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Visual Music Archive

A non-institutional and highly subjective collection.
October 2009 until March 2010

During my sabbatical I am currently in the process of building an online archive for Visual Music.

To seek completeness in the field of fine arts seems rather eerie. A wunderkammer, on the other hand, is far more interesting, challenging, and provides inspiring impulses. As a library's inner sanctum.

I love the intelligent design for the archive by Chewing The Sun and the elegant CMS architecture behind it by Julian Furthkamp.

[ Projects ]
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Clips on trial

Intro magazine
September 14th, 2009

Editor-in-chief of the renowned pop culture magazine Intro, Thomas Venker, asked nine contributers to write a few words on eight famous music videos, which the magazine had chosen to present in their current issue 147. Here is the article [German].

Especially enjoyed to read Uwe Flade's comments. Had the pleasure to meet him when I invited him do give a BASECAMP lecture at the Institute For Music And Media back in 2006.

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Opera overtures and title sequences

Design Faculty Annual
November 2008

The publication Reflektor 1 presents student projects from the several design faculty at the Fachhochschule Dortmund – University of Applied Sciences. It is also a retrospect of events, exhibitions and conferences. And they included my article Take it from the top. Opera overtures and cinema title sequences.

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New programs at IMM

Music and Media / Audio and Video
October 6th, 2008

Two new bachelor programs started at the Institute For Music And Media in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Two eight-semester bachelor programs provide students with both an artistic and theoretical, as well as a technical and practical basis for professional and reflective work with media. The Music and Media (Bachelor of Music) program combines studies in a broad range of media techniques with artistic research and work as a musician at the Robert Schumann University of Music and Media. With its more than 60 year history, the artistic-technical Audio and Video (Bachelor of Engineering) course of studies combines training as an engineer with artistic studies.
The profound study and practice of a musical instrument are part of both programs.

After the first two semesters the students choose their own focus from eight different majors. I chair the major concentration in Visual Music. The opportunity to study Visual Music explicitly is unique in Europe.

German Flyer (PDF) with more information on both bachelor programs.

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Analog collages for "Navigation im Hypertext"

Published by a-musik, Cologne
September 15th, 2008

Thomas Lehn and Marcus Schmickler's releases Navigation im Hypertext and Kölner Kranz on a-musik, Cologne. Provided several Letraset collages, which noted Berlin designer Chris Rehberger used as a stepping stone for a collaborative design approach equal to the work of the two musicians: analog vs digital. Chris is simply brilliant.

Via a-musik: "A brilliant amalgam of the two musicians' strengths, Navigation im Hypertext utilizes both improvisation and studio postproduction techniques to create a lasting work, combining the feel of a classic composed electronic music record with the raw, crackling energy of a free improv-session. Exciting and destabilizing, Navigation im Hypertext will surprise even the most hardcore Lehn fan: intertwined with Schmickler's, his art never sounded this rich. If anything, Navigation im Hypertext takes electronic improvisation one step further. The arrangements range in tone from softer clusters of sound to more abrasive movements."

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Consultant @ University of Applied Sciences Salzburg

Developing a master program Multi Media Art
June 30th, 2008

Karin Mairitsch, head of Multi Media Art faculty at the University of Applied Sciences Salzburg, Austria, invited me to join a team of 20 experts to help developing a new graduate program.

In addition to students and members of the faculty five consultants were hired to support this effort: Dr. habil. Frank Hartmann, Alexander Kohlhofer, David Muth, Michel Schütz and me. In an open and creative atmosphere ideas for an exceptional new design program evolved. The project will continue throughout 2008.

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On sound design and design disharmonies, playing the drums and broker

Interview in RAKETE 03
June 24th, 2008

The visionary poster design magazine RAKETE featured an interview with me in its third issue.

We started by talking about synaesthisia and went off to consider software with which brokers can actually hear the development on the stockmarkets. RAKETE magazine was a project by students from the University of Applied Sciences' design faculty in Düsseldorf.

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Interview in PAGE 07/08

On Visual Music
June 2nd, 2008

Gave my friend Judith Mair an extended interview for the well-known German design magazine PAGE June issue. We talked about the relationship between audio and visuals - and all the possibilities if it is revised and equal.

Two of my students - Maurice Braun / Instituite For Music And Media and Nina Juric / Baden-Württemberg Film Academy - were also featured in this article.

Read the full article [German].

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Cover artwork for "Snow Mud Rain"

Published by erstwhile records, New York
March 23rd and 24th, 2007

Designed the cover for R/S ONE: Snow Mud Rain while Peter Rehberg (Pita) and Marcus Schmickler were in Marcus' studio redcording.

R/S ONE is the first cooperation between electronic music composers Peter Rehberg (Pita) and Marcus Schmickler. The cover is supposed to show the silhouettes of both musicians.

Via a-musik: "Peter Rehberg (computer); Marcus Schmickler (digital synthesizer, computer). Peter Rehberg (Pita) and Marcus Schmickler have been two of the leaders in the electronic revolution of the last fifteen years, both on their own and in collaboration with others. One (Snow Mud Rain) is the first duo CD from these two long-time friends and associates. Rehberg and Schmickler met up in March 2007, in Schmickler's Piethopraxis studio in Cologne, for two days of recordings. Despite having barely worked together as a duo previously, the results were so successful that after two days, the record was basically completed. This is obvious when listening to the finished product, as a rawness and energy that hearkens back to the explosive power of early Mego bursts from the speakers, further enhanced by the remarkable density and clarity of the recording."

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Observing with all senses

Motion Graphics: Application and Criteria
August 2007

My essay Motion Graphics: Application and Criteria was published in the Festschrift-booklet Beobachten mit allen Sinnen: Grenzverwischungen, Formkatastrophen und emotionale Driften- Eine Festschrift für Bernd Scheffer (Münchener Studien zur literarischen Kultur in Deutschland) [Observing with all senses].

The booklet honored Bernd Scheffer, Professor for New German Literature at Ludwig-Maximilian-Universität, Munich and his influences and impulses given to media-theoretical thesis in contemporary media studies.

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