Woven Threads was created during a UBC Laptop Orchestra residency at the Numediart lab at the University of Mons, Belgium by Kiran Bhumber, Fidelia Lam, Samantha Ballard, Simon Hecker and Belgian students Mathilde Brousmiche, Cecile Ballingand, and Manon Moulin.
Woven Threads uses Max/MSP and Ableton Live to record, loop, and process sound, controlled through gesture tracking. The work involves clarinet, harp and smartphones (iPhone and Android) to create a textural and timbral experience. The smartphones generate gesture-tracking data from onboard sensors using a custom-written application and network. The resulting data triggers audio layers and controls the processing and generation of sounds.
In the first part of the piece the clarinet and harp alternate being recorded and looped back through Max/MSP and interlock with synthetic layers that are individually triggered in Ableton Live by smartphone data. As the first half of the piece progresses, layers are combined to create a multilayered texture with interlocking rhythms and harmonies. In the contrasting second half the clarinet and harp continue their antiphonal interaction, but in a much freer atmosphere, with the smartphones controlling processing and pads. The piece ends with a short return to the opening gestures, providing rhythmic, harmonic and textural closure.
Premiere performance: La Fabrique de Théâtre, Mons, Belgium