from digital ECHOS to virtual ETHOS
Music technology meets philosophy

PerMagnus Lindborg: Locust Wrath #2

PerMagnus Lindborg: Locust Wrath #2

Onassis Cultural Center, Lobby 2

The Locust Wrath is a system for interactive sonification in Max (Cycling ‘74). It was developed June-October 2013 for a multimedia and dance performance with the same name (Liong, Koh, ANONYMOUS 2013). The system allows real-time control over parameter mapping and scaling of concurrent streams of data. For the first performance, a data set of 38 million values was produced by scientists at the Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI/NUS), and represented climate predictions towards the year 2099, including temperature, rainfall, and wind speed in a geographical grid of 352 points covering a 25,000 km2 region of South-East Asia. The data were mapped onto a bank of unit generators (modified plucked string model). Flexible mapping and parametrisation allowed the musical character of the output to be varied in real-time and tuned to suit a particular dramatic or acoustic situation. Eventually, several 18-channel surround soundscapes were rendered for the performance.

PerMagnus Lindborg is a composer, sound artist and researcher in sound perception. Member of the Norwegian Society of Composers and assistant professor at School of Art, Design and Media, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Studied piano in his native Sweden before concentrating on composition. Main research interests include computer-assisted analysis and composition, interactive audiovisual performance, and multimodal perception and design. In parallel with artworks, Lindborg has engaged in empirical research, and is currently completing a doctorate at, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. Peer-reviewed articles/chapters have been published by a.o. LNCS-Springer, eContact, and IRCAM-Delatour.