Interactive art event Musify+Gamify will give anyone at this year’s Vivid Sydney celebrations the chance to perform alongside some of Australia’s most forward-thinking musicians, video game designers and artists.
Curated by Sydney University researchers Dr Lian Loke and Dr Oliver Bown, Musify+Gamify will host two concerts and a free exhibition during its 11-day residency at Chippendale’s Seymour Centre this May.
The event will feature a performance from Hans van Vliet, the brains behind Brisbane “indie bitpop band” 7bit Hero, whose mobile app lets audience members interact with the group’s live show.
“We have multiplayer games that are timed up with our music,” says Van Vliet. “[There’s] lots of visuals and lots of boss battles, and then everyone works together to take them down while I provide a soundtrack for it.”
Dr Bown says Van Vliet’s interactive performances — which also emulate 8-bit Game Boy sounds — work at the edge of what’s typically acceptable when it comes to audience participation.
“I love how dangerous and crazy [7bit Hero] is… It’s just interesting because it obviously crosses a boundary where you’re not supposed to have your phone out,” he says. “I mean, depending on what kind of concert you’re at.”
Musify+Gamify will also include performances from the likes of Australian new music group Ensemble Offspring and local musician Austin Buckett, who will perform a new interactive audiovisual piece by American video game soundtrack composer David Kanaga.
Adding to the opportunities for performance, the free and interactive Musify+Gamify exhibition will showcase experimental video games, musical furniture, game controllers repurposed as musical instruments, guitars controlled via a pinball machine, and more.
“Everyone becomes a performer when they step into that kind of context… We don’t mind if people find things ridiculous,” Dr Bown says. “It’s very much looking towards the future… It’s very much thinking about what a musician might be in 20 years time.”
Musify+Gamify begins on 26th May with a panel discussion on the future of music, games and their interaction. The panel will feature Vivid Sydney Music Manager Stephen Ferris, who says opportunities to interact with Vivid’s annual light installations will now be matched by opportunities to “play” with music at Musify+Gamify.
“I’m very keen to see the breadth of possibility on show,” Ferris says. “Musify+Gamify is an island in Vivid Music, and one we’re proud of.”
Musify+Gamify runs from 26th May to 6th June 2015, and is supported by the Australia Council for the Arts and Sydney University. View the event’s full lineup, below. For more information, visit the Musify+Gamify website.
Watch: 7bit Hero Promo Video
Vivid Sydney: Musify+Gamify
Concert 1: Friday, 29th May 2015
Ensemble Offspring (performing works by Julian Day, Cor Fuhler, Damien Ricketson, Steffan Ianigro)
Robbie Avenaim and Chris Abrahams
Michaela Davies
Alon Ilsar and Lucas Abela
Concert 2: Saturday, 30th May 2015
7bit Hero (solo set)
Austin Buckett (performing interactive AV work by David Kanaga)
Paul Heslin
The Infosthetic Orchestra
Musify+Gamify
Free exhibition is closed Sundays
Tuesday, 26th May – Saturday, 6th June 2015
Seymour Centre, Sydney
Tickets: Musify+Gamify
