Alt F in Front of the Body

D. Andrew Stewart, Michał Seta, and and Dirk Stromberg

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

Alt F in Front of the Body showcases three instruments: karlax, sopranino t-stick and phallophone. The composite creative work around these DMIs spans twenty years, coinciding with the emergence of the NIME community, itself. The development of the karlax commenced in 2001, with the developers (Dury and Garabédian) constructing the initial TUB-x prototype. In 2006, the first t-stick was developed at the Input Devices and Music Interaction Lab at McGill University, led by a technologist-composer duo (Malloch and Stewart). The phallophone, described by its inventor (Stromberg) as a physical manifestation of a trans-visual/aural experience in performance, was completed in 2015. The creative undercurrent of Alt F is twofold. Firstly, these instruments, positioned in front of the body, are extensions of the performers' physiology; DMIs of this nature cease to be instrument-objects and become areas of sensitivity, extending the scope and active radius of touch and listening outward from the body. Secondly, Alt F is a response to alternative facts. Alt F is a tribute to those who seek truth by opening new paths of play, questioning, appreciating and discovering new approaches. Play is a taproot from which original art springs; it is the raw stuff that the artist channels and organises with all their learning and technique (Nachmanovitch, 1990).

Citation

D. Andrew Stewart, Michał Seta, and and Dirk Stromberg. 2021. Alt F in Front of the Body. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.21428/92fbeb44.e96a58fb [PDF]

BibTeX Entry

@inproceedings{nime2021_music_28,
 abstract = {Alt F in Front of the Body showcases three instruments: karlax, sopranino t-stick and phallophone. The composite creative work around these DMIs spans twenty years, coinciding with the emergence of the NIME community, itself. The development of the karlax commenced in 2001, with the developers (Dury and Garabédian) constructing the initial TUB-x prototype. In 2006, the first t-stick was developed at the Input Devices and Music Interaction Lab at McGill University, led by a technologist-composer duo (Malloch and Stewart). The phallophone, described by its inventor (Stromberg) as a physical manifestation of a trans-visual/aural experience in performance, was completed in 2015. The creative undercurrent of Alt F is twofold. Firstly, these instruments, positioned in front of the body, are extensions of the performers' physiology; DMIs of this nature cease to be instrument-objects and become areas of sensitivity, extending the scope and active radius of touch and listening outward from the body. Secondly, Alt F is a response to alternative facts. Alt F is a tribute to those who seek truth by opening new paths of play, questioning, appreciating and discovering new approaches. Play is a taproot from which original art springs; it is the raw stuff that the artist channels and organises with all their learning and technique (Nachmanovitch, 1990).},
 address = {Shanghai, China},
 articleno = {28},
 author = {D. Andrew Stewart and Michał Seta and and Dirk Stromberg},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.21428/92fbeb44.e96a58fb},
 editor = {Eric Parren and Wei Chen},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {June},
 title = {Alt F in Front of the Body},
 track = {Music},
 url = {https://doi.org/10.21428/92fbeb44.e96a58fb},
 year = {2021}
}