In Situ Polytopes

Sound Creation Workhop in an Immersive Audiovisual Context

Content:
Led by: <a href="https://www.tremenss.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TremensS</a> and Ténèbre (<a href="https://www.experienss.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ExperiensS</a> / 665.99), Pierre Carré (IRCAM computer music designer) Presentation of the workshop online March 2025 (date to be determined) Online discussions March—May 2025 Workshop during the Academy: Monday, June 16—Saturday, June 21, 2025 at the CENTQUATRE-PARIS <h3>Object of the workshop</h3> <h3><img src="/media/uploads/ManiFeste/2025/atelier-polytopes.jpg" width="500" height="334" style="margin-right: 15px; float: left;" caption="false" /></h3> In 1972, Iannis Xenakis' Polytope de Cluny was a rare combination of sophisticated and popular art: an immersive sonic and visual experience, the prototype for many multimedia works. The spatialized soundtrack, the crackling flashes, the figures drawn by the laser beams and reflected by the mirrors... this unconventional work plunged the spectator into a hurricane of lights and electronic music. In June 2022, the digital art studio ExperiensS and Pierre Carré (IRCAM) readapted the Polytope for the first time with its original monumental scale, alongside a new creation by the Italian collective /nu/thing with ExperiensS, Where You There at the Beginning. The new 2025 edition includes two new electronic creations, 665.99 (TremensS x Ténèbre) and CHLOÉ. For the ManiFeste Academy, TremensS, Ténèbre, and Pierre Carré will be using the Polytope 2025 installation to explore the creative, experiential, and technical issues involved in an immersive audiovisual installation or performance. The 6 selected composers: Tania Cortès Becerra (Ecuador/Colombia), Xinglan Deng (China), Li He (China), Joseph Higgins (Ireland/United Kingdom), Oktawia Pączkowska*(Poland), Natalie Szende*(Germany/Hungary). *part of Ulysses journeys for composers, with the support of the Ulysses Platform, co-funded by the European Union Among the topics covered: <ul> <li>How can sound and visual creations be coordinated so that they work together to deliver a coherent multi-sensory experience, without competing or overshadowing one or the other? What technical strategies (hardware, software), particularly real-time and/or interactive for a live performance, enable this coordination and their simultaneous control?</li> <li>How might we think in terms of ‘audiovisual instruments’ to go beyond the conventional logic of ‘visual illustration of a sound creation’ or ‘sound illustration of a visual creation’?</li> <li>How can we standardise, invest, and spatialise the 3D volume of an immersive installation in terms of light and sound? How can the sound and visual references be aligned to ensure the coherence of the events perceived by the audience? How can an ‘invisible’ sound score be superimposed on physical and tangible visual/scenographic manifestations?</li> <li>How can the spatial trajectories of audio and visual events be composed, designed, programmed and coordinated (workflow, software tools and protocols)?</li> </ul> Participants will be guided in the development of a spatialised musical work coordinated with a visual framework (LEDs, lasers) programmed by ExperiensS, which will be synchronised with the sound score (MIDI/OSC). Warning: Polytopes has been identified as a potential seizure trigger (strobe or flashing lights) and is not recommended for peopel photosensitive epilepsy <img src="/media/uploads/ManiFeste/2025/polytope_c_stephane_balmy_bleu.jpg" width="311" height="206" style="margin-left: 15px; float: right;" caption="false" />The workshop is divided into several stages: <ul> <li>Between March and May 2025, the 6 selected candidates will receive support in preparing their project, through online meetings and email exchanges with the supervisory team</li> <li>From Monday to Saturday, June —21, 162025, the 6 selected candidates will meet at the CENTQUATRE-PARIS to rehearse their works and attend master classes and practical work given by the supervisory team</li> <li>On Saturday June 21, 2025 at CENTQUATRE-PARIS, their works will be performed in a concert as part of ManiFeste-2025</li> </ul> <h3>Remarques</h3> <ul> <li>Previous experience of audiovisual and/or immersive creation is a plus, but not compulsory. The workshop can be an exploration or a discovery of this discipline/exercise as well as a more in-depth study.</li> <li>Familiarity with interactive multimedia creation tools (beyond pure audio) is a plus, but not compulsory. During the workshop, ExperiensS will be in charge of the visual aspect and the technical aspects of synchronisation with the audio. We want participants to be able to concentrate creatively, technically and calmly on the sound aspect, and they will be given technical support by the supervisors in interfacing with the lighting using simple, predefined bridges.</li> <li>The main tools used, discussed or suggested during the workshop: Max/Spat, Ableton/M4L, Reaper, vvvv, Unreal Engine....