Ensayo sobre la bicicleta

This piece belongs to my series of ‘live code essays’ or works of live 'tweaking' sound art, which can be described as 'editing-performances'. I am interested in the boundaries (and possible misinterpretations by the audience!) between computer language and natural language projected on screen, but also in the creative flow of code editing as a performance. Although these pieces are not traditional live coding (as much code is prepared beforehand), edits and new lines of code are compiled and performed live in front of the audience and projected on screen. Photography and text chunks are also presented algorithmically and related to the essays. The relative messiness of the screen shared with the audience reflects the coexistence of the many media formats and the way computer composers think musically. From a conceptual perspective, the ensayos attempt a media art take on the essays of French renaissance essayist Michel de Montaigne (1533-92). In his essays Montaigne contemplates a topic and freely moves between quotation of the classics, his everyday experiences and his own philosophical musings. His writing is fresh and varied and likely to leave the reader with more questions than answers. In this he is a role model for me. I have tried to use sounds that elicit instant visual associations and play with their meaning, juxtaposing, mixing and transforming. But I am also interested in the hyper linking spirit of Montaigne's referencing and the potential for plundered media to help enrich the poetic message.