The work China Gates is technically based on possibilities of synchronizing a group of performers using the clock pulse emitted from GPS satellites. Aesthetically, China Gates is rooted in works for open public space and belongs to a series of works, which celebrate the use of innovative mobile technologies to explore public space and public audience.
A series of tuned gongs are used to perform the work. Tuned to an Eastern musical scale, these gongs give the piece a touch of the orient on the horizontal, melodic side and a western type dissonance on the vertical, chordal side.
In addition to having the gong and beater to create the music, each player wears a custom built GPS interface on the wrist. The interface acts as a “conductor”, indicating when the gongs are to be hit. By using a delay between the satellite clock pulse and the LED that indicates when to strike the gong, a harmolodic effect is obtained as the players gradually shift from a chordal to a melodic structure (and vice versa) dependent on geographical coordinates.
China Gates - Mobile Music Piece for Gongs and Satellitest by Art Clay & Erratum Ensemble Shanghai-Basel
September 27, 2008; 1:30 - 6:00 pm :: Münsterplatz, Basel, Switzerland
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