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Paris
Connection is
co-produced and co-published by Arteonline.arq.br
(Rio), Coriolisweb.org
(Toronto), dichtung-digital.org
(Berlin), Turbulence.org
(New York). It contains introductions to,
interviews with, and reviews on: Jean-Jacques
Birgé, Nicolaus Clauss,
Frédéric Durieu, Jean-Luc Lamarque,
Antoine Schmitt, Servovalve. For French, Portuguese
and Spanish version see: http://vispo.com/thefrenchartists.
The version on dichtung-digitial is made possible
by ZKM. | Birgé | Clauss | Durieu | Lamarque | Schmitt | Servovalve |
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INTERVIEW
with Servovalve
by Jim
Andrews servovalve: It was around
97/98... I don't remember exactly...I just remember that the
first version of Shockwave arrived at the same time...since
then I share most of my working time between Director and
music software. You are a
programmer, I take it? Did you study programming or take it
up on your own? I'm not really a
programmer... perhaps I'm becoming one...
progressively...I've studied graphic art / visual
communication. Mixed with the influence of music....the
curiosity of combining both disciplines brings me to
programming...It was not easy in the beginning... I'm not
scientific minded...I started with Director using it as an
animator (horizontal score). and step by step, with help /
exchange from people like JL.Lamarque, O. Koechlin, and A.
Schmitt, things became clear...it opened a large/infinite
field of exploration to me. My scores are verticalizing
progressively. You are a
musician also. How would you describe the music you
do? Electronic, rhythmic,
energic, atmospheric, horologic (clock connected),
meta-lithurgic... subambiant... neurodance... You perform,
also. What sort of performances are these? Live cinema... random or
controlled diffusion of audio and visual elements, synchronized or
not. Trying to focus audience on the screen/sonic amber...
I'm controlling the process, but each part contains
generative / graphic + random / sonic logics... and give me
different results... Do you use
the work on servovalve.org much in these
performances? Most
pieces on servovalve.org come from these performances, as in
"doin'
dat much"; sometimes
it's the opposite, as in "x-liner"
or "carbon"...
no accurate rules... only the interactivity is
different... not the same control to drive a graphic process
// to offer a usable enigmatic piece on a
website. You have
quite a few CD's out. You produce your own music. Do you go
back and forth between sound only and sound and programming
a lot? Mostly just sound? Or a
mixture? |
"a chaotic mixture... instinctively, a constant going back and forth between sonic/ graphic movements and programmed control process.... always checking the possible results... I try to use the computer as a chaotic audio player, not as a sound tool to record special tracks... so programming is the ultimate part of the work..." |
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Who
are the other people you know who are working with Shockwave
and interactive audio? Including people
you list a few lines down... I can add Olivier
Koechlin. Few
musicians seem to combine the web.work seriously with their
music, but you do. What is your feeling about this
mix? A necessity...
with the electronic... live sensation... fragility...
imperfect... just 1 instant. The "webwork" (light files)
orientates sonic work toward minimalism... to get an
understanding that things change... the computer is the
diffusion system... using it with random rules/variations
seems natural and sensual... How
would you describe your main concerns as an
artist-programmer? 1 : random crossing
reality... synchronicity ??? What
are you working on at the moment? The
construction/production of an "infinite audio cd" played on
a computer. The name of this project is N8... more info soon
at: http://www.servovalve.org/cd/n8/ What
concerns and interests do you share with Schmitt, Clauss,
Durieu and Jean-Luc Lamarque? Antoine and Jean
Luc are good friends of mine and we have worked together
several times. I know Frederic quite well, but I haven't met
Nicolas Clauss. You
all use Director and are artist-programmers. How did this
come about? I thing that the
attraction with Director comes from the easy way you can
quickly visualize a sophisticated programmed
piece. Do
you get together with them from time to time? At first, I met
them through their work on the net... then we met... cause
we all were living in Paris. I notice that people working in
this discipline/search are often very nice... passionate...
interesting... just as if their work's philosophy was
melting with their life... or the opposite? We had the
opportunity to have dinner a few times together... we were
talking in Lingo...!! Do
you think of this situation as unusual—that you are
part of such a talented group of artists that all use the
same tool and are web.artists in the same vicinity? It seems
very splendid to me. Our common point
is the use of a tool for its exploration possibilities...
similarities stop here... everybody can express his own
sensitivity... and happily, we're not using this
tool/instrument in the same way... a trash-metal guitarist,
or a country guitarist are both using a guitar... we're
building our instrument, and we're playing with it...
sometimes we share it. What
is it about where you are that has produced such a group of
high energy artists doing terrific multimedia with Director
for the Web? "Where you are ... ?" I'm
not sure I get it... the important thing is what has been done, what is made,
what will be done. It's excellent that many people work in
this way. Where we are is not so important... We were all living in
Paris... that's the way we met each other... that's all...
that's everything. Thanks for all...your enthusiasm, your
energy. |
