Sonification Etude (2018) by Hayley Suviste
Körper (2017) by Antonio D'Amato
Arthurs' Pass (2017) Harry Ovington
Electromagnetic Fields (2017) by Giorgos Stenos-Frantzios
Hordijk Live Performance (2018) by Guillaume Dujat, Luke Dobbin
Touch The Stars (2009) by Mark Pilkington
Au[bbl].btc (2017) by Connor Haynes
Engi (2017) by Julian Scordato
Sonification Etude (2017) by Yuwen Qin
Time Paradox (2015) by Rosalia Soria-Luz

MANTIS SONIFICATION CONCERT TWO

Oxidising the Spectrum II (2004-2016) by Ricardo Climent
Atmospheric Windows (2017) by Sarah Keirle
Velocia Limite (2017) by Paolo Pastorino
Neural Plexus by Steve Symons
Sonification Etude (2017) by Ed Campell
On The Extinction of a Species (2018) by Falk Morawitz

MANTIS Sonification Concert 3

Degung (2016) by Hayley Suviste
Fawkes (2017) by Connor Haynes
Electrosantouri (2016) by Epa Fassianos
Please don't slam the door (2017) by Giorgos Stenos-Frantzios
Metallican by Hayley Hedges
Estudio sobre la identidad Regiomontana No. 1: El metro by Alberto Jurado
Blyth-Eastbourne-Wembury by Núria Bonet

PROGRAMME NOTES

MANTIS SONIFICATION CONCERT ONE

Körper (2017) by Antonio D'Amato

Körper is an acousmatic piece entirely based on the elaboration of an acousticpulse sequence which was produced in the course of a MRI diagnostic test. The aesthetic idea implied in the composition refers to the topical and controversial theme known as "global control and censorship". Through the examination of the constant and continuous information flow, which is either consciously or unconsciously produced by everyone, it is possible to accomplish a condition of control; that condition ought to benefit the national and global security. The question is: How deep or intrusive should the control on individuals be in order guarantee global well-being and security? At the moment, there is no univocal answer. Control is not only coercive - it can take the pleasant and subtle appearance of a custom-tailored set of information, directly injected into the communication flows usually employed by individuals. As the occasional intrusion into the personal communication flow is barely noticeable, could the large mass of information, imposed to the users of digital devices, produce a sort of control on the behavior and habits of the individuals? Has that sort of control only a commercial intention? If nowadays cameras and sensors constantly watch movements of the individuals in cities and buildings, can we assume that in the future cells and chemical reactions in our bodies will be scanned and examined in order to gather information to be collected, stored and processed? Technically speaking the composition uses exclusively a short audio recording of a MRI test. A large number of processes and signal elaboration modules are applied in order to subdue the crude audio sample to the compositional requirements. Spectral editing and resonant filters are chained in order to isolate restricted areas in the whole sound object. The foundation material is clearly revealed only at the very end of the piece. The piece was composed at ZKM studios in Karlsruhe.

Arthurs' Pass (2017) by Harry Ovington

Arthur's Pass was composed in 2017, using data sets from weather patterns from a mountainous region in New Zealand, Arthur's Pass. Numerical values concerning snowfall, rainfall, temperature, wind- speed and moon- phase were used to control manipulation parameters in a bespoke Max MSP patch.

Electromagnetic Fields (2017) by Giorgos Stenos-Frantzios

Electromagnetic Fields is both a musical composition and a mini-study on the sonic properties of electromagnetic waves. Using an inductive coil as a microphone, electromagnetic signals from various electronic devices have been recorded. The sounds are presented absolutely unprocessed so that they refer directly to their original source. Also, the structure of the piece derives directly from the basic audio typologies that can be observed in the electromagnetic soundscape: Abrupt Gestures - Static Drones (Noisy & Harmonic). When data is transmitted through electronic circuits, electromagnetic radiation is produced. For example, sending an email with a modern cellphone can prove a really noisy activity when transformed to audible sound. As a result, in this study, what is aurally revealed is not the data itself, but its interaction with the vehicle of transmission. Reducing the concept of sonification to its core, this study is a sonic representation of the inaudible "language" of electronics circuits.

Hordijk Live Performance (2018) by Guillaume Dujat, Luke Dobbin

Luke Dobbin & Guillaume Dujat present a live piece on the Hordijk modular synthesiser at NOVARS. Using data sent from MAX into the synth, they have worked on creating this live data-driven performance.

Touch The Stars (2009) by Mark Pilkington

Touch the Stars is a networked electroacoustic performance that maps live astronomical data in a sound producing algorithmic. Music made with distributed music ensembles and controlled lab experiments both yielded paradoxical results that prompt new questions relating to time in performance and ensemble "production". In March 2009, I was co-commissioned by FutureEverything and the Jodrell Bank Observatory, University of Manchester, to compose a composition to be performed at the inauguration of the FutureEverything Festival 2009, Manchester UK. This resulted in a networked performance in- collaboration with Dr. Tim O'Brien (Associate Director of the Jodrell Bank Observatory). It became apparent that, in our research, we both used the process of 'sonification' as an auditory enhancement of information data. Sonification is an auditory process that presents a perceptual experience in which meaning is derived from a musical or sonic abstraction of numerical data (arriving in this case from a remote radio telescope). The decision was made to produce a performance that combined electroacoustic and radio astronomy practices to create a live interactive networked performance.

