Down the Tiny Steps

FOOTFALL is one of the tracks I created and performed at this year’s Culture Hack Scotland.

“Culture Hack Scotland is a 24 hr event where digital and design talent work together with cultural organisations to make new and exciting innovation prototypes.” Sync

This year’s theme was Data, Sound + Vision and the results were fantastic.

I was there as I’d been approached by the organisers to perform on the Saturday afternoon before the final presentations. The idea was that I’d compose my set over the 24 hours, somehow utilising the data pool they provide and/or feeding from what people were creating on the night.

At around 4am, I received a tweet from digital design student, Kyle MacQuarrie, asking if I’d like some footfall data from an exhibition at Glasgow’s Tramway converted into a midi file.

I am clueless as to how he did it, but I took this midi file and spread it across 5 VST synthesisers and a drum machine.

I didn’t alter the notes in any way. This is genuinely how it came out.

All I did was delete the notes below C0 and wedged the drum breaks in where it felt natural. I took my cues from what the numbers were throwing up.

Many thanks to the wonderful Sync team for running such a great event and getting me involved.

And to Kyle, without whom, this wee slice of crazy would not have come into existence.

Here he is presenting his pleasing visual interpretation of said footfall data.

photo by Chris Scott