Immersed Music concerts at ICMC 2007

Immersed Music was the theme of ICMC 2007, which included concerts at the DGI-byen "Vandkulturhuset" swim center.


Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma, and Idea

Solid, Liquid, Gas Plasma Informatics
Guitar, H'phone, Flute; Plasmaphone; Synth/EEG
("Earth", "Water", "Air"); ("Fire"); ("Idea").

Left-to-right:
Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma, and Idea (direct brainwave interface using Thought Technology).

These five states-of-matter correspond to the five Classical Greek Elements:
Earth (solid), Water (liquid), Air (gas), Fire (plasma), and Idea (informatics)


The concerts explored all five states-of-matter immersed in liquid (water) as well as in air. By categorizing musical instruments according to the state-of-matter of the initial sound production mechanism, a wide range of new musical instruments were invented, designed, built, and demonstrated by way of concert performances.


Solid Liquid Gas Plasma Informatics
Cymbal H'phone Organflute Plasmaphone Synthesizer
("Earth") ("Water") ("Air") ("Fire") ("Idea")

Some audience members immersed in water; some in air:


Most of the audience members sat around the circumference of the 320 foot (100 metre) pool, but some immersed themselves for the full experience.

Immersed Solid, Liquid, and Gas

Reustophones: Fluid-based hydro-pneumatic instruments

Fluids like air are highly compressible, whereas fluids like water are less compressible, thus giving rise to the "reustophone", an instrument that run on a fluid which may be gas or liquid (e.g. air or water).

The flute/organ ("florgan") hybrid is a flute that can play more than one note at the same time.

You play chords by covering up more than one finger hole at the same time. The instrument has 12 mouths, and embouchure control is affected by inserting one or more fingers into the instrument's mouths.


Vandkulturhuset

"Vandkulturhuset" means "Water culture house" in Danish ("Vand" means "Water").


Reflection in the pool at sunset...


Audience members were invited to play on the instruments after the concerts:

The States-of-Matter Quintet ended Tuesday night's concert by having a fun informal improvisation with some circus performers in the DGI-byen deep pool, playing Walking in the Air on a water instrument (hydraulophone), and a playful attempt to immitate the child's voice in song:
(Download)



radio interview (.mp3 file)