On April 22th, we performed at the famoushall forhis daringin contemporary art,the "Arsenal" in Montreal, during acorporate eventorganized by theOxygèneagency, includingvarious performances,circus arts(Cirque Éloïze)and music.
6giant screensaround usin this hugeindustrial building.
VJ"La fille de la vidéo" make a remarkable visualart workon these screens,in perfect symbiosis withour performance.
She combinedlivecaptured imagesofthe minicamera placedon the chestof the painterandEA'simage bank,and also a lot ofvisual effectsof all kinds.An impeccablesound system,a light showwell balanced,hyper-competent technicians, in short, perfect conditionsto give the bestof ourselves.
AIM is a new, outdoor electronic music
festival that will be held from June 26 to 28, 2015 at Parc Carillon in
St-André d'Argenteuil, Québec. AIM is a non-profit organization that
supports the arts and is dedicated to becoming a unique Canadian
platform for exposing attendees to leading-edge music and multimedia art
from around the globe. With a focus on live and DJ performances,
interactive multimedia art, sound and digital technology, AIM offers a
non-pretentious, vision of the festival industry. We propose an ultimate
and intimate set design in a festival environment. Our goal in the
event's first year is to reach ten thousand or more attendees. Our
marketing strategies will speak directly to our public with a
direct-to-fan approach using new technologies, interactive concepts,
ideas, and first class graphic design. Our mandate is to provide
cutting-edge, established and emerging artists destined for the global
market and to create artistic convergence. No fast-food music, no foam,
no cake, no steam. We promise an immersive on-site experience. AIM is
one of the only festivals in Canada authorized to offer non-stop music
for 32 hours (from Saturday, June 27, 10 AM through Sunday, June 28 at 6
PM)! Facilities will therefore be built to fully engage the community
in the experience. On-site activities will also include educational and
artistic workshops. The goal is to offer an interactive and captivating
experience for everyone. With your help, we hope to make a difference in
the world as well as in the industry. -source AIM
The electro-acrylic project is constantly evolving. There are so many opportunities to explore. At the last practice, Fred (Dj Pfreud) tested new filters and sounds, allowing the transformation of the brush stroke sounds on the harmonics level. It all created a different playing on the canvas. Even to the point where other tools for painting have emerged… as the trowel. Fyi : A trowel on the surface of a miked canvas, it sounds pretty special !
The metal on the flax significantly increases the friction effect and and amplifies it. Then going through the new filters, melodies are generated. The composition of the image has been affected.
Of course, at the beginning of each new path of experimentation, the work is focused, controlled and structured in order to properly study it and master it. This is exactly what happened here. This painting shows only the trowel experiments. But it also suggests an avenue of a multitude of possibilities. Mixed with other techniques already in place, it should provide enhanced sound and visual dimension. It's a bit like adding a new cymbal with a special sound to a drum set.
Projet Électro-Acrylique
is an art and music project conceived by two artists living in Montreal
– Frédéric Laurier and Alec Stephani. The two performed a few months
ago at the 15th anniversary of Mutek and Elektra for EM15,
two festivals organized for the promotion and combination of electronic
music, digital arts, and technological innovation in Montreal. During a
live performance by Projet Électro-
Acrylique, Alec paints and uses
charcoal to draw abstract art on a custom made canvas that has multiple
contact microphones sitting behind it allowing any friction, movement,
or stroke to be recorded at the smallest dynamic level. As each stroke
of crayon or brush is recorded, Frédéric, a sound designer, transforms
the vibrations of Alec’s brush and crayon strokes into dark, weird, and
beautiful techno-based sounds. I had the opportunity to discuss the
project through a Q&A session with them.
How do you guys create songs? Can you talk through the
process a little bit? I’m kind of mind blown by the process and still
trying to wrap my head around it.
Alec : We start from scratch. No sound and nothing on the canvas. At
first, I start to paint. The sound of the brushes on the canvas goes
through the contact microphones behind the canvas and is immediately
diffused live. Frederic (sound designer) filters and transforms the
sound to create textures. Then he records some of the sounds to sequence
them back or sample them and play them back. Eventually, a soundscape
and a rhythm is created. With my brushes on the canvas, I paint in a
rhythmic way so I make and add some groove elements. For example, I can
hit the canvas with a brush and Frederic captures it and tweaks it to
make a kick drums sound.
photo : Éric Simoneau
The
way I paint influences the way Frederic creates the music and the
soundscape that he creates influences the way I paint. [Because of this
connection] We make a live creative feedback on each other. Movement
comes to life. The canvas becomes an instrument.
