Diffuse: Immerse in a world of audio-visual collaboration

A cutting edge digital media audio-visual seminar and performance, entitled Diffuse, is to be held at Southern Cross University's Lismore campus on Friday, August 20.

The event brings together four internationally recognised artists to share their skills in producing a live, immersive audio-visual experience.

Course co-ordinator of the Bachelor of Media at Southern Cross University Dr Grayson Cooke is one of the visual artists who will perform. He said Diffuse was a fantastic opportunity for students, staff and the public to hear from people working at the cutting edge of digital media performance today.

“The performance will be a mixture of live ambient electronic music coupled with multiple projections of live visuals. Immersion is the key aim here - the production of an immersive audio-visual field, a sensual stimulation of the eyes and ears,” Dr Cooke said.

“Because the performance is a collaboration and improvisation, each artist will react in some way to what the others are doing, producing a tight integration between the audio and visual materials, a kind of virtual synaesthesia.

“Electronic or electro-acoustic music has been performed live for many years - from early experiments by composers like John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen, through the synthesizers used by seminal bands like Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream.

“Contemporary performers like Lawrence English and Rafael Anton Irisarri, who will be involved in the ‘Diffuse’ seminar and performance, use computers, analogue instruments and live signal processing to produce new and unimagined sonic worlds.

“Likewise, there is a long tradition of the live production of screened visuals. Beginning with the magic lantern shows of the 18th century through to the 19th century colour organs which allowed people to play colours on modified keyboards, to the immersive projections and hallucinogenic light shows of 1960s and 1970s expanded cinema, and finally to today's VJ performances in clubs, theatres and galleries.

“Diffuse brings these traditions together in a live audio-visual collaboration.

“The artists speaking and performing are all established artists who perform on an international stage, regularly touring and playing to audiences in clubs, galleries and festivals around the world. They are also all very much involved in the business side of digital media - running record labels, blogs, workshops and music festivals.

“They will be able to share their perspectives on what it means to make a living as a performer in the electronic music and live video world, touring, writing grant applications, and collaborating internationally,” Dr Cooke said.

Diffuse consists of a free afternoon seminar and an evening performance, both to be held on Friday, August 20 at the Southern Cross University Lismore campus. The seminar will be given by Lawrence English, Rafael Anton Irisarri and Jaymis Loveday from 1pm – 3pm in Studio 129 in D Block. The evening performance will be held at the same venue starting at 7pm. The cost is $15 or $10 for concession and tickets are available at the door.

For more information contact Grayson Cooke on 02 66203839 or email Grayson.cooke@scu.edu.au.

Photo: Live generative art created by Grayson Cooke entitled Ekypyrosis.