1+1=3
1+1=3
Crossing boundaries of art and science, together
performances & Workshops
performances & Workshops
Cross-disciplinary performances
We use state-of-the-art technology for experimental performances, EEG-controlled music and public reflections. By developing artistic events utilizing our own real-time brain-computer-music-interfaces (BCMIs), we are able to engage the audience in a wide range of topics, from ideas of causality, to the experience of trance and the power of imagination. For example, in Hemispherics, as depicted here, two EEG-performers and two musicians respond to each other in a complex dialogue of brain controlled music. Musical harmony, control and improvisation are expressed in complex layers of inter-connection that are exhilarating for both the performers and the audience, and show the deep musical potential of BCMIs in cross-disciplinary experimentation.
Individualized EEG sonification
We also develop performative workshops and installations for occasions that allow more personal interaction or a more didactic approach. For example, Symbiotics, as depicted here, is more like an intimate intervention or interactive installation than it is a performance. Visitors to the installation are individually connected to EEG for a listening sessions that is improvised, highly personalized and responsive to them. Such an interactive installation can stand on it’s own, or be part of a larger event or exhibit.
Audiovisual EEG-based performances
EEG-based musical performances have been around since the 1960s, starting with pioneers such as Alvin Lucier and David Rosenboom. It requires a highly trained EEG performer who is able to intentionally maintain a state between excitation and inhibition of control, and is thereby able to modulate and respond to the sounds generated by the synthesizer. The synthesizer artist is also challenged to create music that both responds to the signals created by the brain, while creating a sonic landscape that invites both the EEG-performer and the audience to explore new mental territories. The result is a unique improvised audiovisual (and mental) experience revolving around physical stillness but mental activity, inner concentration, trance and freedom.
Neuroscience-music composition
By allowing live recordings of EEG, and their playback in real-time, our musicians are able to practice the art of EEG-based music composition. Furthermore, recording, analysis and playback can all occur at the same time, allowing performances to play with past and present EEG recordings at the same time, developing complex feedback loops between the past, and the present. Talk about mental time-travel!
Sonic self-exploration
Our goal is to develop the tools, the ideas and the knowledge to allow anyone to explore their own brain freely via music and EEG-sonification. We are not there yet, but we are building this future together by developing open-source software, organizing performances, lectures and workshops. Our work requires a committed team of professionals in music, psychology, neuroscience, art and engineering. We provide neither diagnostics, nor non-expert tools for EEG analysis.
Brain-computer-interfaces are being increasingly sold for unrealistic purposes and promoted with unsubstantiated claims. We emphatically distance ourselves from such exploitation of ignorance, and attempt to foster both enthusiasm and rigorous development of these technologies through art, education and openness instead.
Cultural production
Cultural production
An important part of the work we undertake is public. We organise and participate in performances, public workshops, lectures, festivals and interactive installations. In these events we engage with audiences as well as our extensive network of artists, scientists and engineers from many different countries and from many different genres and disciplines. Together we address questions that lie beyond the boundaries between art and science, mind and body. Our collective practice actively surpasses the artificial limitations between professional disciplines, levels of explanation and perceptual modalities, and instead focuses on direct experience and collaborations. By creating together and engaging in collective production and discussions that are of interest for most human being, we are able to create platforms for important meetings and exchanges between people with different backgrounds and experiences.
We have more than a decade of experience in organizing interdisciplinary events. Through this ongoing investigation we have refined a philosophy, working methods and approach to collaborative practices. We first met within the international art and science network OuUnPo. The network investigates the boundaries of performance by appropriating and stretching the language of workshops, seminars and meetings. OuUnPo has met regularly in different cities across the world since 2009. OuUnPo is an international exercise in democracy and self-organisation. It has no rules, no hierarchy, no permanent members or written program. These are negotiated and renegotiated by the members for each session. OuUnPo has worked with cultural institutions like Tate Britain in London, MACRO in Rome, Serralves and Casa de Musica in Porto, ZKM in Karlsruhe, Mori Art Museum and Spiral in Tokyo, Bankart 1929 in Yokohama, MAM and Pinacoteca in Sao Paulo and Deste Foundation in Athens.
