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Echolocation
Other live event: 04-06 Sep 2008 -- 19:00-22:00
Presented by: RobertJarvis
Public: £5 advance / £5.50 Thurs / £6 Fri / £6.50 Sat
Oxford Botanical Garden
Oxford -- UK
http://www.ocmevents.org/events/spring_08/magic%20hour/magic%20hour_08.htm

As part of Oxford Contemporary Music's "Magic Hour" event in collaboration with the Oxford Botanical Garden, Kyma user and sound installation artist, Robert Jarvis, will be showing a new work that takes its material, as well as inspiration, from the many bats that visit the garden each evening.

As the bats fly in, in search of food, they emit ultrasonic calls at a frequency above the human range of hearing. Jarvis's installation starts with these calls and processes them in Kyma to create a real-time musical composition for listeners to experience at the same time as viewing the bats.

Robert has been developing the concept of this work for about a year now, and it was recently shortlisted for the 2008 New Music Award (http://www.prsfoundation.co.uk/newmusicaward/echolocation.htm). The performances at Oxford Botanical Garden will be the first time the work has been performed publicly.

As well as the Echolocation installation, Robert has also created another piece in collaboration with students from the local St Barnabas' Primary School. This installation, entitled Predator takes its inspiration from the various insects introduced to the garden by the Botanical gardeners as part of their biological control programme. In a similar manner to how the biocontrol creatures are introduced as natural predators, so too this sound installation aims to introduce a form of audio-control for the public as darkness sets in. Multiple speakers hidden amongst the undergrowth will play short disturbing compositions designed to encourage listeners to move along and ultimately return home.

To track the compositional progress of both the Echolocation and Predator installations, you can read Robert Jarvis's blog at http://themagichour.wordpress.com .

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