SOUNDFORM
Hamburg, 20 March - Saturday 23 March 2019
Music is a fundamental part of life. It accompanies us through our daily activities, guides our emotions and memories, helps us to relax, and deepens our ability to communicate. Every
person should have the chance to make music, regardless of their age or their ability. That includes those who are physically disabled.
Two major approaches can be identified in the growing area of inclusivity in music and music-making. Firstly, the practice of playing “traditional” analogue instruments (brass, woodwind, string or keyboard) with different body parts or one-handed, which enables people with physical disabilities to achieve a level of complete virtuosity. Secondly, the use of technology to develop completely new instruments, ones which can be controlled through eye movement or movement of body parts, leading to entirely innovative ways of creating sound. An ever widening circle of musical instrument developers around the world are pushing the boundaries to find creative solutions to accessible music-making, incorporating extended art forms and integrated practice. This is largely being carried out by english-speaking institutions.
EUCREA, the largest representative body for artists with disabilities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, is therefore planning SOUNDFORM a symposium of events on the theme of accessible instruments in March 2019, in order raise awareness to music-makers, producers and educators in german-speaking countries and inspire them to engage with these innovative approaches.
The idea for the project came about as a result of a cooperation between the Hochschule für bildende Künste (College of Arts) Hamburg and DRAKE MUSIC, a leading organisation for music, disability and technology. With the goal of looking at new ways to introduce electronic techniques into musical accessibility, DRAKE commissioned the students from the Hochschule, their professor Julia Lohmann and the product designer Gero Grundmann to develop their own solutions for three disabled musicians who are members of the Hamburg-based art collective “barner16”. The students developed two products, the first being a device which helps a guitar player to produce chords without having to use their own grip and the second a movement-lead touchboard which can be integrated into the front board of a wheelchair. Hand motions over the board create sounds which in turn can be manipulated and recomposed into melodies and rhythms through movements.
Further experimental processes which are being carried out by musicians with and without disabilities in Hamburg in the lead-up to Soundform include a digital music production interface which creates high-quality sounds through eye or body movement.
The programme for Soundform is currently being developed together with barner16 art collective, the Hamburer Konservatorium and the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. It will feature workshops, lectures and presentations and will bring together a number of actors in the german-speaking music world to carry out this area of work further.
ALL FILM DOCUMENTATIONS - KLICK HERE
SOUND FORM Program
Please find the documentation here
FOR APPLYING TO THE CONFERENCE PLEASE GO HERE
Wednesday 20 March 2019: Presentations and Workshops
An open event for musicians based in Hamburg to present different adapted instruments and share strategies for inclusive music-making.
Venue: Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg
Thursday 21 March – Friday 22 March 2019_Symposium
A two-day symposium for german-speaking music-makers, producers and educators.
Themes:
· Inclusive approaches to music-making through digital initiatives
· New-thinking in the creation and playing of analogue instruments
· Sound and Performance
Format:
· Instrument Market
· Presentations
· Concerts
Invited collaborators:
DE: Till Bovermann (Research/Musician_3DMIN Design, Development and Dissemination of New Musical Instruments UdK Berlin/TU Berlin)
GB: Sam Parke Wolf (Developer_Goldsmith University of London), Stephen Hetherington (Founder of the OHMI-Trust), DRAKE MUSIC John Kelly (Musician), Sam Parke Wollf (Developer)
IR: Franziska Schröder (Queens University of Belfast, Director „Performance without barriers“), Alex Lucas (Queens University of Belfast), Michelle McCormack/Damian Hirst/Marylouise McCord (The Drake Music Project Nothern Ireland), Damian Hirst (Musician), Mary Louise McCord (Musician)
FIN: Koray Tahiroglu (Designer_Sound and Physical Interaction research group Aalto University ), Julia Lohmann (Designer_Aalto University), Andi Best-Dunkley (Designer), Sourya Sen (Designer)
SPN: Rafael Ramirez (Music and Machine Learning Lab Univerität Pompeu Barcelona), Zacharias Vamvakousis (Designer_Developer)
SE: ShareMusic & Performing Arts, Peter Larsson (Musician, Artist), Sophia Alexanderson (Head), Paul Bothén (Musician)
NL: Cas van Son (Designer), Karin van Dijk (Musician), Ruud van der Wel (My breath my music)
Friday 22 March 2019 1.30 p.m.: Developers’ Lab
Meeting Point for Programmers, Designers and Instrument Makers, for collaborative
sharing of projects, experiences and methods.
SOUNDFORM – Instruments for All
EUCREA e.V in cooperation with
barner 16 (alsterarbeit gGmbH) / Hamburger Konservatorium / Hochschule für bildende Künste (HFBK) / Hochschule für Musik und Theater (HFMT) / DRAKE MUSIC
Supported by Aktion Mensch
www.eucrea.de
Contact: Angela Müller-Giannetti / / Tel +49 (0)40 39 90 22 12