Domizil and ICST Zurich at LACE
October 2, 2009 7:30pm-11pm
Free to the Public
LACE, swissnex San Francisco, and VOLUME present an evening of deep listening and sonic exploration. The evening will feature both local artists and international artists from The Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology (ICST)in Zurich and the Swiss label domizil. Germán Toro Pérez, Daniel Bisig, Martin Neukom and Philippe Kocher of ICST will begin the evening with a presentation of 4-channel tape compositions. domizil’s Marcus Maeder, Bernd Schurer, and Jasch will each perform live for the first time in Los Angeles, and will be joined by local artists Steve Roden and Mem1.
Domizil and ICST Zurich is made possible with the support of the Swiss Arts Council, Pro Helvetia.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Born in 1968 in Zürich, Switzerland, Daniel Bisig received a master’s degree in natural sciences at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in 1994 and a Ph.D. in protein crystallography at the same university in 1998. In 1999, he graduated with a diploma in web-design from the EB-Wolfbach, Zurich, and taught web-design there from 1999 until 2001 while working as a designer and programmer at the web-company, Ditoy. In 2001, he joined the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the University of Zurich as a senior researcher. He also worked as a research associate at the Department of Art and Design, University of Applied Sciences, Aargau, in 2003, and at the Institute Cultural Studies, University of Art and Design, Zurich, in 2004. Since 2006, he has held a research position at the Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology in Zurich. Active as an artist in the fields of computer animation, experimental video and software art, Bisig’s recent works include BioSonics, an interactive Artificial Life installation, Ostrawa, an experimental video film, and MediaFlies, a flocking based video and audio remixing tool.
From 1992-1997, Philippe Kocher studied the piano under Martin Christ and computer music under Gerald Bennett at the HMT Zurich. He completed his studies in theory and composition under Detlev Müller-Siemens and Dorothe Schubarth at the Musikakademie Basel. For the academic year 2004-2005, he was granted a scholarship for the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he was also a lecturer in electro acoustic composition and Max/MSP. His interests are in electronic and instrumental music, and his computer-generated scores have been performed in Switzerland and around the world. He is currently a freelance composer and a research associate and software developer at the Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology (ICST) in Zurich, as well as a lecturer in music theory and computer aided composition at the Zurich University of the Arts.
Marcus Maeder realized his first musical projects in the mid nineties, when the term “digital culture” was just beginning to gain usage. The setting was the Kombirama, an artists’ collective and project space in Zurich. It was during this period that he and Bernd Schurer founded the domizil music label. domizil is a platform for recorded music, an occasional concert venue, a loosely connected group of artists, and, as a label, an interface and instrument for reaching the public. The focus of Maeder’s work is on computer music and sound art, which he regularly tries to integrate into broader contexts, creating networks and building bridges, either in connection with theatre projects and installations or in his capacity as author and curator.
Mem1 seamlessly blends the sounds of cello and electronics to create a limitless palette of sonic possibilities. In their improvisation-based performances, Mark and Laura Cetilia’s use of custom hardware and software, in conjunction with their uniquely subtle approach to extended cello technique and realtime modular synthesis patching, results in the creation of a single voice rather than a duet between two individuals. Their music moves beyond melody, lyricism and traditional structural confines, revealing an organic evolution of sound that has been called “a perfect blend of harmony and cacophony” (Forced Exposure). Hailing from Los Angeles, Mem1 has traveled extensively, performing at Roulette (NYC), REDCAT / Disney Hall (LA), the Orange County Museum of Art, Electronic Church (Berlin), the Laptopia Festival (Tel-Aviv), the San Francisco Electronic Music Festival, and the Borealis Festival (Bergen).
Born in 1956, Martin Neukom studied musicology, mathematics, and psychology at the University of Zurich, as well as music theory at the Musikhochschule Zürich and choral conducting at the Kantorenschule Zürich. He works as a teacher of music theory and as a composer. He is engaged in sound synthesis and composition with computers. He was commissioned by the HMT (Hochschule Musik und Theater Zürich) to write the book, Signale, Systeme und Klangsynthese – Grundlagen der Computermusik, which was accepted as his doctoral thesis by the University of Zurich. He is head of the Computer Music department at the Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology (ICST).
Thomas Peter is a musician and composer. His activities range from composing electro-acoustical music and theatre music, to performing improvised music to creating sound installations, to realizing and interpreting live electronics. His main interests lie in the digital form of electronic music, in its adaption as an acoustical content in different spaces, and in computer operated sound installations. He studied audiodesign, composition, and improvisation at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel.
A doublebass-player, composer, and digital artist, Jasch (Jan Schacher) is active in electronic and exploratory music, as well as jazz and contemporary music. He also works on performance and installation art, and writes music for chamber-ensembles, theatre, and film. His main focus is on combining digital sound and images, abstract graphics, and experimental video with electro-acoustic music and in mixed-media projects. He’s been invited as artist and lecturer to numerous cultural and academic institutions and has presented installations and performances in galleries and clubs along with festivals and venues in Europe, North America, Australia, and Asia.
Steve Roden is a visual and sound artist from Los Angeles. His work includes painting, drawing, sculpture, film/video, sound installation, and performance. His sound performances involve improvised handling of objects such as contact microphones, pinecones, stones, acoustic instruments, field recordings, cassette reorders, vinyl records, and non-digital electronics. He describes his sound work as “lower case” sound concerned with the quiet activity of listening. Over the past 15 years, Roden has performed internationally at festivals, museums, and arts spaces such as: SFMOMA, UCLA Hammer Museum, Serpentine Gallery, Walker Art Center, MAK Center for Art and Architecture, as well as performance tours of Brazil and Japan. He has also released over 20 cds of audio works on labels worldwide.
Bernd Schurer is an artist who focuses on work with computer generated and electronic sound in a variety of contexts. He has a fascination with the study of the perception of sound and its presentation in spatial environments and experiential spaces. He has composed for the stage, film, media- and sound installations, even an opera, covering a broad spectrum of distinct aesthethics. His main interest lies in conceiving and applying autopoietic and expressive systems with the aid of both historic and modern techniques and technologies. He seeks to collaborate closely across disciplines with other artists, scientists, and authors. His works and collaborations have been staged and exhibited internationally and have received acclaim.
Born 1964 in Bogotá, Colombia, Germán Toro Pérez is director of the ICST Zurich at the School of Arts, Zurich. From 1999 to 2006, he was director of the computer music course at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, where he was guest professor for Electroacoustic Composition from 2006 through 2007. His catalog includes instrumental, electroacoustic, and mixed compositions, as well as works in collaboration with graphic design, painting, and experimental video. Some of his compositions make reference to artists like Mark Rothko, Michelangelo, and Jorge Luis Borges. He has received grants from the Colombian Ministry of Culture, the Austrian Republic and the Experimental Studio Freiburg, and his works have been performed in Europe, South Korea, North and South America, and elsewhere. He is co-founder of the NewTonEnsemble.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
The ICST was founded in 2005 as a research institute of the former Zurich Conservatory to establish itself as a specialist centre in Switzerland for research in the area of music and new sound technology. The research projects of the ICST are concerned with 3-dimensional sound projection, digital sound generation and control as well as psychoacoustics, generative art, composition, e-learning and the archiving and documenting of electroacoustic music.
Zurich based recording label domizil started up in 1996 as a platform for coordination, presentation, production, interchange and cooperation, focusing on sonic art and all the facets of its digital practice today.
swissnex San Francisco creates a unique environment that stimulates strategic collaboration and active thinking. Working with key players of today and tomorrow, swissnex San Francisco enables an informed dialogue to anticipate trends and fruitful partnerships.
VOLUME functions as a catalyst for interdisciplinary new media work through exhibitions, performances, events, lectures, and publications. Concentrating on the nexus of music and visual arts practices ranging from the avant-garde to popular culture, VOLUME offers unique opportunities for artists to create and present hybrid works.
