There will now be a short intermission. Links may be broken and this site may be behaving strangely while we prepare and upload the new site. Please do not adjust your set – normal service will be resumed shortly.
Have a very happy new year!
Sarah
For some Christmas fun, I added ten bright, white LEDs to the petticoat 0f this 1950s-style dress so I could move around parties in my own pool of light. You can see the dress in action in this video, taken in Brighton on a very snowy night in 2010. I was inspired by the electric ladies who used to perform in dresses festooned with lightbulbs, at the turn of the twentieth century.
LilyPad Arduino (wearable microprocessor)
How the dress works
The LEDs are controlled by a Lilypad Arduino which lights them up in sequence. I’ve also connected a cheap accelerometer to the Arduino (just like the one you find inside an iPhone or Nintendo wii) so the circuit can tell when I’m moving.
When I move, the LEDs light up in order so you see the light circling. If I’m static, the light circles at a slower rate, then eventually falls into a random pattern (if I don’t move much for 20 seconds or so). That’s the theory -- the whole thing could do with a little fine tuning but I was keen to get it finished and wear it out. The electric dress has already survived a couple of parties and was still twinkling at the end of the evening, on its first set of three AA batteries. I’m planning to wear it at some future Spacedog gigs.
The dress is from Vivien of Holloway. The LEDs and Arduino are attached to the petticoat using fine ribbon so they can be removed for washing.
Image source: US Dept of the Interior
In December 1877, a journalist writing in Scientific American noted there was a now ‘a startling possibility of recording voices of the dead’. He had just witnessed Edison recording sound on his new invention: the phonograph.
In this live demonstration, I’ll explore some of the stranger obsessions of the early adopters of audio recording, as I immortalise a voice from the audience by recording it on wax, using an original Edison Standard Phonograph.
Delving into the archives, I’ll also examine a little-known curiosity from the eighteenth century, one which may have been used to record short segments of sound 150 years before the phonograph.
This event will include some short, musical interludes incorporating a few of my own inventions. As I use the theremin to conjure up ‘music from the aether’, I’ll reveal how the first ‘electric servants’ were also seen as tools for paranormal investigation.
10 December 2010
The Last Tuesday Society
See event details and map.
Tickets £4-£12
Sarah Angliss
A musician and inventor, Sarah Angliss (Spacedog) is known for her dreamlike performances, incorporating vintage technology, curious stories from the history of science and her own musical machines. She is particularly known for her skills on the theremin and musical saw and the robots which she makes to accompany her on stage.
Sarah takes a keen interest in the history of sound and music and her work has explored musicians’ attitudes to the first music samplers (for the Science Museum, London), Lancashire clog dancing as proto-techno music (with Caroline Radcliffe) and the reputed psychological effects of infrasound (with National Physical Laboratory, Richard Wiseman, Ciaran O’Keefe et al).
A Catalyst Club event at The Last Tuesday Society, London.
Maestro and mechanical hat maker Jane Bom-Bane will be hosting this evening in the delightful Bom-Bane’s, Brighton.
An evening of words and music, mechanical hats, theremin and robots from Jane, Prof. Elemental (Brighton’s finest hip hop raconteur) and Spacedog. With songs of tea, submariners, love, death, milliners and assorted cryptozoological marvels.
Bom-Bane’s
24 George Street, Brighton, East Sussex
BN2 1RH
MAP
Tickets £4 (£3 concessions)
Small venue – booking advisable
Email janebombane [AT] yahoo.co.uk
Telephone 01273 606400
This lovely cafe and music venue is owned and run by Jane and multi-instrumentalist Nick Pynn. Check out their other events between now and Christmas. Includes performances by Nick Pynn and Mike Heron, Colin Uttley, Rosi Lalor and Dr David Bramwell (who will be talking about his bus ride to Utopia).
I’ll be performing live on theremin, accompanied by a few robot pals, in this evening of wormwood infused entertainment. HP Lovebox, Professor Elemental, Mental Floss Sideshow and an edible lady are among the many fine acts on the bill.
Absinthe Ball, Lewes, 13 November 2010
All Saints Centre
Friars Walk
Lewes
BN7 2LE
MAP
Doors 7.30pm
Cabaret 8.30pm then dancing ‘til late.
Tickets £10 in advance, £12 on the door
Book at Lewes Town Hall, Reception, High Street, BN7 2QS
or via Miss Tann:
snakeoilcharlotte [ AT ] gmail [ DOT ] com
Sarah Angliss (Spacedog) on theremin with hip hop raconteur Professor Elemental - photo: Gavin Mecaniques.
I’ll be teaming up with the incomparable Professor Elemental, tea drinking, hip hop raconteur, for an aquatic set with some robot pals. Drop into the Sea Life Centre any time between 7:30pm and 2:00am (BST) to hear us playing among the fishes and night owls. We’ll be performing new songs of submariners and voyages under the sea, along with some old favourites, in this beautiful Victorian aquarium. With vocals, theremin, waterphone, saw and other musical and robotic oddities.
We have fish!
Admission is free!
An event for White Night 2010 – Brighton & Hove’s all night festival to mark the end of British Summer Time, the night the clocks go back. Make the most of the extra hour of darkness as you promenade the city and enjoy a selection of free music and visual arts.
