record – LABS

Thesis Info

Keywords: Computer Music, Multimedia, Structural/Materialist Film, Stroboscopic Light, Paracinematic Performance, Audiovisual Performance, Electroacoustic Improvisation, Structured Improvisation, Analog/Digital Hybrids, Experimental Electronic Music, Noise, Techno

Abstract: 200-500 words: “Schaulust: A Study in Light and Sound” is an investigation into the development of a new audiovisual performance platform called Schaulust. This platform pairs custom hardware and software designed specifically for use in real-time improvisation with stroboscopic light, robotically-controlled mirrors, and large, optical-quality cast-glass prismatic lenses. The resulting performances are full-body experiences that embrace the base pleasures afforded by the generation and manipulation of light and sound as physical objects, evolving over time from the hypnotic to the chaotic. The work is grounded in a firm foundation of experimental film, video, and the performance of electroacoustic music, and is informed by the histories of structural / materialist film, paracinematic performance, noise, and techno. This document is an exploration of the Schaulust platform and its use in the author’s dissertation piece, a site-specific performance that took place on November 14, 2014 in the basement of Brown’s Student Center. The written work presents an overview of the project’s foundations and essential characteristics from artistic and technical perspectives, as well as an examination of its historical precedents and formative influences, concluding with an analysis of the dissertation performance, a discussion of future directions, and detailed documentation.