The workshop Synthesthesia is offered to groups registered for an interactive visit to the exhibition Ryoji Ikeda, led by DHC/ART educators. Groups must comprise a minimum of 10 participants. The general public is also invited to participate in Synthesthesia during one of three open house workshops on the following Saturdays: July 21, September 29, and October 27, 2012. Reservations are required for all activities.

DHC/ART - Education is pleased to collaborate with the art centre Perte de Signal in the design of our hands-on workshop linked to the Ryoji Ikeda exhibition.

For this occasion, Alexandre Quessy, Darsha Hewitt, Nelly-Ève Rajotte and Claudette Lemay of Perte de signal have developed a unique, fun, and innovative workshop entitled SYNTHESTHESIA. Over the course of this workshop participants produce experimental sound compositions based on black and white collages they will create. These collages become visual ‘musical scores’, which are analyzed by SYNTHESTHESIA, an open-source software, in order to generate sounds and explore different sound properties.

The software was created by Alexandre Quessy especially for our workshop and will be used for the first time over the course of the exhibition by all of our participants.

The Workshop

• Participants are first off introduced to the different ways of representing sound through images, such as sound waves and the spectral diagram.

• Educators then present the five ‘sound toys’ to participants, explaining how the characteristics of different images influence the sound. The five ‘sound toys’ comprise 1) melody 2) wave shape 3) range 4) frequency and 5) spectrum. These ‘sound toys’ are part of the open-source software program Synthesthesia.

• Participants are then invited to create a collage in small groups by cutting and tearing up white paper into multiple forms and assembling them on sheets of black cardboard in a variety of compositions. These compositions become ‘visual scores,’ ready to produce sounds.

• One by one each group tests out the interaction between their respective scores and the ‘sound toy’ of their choice. All of the Synthesthesia ‘sound toys’ work from a real time analysis of the visual score by a camera. The Synthesthesia software is responsible for transforming the visual score into sounds. Participants can watch this image/sound analysis on a computer screen.

• To conclude, educators wrap up the activity with participants by presenting and discussing each group’s visual and sound compositions.

Come and experience SYNTHESTHESIA and familiarize yourself with certain sound properties, reflect on different ways to represent sound through images, and demystify live creation and improvisation.

Information: education@dhc-art.org / 514-866-6767 ext. 4219

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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES: Perte de signal

Artists: Alexandre Quessy, Darsha Hewitt, Nelly-Eve Rajotte et Claudette Lemay.
Coordination: Ariane De Blois

Perte de Signal is a Montreal based art centre that promotes and fosters the development of digital arts and innovative artistic uses of technology. From audio performances to video projections, and mechanical/robotics installations to public interventions, the Perte de Signal membership works in a variety of mediums while exploring a wide array of artistic and formal approaches. Perte de Signal is committed to: 1) promoting its members work on a national and international scene; 2) supporting creative research and experimentation; 3) developing critical thought concerning digital arts; and 4) mediation geared towards a range of audiences. Above all, Perte de Signal strives to be a venue that encourages initiatives, cultivates collaborations, and supports the transmission and exchange of experiences and know-how within the greater artistic community.