Nicole Carroll. Juried Artist
KEPK
KEPK
Artist Statement
“Hex on Data” is a study of DIY handmade electronic music and live audiovisual practice using a networked system in a duo context. We improvise and explore performance gestures using tactile interfaces and curated technological behaviours that we have designed and crafted ourselves. Following the thematic prompt of “Everywhen” and situating the work within the scope of shifting temporalities, “Hex on Data” considers how each element–hardware and software, tangible and virtual–of the system can both enact and respond to generative processes through gestural control and data manipulation. We explore the role and affordances of each element and how these elements contribute towards the temporal sonic and visual space. “Hex on Data” is an ever-evolving modular system for audiovisual interplay. Whether programming a microcontroller, soldering electronics, laser cutting wood, or software patching in Max or TouchDesigner, all of our work revolves around bespoke making. As each element is designed, tested, and integrated, new control functions and performance affordances inspire the next developments. The fluid and iterative nature of this process is mirrored in the performance practice; thus, it becomes evident that the “work” is not simply the performance or the physical instrument or code but the open-ended and ever-transient system.
About the artists
Dr. John Ferguson is a post-digital musician & multimedia artist based in Brisbane Australia as Head of Creative Music Technology at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. John builds tactile interactive systems and explores creative technology in various contexts. johnrobertferguson.com
Dr. Nicole Carroll is a composer, performer, sound designer, & instrument builder working with audio, video, and tangible objects. Her work spans installation, improvisation, and fixed media performance across noise, soundscape, and acousmatic genres. She is Sr. Lecturer at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. nicolecarrollmusic.com
Credits: John R. Ferguson and Nicole L. Carroll