PDCON:Concerts/Endphase: João Pais, Alberto C. Bernal, Enrique Tomás

Endphase 18-2 "Mixed Cities"

Endphase

• João Pais (in Weimar, laptop)
• Alberto C. Bernal, Enrique Tomás (in Madrid, smartphones)

Endphase 18 “Mixed Cities” was first presented in March 2011, in the Sinkro Festival in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain). While Pais and Bernal were on stage, Tomás walked the streets of Linz (Austria), from which the sounds and images served as material for the performance. Additionally, the live data collected by Tomás’ smartphone — GPS position, readings of the ambient light and sound levels, short texts about the environment — was transmitted in real time and used as variables which transformed and modulated sonic and visual aspects of the live performance in Vitoria.

For this occasion, the contact points will be Weimar (home to the 2011 Pure Data Convention), with Pais performing live, and Madrid, where Bernal and Tomás will be walking and collecting live data. As the “Mixed Cities” concept is an exploration and evocation of not only the sonorous and visual profile of a space (and its temporal nature), but also its social aspects, we felt the need to incorporate the aura of the social movements that stormed through Spain in Spring 2011, and use it as a conceptual element in our performance.

The setting is the area around Puerta del Sol, the central point — Kilometre 0 — of all of Spain’s roads. This area is one of the most important commercial and touristic centres in Madrid, and hosts some of the biggest shopping chains in Spain (Corte Inglés, FNAC…), a symbol of the consumerist conglomerate typical to so many big cities nowadays. From May 15 through mid-June 2011, the monotony of this area was disrupted as it was an involuntarily host to a generalized, popular critique of the system in the form of a series of demonstrations that concluded with the month-long Acampada Sol. The Acampada literally occupied the square and immediately surrounding streets in an outcry for justice, dignity and responsible politics. Sound recordings made by Alberto Bernal and others during this period of turmoil document the massive feelings of indignation, rage and protest of the thousands of participants.

Despite all its idealistic and utopic propositions, the Acampada Sol (a.k.a. 15-M Movement, or the Spanish Revolution) is now gone, and Sol is back to its normal day-to-day commercial activities. Will the energy invested and ideas developed during these three months return or bring about any concrete and lasting change? It is still perhaps too early to say…

Endphase 18.2 is an audio-visual performance that juxtaposes and contrasts two sonic, visual and social realities, which for a moment shared a common geographical space. On one side, the monotony, the established system and the commercial interests that usually take priority over those they purport to serve. On the other side, the energy, the risk and idealism of new ideas, and the faces and sounds of real persons, investing their efforts for a more just situation.

Over the course of 20 minutes, the crossing and intertwining of two trajectories will be explored: the path of the demonstrations and a “typical” commercial stroll. These opposing trajectories — to and from Sol — are traced live by Bernal and Tomás (in Madrid) while Pais performs live in Weimar, controlling the performance and complementing the data transmission interpretation with sounds and images collected in Madrid and at other demonstrations.

Links

• http://www.endphase.net

• https://www.facebook.com/Endphase.project

Also at the Pd-Convention: Workshop by João Pais Understanding and being creative with Pure Data’s data structures and paper presentation Click Tracker: Performance/composition tool for metrically complex scores

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4^th international Pure Data Convention 2011 Weimar ~ Berlin