Ping Melody


music/net performance by Paweł Janicki
http://ping.wrocenter.pl
cello: Jakub Kruk

live at CYNETart03_transit festival
Dresden, D
cello: Matthias Lorenz

A part of ideological undercurrent of Ping Melody is using the existing technological infrastructure, which originates in military applications, like a prototype of contemporary Internet created in DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency) for diffused, nuclear attacks proof. Ping Melody is a music-net-performance. Temporary and unique state of all actions of Internet users has an influence on form of music composition. Musician (instrumentalist or singer) is playing on acoustic instrument/singing and sounds coming from instrument/voice are shared in packets of data information (granulated), then transmitted to selected Internet locations (as "ping" unix command).

The order of packet's return, packet's delays, transmission errors alerts are incorporated, and the information coming from these actions is controlling in the real time the transformation of played sound. Performance is accompanying by visualisation, showing tracks of data and information of errors, etc. Dedicated software is a kind of sampler (granular synthesizer) and pitch tracker, which is using Internet to transform and create sound construction.

live at VIPER 04 Festival
Basel, CH
violin: Meret Luethi

During performance military servers are scanned very frequently, but also parts of the code used in Ping Melody was ripped from the software written by programmers and researchers of DARPA. The goal of an performance author is to reverse and revitalize this military tool for more humanitarian usage (in accordance to Jaron Lanier observation, about musical instruments, which are technological phenomenon, because: In most historical eras, and in most cultures, musical instruments have been among the most advanced technological devices produced, often edging ahead of weapons in sophistication. [How music will save the soul of technology, Media Art Biennale WRO '97 catalogue]).


Paweł Janicki

Pawel Janicki (1974) is an independent media artist and producer working with generative music, microsound and algorithmic composition, interactive systems for performances and installations, and his own constantly developed hard- and software. He composed soundtracks and interactive SFXs for art-CD-ROMs, TV and radio; realized projects based on fractal music and 4D real-time generated animations using fractal theory; contributed to various record compilations that document avant-garde of electronic and electroacoustic music, and co-operated with many artists, institutions, recording and IT industries.

Paweł is networked with WRO Center for Media Art and actually his work is concentrated on software based sound/music processing, net-applications (especially in the sound context), and revitalisation of existing military and entertainment technologies and infrastructure. He's also a member of well-knowned, exploring lo-tech aesthetics collective Gameboyzz Orchestra Project, and author of Ping Melody – software and performance joining improvised music with information exchange in world's dataspace of Inter