Fellowship awarded to André Gonçalves for the project Resonant Objects
Honorable Mentions: Ivan Franco and Ricardo Jacinto
Jury: Phill Niblock, Manuel Costa Cabral, Rui Eduardo Paes, Emanuel Dimas Pimenta, Isabel Alves, Manuel Mota and Ulrich Krieger
Resonant Objects
Sound is used in this project as a means to excite the space to an audible state, sound generating more sound through space. The sound we end up hearing is intrinsically connected to the spatial characteristics of an object, to its form, dimensions and material. Six glass globes of different sizes are suspended at different heights, each containing a microphone, a loudspeaker and a 40 W bulb. Each loudspeaker is connected to an amplifier, which in turn is connected to a computer's sound card that emits six frequencies, one for each of the globes. These frequencies are tuned by the natural frequencies of each object, thus forcing them to resonate.
The sound amplitude of each object's resonance is captured by the corresponding microphone and through a system of six envelope followers (a system that converts sound amplitude into voltage and later into midi messages). Those amplitudes reach the computer that interprets them independently, and, through six dimmers, control the intensity of the light in each lamp and consequently in each object. There is no amplification of the sound that comes from the objects. The audio result of the performance was later edited in CD by Sirr Records.
The project was presented in several occasions: In 2005, Experimental Intermedia Foundation, New York, performance with Kenneth Kirschner; Goethe Institut, Lisbon, performance with Pedro Lourenço. In 2006, FILE Festival, São Paulo, installation; Luzboa, Lisbon, installation. In 2007, Offload Festival, Bristol, installation. In 2008, 0047 gallery, Oslo, installation; Casa da Música, Oporto, performance; Pixelache Festival, Helsinki, performance; Nam June Paik Art Center, Seoul, installation. In 2009, Rennes City Hall, performance with Tomoko Sauvage; Bon Accueil, Rennes, installation. In 2011, Teatro Maria Matos, Lisbon, performance with Tomoko Sauvage.
Biography
André Gonçalves operates in various artistic fields, namely the visual arts, music, installation and performance. He has participated in countless exhibitions and festivals, in more than twenty countries all over the world. He was a Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation grantee in 2005 and 2009, was distinguished by an Honorable Mention at FILE Prix Lux 2010 in São Paulo, and was a finalist at Celeste Prize 2010 in New York. His musical work, either solo or as a part of a group, is documented in more than fifteen editions in various national and international labels. In recent years he has been more recognized for his work as the creator of ADDAC System, a brand of modular synthesizers.
www.andregoncalves.info