A Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and Sound and Music U.K supported performance
CONSTRUCTION was the culmination of 3 years collaboration with ELISION Ensemble and Richard Barrett in the ARC Linkage Project The Spatial Ensemble. Over that time, we worked on research, workshops, software and technical development to deliver Barrett’s two-hour composition CONSTRUCTION.
The final approach involved close integration of a new MAX/MSP platform with a technique for designing; refining and performing 3D sound trajectories for up to 16 instruments performing simultaneously. The technique allowed complex sound paths to be prepared and further refined in the venue during rehearsals. These refinements took account of acoustic qualities generated through the interaction of the space, the 16 channel sound system, the composition and varying instrumental combinations.
Previous to this research, the ELISION could only perform with a limited number of channels under basic real-time control. This research produced a method to construct and control complex spatial sound trajectories and apply those to individual instrumental streams, through close collaboration between 3 sound operators and the composer. Audiences could then experience contemporary music performances that surpass existing concert formats involving static instrumental sound sources.
