Marco Donnarumma

Music for Flesh II

Abstract:
“Music for Flesh II” is a seamless mediation between human biosonic potential and algorithmic composition. It defines a temporary cognitive time-zone in which the performance space is augmented, stretched, enlightened, obscured, dominated by a real-time reconstruction of a human body primal expressiveness. By enabling a computer to sense and interact with the muscular sonic potential of human tissues, the work approaches the biological body as a means for computational artistry. During my performance muscle movements and blood flow produce subcutaneous mechanical oscillations, which are nothing but low frequency sound waves. Two microphone sensors capture the sonic matter created by my limbs and send it to a computer. This develops an understanding of my kinetic behaviour by “listening” to the friction of my flesh. Specific gestures, force levels and patterns are identified in real-time by the computer; then, according to this information, it manipulates algorithmically the sound of my flesh and diffuses it through an octophonic system.

Biography:
Weaving a thread around biomedia research, musical and theatrical performance, participatory practices and subversive coding, Marco looks at the collision of critical creativity with humanized technologies. He has performed and spoken in 27 countries worldwide at leading art events, specialized festivals and academic conferences. Artist in residence at Inspace (UK) and the National School of Theatre and Contemporary Dance (DK). His work has been funded by the European Commission, Creative Scotland and the Danish Arts Council. Presently, he develops and performs with the Xth Sense, a novel, biophysical interactive system for musical and intermedia performance at The University of Edinburgh, UK.