QUANTUM FRAME
LITTLE SOUND MACHINES
LITTLE SOUND MACHINES
2019 -
2018
2018
The Quantum Frame is a mechanical installation that speculates on the future of quantum computing and what that may hold for machine intelligence and consciousness. The installation takes the form of the present day quantum computer, with a tubular central chamber, where machine learning data drives the mechanical movements of an electromagnetic structure, breathing life into the metallic framework, a ghost in the machine.
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The current version of the frame is self-generative. But the artist hopes that once time-sharing of the quantum computer is open to the general public, that the installation may be able to talk with the quantum machine directly via data transfer.
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This piece is currently on-going. Magnetic field experimentation and research with ferrofluid are currently in--progress.
The Little Sound Machines is a sound installation consisting of a series of both mechanical and digital machines that are connected to an AI network. Three AIs form the central brain of the network. Through learning from and influencing each other, the AIs construct the musical phrases that are then played out through a series of sound-generating machines. The music generated by the AI is also presented on a series of television screens that visualizes both the AI data and audio, as well as machine logic and behavior to the audience.
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This piece proposes a new mode of music creation in the age of intelligent machine. Through experimentation, the artist presents an exploration of new musical interfaces that erases the composer from the equation, to present a purely machine-made performance.
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The Little Sound Machines are made from found objects, up-cycled and spare parts.
The Little Sound Machines is a sound installation consisting of a series of both mechanical and digital machines that are connected to an AI network. Three AIs form the central brain of the network. Through learning from and influencing each other, the AIs construct the musical phrases that are then played out through a series of sound-generating machines. The music generated by the AI is also presented on a series of television screens that visualizes both the AI data and audio, as well as machine logic and behavior to the audience.
​
This piece proposes a new mode of music creation in the age of intelligent machine. Through experimentation, the artist presents an exploration of new musical interfaces that erases the composer from the equation, to present a purely machine-made performance.
​
The Little Sound Machines are made from found objects, up-cycled and spare parts.
LITTLE SOUND MACHINES
2018
The Little Sound Machines is a sound installation consisting of a series of both mechanical and digital machines that are connected to an AI network. Three AIs form the central brain of the network. Through learning from and influencing each other, the AIs construct the musical phrases that are then played out through a series of sound-generating machines. The music generated by the AI is also presented on a series of television screens that visualizes both the AI data and audio, as well as machine logic and behavior to the audience.
​
This piece proposes a new mode of music creation in the age of intelligent machine. Through experimentation, the artist presents an exploration of new musical interfaces that erases the composer from the equation, to present a purely machine-made performance.
​
The Little Sound Machines are made from found objects, up-cycled and spare parts.
BENJAMIN L. BACON
Benjamin Bacon is an interdisciplinary artist, designer, and musician. His practice and research sit at the intersections of computational design, networked systems, machine art, digital fabrication, and sound. His body of work has been exhibited in various venues worldwide, including North America, Europe, East Asia, and the Middle East.
Bacon’s practice centers around explorations into computation, its qualities and characteristics as a creative medium, and its changing relationship with society and industry perception. His creations have taken the form of mechanical sculptures, machine learning neural networks, networked systems, experimental interfaces, body-hacking, and sound. His methodology as an artist is fundamentally rooted in the design research process. It is experimental in its essence, often reliant on direct interaction with materials. His conceptual approach is at times playful, at times critical, at times commentary, and at times speculative.
Bacon’s work has been profiled by print magazines such as Design 360, IDEAT Magazine, and Modern Weekly, as well as online magazines and platforms such as the New York Times, Rizhome, Creators Project (China), LEAP, The Art Newspaper, Neural Magazine, and CLOT Magazine. Music and sound have maintained a strong presence in his practice. His music has been collected and released on compilation albums such as Thanks for Stopping By (Guangzhou Underground Records) under the stage name Artifact Unknown, Taxeee Tapes Vol. 3 (87Fei87 Records), Face the Beat Session 4 (Sideline Music), and Re-Charge Music Compilation Volume I (Mao Re-Charge) under the stage name SoundSpade. His work in technology, sound and music has led to interviews with RADII China and the German National Radio and an invited talk at TEDxNingbo.
Benjamin Bacon is currently an Associate Professor of Media and Art at Duke Kunshan University and co-director of the Design, Technology, and Radical Media Lab. He is also a lifetime fellow at V2_Lab for the Unstable Media since 2019 and the co-chair of the XResearch Cluster at V2_ with Boris Debackere.