Projects

Future Perfect is a large scale media opera, commissioned by Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music (IRCAM), Pompidou Centre, Paris and Zentrum für Kunst und Medien (ZKM), Karlsruhe, Germany.

The performance work features a 360 degree spatial audio (ambisonic) score, a VR film and an innovative system to allow layers of the performance to occur across the audience's smartphones.

Please see supporting media below: a documentary about the innovative technologies and compositional framework produced by ZKM, and a 2D video playback of the work including the spatial audio content.

Listed as the "Hottest thing to do on a cold weekend" in the state press in Karlsruhe, Germany, Future Perfect was a highlight of the »inSonic 2018: Algorithmic Spaces« festival at ZKM.

As a guest artist at IRCAM (Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music) in Paris and at ZKM in 2018, Paine developed an immersive 3D video performance for High Order Ambisonics and Virtual Reality, with layers of the musical score performed in real time across the audience's smartphones.

This short documentary was produced by the ZKM | Videostudio and outlines the conceptual framework for the work and the technological developments. The smartphone performance technology was developed with members of the Sound, Movement and Interaction team and Acoustic and Cognitive Spaces team at IRCAM, Paris. Paine performs the smartphone layers live on the audience's smartphones (spatialization, granulation and synchronous sample playback) — these layers add texture and spatial qualities to the experience of the live performance and transform the audience into part of the ecosystem of the work.

Future Perfect — 2D Stereo Render

The video below is a 2D rendering of the Future Perfect VR film and a stereo mix-down of a 6th order ambisonic score (for 49 loudspeakers in a dome). This render does not include the smartphone audio layers performed live across the audience's smartphones — there are things you would hear over the 49 loudspeaker dome that are squeezed into a single sound field here, but it gives a good idea of the score. Some areas of this film are silent for what may feel too long, due to the missing smartphone layers — in performance, these are the smartphone/audience solo sections.

The 3D film was produced using 360° VR footage shot in Paris and animations of photographs of plants found in urban parks in Paris and Karlsruhe. The opening VR footage was shot near the Pont Marie, Paris in February 2018 while in residence at Cité des Arts International.

ZKM Kubus

The image below is of the ZKM Kubus as the audience arrived for a preview performance.

FraKture — it's all an N dimensional vector field.

This video introduces FraKture, a new work for symphony orchestra and the audience's smartphones. In this work, Paine performs layers of sound on the phones of the audience in synchronisation with the orchestral score. This makes everyone present into an ecosystem, all interdependent in the creation of the work in that moment.

A selection of scores for acoustic and electroacoustic works, with recordings where available.

Surface Texture

Commissioned by percussionist Thomas Landschoot, Surface Texture explores the relationship between gesture and timbre. Download the score (PDF).

No Stone Unturned

Written for the San Diego New Music Ensemble, No Stone Unturned combines acoustic instruments with live electronic processing. Download the score (PDF).

Glistening Edge

Commissioned by guitarist Simone Mancuso, Glistening Edge is a work for solo guitar and electronics. Download the score (PDF).

Grace Space

Commissioned by Jason Noble and Ensemble Offspring, Grace Space is a chamber work exploring resonance and stillness. Download the score (PDF).

Fue Shõ

Fue Shõ is a work for shakuhachi and electronics. Download the score (PDF).

Ant Walk – Movement 1

Ant Walk is an electroacoustic work exploring micro-rhythmic textures. Download the score (PDF).

Here is a selection of electroacoustic pieces Garth Paine has composed and performed in recent years. These works all use the Kyma system from Symbolic Sound as the main digital signal processing engine, with several of the works then assembled in Reaper for multichannel ambisonic playback (HOA).

Some field recordings made across the globe. In general these recordings are made using a Sound Devices 788T with a SoundField SPS200 ambisonic microphone and a Schœps double M/S microphone setup in parallel.

Here are some performances Garth Paine has done in recent years that use live electronic instruments and field recordings, acoustic instruments and, in one case, a drum machine… Enjoy!

BalletLab

In 2013 Garth Paine composed and performed the live electronic score for two works by BalletLab, And All Things Return to Nature Tomorrow, performed in two parts.

BodyText

BodyText (2010) was a collaboration with the UK dance company littlepig, exploring the relationship between movement, text and live electronic sound.

Darker Edge of Night

Darker Edge of Night (2009) was a collaboration with hellensky, with Paine creating a live electronic score responding to the choreography and lighting design.

