Event overview
On Wednesday 2 April, the Director of Music Technology at the California Institute of the Arts, Ajay Kapur, will be presenting the Whitehead Lecture at the Ben Pilmott Building Lecture Theatre from 3pm to 6pm.
With advances in algorithms for sound synthesis and processing, combined with inexpensive computational hardware and sensors, we can now easily build new types of musical instruments, and other real-time interactive expressive devices.
These new ‘‘instruments’’ can leverage and extend the expertise of virtuoso performers, expand the palette of sounds available to composers, and encourage new ideas and composition techniques.
This talk will look at a variety of new devices, projects, and ensembles created over the last decade, with a particular emphasis on extending techniques inspired by Asian music. From India, Korea, Indonesia, and beyond, the creation of new musical interfaces and robots will be presented. The birth of the KarmetiK Machine Orchestra evolved from these inventions, and video of compositions and experimental productions will be presented.
Ajay's work revolves around one question: "How do you make a computer improvise with a human?" Using the rules set forth by Indian classical tradition, Ajay has built new interfaces for musical expression through extending the Indian classical Tabla, Dholak, & Sitar, with added microchips and embedded sensor systems, while designing custom robotic musical instruments.
He now leads a team of artists and engineers exploring the intersection of music, composition, storytelling, science and technology in the KarmetiK Machine Orchestra.
He is currently the Director of the Music Technology: Interaction Intelligence and Design (MTIID) program at the California Institute of the Arts, as well as the Associate Dean for Research and Development in Digital Arts. He is also a Senior Lecturer of Sonic Arts Engineering at the New Zealand School of Music at Victoria University of Wellington.
Kapur has published over 80 technical papers and presented lectures across the world on music technology, human computer interface for artists, robotics for making sound, and modern digital orchestras. His book “Digitizing North Indian Music”, discusses how sensors, machine learning and robotics are used to extend and preserve traditional techniques of Indian Classical music.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Apr 2014 | 4:00pm - 6:00pm |
Accessibility
If you are attending an event and need the College to help with any mobility requirements you may have, please contact the event organiser in advance to ensure we can accommodate your needs.
