Bomani Armah is a Hip Hop artist, writer, educator, and family man. Born in Washington D.C. and raised in Prince George's County, Maryland, Bomani's goal is to "Honor the Ancestors, Prepare the Descendants and Love Right Now." Bomani has released four Hip Hop albums, including "Bomani Armah is the Watermelon Man." He is best known for his 2007 viral crunk hit "Read a Book," which aired on BET's 106th & Park.
The Book of Knowledge of Impractical Musical Devices
Loosely based on the 12th century Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by the Islamic engineer Al-Jazari, this project was focused on the design and development of three experimental sonic objects and musical instruments that each took a conceptual limitation to a logical conclusion, thereby raising questions about the place of digital media, sound, and technology in our lives.
Volume 1 is a rhythm generator which changes patterns every day. It uses a sound library that was itself recorded in a single day. The previous day’s patterns will never be recreated.
Volume 2 is a GPS-based granular synthesizer. It will sound different depending on where it is in the world, as most of the parameters are set by the GPS data.
Volume 3 is a listening device which slowly, but permanently, destroys the sound that it contains. The only copy of the recording is in this device, so each time it is played it is simultaneously lost forever.
The project is fully open source, conceptually and technically. Each volume is accompanied by an essay detailing the idea behind the design, as well as a full set of technical resources for building your own.
Volume 1 is a rhythm generator which changes patterns every day. It uses a sound library that was itself recorded in a single day. The previous day’s patterns will never be recreated.
Volume 2 is a GPS-based granular synthesizer. It will sound different depending on where it is in the world, as most of the parameters are set by the GPS data.
Volume 3 is a listening device which slowly, but permanently, destroys the sound that it contains. The only copy of the recording is in this device, so each time it is played it is simultaneously lost forever.
The project is fully open source, conceptually and technically. Each volume is accompanied by an essay detailing the idea behind the design, as well as a full set of technical resources for building your own.
Medium: Sound Art
Year: 2019
Yann Seznec is an artist whose work focuses on sound, music, physical interaction, games, and building new instruments. Recent projects include residencies at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the Floating Cinema in London, Playable City Lagos, and Timespan in the Scottish Highlands. He has performed at The Roundhouse London, Mutek Montreal, Melbourne Recital Hall, Liquid Rooms Tokyo, Köln Philharmonie, Fak’ugesi Johannesburg, and more.
Formstone Castle is a small team based out of Upper Fells Point, Baltimore, bringing together the enthusiasm and diverse skillsets of many different communities to make art for festivals and events, as well as simply for the joy of creation.
Christina Delgado is a Baltimore based photographer, designer, and curator. Her work revolves around a sense of self and identity as a Nuyorican born and raised in New York City who migrated to Baltimore as a young adult. Delgado’s work displays a passion and pride for identity in family and homeplace. It connects ways in which home, place, and family can be sights of pain & trauma but ultimately sights of healing, freedom, and self-love. She is the founder and owner of Tola’s Room, an immersive Puerto Rican home museum and culture space located in Northeast Baltimore.