London-based composer and musician Tomas Nordmark and Paris-based musician and visual artist Per Hüttner have been working together since 2021. Together they develop creative and visionary performances using the technology platform EEGsynth. The EEGsynth is a hard software platform that allows performers to create sounds and images using neural signals from the human nerves and brain. The technology is unique because it has been developed by European artists and musicians in close collaboration with neuroscientists since 2014. In the performances, the artists use measurements of a performer’s brain signal on his/her head using an electroencephalogram (EEG) in real-time.
You are welcome to join Nordmark and Hüttner for a performance and a demonstration of the technology. In the performance entitled “One Step Closer to the Abyss” they present music and images that are generated and modulated by a performer’s brain activity in real-time. They work with sounds from a traditional electric guitar which has been modulated by the brain to create aesthetically interesting sounds. They also have dynamic visuals that are generated in real-time by the brain. The performance takes its inspiration from Mark Fisher’s writings and his reflections on the weird and the eerie: how humans and art deal with the unknown in their everyday and in artistic creation.
The EEGsynth platform has grown and developed fast in recent years. It is used by artists and researchers in Sweden, France, Norway, the Netherlands, and in the UK. They use signals from the human brain, but also from trees, fish, and microbes to create performances. The team has made over 70 performances and workshops in a number of European countries, Mexico, Egypt, Brazil, and the US. There has been a lot of interest in both the technology. For instance, French filmmaker Fabien Guillermont has made a full-length documentary on the project. Nordmark and Huttner’s tour of Japan and China is the first time that the EEGsynth is presented in Asia.
Travel to Japan and China is sponsored by the Swedish Arts Council and the project is produced by Vision Forum.
Date｜
2024/5/30 (Thu) 18:30‐20:30
Performer｜
Tomas Nordmark
Per Hüttner
JO Kazuhiro（Associate Professor, Faculty of Design, Kyushu University）
Venue｜
Recording Studio, Acoustic Research Center, Ohashi Campus, Kyushu University
(*Eating, drinking, and smoking are prohibited inside the venue. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation.)
Admission｜
Free (limited to 50 participants) *Please register via the following Peatix link if you wish to participate.
Organized by｜
Faculty of Design, Kyushu University
Supported by｜
Swedish Arts Grants Committee, Vision Forum, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [23H00591] [23K17267]