With our current focus on biofeedback in music and performance we have organised events in many European countries as well as North, Central and South America. We collaborate with many academic institutions including Goldsmith's College in London, CalArts in Los Angeles, the University of Lille, Aalto University in Espoo, ICM in Paris and Donders Institute in Nijmegen. We remain open to new experiences and challenges, so feel free to contact us below.
open source technology
open source technology
EEGsynth
Our work is characterized by a continuous interaction between art, science and technology. Through developing performances and installations we discover new scenarios for artistic exploration using our own software and hardware, which in turn permits further experimentation. We develop and document our software and hardware in such a way to make it accessible to other explorers, under the EEGsynth project. The EEGsynth is an open-source Python code base released under the GNU general public license that provides a real-time interface between (open-hardware) devices for electrophysiological recordings (e.g. EEG, EMG and ECG) and analogue and digital devices (e.g. MIDI, lights, games and analogue synthesizers). The EEGsynth allows anyone to use electrical activity recorded from the brain or body to flexibly control devices in real-time. We do not develop hardware for electrophysiological recordings and sound generation ourselves, but use second-party open-source projects as well as commercial laboratory-grade EEG equipment. You can find more information about the EEGsynth at our dedicated blog, and download the code and documentation from our Github repository
Previous events
Previous events
Performances
Départ, Gremio Caldense, Caldas de Rainha, Portugal - 2020
The Cable Factory, Helsinki, Finland (info) - 2020
Transformation II, Antivirus Radio, P-node, online festival (info) - 2020
Monitorn, Helicotrema, Villaggio Artigiano di Modena Ovest, Italy (info) - 2020
(info) Andouillette, Aalto University, Aalto, Finland - 2019
University of London Institute, Paris, France - 2019
Symbiotics, R1 Reactorhallen, Stockholm, Sweden - 2019
An-atomic, Trädgården, Stockholm, Sweden - 2019
Galleri Ekdahl, Karlstad, Sweden - 2019
Folkteatern, Gothenburg, Sweden - 2019
Symbiotic Solaris Stations, Kunstkapel, Amsterdam, The Netherlands - 2018
COGITO in space, Dwingeloo radiotelescope, Dwingeloo, The Netherlands - 2018
Sonic Neuroscience, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, ICM, Paris - 2018
Charcot library, CuttingEEG conference, ICM, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, France - 2018
Brain Brunch, OTlab, Montrieul, France - 2018
Hemispherics, IKLECTIK, London, UK - 2018
Spiritual Lap Dance, Folie Numerique, La Villette, Paris, France (with Carima Neusser) - 2018
Semaine de cerveau (the Brain Week) at École Normale Supériere, Paris, France - 2018
Probing the Mind of Berzelius, Se2017, Karolinska institutet, Stockholm, Sweden - 2017
Hypnotic Feedback, Rönnells antikvariat, Stockholm, Sweden (with Hernan Anllo) - 2017
Hypnotic Feedback, Konsthallen Växjö, Sweden (with Hernan Anllo) - 2017
Sleep Algorythm, Köttinpektionen, Uppsala, Sweden - 2017
Performance, 5 Car Garage, Los Angeles, USA (with Marcos Lutyens) - 2016
Ohio Impromptu Revamped, A Ship in the Woods, San Diego, USA - 2016
The Science of Consciousness, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA (with Selen Atasoy) - 2016
Ohio Impromptu Revamped, The Science of Consciousness, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA - 2016
Studio Performance, Huhta Home Studio, Stockholm, Sweden (with Carima Neusser) - 2015
Sleep Algorythm, Södra Bar, Stockholm, Sweden - 2015
What Where Rescored, We Are What We Lost, OuUnPo, SPET, Sao Paulo, Brazil - 2014
workshops
2020 - Don’t be Afraid Boy, recording session, Huhta Home Studio, Copenhagen, Denmark
2020 - Delta, workshop on sleep and dreams with Emilio Fantin, Bologna, Italy
2020 - Biofeedback music workshops, KTH, Stockholm, Sweden (link)
2019 - Journee Science & Musique, Rennes, France (info)
2019 - Akusmata, Helsinki, Finland (info)
2019 - COGITO in space, Acces Festival, Pau, France (info)
2019 - UNAM, Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas, Mexico City
2019 - Transformation: a brain/body/music festival, Stockholm, Sweden (info)
2018 - ENSBA, Folie Numerique, La Vilette, Paris, France
2018 - Semaine de cerveau (Brain Week), École Normale Supériere, Paris, France
2018 - Retour vers le Second Square! Le Carreau du Temple, Paris, France
2018 - COGITO, TecArt, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
2017 - IRCAM, Paris, France
2017 - Cogito, COGBOT, Enschede, the Netherlands
2017 - Cogito, Overview Symposium, Kerkrade, the Netherlands
2017 - Fullersta Gård, Huddinge, Sweden
2017 - Astron, with Cogito, Dwingelo, the Netherlands
