Over the past few weeks, the TIMARA department has had the pleasure of hosting two highly esteemed guest artists. Lauren Sarah Hayes, an improviser and sound artist from Scotland, and composer Panayotis Kokoras have graced the students with their presence, expertise, and unique approaches to music technology and composition.
Lauren Sarah Hayes, a highly physical performer, gave a guest performance and lecture to Visiting Assistant Professor Christopher Poovey’s 350 course on her improvisational practice using the FluCoMa library within Max. Hayes manipulates, remixes, and bends voice, drum machines, analogue synths, and self-built software live and physically. Over the last decade, Hayes has developed and honed a deliberately challenging and unpredictable performance system that explores the relationships between bodies, sound, environments, and technology. Her shows have been described as ‘voracious’ and ‘exhilarating.’ Hayes has been commissioned by major festivals across Europe and the US, and her recent 2021 release Embrace was included in Bandcamp’s Best Experimental Music of February 2021. She is a member of the New BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Composer Panayotis Kokoras, on the other hand, is internationally acclaimed for using sound composition to structure his musical thinking. Kokoras is interested in creating a grammar of sound within his works within his concept of Holophony, which aims to create a musical language that prioritizes relationships in timbre rather than rhythm and harmony. He also uses the “fab synthesis” technique where he fabricates new components and/or modifies existing instruments to explore new sounds they can produce. Kokoras gave a talk in Poovey’s Tech 203 class in the multichannel studio, a presentation in studio class in the Gallery, and masterclasses in two sessions in the multichannel studio.
In addition to working with our core faculty, TIMARA majors have the benefit of regular visits by guest artists from around the world. These most recent guest artists, like those before them have left a significant impact on the students at TIMARA, inspiring them to think differently about music technology, sound art, and performance.
