Music 160R Fall 2020 Showcase

Virtual Handbell Choir in Space

Virtual Handbell Choir in Space is an interactive intermedia installation for computer and mobile phones. Inspired by the difficulties of rehearsing music remotely, the piece loosely simulates a "rehearsal" of an abstractly depicted bell choir. At the beginning of the piece (which is presented via livestream), audience members are asked to use their phones to open a simple webapp. This app serves as their "instrument," consisting of a button to trigger the bell sound as well as two buttons to tune the pitch up or down. In addition to playing a sound on the participant's phone, pressing the bell button sends a message to the computer running the main program to play that note and trigger a visual response. The main program streams the video and audio out to all participants, so that each can hear and see each other's contributions. Throughout the piece, participants are given sets of instructions, both spoken and written on-screen. These instructions serve as common goals for the players, dividing the piece into scenes. The control scheme, visuals, and other details also change between these scenes.





 

This page references: