"The spirit and magic of rhythm expressed on drums and percussion instruments cuts through all ages, sexes, religions, races and cultures."
Arthur Hull, 1998
Telematic Drum Circle is an interdisciplinary art project which combines telecommunications, robotics, human-computer interaction, and improvisational music. The project allows multiple online users around the world to create a live collective sound improvisation by controlling sixteen robotic percussion instruments via the Internet. The project explores the rupture of deeper communication in the technology meditated world, and addresses the issue of global harmony by sharing participants' rhythmical spirit produced through the telematic live drum ensemble. Telematic Drum Circle consists of two main components: a set of sixteen robotic percussion instruments arranged in an installation space and an interactive website (www.TelematicDrumCircle.net) networked with these instruments. Each percussion instrument is representative of a geo-cultural region. Regardless of age, sex, religion, race, and culture, we all have a universal rhythm which is a heart beat. The drum is an instrument of rhythm, and I believe it can stand in for a person's heart. The heart-to-heart communication expressed on drums and percussion instruments cuts through all the differences, and blurs the boundaries between us. By tapping the computer keyboard while at the website, participants around the world can remotely play the robotic instruments together, while watching a live streaming video of their ensemble broadcast through the website.
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Telematic Drum Circle consists of two main components: a set of sixteen robotic drums arranged in the gallery space and an interactive website networked with these drums.
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In the website, each participant picks up one of the sixteen drums available through clicking a number button on the online interface, and plays the drum remotly while watching the live streamming video of the robotic drums installed in the gallery space.
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The robotic drum uses compressed air to play the actual drum, and the air is controlled by electronic air control system.
Each participant uses number keys (1-9) on his/her computer keyboard to play the drum with that intensity. Whenever the participant presses any number key, a data is transferred to the server via Internet, and the robotic actuator in the gallery plays the drum as soon as it receives the data from the remote participant.
The instruments are designed to resemble percussion devices from five different geo-cultural regions including Asia/Pacific, Latin America/Caribbean, Africa, Arab States and Europe/North America.
The TDC audio/video database management system is under development. When the system is ready for the next TDC presentation in 2009, online users will be able to access all the audio/video data generated by online participants. The Scenario is that the live video of the actual percussion ensemble is recorded in every minute with the participants’ names and their locations. Downloadable video and sound file are available in the archive section. Every participant can use the website to e-mail a video and sound file to his/her friends and to encourage them to visit the project website and create musical ensemble.
For technical information of Telematic Drum Circle, please visit Byeong Sam Jeon's website at http://www.BSJeon.net/tdc/