2017 - The Brain Control Club, CORTICO, ICM, Hôpital Pitié Salpêtrière, Paris, France
2016 - EMS, Stockholm, Sweden
2016 - Art and Educational Processes, Linnéuniveristet, Växjö, Sweden
2016 - Center for Research and Interdisciplinarity (CRI), Paris, France
2016 - Brainhack, École Normale Supériere, Paris, France
2015 - Lund University’s faculty of arts, Malmö, Sweden
2015 - Valand, Göteborg, Sweden
2015 - Royal Institute of Art, Stockholm, Sweden
2015 - Athens Working Session, Athens, Greece
2015 - Department of neurology Frankfurt University Hospital
TV, Radio and other media
Antennae (COGITO in Space - link) - 2019
E=M6 (French science TV) Metropole Television, France - 2018
Brainwave music and cortex related extravaganza, Epsilonia, Radio Libertaire (89.4 FM), France - 2018
Consciousness Central TV, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA - 2016
The San Diego Reader, by Chad Deal, The Ship in the Woods, Escondido - 2016
Installations
2018 - Electric Brain exhibition, Charcot library, ICM, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, France
2017 - Liminal Curtain, Galleri Fagerstedt, Stockholm, Sweden
The People
The People
Per Huttner
Per Hüttner is a Swedish artist who lives and works in Stockholm and Paris. He was trained at Konsthögskolan, Stockholm and at Hochschule der Künste in Berlin. He has shown extensively in Europe, North America, Australia and Asia. Solo exhibitions include “>unkown” at Zendai Contemporary in Shanghai, “Repetitive Time” at Göteborgs konstmuseum, and “I am a Curator” at Chisenhale Gallery in London. Participation in group shows include Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo (MAM), Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the Hayward Gallery in London, MACBA in Barcelona and he has performed at Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Pinacoteca and the Venice Biennial. A dozen monographs on the artists work have been published in the last decade. Hüttner is the founder and director of the Vision Forum, an international experimental research network.
Stephen Whitmarsh
Stephen Whitmarsh is a Paris-based neuroscientist and artist. His research methodology uses electrophysiological analyses of MEG, surface EEG and intercranial EEG. He obtained his MSc in experimental psychology at the University of Amsterdam (NL), his PhD in neuroscience at the Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience (NL), and his MA in Art and Media Production at Linköping University (SWE). He has been part of the art collective Ouunpo since its conception in 2009, organizing its 6th session in Amsterdam (2010) and 14nth session in Stockholm (2014). He created art-science evnts at Pinacoteca in Sao Paulo, Donders Center of Cognitive Neuroscience in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, Spiral Wacoal Art Center in Tokyo, Japan, and Karolinska Institute. He is President and founder of the EEGsynth open-source software for Brain-Computer-Music-Interfaces.
Jean-Louis Huhta
Jean-Louis Huhta is a Copenhagen-based artist, composer, musician and DJ. He studied at the Electronic music studios EMS in Stockholm and Sound art at STDH. He specializes in electronic music, percussion, improvisation and experimental modular synthesizer performances. He has been a part of the world of techno and acid since the early 90’s. He has composed for contemporary dance, film and theatre and performed around the world solo and with various projects. He participated in the The Gothenburg Biennal (2013) and the Ghetto Biennal Haiti (2013). Current musical projects are Dungeon Acid, The Skull Defekts, Ocsid, Brommage Dub and High Boys. Record labels include FitSound Detroit, Huhta Home studios, Ideal Recordings and Zodiac.
Samon Takahashi
Samon Takahashi is a French visual artist and musician. He lives and works in Paris. He has previously exhibited at e.g. the Musée d’Art Moderne (Paris), Laxart (Los Angeles), ICA (London), De Vleeshal (Middelburg), Palais de Tokyo (Paris), Spiral Wacoal Art Center (Tokyo), CNEAI (Chatou), and MNAC (Bucharest). He is a founding member of the mobile laboratory OuUnPo since 2009, a founding member of the improvised music band GOL since 1989 and is hosting the radio show Epsilonia on Radio Libertaire (Paris) since 1993.
Robert Oostenveld
Robert Oostenveld is MEG Physicist at the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands. His main interest is in developing novel methods for the analysis of MEG and EEG data with applications in cognitive neuroimaging. His scientific contributions include signal processing, source reconstruction, connectivity analysis and statistical analysis. He is a world-renowned authority on the methodological aspects of cognitive neuroimaging exemplified by his leadership in the development of the open-source analysis software FieldTrip.
Contact
Bookings and questions
Contact
Bookings and questions