At algoraves, artists write code live, to make generate music and visuals that create space for great parties to happen. But what is Algorave really about, what does it mean? That's a tough question to answer, as algorave is a movement that has grown organically, picking up new practices and meanings as it has spread worldwide. Media coverage hasn't helped, with articles on live coding/algorave focussing on the future, rather than the present. For example in 2019, WIRED magazine introduced live coding with the headline “DJs of the future don’t spin records, they write code”, despite publishing very similar articles previously in 2013 (“Hacking meets clubbing with the Algorave”) and 2006 (“Real DJs Code Live”).
By now, live coders aren't the future - they're part of the present. (Also in reality, live coders are not DJs and are not trying to replace them!) With the live coding community now in its third decade, and with algorave celebrating its tenth year, now is a good time to reflect. So this talk is mainly about the past of algorave and live coding, rather than the future. While reflecting on the past twenty years of live coding, we can also compare it with much older algorithmic traditions in human culture. Weaving and braiding are classic examples, highly developed algorithmic crafts found all around the world, reaching astonishing complexity. We'll also look at 'heritage algorithms' like bell ringing patterns, juggling patterns, Konnakol vocal patterns, and Kollam drawings, and equivalent contemporary practices like ByteBeat, Bitfield and TidalCycles patterns. From there, we'll look for the next steps for algorithmic dance culture, into an uncertain future.
Date | 7/2 (Sat.) 15:00–17:00 CST (08:00–10:00 BST)
Venue | CREATORS’ Space R102 Coworking Space
Speaker | Alex McLEAN（remote）
Registration | https://forms.gle/ZULE7fTVJ1y1rz93A
Alex McLEAN |
Alex McLEAN is a musician, creative technologist and pattern researcher based in Sheffield UK, working on “algorithmic patterns” including in music, textiles and dance. He created the popular free/open source live coding environment TidalCycles, and co-founded the TOPLAP live coding and Algorave movements, the international conferences on live coding and live interfaces, and the AlgoMech festival of algorithmic and mechanical movement. As a live coding musician he has performed widely including at Glastonbury, Sonar, No Bounds, Ars Electronica, and Bluedot festivals. As researcher he completed his PhD in Goldsmiths, University of London in 2011, with thesis “Artist-Programmers and Programming Languages for the Arts” and currently holds a four-year UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, hosted by nonprofit independent lab Then Try This. https://slab.org/
▶ This online talk will be hosted in English and will be translated into Chinese with a consecutive interpreter.
▶ Free Admission via Online Registration.
▶ This event will be recorded.
▶ The organizer reserves the right to adjust and change the activities according to the epidemic situation.
This event is part of the "Minimal Input: Algorithmic Art Gathering"
Supervisor｜Ministry of Culture, Taiwan
Organizer｜Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab