February 7th – March 22nd: exhibition in Kunstenlab Deventer. Other participating artists are: Hellen Abma, Sebiha Demir, Aukje Grouwstra, Michael Klinkenberg, Patrick Mangnus + Theo Harmelink. The opening is Friday the 13th, 20:00 hrs. and features a live performance by Jeroen Diepenmaat and Rik Marsman.

I’m showing an adaptation of How Random – Is Random on two digital photoframes (check the video overhere). I’m also showing a simple sound installation with four random channels, continuously generating random compositions from looped audio samples.

Update 1: The audio loops I had originally selected for my new sound installation in Kunstenlab didn’t quite perform like I had hoped they would perform… they were probably still too recognizable as individual beats, melodies and structures. So I decided to chop two pre-recorded piano pieces in seperate notes and chords. This way the outcome is truly a new, continuously executed random composition. I’m replacing the audio tomorrow and have high expectations. After all, Kunstenlab translates as Art Laboratory, so researching and improving my work during the exhibition should be fine… right?

Update 2: The replaced sounds work very nice! As expected, or maybe even better. I also came up with a good title for this sound installation now: Quatre Mains Aléatoire, a random piano composition by four cd players (check the video overhere).

Update 3: Last Friday a lot of people showed up at the opening. The live performance by Jeroen Diepenmaat and Rik Marsman was amazing! Check some photo’s on Flickr and video on Vimeo.

Presentation/promo video for Toekomstmuziek Deventer 2030.

This video and many more presentations feature in the Deventer 2030 event on the 29th of November at De Brink in Deventer. And Midas Klare (8) performs live with Nintendo DS from 15:25-15:30!

At first, I was a bit scared about me personally playing such a large part in this video (or any video for that matter), but I think it turned out okay… Many thanks to Bart Folmer for thinking up this video and producing it!

I’m participating in the Focus 7 exhibition in KCO, Zwolle. Focus is a series of exhibitions with a focus on art & design from Overijssel. The exhibition starts April 1st and ends May 16th.

I’m making two brand new (and improved) variations on Multitupper right now. I’m also showing Rockin’ Chair and Restore I (Thonet) and probably Klapraspkruk, which I still regard as the best of my older work.

Bart Folmer is preparing a percussive performance on Rockin’ Chair for the opening of this exhibition. I’ve listened to some of it already and if all goes well it will be quite amazing and totally different (again) from the other performances on Rockin’ Chair so far (by Alan Purves and Jan Wolfkamp). Expect more use of electronics and technoid loop-based rhythms this time.

The opening is on the 4th of April, 17:00. Don’t miss it!!

The other participants in this edition of Focus are: Fetsje Anema, Marko de Kok, Angeline de Jong, Philipp Wiynck, Els Mondt and Sanne van der Spek.

For more information check the KCO website, or download these two pdf documents (here and here), with the complete and very extensive Focus poster/brochure, including short interviews with the participants (in Dutch).

Update: Photo’s of Bart Folmer playing Rockin’ Chair at the opening of Focus 7 on the 4th of April:

Bart is using some additional electronics to create loops and extra modulations of Rockin’ Chair’s output signal. He also utilizes his ringtone to record additional audio layers through Rockin’ Chair.

There are some more photo’s on Flickr and a video registration below. Sorry for the poor sound quality of this footage, it obviously sounded much better in real life.

Saturday December 8th, my Rockin’ Chair participates in Motors Of Invention in Worm, Rotterdam.

Motors Of Invention is a series of concerts, films and demonstrations spread out over the month December, in which the creators of self invented instruments play a central role. Motors Of Invention is curated by Lukas Simonis, Pierre Bastien and Peter Taylor.

The programme of Saturday the 8th consists of short performances by Der Wexel, TokTek, Optical Machines and Alan Purves (playing Rockin’ Chair). And John Heijmans gives a short lecture about the Sirenen Orkest, a project he’s developing with the Veenfabriek. Check here for (a lot) more info.

It promises to be a very interesting evening and I can’t wait to hear what Alan ‘Gunga’ Purves can do with my Rockin’ Chair! For those of you who don’t know who Alan Purves is (for me the name rang a bell, but I had to look him up), you can read this to get an impression.

Update: Check the (crappy) video registration below. I’m still waiting for the footage that was shot by the people at Worm. That’s probably better quality…

‘Restore I’ is a unconventionally restorated original Thonet chair. The chair missed one leg and the round piece that joins the four legs together. The restoration was carried out in multiplex(!), carefully pieced together to form a shape that resambles the original chair as closely as can be expected from this material. The chair is also fully functional again and it is in fact one of the most comfortable Thonet chairs I have ever sat on.

‘Restore I’ is to be the first in a series of unconventional (furniture) restorations. I will also work with objects on request. Please contact me if you wish to commission ‘restoration’ of your object.

Price: 790 euro