I am a composer and new media artist who pairs original classical piano music with technology and visual art. As a creative coder, I design algorithms that react in real-time to live music, creating vivid imagery unique to every performance.
Put another way, the art listens to the music, and then paints itself.
This tool is being developed into a framework for use by other arts organisations to bring reactive/responsive visuals to theatre, dance, music and other performing arts organisations. The goal is to enable the kind of interactivity that can be achieved by nationally-recognised companies budgeting for a multi-person, multi-year effort— at a price point that puts this technology within reach for smaller local/regional artists and organisations.
As a flexible platform, it will be able to connect any sort of performance input (speech, movement, music) to any sort of visual output (representational/abstract, 2D/3D) stage robotics, or anything else digitally-controllable. Due to its modular nature, it will enable fast prototyping and a quick, streamlined path from idea to performance.
Growing out of a late-2019 prototype performance at St George’s Bristol as part of their International Keyboard Festival, this project has already won both a Project Grant and Developing Your Creative Practice funding from Arts Council England, Help Musicians’ Do It Differently Fund, and The Studio at Palace Yard Mews’ Recovery Fund. It has so far been selected for Puncture the Screen Festival in Nottingham and In the Meanwhile group show in Bath.
As a creative practice, Larkhall targets:
18 ticketed performances in 2022, 36 in 2023.
Total live audience of 1,800 in 2022, 7,200 in 2023.
10,000 streams in 2022, 100,000 in 2023.
£24k revenue in 2022, £80k in 2023.
As a commercial product, the targets are:
1-2 arts partnerships (leading to performances) in 2022
2-4 product and/or consulting sales in 2023
10+ product and/or consulting sales with revenue over £100k in 2024
International partnerships and touring, with revenue over £250k in 2025
To achieve these ambitious goals, I will be growing the company substantially, creating 5-10 new jobs in the Createch space. Specialists in programming, dramaturgy, sales and project management will be essential in meeting our targets. Many of these industries have struggled throughout 2020-21’s pandemic and these added jobs would bring benefit to their local sectors.
I have identified several potential collaborators in the region, including Air Giants, Old Vic, Light Box, Stepping Out, Circomedia, Paraorchestra, and Cirque Bijou. After launching the solo music edition of the live-visuals platform, I will be making and strengthening connections with these groups to determine which groups would be the highest value and best prospect for an initial collaboration.
Being chosen for the “Ones to Watch” showcase would be a powerful endorsement of this project and its potential. Because it is on the verge of launching from an individual creative tool to a product impacting the wider creative sector, the massively increased reach and attention that would come with selection would be critically important in helping to connect with the right creatives and performing arts companies across the UK. Additionally, it would serve to add gravitas to press and sales pitches, and help attract top talent to grow the team as the product’s growth ramps up over the coming months.
