Flightless Path

Iran Sanadzadeh, and Chloë Sobek

Music Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

• Year: 2023
• Location: Mexico City, Mexico
• Article Number: 1148
• DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.11194686 (Link to paper)
• PDF link
• Supplementary File 1: nime23_concert_5.pdf

Abstract:

This is a proposal for the premier of Flightless Path, a new work for The Terpsichora Pressure-Sensitive Floors and Renaissance Violone. The Terpsichora Pressure-Sensitive Floors (The Floors) are a new digital musical instrument which uses whole-body motion to control electronic music. The instrument continues the development of early models for pioneering dancer Philippa Cullen (1950-1975), expanding its use as an expressive and versatile instrument for musicians to play. The Floors use a large interactive surface for fine control of many sonic parameters with a small number of sensors. The violone is the Renaissance precursor to the double bass. It is a large instrument that has six gut strings, gut frets and is played with a viol style underhand bow. This instrument also requires the whole body to play and physically support the instrument in performance. This new work brings these two instruments together and is an interplay between the definitions of instruments and controller as they relate to contemporary practices based on gesture. Working with the specific limitations of the body in relation to large objects, the Floors and the violone both function as controllers for affecting sound and as instruments for creating sound.

Citation:

BibTeX Entry:

  @article{nime23-music-1148,
 abstract = {This is a proposal for the premier of Flightless Path, a new work for The Terpsichora Pressure-Sensitive Floors and Renaissance Violone. The Terpsichora Pressure-Sensitive Floors (The Floors) are a new digital musical instrument which uses whole-body motion to control electronic music. The instrument continues the development of early models for pioneering dancer Philippa Cullen (1950-1975), expanding its use as an expressive and versatile instrument for musicians to play. The Floors use a large interactive surface for fine control of many sonic parameters with a small number of sensors. The violone is the Renaissance precursor to the double bass. It is a large instrument that has six gut strings, gut frets and is played with a viol style underhand bow. This instrument also requires the whole body to play and physically support the instrument in performance. This new work brings these two instruments together and is an interplay between the definitions of instruments and controller as they relate to contemporary practices based on gesture. Working with the specific limitations of the body in relation to large objects, the Floors and the violone both function as controllers for affecting sound and as instruments for creating sound.},
 address = {Mexico City, Mexico},
 articleno = {1148},
 author = {Iran Sanadzadeh and Chloë Sobek},
 booktitle = {Music Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.11194686},
 editor = {Rob Hamilton},
 month = {May},
 note = {Live Concert 5, Friday June 2, Centro de Cultura Digital},
 title = {Flightless Path},
 url = {https://www.nime.org/proceedings/2023/nime2023_music_1148.pdf},
 urlsuppl1 = {https://www.nime.org/proceedings/2023/nime23_concert_5.pdf},
 year = {2023}
}