„Conversations in Space“: Open air audiovisual Performance

starting at 9pm

Renowned video artist Mox (ninjatune, London) and award-winning pianists Francesco Tristano and Kelvin Sholar (both NY) will present an audio visual piece inspired by sound structures and the architecture of the BIX Facade of Kunsthaus Graz.

The idea is to show interaction between architecture and sound, to create a dialogue between the two. This "conversation" will happen through visuals appearing on the building's facade.

Themes for the visuals come from various methods of music analysis and the way sound can be represented in an unusual graphic way. Those studies are based on observation of sound patterns and music notations of the music specially composed for this piece. Effects of those studies will be translated into unique graphical notation system and made into animated 2D and 3D visual material performed live with music.

Another aspect of this project is the BIX Facade itself and its connection with music. The minimalistic and limited structure of the Kunsthaus' facade creates an ideal surface for drawing musical patterns, its very low resolution forcing the creation of very unusual video content. It is like analyzing music details through a huge magnifying glass. This idea also incorporates some recognizable elements within the visuals which will allow the audience to connect with it and go beyond abstraction making the whole dialogue between sound and architecture more real.

The music for this audio-visual performance will be composed by two award-winning pianists, Francesco Tristano and Kelvin Sholar. The music is based on the minimal technique of musicians such as Steve Reich and the timeless themes of Austrian composers like Haydn, Mozart and Schoenberg.

About the artists

Mox is a renowned London based director, architect and visual artist working for Ninja Tune.
Francesco Tristano Schlimé, born in 1981 in Luxembourg, has studied classical piano in Brussels, Paris and New York (Juilliard School) and soon opened up to a wide range of contemporary music such as Jazz, Improvisation and Techno.
Kelvin Sholar is a classically trained and award winning pianist, keyboardist, composer and arranger from New York who has already recorded with such diverse artists and institutions as The New York City Ballet, Branford Marsalis, Q-Tip or Carl Craig.

Information about springeight festival
(May 21-25, 2008)
www.springeight.at