Symphony for 2 bicycles CyFest

Interactive sound installation, performance, 2021 (2022 edition)
Animation and sound generated in real time
Max/MSP, 2 bikes, 2 synthesizers, projection screen, active speakers
Engineers: Alexey Grachev, Alexander Bochkov

Performers: Alexander Bochkov, Sergey Komarov

Produced in collaboration with and with the support of CYLAND MediaArtLab

The artists on the bicycles regulate the sound and rhythm with their pedaling, and together they create the final work. The way the "symphony" is played depends on the movement of both riders. The intentions and aspirations of the participants acquire sonorous expression. They can synchronize and try to turn the pedals to the same rhythm, to be in harmony. Or they can intentionally disturb it and cause harmonic fluctuations, creating complex combinations of sounds that arise when movements are out of sync.

This is an experiment on what an object is capable of doing in addition to its original purpose. Here the functionality of a technological object is valued not for its usability, but for the distinctive feature that determines what sound will be created.

The other objective of the work is to reveal rhythms and connections in space whose existence is not usually captured in everyday life. Potentially, a sound can be produced from any object. In this project, the sound source is the "bicycle-human" techno-assembly. The abstract sound of a bicycle incorporated into the installation refers to all the "wordless" processes and objects that elude direct observation, but play an important role in determining the kind of world we live in.