Alice Eldridge is a cellist, researcher and educator based at the Sussex Humanities Lab, University of Sussex. Her background in psychology, evolutionary and adaptive systems, computer science and music inspires and informs systemic sound-based research across science, technology and music. Current projects include networked notation for ensemble music-making, ecoacoustics for biodiversity assessment and hybrid instrument building for improvisation. As a cellist she has shared stages, studios and other acoustic spaces with some of the UKs most inventive musicans at the improvised intersections of contemporary classical, folk, free jazz, minimal pop and algorithmic musics.
Chris Kiefer is a computer-musician and musical instrument designer, specialising in musician-computer interaction, physical computing, and machine learning. He performs with custom-made instruments including malleable foam interfaces, touch screen software, interactive sculptures and a modified self-resonating cello. Chris’ research often focuses on participatory design and development of interactive music systems in everyday settings, including digital instruments for children with disabilities, and development of the NETEM networked score system for musical ensembles.
Photo : Feedback Cell first performance. xCoAx 2016, Bergamo. Credit: Pedro Tuela
As a duo, Alice Eldridge and Chris Kiefer explore ways of bringing together expressive gestures of musical instruments with the abstract dynamism of software instruments. The self-resonating feedback cellos are hybrid electro-acoustic-digital instruments which we work with both in improvised performance and as sound art installations.
Inspired by the Halldorophone by Halldór Ulfarsson, we have fitted two cellos with guitar pickups. The sound signals are sent to speakers that we have built in to the cellos, causing the strings to self-vibrate. This creates rich, dynamic sound, which a musician can intervene with both gesturally and algorithmically.
Appearing at:A concert of the diverse artforms of clog dancing, music boxes, embroidery and live coding, each giving a different perspective on the human side of mechanisms and algorithms. The concert will take place 12th November 2016. We are also programming a second concert on the following day (13th Nov), which will be free of charge to Crafting Sound ticket holders.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |