~Flow, by Owl Project and Ed Carter, is a tidemill – a floating building on the River Tyne that generates its own power using a tidal water wheel. Step onboard and into the building which houses electro acoustic musical machinery and instruments which respond to the constantly changing environment of the river, generating sound and data. ~Flow spans artforms, blending contemporary and traditional methods, combining sculpture, cutting edge technology, hand crafted wooden instruments, architecture, precision engineering and electronic music to create an astonishing audio-visual public artwork. Everyone’s experience of ~Flow will be unique, as the instruments respond directly to the ever-changing state of the river. The sounds created by each instrument can also be manipulated by visitors to the millhouse.
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The Bubbke Synth uses resonant chambers (three glass jars) as a basis for making sound. The texture of the sound changes as the height of the water in the chambers changes. A microphone picks up the sounds inside the jars and sends it to a range of filters (inside the log interface).
Sounds are created inside the jars in one of 3 ways:
– Bubbles form the user hand-pumps (to left and right of the log)
– Bubbles from the overhead bellows
– Water trickes as the jars fill.
The height of the water in the jars was controlled by the chemical composition of the river.
~Flows Turbidatron is a mechanical sampler with triple piston valves, 6 phase step down gears and optical audio synthesis. The Turbidatron generates sounds according to the ‘turbidity’ or ‘muddiness’ of the water. It uses a series of gears, cranks and pistons to suck water out of the river and circulate it around a series of containers, creating a continuous live sample. A laser is projected through the sample which detects tiny suspended particles of debris, mud, silt, algae, etc and turns this to sound.
Turbidity can change according to the amount of rainfall up stream, tidal flow, or movement large boat in the river.
~Ultra-easy sampling with innovative Water Capture feature
~6 built-in microphones – ensuring correct set up.
~Built-in tri-piston water pump
~Powerful new multi-mode filter
Salinity Sequencer Sampler
12 The SSS-12 is probably the best hardwood sequencer to ever be put on water. An incredible machine, It stores and plays the last 12 hours of river samples. Custom circuits convert the saltiness of each sample into pitch, the more salt the higher the pitch, giving a sonic impression of the tidal cycle. With its wooden conveyor belt the SSS-12 automatically updates every hour so you always get to hear the last 12 hours of tidal activity. In addition to its 12-note,
~CD-quality sampling, the SSS-12 provides several powerful editing functions.
~Notes can be lengthened or shortened or even omitted directly from the larch controller.
~Incredible sound quality and 12-note polyphony
~Accepts up to 250ml river water samples
~Automatically imports hourly Water Samples stored to beakers
~Built-in Timestretch feature compresses 12 hours into one short sequence
~DJ-friendly operation via large wooden knobs
