Clarence Barlow

Approximating π (2007)

A Sound Installation

Construction Method

Point of departure: the converging series π = 4 – 4/3 + 4/5 – 4/7 + 4/9 ∙∙∙

Each convergence gets a time window of 5040 samples (double the LCM of the numbers 1 to 10), in which ten square wave partials of frequencies 8¾n Hz and amplitude 2^dn are set up, ‘8¾’ deriving from the 5040 samples, ‘n’ being the partial number and ‘dn’ the nth digit in the convergence’s decimal representation; e.g. for ‘3.141592654’, the ten partials’ amplitudes are 23, 21, 24, 21 ,25, 29 etc., thereafter rescaled by the arbitrary sawtooth spectral factor 2π/n, where ‘n’ is still the partial number. The convergences make the digits stabilize from left to right to a value approaching π, the resultant timbre moving from turbulence to constancy over 4 x 109 x 5040 = 20.16 x 1012 samples or ~14½ years. The installation can be pitch-transposed (by sample dropping) and/or time-truncated. Here the eight sound channels are transposed from 8¾ Hz to frequencies 9, 28, 50, 72, 96, 123, 149 and 175 times higher (= [9 x π(1+½+⅓+ ∙∙ +⅟χ))], χ being the channel number plus one); the duration is truncated to a millionth of the total, i.e. 7′ 37″, the highest transposition thereby reaching the 700,000th approximation of π, where the first six digits are already stable.

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Clarence Barlow (1945): born into the English-speaking minority of Calcutta, going there to school and college, studying piano, music theory and natural sciences. 1957: first compositions. 1965: graduated in science at Calcutta University, thereafter active as conductor and music theory teacher at the Calcutta School of Music. 1968: moved to Cologne, studying (until 1973) composition and electronic music at Cologne Music University. 1971-1972: studied also at the Institute of Sonology, Utrecht University. 1971: began to use computers as a compositional aid. 1982: initiated, 1986 co-founded, 1986-1993 and 1996-2002 chaired GIMIK: Initiative Musik und Informatik Köln. 1982-1994: in charge of Computer Music at the Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music. 1984-2005: lecturer on Computer Music, Cologne Music University. 1988: Director of Music, XIVth International Computer Music Conference, held in Cologne. 1990-1991: visiting professor of composition, Folkwang University Essen. 1990-94: Artistic Director, Institute of Sonology, Royal Conservatory, The Hague. 1994-2006: Professor of Composition and Sonology at the same conservatory. 1994-2010: member of the Académie Internationale de Musique Electroacoustique in Bourges. 2005-2006: visiting professor of composition, School of Music and Performing Arts ESMAE in Porto. Since 2006: Corwin Professor and Head of Composition, Music Department, University of California Santa Barbara; concurrently also Affiliate Professor, Media Arts and Technology as well as College of Creative Studies, UCSB. www.rlow.org/

Approximating π (2007)
A Sound Installation
Construction Method
Point of departure: the converging series π = 4 – 4/3 + 4/5 – 4/7 + 4/9 ∙∙∙
Each convergence gets a time window of 5040 samples (double the LCM of the numbers 1 to 10), in which ten square wave partials of frequencies 8¾n Hz and amplitude 2^dn are set up, ‘8¾’ deriving from the 5040 samples, ‘n’ being the partial number and ‘dn’ the nth digit in the convergence’s decimal representation; e.g. for ‘3.141592654’, the ten partials’ amplitudes are 23, 21, 24, 21 ,25, 29 etc., thereafter rescaled by the arbitrary sawtooth spectral factor 2π/n, where ‘n’ is still the partial number. The convergences make the digits stabilize from left to right to a value approaching π, the resultant timbre moving from turbulence to constancy over 4 x 109 x 5040 = 20.16 x 1012 samples or ~14½ years. The installation can be pitch-transposed (by sample dropping) and/or time-truncated. Here the eight sound channels are transposed from 8¾ Hz to frequencies 9, 28, 50, 72, 96, 123, 149 and 175 times higher (= [9 x π(1+½+⅓+ ∙∙ +⅟χ))], χ being the channel number plus one); the duration is truncated to a millionth of the total, i.e. 7′ 37″, the highest transposition thereby reaching the 700,000th approximation of π, where the first six digits are already stable.

Preliminary Program

First draft of the RAFLOST+Pikslaverk 2011 program. (subject to change)

Thursday, May 5th
18:00 Festival Opening – Hafnarhúsið, Reykjavík Art Museum

  • drinks, chats and rituals

20:00 S.L.Á.T.U.R. Performance – Grandaskáli

  • various artist from the SLÁTUR collective

Friday, May 6th
13:00 Lectures – Iceland Academy of the Arts

  • to be announced…

18:00 Installations

  • Anders Monrad
  • Halldór Heiðar Bjarnason & Lilián Pineda
  • Clay Chaplin
  • Clarence Barlow

20:00 Performances and fixed media – Sölvhóll

  • Tom Williams
  • Bradford Blackburn
  • Clay Chaplin
  • Hreinn Bjartsson

Saturday, May 7th
13:00-17:00 Workshop / LornaLab – Hafnarhúsið
18:00-22:00 Installations – Grandaskáli, Grandagarði 16-18

  • David Strang
  • Michiel van Bakel
  • Erla Axelsdóttir
  • Julius Bucsis

20:00 Performances – Grandaskáli, Grandagarði 16-18

  • Softday (Mikael Fernström & Sean Taylor)
  • Jean-Pierre Mot
  • Þorbjörn G. Kolbrúnarson

Sunday, May 8th
13:00 Audio-Visual works

  • Halldór Heiðar Bjarnason & Lilián Pineda
  • Björk Viggósdóttir
  • Paolo Girol
  • Aldo Rodríguez
  • Matthew Dotson
  • Bret Battey
  • Joao Pedro Oliveira / Takagi Masakatsu
  • Emmanuel Mailly
  • Moon Young Ha
  • Timothy Polashek
  • Madelyn Byrne
  • Norm Skipp
  • Dennis Miller

Getting closer

RAFLOST+Pikslaverk 2011 is approaching.  We received quite many proposals for art works in different forms and have done our best to facilitate as much as we can.  The scheduled program will be released soon.

The main events will be taking place in the Iceland Academy of the Arts (Sölvhólsgata 13) and the industrial space Grandaskáli (Grandagarði 18).  Also, on saturday the 7th, there will be an open workshop in Hafnarhúsið, Reykjavík Art Museum (Tryggvagata 17) hosted by LornaLab ( http://reykjavikmedialab.is/ ) .