September 05, 2005
Boots as Instruments
Cultural Gateway
Cobi van Tonder is a South African composer, producer and performer who specializes in interactive electronic music and other digital media.
Her interactive project Ephemeral Gumboots “uses sensor-equipped rubber boots to explore digital variations of a traditional South African dance form. This project was inspired by the desire to take historical or traditional art forms (in this case Gumboot Dance) and transform it into the Digital realm, creating a gateway between old and new and enabling dialogue between these two worlds.”
Ephemeral Gumboots is a human/computer-dance/music interactive system. Real-time rhythmical input from a dancer into a program ‘humanises' electronic beat-driven music while at the same time the dancer is exposed to a complex and diverse palette of prepared musical samples. The gumboots become musical instruments played by the dancer.
She outlines the dance, musical implications and technical aspects. For a thorough discussion of the project and research read her thesis on Music Composition and Performance in Interactive Computer/Human Systems.
Posted by michelle at September 5, 2005 05:05 PM
