Number of the Machine

BACKGROUND Number Of The Machine fuses kinetic sculpture - programmed by (((20hz))) - with live performance choreographed by Antony Hamilton. Verhagen and Paul worked on the motion code (choreographing the two motion simulators) as well as the sound design (where the noise of the actuators "dancing" was recorded into a soundtrack and augmented with eq, reverb and subwoofers behind the gallery wall. CONTRIBUTION This work started off exploring a simplistic dichotomy between the organic and the mechanical. As choreography was programmed for the simulators, however, it became clear that such a distinction was problematized by the sense of sentience and interplay between the machines that movement was conferring. The first seam of the research then became an exploration of the character of these "intentions" and "conversations" and how movement is intuitively interpreted in this regard. The second research seam related to how a soundtrack could be composed using and running in parallel with the live sound of the units. Rather than conferring confidence with a traditional musical approach, this instead became a subversive device to add drama off radar, where the score was confused as simply coming from the machines themselves. SIGNIFICANCE This was the first collaboration between (((20hz))) and the internationally renowned, award winning choreographer, Antony Hamilton. It premiered at RMIT Gallery, received funding from Creative Victoria & City of Melbourne and was nominated for two 2018 Greenroom awards - "concept" and "soundtrack".