AlgoMech 2016

AlgoMech, a new festival for Sheffield celebrating making in code, machines and performance.

AlgoMech: Festival of Algorithmic and Mechanical Movement
http://algomech.com/

AlgoMech is coming to Sheffield City Centre for the first time from the 12th-19th November 2016. A week of performances, talks and workshops will showcase creative processes and celebrate making in performance.

This new festival brings together a diverse range of art forms and mixes them up to present a creative mosaic of machines, live coding, music, dancing and power tools. From clog dances that mimic industrial looms, to techno music created with mechanisms built during the performance; cellos are turned into computers; textile patterns become musical compositions - this hand-crafted programme features performances and events that aim to challenge and inspire. Audiences will also have the opportunity to get involved in workshops exploring how to make visuals and music with text, or learn to play a traditional Basque instrument, the txalaparta. (It’s not as hard as it sounds!)

A highlight of the festival will be a full-on Algorave (algorithmic rave) at Millennium Gallery - dance to alien rhythms and freaky visuals, all created from code before your eyes. The line-up includes Graham Dunning showcasing precarious and unstable stacks of revolving vinyl records triggering synths and samples; Algobabez (Shelly Knotts and Joanne Armitage) blasting eardrums with their wonky algorithmic noise patterns and Renick Bell bringing his Fractal Beats sound from Tokyo. The algorave movement has roots in Sheffield but has spread to over 40 cities around the world, and this promises to be an amazing party with UIQ, Rephlex, Computer Club and Conditional labels represented on the roster.

Alongside this, an arts-research symposium will be hosted by the Sheffield Institute of Arts, featuring talks and performances and a keynote speech from composer Godfried-Willem Raes, known for his work with Aphex Twin and expertise in computer technology, robotics and interactive electronic art.

Alex McLean, curator of the festival and co-founder of the algorave movement said “AlgoMech brings together incredibly diverse interests including computer art, electronic dance music, traditional dance, and textiles.. By opening up the algorithmic and mechanical aspects of this work in a very accessible way, I hope people will be able to see and enjoy how the innards of both machines and software work together to make our modern world, and maybe think about how we can keep control of these technologies.”

Tamar Millen, Year of Making Event Manager, said “The Year of Making team are pleased to be able to support the first ever AlgoMech festival here in Sheffield. We are looking forward to the wide and varied programme that Alex and the Lovebytes team have put together, exploring making as performance. We urge anyone with an interest in performance, making and the processes involved to come attend and participate where possible.”

Ticket prices vary. Some events are free.

Full details can be found at: http://algomech.com
Twitter: @algomech