</li> <li>Candidates must be able to demonstrate that they have mastered Max and/or Ableton Live, so that they can use either tool independently (depending on their preference) for pure sound creation. They will be supervised on the other technical aspects (spatialization, bridge with lighting effects, etc.).</li> </ul> <h3>The Workshop is Led By</h3> <a href="https://www.tremenss.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TremensS</a> (Thomas Bouaziz) is an engineer and multidisciplinary artist who explores generative and real-time art in immersive technological installations with the aura of dark, futuristic altars, combining sound, light, image, and sculpture. He is the founder of ExperiensS, a design and engineering studio for digital and contemporary art, music and fashion, which is collaborating with IRCAM on the readaptation of Xenakis's Polytope in 2022. Ténèbre (Paul Escande) is a sound designer and producer. Alongside his electronic projects (hybrid techno, bass music), he is lead sound designer for ExperiensS, creating the audio content for audiovisual and immersive installations in artistic, performance, and sound illustration contexts. Together, they also form 665.99, an experimental/noise project based around generative, real-time music and immersive experiences, which is a new creation for Polytope 2025. Pierre Carré is a graduate of the CNSMDP and holds a PhD in Mechanics and Acoustics from UPMC/IRCAM. His transdisciplinary artistic projects, combining sound and visual arts, explore themes at the intersection of the cultural, natural and technological spheres. Alongside his personal activities, Pierre Carré regularly works at IRCAM as a computer music producer. His musicological research into the work of Iannis Xenakis has led to the reconstitution of the Cluny Polytope with a view to its re-creation in 2022. <h3>Applications</h3> Candidates must: <ul> <li>be born after January 1, 1993</li> <li>not have already participated twice in another ManiFeste Academy workshop</li> <li>be able to speak and understand English or French</li> </ul> Personal reply by email Thursday, February 27, 2025. To apply, you must create an account (or use an existing account) on the <a href="https://ulysses-network.eu/competitions/manifeste-25-insitu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ULYSSES</a> platform, complete your profile and click on "Apply" from the " MANIFESTE-2025 In Situ : Polytopes" call page, then: <ul> <li>provide personal details (last name, first name, age, nationality, address, cell phone number, ID card, full-face photo which will be used by IRCAM for access badges and other documents)</li> <li>write a short biography (800 characters MAXIMUM) which can be used by IRCAM</li> <li>submit a CV listing your educational background, professional experience, awards and grants</li> <li>fill out the questionnaire [<a href="/media/uploads/ManiFeste/2025/questionnaire-academie-polytopes.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">download here</a>] about your skills in electronics and computer music, and include it with your application</li> <li>present 2 recent works composed by you using electronics, with the patch or corresponding (mp3 audio or link to a drive without password where you can present a sound file in another format, pdf score if applicable)</li> <li>write a letter presenting your motivation to attend the workshop (pdf)</li> </ul> <h3>Jury</h3> The jury selecting the young composers will include TremensS et Ténèbre (ExperiensS / 665.99), and Pierre Carré (IRCAM computer music designer). <h3>Participation conditions for selected composers</h3> Registration fee: 300€. The Academy does not provide scholarships, nor does it cover travel or accommodation expenses. Candidates selected to participate in the Academy must find their own accommodation. The selected artists must, under penalty of having their participation cancelled: <ul> <li>commit to composing a work that is: <ul> <li>original,</li> <li>no longer than 8 minutes,</li> <li>for electronics (live or recorded) coordinated with a lighting score programmed by ExperiensS</li> </ul> </li> <li>take part in a group videoconference with all the participants, the guest composer, and the computer music designers in March 2026</li> <li>pay their registration fees by Tuesday, March 11, 2025</li> <li>prepare the electronic material required for their project beforehand, in collaboration with the teaching team (exchanges by videoconference and email)</li> <li>send in their complete work by Tuesday, May 27, 2025</li> <li>make any changes to their work that may be requested by the teaching team</li> <li>attend all the work sessions and rehearsals of all the participants and the dedicated meetings of their workshop from Monday 16 to Saturday 21 June 2025 (every day from 10am to 7pm maximum, except Sunday, June 23, public performances scheduled for Saturday, June 21)</li> </ul> Composers who hand in their work after the specified date, who do not respect the guidelines provided, or who are absent, even partially, during the workshop, will have their participation automatically cancelled without possibility of appeal. Photo: Le Polytope 2022 à l’Espace de Projection de l’Ircam, dans le cadre de ManiFeste-2022 © Stéphane Balmy - tous droits réservés

