Machine invites you to participate in a hands-on Contact Microphone Workshop lead by John P. Hastings and Casey Anderson.
Topics covered will include the construction of contact microphones, conceptual ideas behind piezo electronics, use of contact microphones in various art disciplines, and methodologies for approaching the contact microphone as an artistic tool. The workshop will provide each participant with an understanding of various artistic uses of contact microphones, as well as hands-on guidance in building contact microphones of their own.
Workshop participants will also be invited to assist in the installation of Amplified Party, a piece by Casey Anderson and John P. Hastings, utilizing the contact microphones made earlier in the evening. Amplified Party calls for numerous contact microphones affixed to tables featuring various types of food and drink. The sound produced via the vibrations from the audience/participants serving themselves is sent to four speakers placed around the performance space, creating an amplification of the “sound-minutiae” of an every day activity, and exemplifying the simple artistic possibilities afforded by contact microphones.
Each participant may invite a guest to the Amplified Party, beginning at 9pm. Food will be provided at the Amplified Party for all participants, and their guests.
About the workshop leaders:
John P Hastings is a composer and sound artist based in Los Angeles, CA and Brooklyn, NY. His current focus is on the creation of unique sonic environments utilizing novel methods to engage the audience. He a founder of the web-based music journal The Experimental Music Yearbook and co-head of the new music performance group Ensemble 303.
Casey Thomas Anderson is an artist working with sound in a number of media, including composition, improvisation, electronic music, saxophone, and installations. He has performed with Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith, Michael Pisaro, Ulrich Krieger, Mark Trayle, Fomoudou Don Moye, the CalArts New Century Players, and the Dogstar Orchestra. Recent commissions include the California E.A.R. Unit (LA), the CalArts New Century Players (LA), and TRANSIT (NY). Recent residencies include STEIM, Atlantic Center for the Arts, and at the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival. Anderson holds a Bachelors degree in Music Composition and Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and a Master of Fine Arts in Music Composition from the California Institute of the Arts. He has studied with Mark Trayle, Ulrich Krieger, Michael Pisaro, Ishmael Wadada Leo Smith, Art Jarvinen, and Vinny Golia. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.