Bill Coleman and Gordon Monahan: Sound of Mind and Body Carelton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, Ottawa (2024)
A sound art performance in the restored sanctuary of the former Dominion-Chalmers Church, this collaboration by Bill Coleman and Gordon Monahan uses concepts of human-to-computer brainwave interfacing to manipulate and produce real-time music, sound and lighting, integrated with dance, body performance and slapstick. An EEG interface worn by dancer-choreographer Coleman sends data to several Max/MSP software patches in real-time. As Coleman shifts through various states of mental and physical concentration and movement, he is able to produce and control alpha-brainwaves while dancing. He uses these alpha waves in conjunction with Monahan’s software manipulations, to produce various responses in musical instruments such as piano and percussion, to control the fading of stage lights, and to control sound spatialization and audio processing. Monahan simultaneously controls several Max/MSP software patches on stage that harness Coleman’s brain signals to sculpt soundwaves, light, instrumental composition and kinetic actions into a progressively layered multi-media artwork.
Wayne Yang
Special thanks to the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation; Canada Council for the Arts; Crabtree Foundation; Erfurt University; Greenshields Foundation; Jackman Foundation; Kamloops Art Gallery; Landfall Trust; Modern Fuel Artist-run Centre; Mississippi Valley Textile Museum; Mount Saint Vincent University Art Gallery; Ontario Arts Council; Owens Art Gallery; ParisCONCRET; RCA Trust; and The Rooms.