Vísindavaka Science Fair!

Come meet us in Laugardalshöll on Saturday
Thu Sep 29 2022

This Saturday, October 1st, from 13:00-18:00 we will be greeting anyone and everyone in our booth as Vísindavaka Science Fair in Laugardalshöll. Vísindavaka in Iceland is part of European Researchers’ Night, a yearly event in around 340 towns and cities all over Europe!

This means we need to use Friday to prepare for the fair, so unfortunately there will be no Open Lab this week, but in way, we are bringing the Open Lab on the road! We will show loads of interesting intstruments at the fair and people are allowed to try it out. Furthermore, we will set up a performance with our friend Eydís Kvaran who will be playing the halldorophone.

Hope to see you there! Check out our booth options below.


The halldorophone

A wooden electronic instrument resembling a cello

The halldorophone

The halldorophone is a unique instrument designed for feedback. The vibration of the strings is amplified and routed to a speaker at the back of the instrument. The unstable nature of the instrument exacerbates the uniqueness of each performance. Come see the instrument in our booth and watch Eydís Kvaran’s performance.


The Organolib

Many different types of instruments and instrumental parts, both acoustic and electronic, placed on a yellow surface.

We'll be bringing a tiny version of the Organolib

People of all skills and backgrounds can come and explore the technologies used to create intelligent musical systems. Be one of the first people to see a small version of the library of technical elements that we’re currently designing, a tool that helps us understand the role of technology in creative work. The Organolib is our library of technical elements, which is an experimental system for the assemblage of protypes and demos. We use this to quickly generate and explore ideas together with artists and researchers.


Knurl

A large white upright instrument on a yellow table, a young woman standing next to it, smiling.

Rafaele with her Knurl in the Yellow Lab

Knurl is an instrument-interface exploring concepts of polyphony into the practice of a bowed string instrument. It runs and modifies live synthesis sounds while can program and plan the development of new ones. Its interface offers the manipulation of up to 4 sounds by potentiometers, tasks , machine learning system or a counterpoint. Its creator, Rafaele Andrade, will be with us at the fair, showcasing her instrument.


The Proto-Langspil

Boxy wooden string instrument.

Jack Armitage with the Proto-Langspil, one of the first instruments we worked on

The proto-langspil is a contemporary interpretation of the langspil, an Icelandic monochord-like folk instrument. In our work we have explored its agential and performative qualities. Further info in a NIME paper.


Notochord

A technical diagram with math symbols and lines.

The Notochord Diagram

The Notochord is a machine learning system for MIDI data which processes each event very quickly, making it a software backbone for building intelligent instruments for realtime performance. It is made for MIDI data: once trained on a corpus of MIDI files, it can generate music, accompaniment, harmonisation, AI improvisation, or weirder forms of MIDI mangling.


Scramble

Technical audio interface.

Scramble Interface

Scramble is a hands-on MIDI tool for aided composition and performance. It analyses MIDI files and generates musical patterns out of them. It also incorporates the real time input from instruments for real-time interaction. Scramble combines melodic and rhythmic models from any number of songs in order to produce unexpected musical outcomes.


Linnstrument

An electronic instruments with many buttons.

The Linnstrument

Linnstrument is a music performance controller with 3D note expression designed by Roger Linn. The grid based MIDI controller, playable with one or two hands, is velocity sensitive, but also senses three dimensions per finger, polyphonically


Learn more about Visindavaka: https://www.visindavaka.is/