Incarnate

Incarnate was created in collaboration with Company in Space, featuring a generative, interactive sound score driven by the dancers' movements.

A catalog of musical works composed by Garth Paine, 1996–2022.

Year	Work
2022	Float - for resonating cymbals and 5th order ambisonic dome
2021	Frakture: for Symphony Orchestra and the audience’s smart phones
2018	Future Perfect, concert work for Ambisonic (HOA), Smartphone spatial WebAudio and webVR
	Cité International des Arts, Paris
	IRCAM, Centre Pompidou, Paris
	EMPAC, Troy, New York (USA)
	Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG) (Germany)
	Conservatoire de Strasbourg (France)
	Klingt Gut, Hamburg
	Zürich University of the Arts, Switzerland
2018	Metal Music, Musical Instrument Museum, Arizona, for B1 Ensemble, live electronics and percussion
2018	Suspession for resonating orchestral cymbals. Académie Supérieure de Musique de Strasbourg
2017	Surface Texture, Prisms Contemporary Music Festival with Thomas Landschoot (Cello) for solo cello, ensemble & electronics
2016	No Stone Unturned, Prisms Contemporary Music Festival, San Diego New Music Players
2016	Becoming Desert, Music and Landscape conference, Institute for Electronic Music, Graz
2016	Oscillations, Singing Bowl robots exhibited at the CHI2016 Works Gallery, San Jose, California (June 2016) http://art-chi.org
2015	Rainforest Remix – a performance project in partnership with Rainforest Partners and the UN +SocialGood climate campaign to create an immersive musical performance experience of rainforest environments for SxSW Eco (Oct/15). Rainforest Remix will be featured at Texas Earth Day 2016 – this project seeks a broad community engagement with environmental awareness by leveraging the popularity and cultural capital of celebrity DJ’s.
2015	Forrest, for flute and live electronics composed for the President’s Showcase (Fall 2014) and also performed at President’s Weekend (Nov’15), the at the Launch of the Biomimicy center (2015).
2015	Oscillations Singing Bowl robots exhibited at the Shaw Centre, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (June 2015)
2015-18	49 Waltzes by John Cage – Interactive media installation around sonic place-making developed with students at Technische Hochschule Ansbach, Germany
2014	Sonic Alchemy - A recital of Music by Garth Paine at the Skopje Summer Festival, Macedonia including: Ant Walk (solo piano) World Premier, Electrofusion (piano, double bass, percussion and live electronics), Glitch (percussion and live electronics), Encounter (double bass and live electronics), Fue Sho (flute and live electronics) and Drum Machine Piece (Tempest drum machine). The concert featured new interfaces for electronic music performance including the Karlax. Dr. Paine is one of only five artists internationally using the cutting-edge Karlax interface.
2014	Oscillations Singing Bowl robots exhibited in
	Liminal Fields group show, Ice House, Phoenix, AZ, March 2014
	Art Detour and Phoenix First Fridays, March 2014
	South West MakerFest, Mesa Arts Centre, Spark Festival, March 2014 (1st place, Most Creative Project) Minimalisms; Contemporary Music Festival, School of Music, ASU.
2014	Conversations: Sounding the Environment: 3WDS14, Waterwheel World Water Day Symposium, New York
2014	Conversation Prelude - Seoul, Korea. Korean Society of Women Composers Global To.Get.Her
2014	CrossTalk - Interactive dance work With Simon Biggs and Sue Hawksley, presented at: MOCO, IRCAM, Paris (one of the premier institutions for electronics music research in the world)
	Edinburgh Festival (Glitch’d) (2014) (one of the premier international arts festivals)
	ASU Art Museum (Emerge) (2014)
	TaPRA 2013, (Theatre and Performance Research Association), Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
2013	Conversations: Sounding the Environment: ABC Radio National, Sydney, Australia (June, National Broadcast)
2013	All Things Return to Nature Tomorrow - BalletLab - Dance Massive Festival, Melbourne Australia (March 2013)
2013	Oscillations sound installation for singing bowl robots and resonating cymbals
	Balance-Unbalance conference, Noosa Australia;
	ISEA2013 Sydney, Australia and
	ASU Tempe and West campuses
2012	Prelude: Conversation - Ear to the Earth Festival, - John Cage Centennial Festival - NYC, (December)
