V'Oct(Ritual)

V'Oct(Ritual) [2011] an interactive vocal work for vocalist, Bodycoder System, live Max/MSP and automated and performer controlled 8-channel spatialization.

V’Oct(Ritual) places the audience inside a circular liminal space of sonic evocation and transformation the boundary of which is defined by the presence of eight loudspeakers (21st century standing stones) that mediate and are the containers for the performers’ vocal transmogrifications.

V’Oct(Ritual) features the Bodycoder System© the first generation of which was developed by the artists in 1995. The Bodycoder interface is a flexible sensor array worn on the body of a performer that sends data generated by movement to an MSP environment via radio. Movement data is mapped in a variety of ways to live processing and manipulation. All processed sound is derived from the live and acoustic voice of the performer. The Bodycoder also provides the performer with real-time access to processing parameters and patches within the MSP environment as well as control over the sensitivity of sensors. In this way all vocalisations, decision making, navigation of the MSP environment and qualities of expressivity are selected, initiated and manipulated by the performer, uniquely, this also includes access to gestural control of live 8-channel spatialization. This piece is fully scored with few moments of improvisation.

To enable the accurate and sensitive positioning of generated material over multiple channels an 8-channel performer monitoring system is used in performance.