Category: Portfolio Element 2

This is a personal project that I wanted to carry since the beginning of the year, but it has also relation with some other course-related activities, for example I used these cases to perform at Corsica Studios and I will use them to perform outdoors as part as my second project in my Portfolio, a video essay about ambient music and mindfulness.

The cases have been cut in the 3D workshop, featuring engraving design inspired in nature motifs, quite related to my research in the Portfolio projects. I designed two cases, a more portable 52hp usb powered, and a bigger 84hp powered by mains.

The wooden structure was cut in the 3D workshop with a laser cutter, in 3mm plywood, and I had to attach specific Eurorack rails that I ordered online. For the smaller case I used the power module Rakit GO!, a USB C power mode which will allow me to perform on batteries as well, and for the bigger I used the 4ms Power 45, which need to be plugged to mains. Overall the project went really well, and it has been a good support for my Portfolio project and live performances.

Independent study/personal creative practice

Write draft statements for the projects you are planning to submit and post these to your blog:

Project 1: Interactive Ecosystem

This interactive sound installation explores the intersection between nature and technology through real-time interaction. Making use of ultrasonic sensors, and electromagnetic response through plants, the participants will be able to interact with organic elements articulated by digital devices. The installation simulates an immersive acoustic ecosystem, where human presence and natural forces shape the sonic environment. As visitors move through the space, their actions influence an evolving soundscape, blurring the boundaries between organic and artificial life. Through this interactions, Interactive Ecosystem invites reflection on our relationship with the natural world in an era of technological transformation.

Project 2: Ambient Music as Mindfulness Practice

This project is presented in a video essay format and explores how ambient music can help improve focus, wellbeing and mental health. Through its calm and slow-paced nature, this musical genre helps listeners and performers cultivate awareness in the environment with mindfulness techniques through cognitive skills. In this recording we will explore other related sonic forms of meditation, its philosophical roots and contemporary applications; this video essay highlights how ambient music merges both artistic expression and meditation to enhance mental wellbeing.

Last week we’ve had the opportunity to exhibit our work in progress at a little exhibition inside LCC. This has been a very helpful experience as I have been able to test the performance of my project in a real exhibition environment as well as book and install some of the equipment that I will be using for the final stage of the Portfolio unit and the Grad Show which will take place in June. Let’s see now some pictures of the event and I will then explain a little bit more about this event and the outcome perceived from it.

The installation on the work was quite straightforward, receiving a quite bigger screen that I expected but this helped the work to get more presence in the space, as this is an initial version of the work and not all the element of the final project are included yet. I had really good feedback from staff, peers and visitors; finding people very interested and engaged with the work specially during Thursday. People asked me about the functionality of the plant within the sound and the techniques employed in the graphics, receiving feedback from visitors was very constructive.

The setup performed well overall, however I found that the system uses get “frozen” after long periods of inactivity, but it worked well during the show when the audience was interacting with the work constantly. This made me think about the computational limitations of the Raspberry Pi, and I found that this devices are great for experimentation but they might not be completely situated for more professional projects specially involving graphics as well as sound.

There was a small event on Thursday evening where I was able to also watch the rest of the projects of my classmates, and also we were offered some drinks to enjoy together. It was a good time in general and I think that the experience will have a positive impact on my project, here are some videos where hear and see the installation.

Independent study/personal creative practice

Think about the different stages of your project so far and the processes of research involved in each. Reflect on what you have discovered in your own work at the intersection of creative practice and contextual research: what knowledge has been created in your practice itself, and how has contextual research opened up new directions for your practice? Post your notes to your blog.

The main goal of this portfolio project was to approach the coding and electronics techniques that I have learnt during the course to the world of nature and sustainability in the form of an interactive sound installation. I can say now that I’ve found a substantial amount of interesting information and theories in relation with these subjects, but I’m particularly interested in new areas that I have discovered like, biophilic art, acoustic ecology and expanded soundscape studies among others.

Finding the relationships between nature and technology from a sonic point of view is my main interest in this project, and I have left in the background the technical aspects of an interactive sound installation, like the computer programming and electronics, having explored these more in depth in my dissertation.

I think that I’m researching really interesting theories and theorists like Roy Ascott and Cybernetics or R. Murray Schafer and Soundscape Studies, and I also found amazing interactive artists like Liz Phillips or Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. I’m definitely directing my practice into a more organic approach, having sustainability and nature fields always closer in my creations, and being keen to work with materials like wood or plants and experimenting with field recordings and nature sounds more often.