De La Warr Pavilion
Spacedog are delighted to be performing in this iconic Modernist building, 29 October 2010. We’ll bring you an evening of vocals, theremin and live robotics. Wander the building and soak up the 1930s architecture as you enjoy this free evening of art and music. Bela Emerson (‘cello and electronics) and video artists Overlap are also on the bill.
All evening – starts at 19:00
Friday 29 October 2010
De La Warr Pavilion
Marina
Bexhill on Sea
East Sussex TN40 1DP
Admission free
This is part of the Random Friday series of events, curated by the De La Warr Pavilion.
I'm performing live at the Lovebytes Festival, Sheffield, QEDCon, Manchester, and the Catalyst Club, Brighton, and composing music for CE3K-inspired Electronic Encounters and some other forthcoming collaborations (stay tuned for news). I'm also hard at work, re-engineering some Spacedog robots, and selecting films for Rocket Lolly, Spacedog's two-hander with Project Moonbase at the Edinburgh Science Festival in April.
Juice for the Baby, Spacedog's debut album, is here! I'm ducking out of the Kinetica Art Faire this year but am huddled indoors, writing, sleuthing (investigating a recording in the archives) and devising a new biologically-inspired musical instrument - all will be revealed soon.
Juice for the Baby, Spacedog's debut album, launches in mid-December. Join us for the launch gigs at the Marlborough, Brighton, on 9 December and the Horse Hospital, London, on 14 December.
A busy month writing and editing the forthcoming Spacedog album - stay tuned for news.
I'm focusing on my writing this month (so am quite the hermit) but I'm squeezing in the occasional live performance here and there.
I'm looking forward to working with Helen Keen in her Spacetacular on 20th. I'm writing a code-based work for the new label Chordpunch and some owlish music for that fine wordsmith Professor Elemental.
Spacedog are booked into the studio at the end of the month to complete work on our album.
A busy month writing, preparing a get-together of maker musicians for the Brighton Maker Faire After-show party. I've also been electrifying a teapot for the Chi-Tek - an exhibition by MzTek of female tech artists at the V&A. And with my fellow Spacedog Stephen Hisock, I made an appearance on the 10th Anniversary edition of BBC Click.
The Spacedog song For Laika is now available on iTunes (and the album is on its way). Meanwhile, we've been busy preparing our set for Green Man, including the first outing of our torch song for Tommy Cooper.
I'm procrastinating over a teapot which I'm going to electrify for a MzTek event at the Victoria and Albert Museum in September.
I took a short trip to a very rainy Edinburgh Fringe where I played at an event for Edinburgh Skeptics in the Royal Observatory and made some plans for a Spacedog show next summer.
Apart from that, I've been busy writing. More news on that shortly, I hope...
I'm interviewed by Leila Johnston in this month's Wired UK magazine and will be appearing with my fellow Spacedogs at a Wired: The Future of Music on 20 July.
I've rounded up a bumper crop of links and soundclips for my BBC Radio 4 doc The Bird Fancyer's Delight, which is broadcast on 5 and 9 July and is also available on Listen Again. Thanks for all your cheery emails about the doc, to ProjectMoonbase for mentioning it in their podcast PMB038 and for the many national papers who gave the documentary such lovely reviews - I'm glad people enjoyed it! On Sunday 10 July, the doc was featured on Graham Seed's Pick of the Week (Radio 4). A good week!
My latest collaboration with Richard Wiseman is a free and fun magic trick for your iPhone. It's called Paranormality and it's been put together for the launch of his book by the same name in the US. Thanks to Phillis on Derrren Brown's blog for giving the app a mention - thousands of people have now downloaded it and are busy bamboozling their friends.
Playing theremin for Louise Colborne's homage to Loie Fuller (pioneering cybernetic dancer c1900) and composing sounds for Sonus, an homage to the analogue age with Spacedog, ArtHertz, Rushes Soho Shorts Festival and Ridley Scott Associates. Discovering how easy (or difficult) it is to publicise events in 2011 without Twitter - will report back!
Getting ready for BEAM - a brand new festival of electronics and music at Brunel University (24-26 June). I'll be speaking, running a workshop on optical flow and performing live with my fellow Spacedogs. I'll also be playing a short theremin set at the Speaky Spokey, a new arts salon in Brighton (Wed 22 June).
Putting the finishing touches to a sonic-themed BBC Radio 4 documentary, with producer Neil McCarthy, due for transmission on 5 July 2011.
Playing a short set at the the Absinthe Ball, Lewes, 17 June, and highlights of our Televisor set at Richard Strange's legendary Cabaret Futura, 20 June.
Presenting a workshop for Hack Circus at Interesting, in the Conway Hall, London, 18 June, and performing theremin at a family day at the Science Museum, 19 June.
Listen to this BBC Radio 4 documentary about teaching birds to sing human music. Read my research notes.
Watch this talk and read about my salon talks for adults, featuring phonographs, theremins and other delights.
View Hugo, the Ealing Feeder and other robots I've created for my music group Spacedog.
Try these magic apps which I've created for the iPhone in partnership with Richard Wiseman.
Read about my world renowned collaboration, exploring the strange psychological effects of extreme bass sound.
View clips and read reviews of this award winning show featuring human and robot performers.
A free tutorial on how to play this ethereal, European skiffle instrument.
Find out about this night of rare vintage science clips, some of which are accompanied by live music.