Led by: TremensS and Ténèbre (ExperiensS / 665.99), Pierre Carré (IRCAM computer music designer)
Presentation of the workshop online March 2025 (date to be determined)
Online discussions March—May 2025
Workshop during the Academy: Monday, June 16—Saturday, June 21, 2025 at the CENTQUATRE-PARIS

Object of the workshop

In 1972, Iannis Xenakis' Polytope de Cluny was a rare combination of sophisticated and popular art: an immersive sonic and visual experience, the prototype for many multimedia works. The spatialized soundtrack, the crackling flashes, the figures drawn by the laser beams and reflected by the mirrors... this unconventional work plunged the spectator into a hurricane of lights and electronic music.

In June 2022, the digital art studio ExperiensS and Pierre Carré (IRCAM) readapted the Polytope for the first time with its original monumental scale, alongside a new creation by the Italian collective /nu/thing with ExperiensS, Where You There at the Beginning. The new 2025 edition includes two new electronic creations, 665.99 (TremensS x Ténèbre) and CHLOÉ.

For the ManiFeste Academy, TremensS, Ténèbre, and Pierre Carré will be using the Polytope 2025 installation to explore the creative, experiential, and technical issues involved in an immersive audiovisual installation or performance.

The 6 selected composers: Tania Cortès Becerra (Ecuador/Colombia), Xinglan Deng (China), Li He (China), Joseph Higgins (Ireland/United Kingdom), Oktawia Pączkowska*(Poland), Natalie Szende*(Germany/Hungary).

*part of Ulysses journeys for composers, with the support of the Ulysses Platform, co-funded by the European Union

Among the topics covered:

How can sound and visual creations be coordinated so that they work together to deliver a coherent multi-sensory experience, without competing or overshadowing one or the other? What technical strategies (hardware, software), particularly real-time and/or interactive for a live performance, enable this coordination and their simultaneous control?
How might we think in terms of ‘audiovisual instruments’ to go beyond the conventional logic of ‘visual illustration of a sound creation’ or ‘sound illustration of a visual creation’?
How can we standardise, invest, and spatialise the 3D volume of an immersive installation in terms of light and sound? How can the sound and visual references be aligned to ensure the coherence of the events perceived by the audience? How can an ‘invisible’ sound score be superimposed on physical and tangible visual/scenographic manifestations?
How can the spatial trajectories of audio and visual events be composed, designed, programmed and coordinated (workflow, software tools and protocols)?

Participants will be guided in the development of a spatialised musical work coordinated with a visual framework (LEDs, lasers) programmed by ExperiensS, which will be synchronised with the sound score (MIDI/OSC).

Warning: Polytopes has been identified as a potential seizure trigger (strobe or flashing lights) and is not recommended for peopel photosensitive epilepsy

The workshop is divided into several stages:

Between March and May 2025, the 6 selected candidates will receive support in preparing their project, through online meetings and email exchanges with the supervisory team
From Monday to Saturday, June —21, 162025, the 6 selected candidates will meet at the CENTQUATRE-PARIS to rehearse their works and attend master classes and practical work given by the supervisory team
On Saturday June 21, 2025 at CENTQUATRE-PARIS, their works will be performed in a concert as part of ManiFeste-2025

