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A study for an in-progress project with organist Alexander Meszler. The sound is made with Kyma and a Buchla Easel.

Kyma features some very powerful Hidden Markov Model (HMM/Pattern Generation) functions that I’ve been studying and are a part of this project.

This project is a continuation of our performative works.

An aspect of our live performing is, of course, rehearsing. We usually discuss our process publicly by describing how we work together to coordinate different sections of sound/music/image, and then improvise our way into and out of these moments as we play. Another component of our work are visual scores that we create – typically very early in the development of the project. These scores aren’t in any specific language, nor do they use a set of predefined symbols. They are unique to each piece. We realized we’ve never spoken publicly about this part of our work before.

These scores, hypothetically, can be realized in various media and potentially by other artists. 

Trace Reverb Trace is an installation with sound, realized on Governors Island, NYC during the 2024 Indeterminacy Festival. The project was created during our artist residency on the island and assisted by 4 emerging and 9 apprentice artists.

Sited in an abandoned home at 17 Nolan Park, and in acknowledgement of the technological history and largely built nature of Governors Island, Trace Reverb Trace envisions a self-sustaining artificial ecology independently reclaiming this built environment when the people have gone.

The sound was based on a 10 note scale (A Dekany derived from the research of Erv Wilson) whose root tone was the resonant frequency of the rooms where each array was installed. Each of the 42 speakers functioned independently and “chose” a pitch from the scale, an amplitude level, and duration based on environmental factors.

Artists Jonah Bowrie and Ben Munoz, who were emerging artists in this year’s festival and assisted us on our project, have an ongoing online work at https://fuit.es. Ben and Jonah incorporated content from Trace Reverb Trace into fuit.es. The page is here: https://fuit.es/trace-retrace and continues to grow and change in digital space.

Our emerging and apprentice artists:
Derek Holland, Noelle Salaun, Jane Grabowski, Jonah Bowrie, Ben Munoz, Sam Douma, Brayden Carr, Daniela Chapparo, Elliot Russell, Jude Markey-Smith, Trey Scantlen, Ben Zucker, and Thelonius Garcia.

This project was made possible by the generous support of the New York Arts Program (Emilie Clark, Director), and Stanzi Vaubel, Artistic Director and Founder of the Indeterminacy Festival.

Images: Bjorn Bolinder
@findthelightphotography IG
findthelightphotography.com

“…the first thing to say is that the in-front-of-me dimension does not exist as such, since immediately below me there opens the void, which then becomes the sea which then becomes the horizon which then becomes the sky…” Calvino

We have an upcoming performance on Saturday, December 2, 7:30pm 
at *The Montauk Club in Prospect Heights Brooklyn.

*The Montauk Club is private. If you’d like to see the show please contact us and we’ll put you on the guest list.

Indeterminacy Society / Stanzi Vaubel, Artistic Director presents:

it happens like this
Music|Media|Sound

Lili Maya, Video Installation
James Rouvelle, Electronic Music
w/ special guest on cello

For additional information and audio clips click here.

Headphones suggested.

The music is based on a 10 note scale derived from a set of 5 natural and prime numbers through a process inspired by Ervin Wilson

The fundamental frequency is 432Hz

Part 2 is in three short movements:

• Mvt 1
• Mvt 2 (a Lilliana Rovelli)
• Mvt 3

Image: Lili Maya, Composition/Performance: James Rouvelle