Culturehub's REFEST is coming up this weekend starting on December 11th. Codenobi & Wookie will be performing at Beast Code on December 11th at 8:30pm in The Downstairs at La MaMa! Codenobi & Wookie took time out of their busy rehearsal schedule to answer 6 questions for us! Hear what they have to say about their microresidency, Nyan cat, and live coding!
Journey into a net-based world as artists Codenobi & Wookie, Dataf1ow and Blevin Blectum transform The Downstairs with audio and visual responsive elements, live coding, and mechanical & electronic music that plunge your senses into a sea of EDM, J-Pop, Gif-Culture psychedelics, and other sensory adventures.
1. Who are Codenobi and Wookie?
Codenobi and Wookie are Albany, NY-based visual artist Shawn Lawson and Fremont Center, NY-based composer Ryan Ross Smith. Our collaboration began with a haphazard, last-minute hustle to create a piece for an evening of electronic music and visualization at EMPAC in Troy, NY. Since then we have worked to refine our project into two distinct, yet complementary performance pieces: Kessel Run and Sarlacc. Sarlacc was made possible in part through our CultureHub residency in February, earlier this year. Our performance at Refest will draw from these two pieces.
2. This piece started in the CultureHub microresidency, how has it progressed since then?
Since our residency at CultureHub, the piece has gone through a number of iterations, and has been presented in: ACM Creativity & Cognition at the Art School in Glasgow Scotland, Access Space in Sheffield UK, and the ISEA Algorave at the Fortune Sound Club in Vancouver CA. Currently, we are stepping further away from what was a more or less set composition, and incorporating a variety of improvisatory elements.
3. You brought Dataf1low and Blevin to Refest. Can you tell us more about your relationships with these artists?
Dataf1ow and Blevin Blectum are two of my favorite electronic artists working today, so it is a real treat to be sharing the stage with them.
4. Tell us about live-coding. We mention it to people and get a lot of blank stares.
Essentially, it's coding as a performance art. Part of the impetus for the live-coding movement was the desire/demand to "show your screen." The code of the performance is projected so that the audience gets to see behind the curtain, so to speak. There is a revealing of the creative coding process that emerges during the performance. In this way, the audience experiences the performers thoughts and struggles during the performance in addition to the visual and soundscapes generated. The home of live-coding is always a good place to start: http://toplap.org
5. What is your favorite internet meme?
Nyan Cat.
6. What's next for you after Refest?
After Refest, we plan to work toward the 3rd iteration of our collaboration, which will be entirely improvised. This iteration will feature Ryan/Wookie on Tidal (Alex Mclean's audio live-coding platform) and analog electronics, and Shawn will be developing hardware and software addons for visual<->audio live coding collaborative manipulation.
Culturehub SeoulArts / La MaMa present
Beast Code featuring Blevin Blectum, Codenobi & Wookie, and Dataf1ow
Friday, December 11, 2015
8:30pm-10:30pm
The Downstairs at La MaMa
66 East 4th Street
Tickets available online here!
Ticket prices:
General Admission / $10
Artists Tickets (Online Only) / $5Students (Must Show ID at Door) / $5
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