletich’s machine-art practice in dialogue with a new generation of artists working with interactive sound, robotics, and experimental performance.

The performances took place at 8 pm and 9 pm in the Studio.

Contributing Artists

Kal Spelletich, Ida Bloomdahl, Éva Csonka, Jihye Gebhart, Hanjoo Lee, Ziyang Ma, Jason Mendiola, Eunseong Park, Lorenz Schwarz, Seiji Shimabukuro, Yifan Su, Lihan Wang, Yunfei Zhang

Production & Documentation

  • Artistic Direction and Concept: Kal Spelletich, Lorenz Schwarz
  • General Management / Concert Production: Lorenz Schwarz
  • Technical Coordination: Paul Modler, Lorenz Schwarz
  • Technical Support: Alex Knoppik (HfG Karlsruhe)
  • Documentation (Video): Quirin Talhammer, Yidan Zhang
  • Editing / Post-production: Sebastian Schönfeld

Collaborations

  • KAMUNA (Karlsruher Museumsnacht) - annual museum night event, featuring special programming across Karlsruhe's cultural institutions including museums, galleries, and universities.

Acknowledgments

  • Paul Modler (HfG Karlsruhe)
  • Tereśa Braunschweig (Production, HfG Karlsruhe)

External Links

www.cityofmediaarts.de/en/events/16409