by Anna Frants and CYLAND medialab
A collaboration of National Center of Contemporary Art/ NCCA
(St. Petersburg) & Frants Gallery Space /
CYLAND Foundation Inc.
Programming by Mikhail Chernov
Brushstroke artist Marina Koldobskaya
Collage artist Irina Vasileva
Materials: percussion instrument,
custom software, digital video projection
Physical Size: Variable
2007
The interactive artwork “DRUMPAINTING” transforms live sound into moving image, realizing an idea of “colour music” on a modern technological level. Through a computer system devised and engineered by artists at CYLAND Media Lab, viewers play on a drum set to produce a visual unique to and created by their musical performance. As adaptable to any rhythm as it is to any off-rhythm notes, “DRUMPAINTING” has no restrictions in its ability to generate unlimited variations unique to each individual’s own beat.
Previous site specific installations have utilized various percussion instruments ranging from toy bongos to a full professional drum kit with high hat. In each instance, no matter how soft or loud, fast or slow, sophisticated or awkward, every note is transmitted to a computer. CYLAND Media Lab’s program then translates each sound into a corresponding image. The devised software coordinates an image with each note but also allows mixing, changes in colour and size on each channel (maximum 4) and effects such as multiplication, transparency, time delay and inversion.
Streams of images are mixed in real time by the means of custom interface creating a live visual melody embodying the sounds exuding from the public, any form of music or nonmusic that may.
VERSIONS OF THE PROJECT:
Brush-Stroke
Artist: Marina Koldobskaya, 2007
Adventures of a Gastarbeiter in Russia
Artist: Irina Vasilyeva, 2009
“Drumpainting” at TRANSMODERN Festival, Baltimore USA
April, 28 – 1 May, 2011
Red Ice
Based on the performance of Kazu Yanagi;
graphics prepared by Vladimir Lilo, 2009
In the beginning of July 2009, Cyland MediaArtLab (Anna Frants and Marina Koldobskaya in particular) organized series of presentations in Japan, in Kurogava Inn Museum, Konya 2023 gallery and elementary school of Fukuoka.
Related links:
CYLAND to Present DRUMPAINTING in Vilnius, 2014
Cyland goes to Japan! 2009