Sound—Space—Architecture

Description:

A two-day workshop facilitated by artists Giorgio Magnanensi and Sara Gold that offered musicians and sound artists at all stages of their practices with an introduction to sound diffusion and spatialization on an octophonic (8-channel) speaker system. Participants had the opportunity to think about, listen to, and experiment with sound in spatial configurations, and were invited to bring short stereo audio files on a USB drive to experiment with the octophonic system themselves.

Sound diffusion refers to the practice of projecting sound sources into a performance space. A commonplace example is the 5.1 surround sound of movie theatres, where sound emanates from additional speakers at the back and sides of the theatre to create a more engaging sound environment. Within a performance setting, the careful multi-channel distribution of sound can also help to structure and articulate an audio work, while lively special effects and panning can simulate motion to add colour and impact. During the workshop, these possibilities were illustrated by using sound works by Gold and Jacob Audrey Taves. 

Presented in partnership with Vancouver New Music as part of METAXENAKIS, a festival inspired by the work and ideas of composer Iannis Xenakis on his 100th anniversary, with the support of the Government of Canada and SOCAN Foundation.