Au[bbl].btc (2017) by Connor Haynes

Au[Bbl].btc is a data sonification work which implements the use of data mapping drawn from various data sets on the price of gold, crude oil and bitcoin over the past 30 years. It is a reflection of the importance of various metaphysical mediums in which currency is meticulously referenced to, to which govern and have a profound effect on economies transitioning into the digital age. The piece has been arranged from using the 'raw' audio data sonification mappings to create a more 'composed' work, and applies sounds from spinning coins, oil and Hordijk modular synthesizers. The result is an intense frenzy of fluctuating sonic atmospheres with clear sections suited for a fast track 30 years.

Engi (2017) by Julian Scordato

Engi is an audiovisual work based on an artistic sonification of stellar data related to the north polar constellations. Sound parameters are represented graphically and defined by certain observation data as well as physical characteristics of stars: sound duration is proportional to the distance from the Earth, amplitude is calculated considering the apparent magnitude, while main frequency changes randomly according to the spectral class. Six temporal dimensions are added in order to activate the stars with a combinatorial system that virtually produces a perpetual change. Starting from these simple elements for sound generation, this work assumes a certain complexity through the interaction between electronic sounds in a feedback network capable of processing them both diachronically and synchronically, thanks to a series of interconnected processing units. Thus, sound elements no longer exist just as intrinsic and independent entities; they become instead strongly characterized by global processes that transform them as part of the network.

Sonification Etude (2017) by Yuwen Qin

no programme note

Time Paradox (2015) by Rosalia Soria-Luz

Although time traveling seems to be impossible, nothing prevents our minds from transporting us to past or future places and events. Time Paradox combines synthetic sounds with the resonating nature of traditional singing bowls. They represent the contradiction between thoughts from the past, present and future, all real, living in our minds as if they were frozen in time. It is only because of our awareness of time that they can be seen as causes or effects, as old or new, or just as a feeling from our present.

MANTIS Sonification Concert 2

Oxidising the Spectrum II (2004-2016) Ricardo Climent

"Oxidising the spectrum" (2004) is an interdisciplinary collaboration between composer Ricardo Climent and chemical engineer Quan Gan, who trained him for year in his chemistry laboratory at Queens University of Belfast. The piece explores the possibilities of Microbial electrochemistry in the compositional environment, while reinventing the chemistry laboratory as a musical instrument. The system generates electricity for musical mapping via biological patterns from Microbial Fuel Cells. It includes five families of microbial cultures (the Microbial Ensemble), which behave as a musical quintet. Compositionally, the manipulation of live organisms seeks to "re-engineer the process of sonification" by reconstructing electrical patterns that are sonically tested. After being trained by Dr Gan for a year at the chemistry laboratory at Queens University of Belfast, Climent constructed the Interactive system and the piece. This live bio-simulator virtual version was first presented at the ZKM's sonification symposium in 2016, created in Unreal Game Engine 4. The project was supported by ACNI and Belfast City Council.

Atmospheric Windows (2017) by Sarah Keirle

no programme note

Velocia Limite (2017) by Paolo Pastorino

VELOCITÀ LIMITE is triggered by a consideration of the speed and amount of information which we are exposed to in each moment of our lives and of human actions. The problem clearly focuses on a very narrow temporal dimension (from the 1980s to the present) which includes technological, and consequently socially very important changes. The path taken by Western societies, ranging from pre-industrial to post-industrial age, seems to be characterised not by a linear trend but by a steep curve. Speed is a central parameter in our daily life, but we must take into account the damage that this can cause to our consciousness. Our inner balance is at risk as mankind races towards the future reaching a limit speed, to which we are struggling to adapt; this leaves less time for important processes such as critical attention and thinking.

Neural Plexus by Steve Symons

Neural Plexus is a sequencer based on Neuronal Synthesis. I have been fascinated with sonifying neural output and simulations of neural behaviour for over 15 years. I am not alone in this endeavour, other researchers of Neural Synthesis notably include David Tudor, and the commercial company Prosoniq. Rather than create a large scale artificial neural networks I am more interested in the wide range of patterns that emerge from a small (8 to 12) series of simulated neurons. The simulated neurons in Neural Plexus are based on simulating the changes in ion concentrations inside and outside the neuron, that lead to it to firing when certain conditions are met. It should be noted that this simulation runs many order of times slower than the real-world equivalent. Connected neurons send signals to each other when they fire and connecting a series into a loop means they fire in a repeating pattern. The performer can compose new patterns on the fly by changing the connections between neurons and by adjusting the responsiveness of individual neurons. The Neural Plexus software (Processing) and hardware (Arduino) interface enables such manipulation of the simulated network. The current version has 8 neurons; each is represented on screen and a bespoke interface allows the performer to easily inter-connect neurons and to adjust their response characteristics. The present version of Neural Plexus has two layers of sonification (Supercollider), firstly the internal ion concentration of each neuron is used to modulate a simple sine-wave based synthesis system and secondly the act of firing can be used to trigger a filter-based envelop, with the filter being controlled by the neuron's excitation level at firing. The initial stages of Neural Plexus were developed at a residency at NOVARS with the kind support of Prof. Ricardo Climent

Sonification Etude (2017) Ed Campell

no programme note.

