Sun played a symphony on Plymouth building
THE sun has played an extraordinary musical symphony on the front of a University of Plymouth building.
As the sun comes up at around 7am it triggered light sensors on the front of the Roland Levinsky building creating a symphony of sound.
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Sun played a symphony on Plymouth's Roland Levinsky building
The Sunlight Symphony: Sunrise project launched the Peninsula Arts Continuum contemporary music festival at the university. Research assistant Alexis Kirke and technician Tim Hodgson installed the series of light sensors on windows in the building – which enabled the rising sun to 'play' the structure like an instrument.
Alexis Kirke said the sensors are connected to a multi-layered computer music instrument that plays in surround-sound through speakers in the building.
When the sun hits the first window sensor, the concert began with a single note – and then new sounds, melodies and harmonies were layered over the top as the light got brighter and hit more of the sensors. The opposite will also happen at sunset.
Alexis Kirke – a member of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Computer Music Research – worked on the computers while Mr Hodgson worked on getting the sensors to communicate with them.
They have been helped in the project by Dr Andrew Eccleston, a fellow of the Royal Meteorological Society, who has provided information about the movement of the sun and cloud activity.
The event launched the Peninsula Arts Contemporary Music Festival 2010.
This year, the festival has combined with the Plymouth Polish Festival that celebrates the 200th anniversary of Chopin.
Under the umbrella title of Continuum, the two festivals acknowledge 'how music of the western classical tradition continues to play its part within contemporary music practice and research'.
Events during the festival include Interacting Singing Robots on Sunday , featuring autonomous intelligent musical devices sharing the stage with humans to create music 'in unprecedented ways'.
The programme will also feature a global conference of composers and researchers working in cutting edge computer-aided composition, and the debut performance in the UK of an orchestra comprising newly designed instruments in the shape of sculptures.
To close the Continuum festival on Sunday March 7, the Sunlight Symphony: Sunset will be played. Admission to both the sunlight and sunset events is free.
Simon Ible, director of Peninsula Arts, said: "Sunlight Symphony immediately struck us as exciting and original, and ideal for the festival – which is one of the UK's most innovative contemporary music festivals."
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by Taxpayer, Plymouth
Monday, March 01 2010, 11:50PM
“My point is that if the arts have any inherent value, then market forces should be responsible for their funding NOT the public purse. In my humble opinion, when children are living in poverty, life saving drugs on the NHS are rationed and the budget deficit runs into tens of billions, chanelling money to frivilous projects which appeal to a tiny (and relatively affluent) minority is a national scandal.”
by guardian reading wastrel, plymouth
Monday, March 01 2010, 10:24AM
“OH NO! Not arty farty wastrels who like... art and stuff... why aren't they drinking beer and shouting at women down the docks?!
*sigh* No one appreciates innovation or culture anymore.”
by Marc, Plymouth
Monday, March 01 2010, 8:10AM
“Well I never thought I'd see the day the Aeolian Harp came back into vogue! The Romantics would be proud.
Fantastic project.”
by music lover, plymouth
Monday, March 01 2010, 7:38AM
“this event caused so much interest that the lead article in last weeks independent on sunday travel section was about plymouth and what a great tourist destination it is, and the first paragraph was all about this music! so - tax payer - it's helped the tourist economy here.”
by Taxpayer, Plymouth
Monday, March 01 2010, 1:40AM
“In the middle of the worst recession since records began, it is comforting to know that much needed public funds are being used to entertain half a dozen students, a few lentil eating, Guardian reading arty farty wastrels and the local pigeon and seagull populations. I'm sure the staff members of the university who are living on subsistence wages under the threat of redundancy will be delighted with this important cultural event, and look forward to more money being poured into future projects pandering to the pretentious minority.”