2012	Endangered Sounds - Activity of Sound exhibition, Night Gallery, Tempe, Arizona (October)
2012	scan2go. American College Art Association Conference in Los Angeles (February)
2012	Prelude: Conversation - Ear to the Earth Festival, NYC (December)
2010	Body Text - With Simon Biggs and Sue Hawksley,
	InSpace, Edinburgh at the Figures of the Visceral and Woodend Barn, Banchory, UK for Dance Live! 10
	SEAM2010 http://seam2010.blogspot.com
	Gaming the Game UC Davis in 2012. http://www.articulateanimal.org.uk/bodytext2.htm
2010	Present in the Landscape, SiteWorks, Bundanon Trust, Australia http://www.bundanon.com.au/content/siteworks-update
2009	Grace Space for clarinet and electronics, Jason Noble, Ensemble Offspring, Aurora Festival 2009 and NIME2010, Sydney, Australia
2009	Recital of Original Compositions, Ear to the Earth Festival, New York http://www.eartotheearth.org/
2009	Recital of Original Compositions, The Soundings Festival, Limerick, Ireland http://soundings.ie/
2009	Thinking Through the Body, Carriage Works, Sydney, http://thinkingthroughthebody.net/
2009	The Darker Edge of Night, with Hellen Sky, Melbourne http://vimeo.com/7107482
2008	SynC Ensemble Concert, The Australian New Music Network http://www.newmusicnetwork.com.au/
2008	Encounter and Bowl Chant at Liquid Architecture Festival http://www.liquidarchitecture.org.au/
2007	Recital of Original Compositions, New York Electronic Arts Festival (2007) http://www.nyeaf.org/
2007	Recital of Original Compositions, Camden Haven Music Festival (2007) http://www.camdenhavenmusicfestival.org.au/
2006	Bowl Chant and Encounter and Al anbiq dialogue, Eclipse and Aletryomancy at Aurora Festival of New Music and ABC Classic FM live broadcast, 2006 http://www.aurorafestival.com.au/2006/
2006	Bowl Chant at Agora/Résonances Music Festival IRCAM, Paris, France, 2006
2005	Intimate Excursions – performance with Ass/Professor Curtis Bahn, NIME 05 conference, Vancouver
2005	Meterosonics Online interactive weather driven music system. Funded by Australia Council for the Arts, Sounding Out Grant. Partners include, McGill University, De Montfort University, featured in the Bulletin, July 2006, http://bulletin.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=141421
	NIME04 conference, Shizuoka Uni, Hamamatsu, 2004 (Japan)
	ICAD conference, Studio Theatre, Sydney Opera House, 2004
2005	Incarnate, Black Box, Brisbane, February http://www.smallblackbox.com.au/artists.php?artist_id=95
2004	Endangered Sounds, BEAP04, Biennale of Electronic Arts, Perth, Australia 2004 http://www.beap.org/beap2004/
2004	MAP1, Songlines Festival, Blue Mountains, Sydney, Australia 2004
2003	Gestation – Interactive Audio/Visual environment, 10th New York Digital Salon, (2003)
2003	Plant B – exhibition of interactive sound installation work, McGill University, Montreal, Canada (2003)
2002	Gestation, Florida State Museum of Fine Art – exhibition of interactive Audio/Visual responsive environment DesignX: Critical Reflections
	Gestation, RMIT Gallery, (2001)
2001	Plant B, Double Venturi, Melbourne, (2001)– exhibition of interactive sound installation work,
2001	Plant A, ACMA Conference Sydney, (2001)– exhibition of interactive sound installation work,
2001	MAP2, University of Tasmania Gallery, (2001)– exhibition of interactive Audio/Visual environment
2000	Reeds, Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, (2000) – an interactive sound installation
1999	MAP 1 – an interactive immersive sound environment
	Exhibition at Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung, Berlin, Germany, Composer in residence,
	Exhibition at Australasian Computer Music Conference, Wellington, New Zealand (July), (1998)
	Presentation at Ars Electronica, Linz Austria (September) (1999)
1999/2000	MAP 2 - an interactive immersive sound environment, Exhibition at the Musical Instrument Museum, Berlin, Germany as part of the CultureFest as part of the New Year, Millennium celebrations (Dec-Jan) (1999/2000)
1998	MAP1, Next Wave Festival, Span Galleries, Melbourne, Australia - an interactive sound environment
1997	Ghost in the Machine, Emerging Digital Artists, Linden Gallery, (1997) - Interactive Environment Installation, Where is Linden Gallery, country?
1996	MQM (Moments of a Quiet Mind), Linden Gallery, and Experimental Digital Arts Festival, (1996) - Interactive Environment Installation see above