Remarques

Previous experience of audiovisual and/or immersive creation is a plus, but not compulsory. The workshop can be an exploration or a discovery of this discipline/exercise as well as a more in-depth study.
Familiarity with interactive multimedia creation tools (beyond pure audio) is a plus, but not compulsory. During the workshop, ExperiensS will be in charge of the visual aspect and the technical aspects of synchronisation with the audio. We want participants to be able to concentrate creatively, technically and calmly on the sound aspect, and they will be given technical support by the supervisors in interfacing with the lighting using simple, predefined bridges.
The main tools used, discussed or suggested during the workshop: Max/Spat, Ableton/M4L, Reaper, vvvv, Unreal Engine....
Candidates must be able to demonstrate that they have mastered Max and/or Ableton Live, so that they can use either tool independently (depending on their preference) for pure sound creation. They will be supervised on the other technical aspects (spatialization, bridge with lighting effects, etc.).

The Workshop is Led By

TremensS (Thomas Bouaziz) is an engineer and multidisciplinary artist who explores generative and real-time art in immersive technological installations with the aura of dark, futuristic altars, combining sound, light, image, and sculpture. He is the founder of ExperiensS, a design and engineering studio for digital and contemporary art, music and fashion, which is collaborating with IRCAM on the readaptation of Xenakis's Polytope in 2022.

Ténèbre (Paul Escande) is a sound designer and producer. Alongside his electronic projects (hybrid techno, bass music), he is lead sound designer for ExperiensS, creating the audio content for audiovisual and immersive installations in artistic, performance, and sound illustration contexts.

Together, they also form 665.99, an experimental/noise project based around generative, real-time music and immersive experiences, which is a new creation for Polytope 2025.

Pierre Carré is a graduate of the CNSMDP and holds a PhD in Mechanics and Acoustics from UPMC/IRCAM. His transdisciplinary artistic projects, combining sound and visual arts, explore themes at the intersection of the cultural, natural and technological spheres. Alongside his personal activities, Pierre Carré regularly works at IRCAM as a computer music producer. His musicological research into the work of Iannis Xenakis has led to the reconstitution of the Cluny Polytope with a view to its re-creation in 2022.

Applications

Candidates must:

be born after January 1, 1993
not have already participated twice in another ManiFeste Academy workshop
be able to speak and understand English or French

Personal reply by email Thursday, February 27, 2025.

To apply, you must create an account (or use an existing account) on the ULYSSES platform, complete your profile and click on "Apply" from the " MANIFESTE-2025 In Situ : Polytopes" call page, then:

provide personal details (last name, first name, age, nationality, address, cell phone number, ID card, full-face photo which will be used by IRCAM for access badges and other documents)
write a short biography (800 characters MAXIMUM) which can be used by IRCAM
submit a CV listing your educational background, professional experience, awards and grants
fill out the questionnaire [download here] about your skills in electronics and computer music, and include it with your application
present 2 recent works composed by you using electronics, with the patch or corresponding (mp3 audio or link to a drive without password where you can present a sound file in another format, pdf score if applicable)
write a letter presenting your motivation to attend the workshop (pdf)

Jury

The jury selecting the young composers will include TremensS et Ténèbre (ExperiensS / 665.99), and Pierre Carré (IRCAM computer music designer).

Participation conditions for selected composers

Registration fee: 300€.
The Academy does not provide scholarships, nor does it cover travel or accommodation expenses. Candidates selected to participate in the Academy must find their own accommodation.

The selected artists must, under penalty of having their participation cancelled:

commit to composing a work that is:
- original,
- no longer than 8 minutes,
- for electronics (live or recorded) coordinated with a lighting score programmed by ExperiensS
take part in a group videoconference with all the participants, the guest composer, and the computer music designers in March 2026
pay their registration fees by Tuesday, March 11, 2025
prepare the electronic material required for their project beforehand, in collaboration with the teaching team (exchanges by videoconference and email)
send in their complete work by Tuesday, May 27, 2025
make any changes to their work that may be requested by the teaching team
attend all the work sessions and rehearsals of all the participants and the dedicated meetings of their workshop from Monday 16 to Saturday 21 June 2025 (every day from 10am to 7pm maximum, except Sunday, June 23, public performances scheduled for Saturday, June 21)

Composers who hand in their work after the specified date, who do not respect the guidelines provided, or who are absent, even partially, during the workshop, will have their participation automatically cancelled without possibility of appeal.

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