Yesterday afternoon, the Mobile Interactive Computer Ensemble (MICE) made the most of our brief stop in Singapore and arranged an international concert with students at the National University of Singapore. Dubbed “an international drive-by concert” by MICE’s director, Professor Matthew Burtner, the performance took place while we were anchored and being refueled off of the coast of Singapore.The performance, which was broadcast through Singapore by the National University of Singapore’s radio station, NUS Radio Pulze, was comprised of four pieces. Before the show began though, Professor Burtner introduced listeners to MICE’s unique style of music and all of us in the Union got to say hello to our counterparts at the National University. Matthew described the performance to the audience as “sound-art pieces that explain the natural environment around us and human interaction with it in new ways.”
First up was Kañja, which had been recorded while the MV Explorer was sailing across the Indian Ocean from East Africa to India. Next was an ensemble for percussion, saxaphone, and computers entitled That which is bodiless is reflected in bodies. The third MICE piece was Sandprints, which MICE performers recorded during our visit to Namibia.
The grand finale was Singapore Beacon, which was specifically designed for this visit. The technology was initially developed by a UVa grad class under Professor Burtner’s direction and was adapted by MICE for this performance. Anyone who was able to download the software created by MICE before the show was able to participate. It basically worked like a computer game. When Matthew gave us the signal, we started the program, which transformed our laptops into instruments and us into musicians. Our computers emitted a beep, or beacon, which we controlled through the MICE program. As we adjusted the tone and pulse, the sound changed and we could explore different pitches and rhythms as we wanted. It was a great experience and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone!
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