Were there any major hurdles when you transformed your project from a concept to an actual performance?
Alec : No, because the concept originates from a living painting
performance I did in 2008. This is precisely where and when I got the
idea. I was painting with energy. This created noise. The drummer who
accompanied me took his brushes and begun to follow me recreating the
sounds and movements I was doing. I noticed. We then began to play
together. At the end of the performance, I thought it was necessary to
go further. I needed to add microphones and sensors behind the canvas to
accentuate sounds and movements.
In fact, the basic concept is an observation of the relationship
between the “low tech” and “hight tech” as sources of contemporary
influences. We are confronted daily with this relationship without
realizing it. Technology surrounds us and invades us. When we returning
to the base, we perceive that the “low tech” is a way to refocus. I then
asked how the “low tech” could influencing the “high tech” and vice
versa. Fred and his devices is the “high tech”. He magnifies sound and
movement that I created. Canvas, brushes and color pigments represent
the “low tech”. How, then, “low tech” influences “high tech”? How “high
tech” stimulates “low tech”? This is also applicable to the design, the
music, the contemporary art, and other creative forms.
Fred : I always produced my own music in the studio and my only
public performances were as a DJ. I had very little experience of live
music project before. So when Alec explained the project to me, I
thought he had a great idea and I really wanted to find a solution and
help him make it happen. There are many possible ways to sample and
playback live. But the question is “How to record and playback
immediately the sounds of the brushes ?” But further…. We wanted to be
musical and not only percussive. We wanted to create melodies too. But
we wanted to do it without the help of pre-recorded sequences coming
from external gear like synthesizers. I had to find a way to transform
the sound of the brushes into melodies on the fly. A lot of research led
me to find some ways I could filter the sound of the brushes to turn
them into different frequencies and resonances so I could be able to
play them back live.
photo : Pierre Cloutier
What equipment and hardware do you use for a live performance?
Fred : Alec uses a special easel he designed and built. It holds
contact microphones behind the canvas, a sound mixer and an electronic
drum module. The wires from his sound module sends me the audio signal
of the contact microphones. I use a sound interface, a computer with a
sequencer. I use all sorts of audio plugins and gizmos to filter, loop,
sequence and playback. I use some MIDI controllers for ultimate control.
How did you design the canvas for the project? Did you work
on it by yourself, with help from Frederic, or have to bring in outside
specialists to get it acoustically set up?
Alec : I designed it myself. It was a “Work in progress”. I had to
improve some technical aspects before obtaining the most effective
“canvas-instrument” for this project. I started by simply putting sensor
stuck behind the canvas. The result was already good, but it was not
enough. Today, it has become a real board, a real instrument.
I know that you are a multi-disciplinary artist. What other projects are you currently working on?
Alec : Yes, I have other projects. I was bicycle designer for many
years. Currently, I design carbon wheelchairs for active people. I still
paint different stuff. I’m particularly interested these days with
super heroes. Especially Batman. The dark side of the character and its
image is a source of inspiration. It is the iconographic images of
American comic books of the 50s that inspires me the most. I also
continue to write books. After writing several novels, I wrote a
children’s book.
How did you and Frederic go about practicing for the EM15 gig? Did you treat it like any other performance?
Fred : We jammed and we recorded in the atelier. Since I record
multiple tracks in the sequencer, when I go back in my studio, I can
play with those raw sounds and do some research to find different
possibilities to tweak those sounds (the brushes on the canvas). How to
make interesting melodies with those raw sounds ? This was one of my
main concerns. There are so many nice audio developers out there and so
many possibilities, but I have to find which of them works the best with
that kind of raw audio material. This is really where the Low-Tech
meets the Hi-Tech!
How would you describe your experience of performing at EM15?
First, we did not expect to participate in Mutek festival for at
least another year. But our previous participation in the show “La Nuit
Blanche (“White Night” in French)”, organized by Mutek, gave us the
opportunity to present our project out in public. To be part of the
Elektra festival “Mutek EM15″ was an honour for us. This confirmed that
our project has a great potential. To test this concept in a prestigious
environment (Montreal Contemporary Art Museum), adding video
projection, has been an extraordinary experience. It was truly great!
On April 22th, we performed at the famous hall for his daring in contemporary art, the "Arsenal" in Montreal, during a corporate event organized by the Oxygène agency, including various performances, circus arts (Cirque Éloïze) and music. 
6 giant screens around us in this huge industrial building.
