Visiting Artist Zach Poff September 19
Visiting Artist Zach Poff, September 19 at 7:30pm, One History of Circuit Bending
The University of Maine Intermedia MFA program is pleased to announce the first presenter, Zach Poff, for the Fall 2013 Visiting Artist series co-sponsored by the Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Series. The artist will present a public lecture, One History of Circuit Bending, Thursday, September 19 at 7:30pm in 104 IMRC at Stewart Hall on the University of Maine campus in Orono.
Circuit Bending is the practice of altering readymade electronics to expand their sonic vocabulary, subverting the intentions of their designers through creative short-circuits. In the 1960’s and 1970’s musicians like Sonic Arts Union and David Tudor embraced the serendipity that arose from an improvised understanding of the circuits they were building from scratch. Buoyed by the growing acceptance of indeterminacy and the proliferation of digital technology, successive generations have re-purposed the sophisticated circuits inside sound toys and musical instruments. There are now circuit bending music festivals, sculptural installations based on hacked hardware, and numerous guides to the craft itself. This talk situates the work of some well-known circuit benders within the history of electronic music, culture-jamming, remix culture, and the emerging “maker” ethos.
Zach Poff is a New York area digital media artist, educator, and maker-of-things. Through his artwork, teaching, and software he examines the tremendous opportunities and challenges that arise from the translation of our experiences into “information”. His recent work has been focused on how traditional broadcasting reverberates into digital media and influences notions of an emerging post-broadcast discourse.
For more information about the artist visit: http://www.zachpoff.com
The Masters of Fine Arts in Intermedia at the University of Maine provides substantial advanced study for individuals interested in interdisciplinary study in the arts. The program emphasizes intensive development of students’ creative and innovative abilities through a diverse engagement with multiple research processes, critical thinking skills and creative production tools and technologies. The visiting artist series supports and reflects the wide variety of disciplines represented by the program including but not limited to, Art, New Media, Theater, Dance, Philosophy, Art History, Engineering, Communications, Media Studies, Music, Psychology, Natural Sciences, and others.
For more information about the Intermedia MFA: www.intermediamfa.org
This event is sponsored by the Intermedia MFA Program, the Department of New Media, the University of Maine Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Series and the Alston D. and Ada Lee Correll Professorship in New Media.
For more information contact Bethany Engstrom at bethany.engstrom@umit.maine.edu