Audio-Visual Live Performance

2019

Echosystem is an ongoing collaboration between computer artist Lior Ben-Gai and compser Maayan Tsadka. It features a unique approach to improvisation, based on feedback between experimental visual and musical instruments.

The visual instrument setup includes a webcam equipped microscope, tactile control interfaces, a microphone and a computer running custom software. The live video coming from the microscope is filtered through several layers of Cellular automata programs, each acting as an image filter. These layers also act as audio receptors, as some of their parameters may be connected to the input audio stream. The result is a highly sensitive visual instrument, that, when properly adjusted in realtime, is capable of articulating nuanced motion.

Musical improvisation often leans heavily on intuition and “telepathic” communication between performers. Echosystem attempts to explore unknown audible and visual landscapes by creating a feedback loop between these two media. This is done be asking the musicians to treat the visual component as if it were musical. Yet even though this component is highly automated, there is no apprent way to emulate the true inspiration and synchronicity of good musical improvisation. As always – Good results are achieved through practice.

Echosystem premiered on April 2019 at Hateiva theater in Jaffa. The Performance also participated in PRINT_SCREEN festival 2019 as a collboration with Ensamble Musica Nova featuring Or sinay, Yoni Niv and Tom Soloveitzik.