The Spinning Earth Shall Spread Before You

 Inspired by the work of composer/hardware hacker Nick Collins, The Spinning Earth Shall Spread Before You explores the process of composing music through the real-time performance of music playback devices. Both CD players have been modified, allowing for networked control of their play/pause, seek, and stop controls. Additional modifications made to the anti-skip memory and data-muting chips of each player result in the creation of rhythmic loops when each CD player is paused, and heavily distorted, delayed audio fragments when connecting pins on the anti-skip memory chip.

Each CD player is connected through Bendit_I/O, a hardware/software system created by the composer that allows for networked performance with circuit-bent devices and web-enabled interfaces. Through this system, the performer and the CD players can share data between each other, allowing for machine-to-machine and human-to-machine interaction. Periodically, each CD player will generate and send control messages through the network, taking control of each other and blocking the human performer’s interjections by temporarily disabling their interface. Each CD contains material written by the composer, and all signal processing and modification of that material happens on the CD players.

Performance Example

Networked Circuit Bending with Bendit_I/O

Networked collaboration between the performer and both CD players is accomplished with Bendit_I/O, a system that allows for wireless, networked performance of circuit-bent devices, giving artists a new outlet for performing with repurposed technology. In a typical setup, a user pre-bends a device using the Bendit_I/O board as an intermediary, replacing physical switches and potentiometers with the board’s reed relays, motor driver, and digital potentiometer signals. This framework brings the networking techniques of distributed music performances to the hardware hacking realm, opening the door for creative implementation of multiple circuit-bent devices in audiovisual experiences. Consisting of a Wi-Fi- enabled I/O board and a Node-based networking server, Bendit_I/O provides performers with a wide option of digital performance interfaces for controlling their hacked devices. Moreover, the Bendit_I/O system is user-friendly, low-cost, and modular, making it a flexible toolset for artists of diverse experience levels. 

Network Topology

The picture below illustrates how collaborative performance data is generated and shared between the human performer(s) and the networked circuit-bent devices in Spinning Earth. While most performances of the piece feature just one performer, this diagram shows the potential for two human players to collaborate with the set of CD players.