Hexagram-Concordia Centre for Research
Creation in Media Arts and Technologies

in collaboration with

Concordia University - Department of Music

"Water Birds" is an interactive composition for Bb and bass clarinet, computer music and wireless sensor system by Mara Helmuth and Rebecca Danard. A wireless sensor network with infra-red sensors responds to the clarinetist’s movements, and sends data into MaxMSP for signal processing control. The wireless sensor configuration was developed by Jung Hyun Jun, Talmai Oliveira, Amitabh Mishra, Ahmad Mostafa and Dharma Agrawal, and extended for this project in collaboration with Helmuth. MaxMSP Mxj Java objects were created to receive data from the programmed tmote sensors. Helmuth’s score consists of four sound-generating ideas. Her Max patch and RTcmix scripts process the clarinet sound with spectral delays through the rtcmix~ plugin for Max5. Danard created a working score solidifying her decisions about materials played and order of events. Helmuth and Danard’s interactive compositional process allowed to piece to evolve organically into a work commenting on the interaction of people, nature and technology.

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