On The Extinction of a Species (2018) by Falk Morawitz

"The people of each generation perceive the state of the ecosystems they encountered in their childhood as normal and natural. When wildlife is depleted, we might notice the loss, but we are unaware that the baseline by which we judge the decline is in fact a state of extreme depletion. […] Few people younger than me know that it was once normal to see fields white with mushrooms, or rivers black with eels at the autumn equinox, or that every patch of nettles was once reamed by caterpillars. I can picture a moment at which the birds stop singing, and people wake up and make breakfast and go to work without noticing that anything has changed." - George Monbiot

MANTIS CONCERT THREE (non thematic)

Degung (2016) by Hayley Suviste

Degung is a set of three acousmatic miniatures that collectively explore the musical and spiritual characteristics of the gamelan (specifically the University of Manchester's Sudanese Degung). In Indonesian traditional thinking the gamelan is sacred and is believed to have supernatural power. Degung follows the gamelan on its journey from its natural form and sound to the completely transformed and supernatural

Fawkes (2017) by Connor Haynes

Fawkes reflects the annual celebration of Guy Fawkes night in a surrealist context, whilst also displaying how Guy Fawkes's image has been adopted to become somewhat a symbol of a post-mordern cyper-anarchism. This is reflected/referenced in the composition by arranging sounds such as catholic hymns, fireworks and computers. An emphasis on time and space have been implemented when constructing this piece, and contains mostly self recorded sounds, although some Hordijk modular synthesizer sounds and samples have also been used. The catholic hymn has been sampled, and is a hymn composed by Sergei Rachmaninov.

Electrosantouri (2016) by Epa Fassianos

Electrosantouri is a stereo fixed-media acousmatic work which includes soundworlds emerging from a traditional Greek instrument called "Santouri". The "Santouri" is mainly used for Greek traditional ceremonies, mainly in Greek islands but also in the mainland. I was inspired by Orestis Karamanlis's work called: "Chaos" (2008). Karamanlis's work was place specific as it included sounds recorded in a cave located in a Greek island. At the same time, original Santouri melodies were superimposed over the cave sounds and this gave the piece a stronger sense of identity. Inspired from this work, I recorded samples of Santouri sounds as well as Santouri melodies, performed by professional Santouri performer: Panagiotis Vergos, in his studio in Athens. For my piece, I decided to make use of this instrument as follows: exploration of pitch and use of the instrument's idiomatic sound as a basis for the creation of transformed soundworlds which form their very own identity.

Please don't slam the door (2017) by GiorgosStenos-Frantzios

Please do not slam the door / Mancunian Snapshots is a brisk collage of sound fragments captured in Manchester city centre during winter 2017. All kind of daily life's details, funny moments, mini tragedies, street chats and noises are mashed up in quickly passing blocks of sound, constituting a fragmented personal portrait of the city. Sonic glimpses of private and public sphere - inside and outside the doors - are brought together as a spontaneous reaction to a separated and contrasting social life. Perception and time get blurred through the constant interplay between real and surreal and repetitions of same sonic material placed in different contexts.

Metallican Audio by Hayley Hedges

Metallican (2013) We are taken through aural 'snapshots' of a box being filled gradually with insects. Metallican is a single sound source composition, consisting of a range of recordings of soft drink cans, as suggested in the title. I entitled my composition Metallican as I wanted the word 'can' in the title; it came from the word 'Metallica', a genus of beetle in the Carabidae (ground beetle) family. Adding an 'n' links the insect box back to the metallic can.

Estudio sobre la identidad Regiomontana No. 1: El metro by Alberto Jurado

First piece of a series that intends to take sounds from the authors home city and explore them to create a landacape of the sounds that identify the inhabitants of the city and their rituals. Short bio: Born and raised in the City of Monterrey, México, the author begins his studies in Music, Piano, and Composition, including electroacoustic techniques, at the UANL at the age of 17, continuing to do so to the present day.

Blyth-Eastbourne-Wembury Núria Bonet

Blyth-Eastbourne-Wembury could be described as an electroacoustic musification: a data sonification for artistic purposes which uses musical structures to transmit data. The piece uses data describing the sea temperature at Eastbourne since 1892, and the salinity data of the English Channel from 2002-04. Interestingly, the average monthly sea temperature since 1971 has consistently been higher than for previous years. This worrying temperature increase is translated through the use of dissonance, as average temperatures are mapped to audible frequencies and juxtaposed. The use of a coastal soundscape - ranging from the natural sounds of Wembury beach to the sound of traffic at Plymouth's Sutton Harbour - contextualises the data sonification in a musically meaningful manner.