The Vibro-tactile as a Creative Medium

Organized by VibraFusionLab
Coordinator: David Bobier

 TADs treats the body as a secondary hearing vessel. While the individual is

watching or playing their favourite entertainment system, TADs will take the audio soundtrack and split, isolate and reshape the frequencies to deliver sound vibration to various locations on the body. You feel absolutely everything you hear; characters voices, beating wings, explosions. you sense and recognize these individual sounds as they actually are. No substitutions!
Research and development into different forms of tactile audio displays is an

ongoing project at TAD, where we aim to continue to increase and heighten the tactile sensations you can feel using out devices and systems. New TAD systems are in development for a variety of applications, which will lead to a totally new form of media that can create the third sense in the tactile-audiovisual experience everyone can enjoy. New developments include current projects by artists, musicians, and film makers entering the new dimension of true sound immersion and tactile audio displays.

 Since 2010 London-based artist David Bobier has been partnering with this team of

researchers from Ryerson University and TADs Inc., Toronto to explore the potential of vibration as a compositional medium and an expressive means of artmaking. Bobier`s interests in this technology is not only for his own creative purposes but to encourage other professionals in the arts to consider the potential of this innovative research. At the 2013 Toronto International Deaf Film and Arts Festival, Bobier organized a vibrotactile workshop involving six Deaf filmmakers. The intent of the workshop was to experiment with including vibration as an additional modality in the movie theatre experience. In January of this year a 3-day workshop was offered in London, Ontario in collaboration with Adam Caplan and the UnLab. Participating in the workshop was a dozen talented artists, musicians and performers from London and the region. From the energy of the workshop and the desire to continue the exploration of the vibrotactile, VibraFusionLab (London) was founded. To further highlight and promote the creative opportunities of this project, Dianne Pearce, Curator of Public Programming, Museum London, kindly invited us to be part of this Nuit Blanche cultural celebration.

UnLab, Convergence Centre, Research Park, UWO

In partnership with Adam Caplan and UnLab, Convergence Centre, Research Park, UWO
January 27, 28, 29 2012 Workshop participants: Dennis Siren, Leslie Putnam, Jordan Stevens, James Kirkpatrick, Bernie Koenig, Richard Moule, Sigi Torinus, Peter Thompson, James Barber

In forming this new artists research collective our principal aims are:

1) establishing a satellite research lab in partnership with Ryerson University 2) continuing individual investigation of the vibrotactile medium as a form of expressive, artistic language 3) exploring opportunities of collaborating with other creative arts organizations in the region 4) providing the ongoing opportunity and venue for all regional artists, arts institutions and organizations to investigate vibration as an emerging art form or as a complementary medium to their existing art forms 5) promoting a public awareness and appreciation of vibration as an innovative artistic medium 5) supporting and promoting public presentations of vibrotactile creations 6) offering training workshops in using and developing the vibrotactile system

7) promote and provide availability of the Lab to Deaf artists and arts professionals
8) foster creative collaboration between Deaf and hearing artists. Founder and Coordinator: David Bobier

 Audio Lodge is a Canadian sound art collective based in London Ontario

dedicated to the aural exploration of cultural systems and their unexpected analogues in the environment. Founded by multidisciplinary artists Kevin Curtis-Norcross, Troy David Ouellette and Paul Walde, the collective was established as a platform for interdisciplinary research using sound as a point of departure. Audio Cartography is a technique developed by the group for transposing music notation and other visual descriptions of sound into geographic mapping.

Transmorphous Sound Ensemble

The Transmorphous Sound Ensemble (aka Transmorphous SE) consists of

Chris Meloche and Richard Moule. The Transmorphous SE is a forum for sonic creation in which the two participants create an atmosphere in which sounds can organically grow and morph into ever-changing soundscapes. The duo use traditional musical instruments in a non-traditional manner. Their works are completely spontaneous and "in the moment" but with a definite feeling that the sounds have been arranged in a very deliberate manner.

 Dennis Siren works in partnership with his wife Wendy Saby in Saby Siren

Productions London Ontario. He has experimented in binaural sound recording since the 70's and a free form, streaming approach to sound and musical composition. He recently won Most Original in the Fringe 62 hour film contest. As a collaborator he has recently worked with UWO Writer-inResidence (2009-10) Penn Kemp in creating Luminous Entrance.
I'm strung between my studio @ home with the bigillion tracks and effects with

synchronis wigget doggles and the iMaschine app. on my ipod touch. It has 4 tracks and with a few options but a bigillion combinations. Dennis Siren

 How do a blind physicist and a deaf artist communicate to each other their

perception of the stars?

Wanda Diaz: (blind) NASA Astrophysicist. Uses Space Science Sonification to

listen to the frequencies of the cosmos- an audible form of analysis that provides a more fine-tuned analysis than a visual graph. Gwen Dobie: (deaf) Performance artist, York University Fine Arts professor, theatre director and choreographer. Out of the Box Productions. Maayke Schurer: Videographer, Fine Artist.
There is a tremendous degree of untapped potential within the negative space

of the senses. The way deaf and blind people perceive their environment is very different. What do the deaf and the blind experience that others miss out on? This is an exciting opportunity for cross-pollination between a deaf and blind artist by way of Space Science Sonification and the Emoti-chair.

See accompanying video presentation of Lunar Vibration

 The Vibro-tactile as a Creative Medium Coordinated by David Bobier

Many thanks to: Museum London Centre for Learning Terchnologies & SMART Lab, Ryerson University

Maria Karam & TADs Inc.

Adam Caplan & UnLab Maayke Schurer, Gwen Dobie & Wanda Diaz London Arts Council Ontario Arts Council Canada Council for the Arts Carmen Branje, Sai Cherucumilli

 Special thanks to:

Dianne Pearce, Curator of Public Programs Audio Lodge (Paul Walde, Troy Oulette, Kevin Curtis-Norcross) Transmorphous Sound Ensemble (Richard Moule, Chris Meloche) Dennis Siren

Workshop Participants:
Dennis Siren Leslie Putnam Jordan Stevens James Kirkpatrick Bernie Koenig Richard Moule Sigi Torinus Peter Thompson James Barber