{riversynth}

Leah Barclay; Toby Gifford

Image credit: Leah Barclay; Toby Gifford

• Format: Live Performance
• Session: concert-1
• Paper PDF link
• Presence: In person
• Duration: 10
• Location: Performance 1

Abstract:

{riversynth} is both an immersive performance and musical interface that mixes live hydrophone streams from six river systems with live processing through a gestural controlled water instrument. Building on a decade of research from the River Listening project, {riversynth} creates an entangled performance ecosystem where unpredictable aquatic soundscapes become both the source material and score for a live performance. The interface consists of a transparent tank filled with water and embedded sensors that detect water movement and light. These parameters modulate, filter and mix the live hydrophone streams via the performer’s hands in the water, creating a dynamic relationship between the real-time river soundscapes and the performer’s physical manipulation of water. {riversynth} demonstrates multiple layers of entanglement: temporal (connecting historical River Listneing research with real-time audio), spatial (linking geographically distant river ecosystems in a spatial performance environment), and material (using water to control and mix aquatic soundscapes). This multilayered approach directly engages with NIME 2025’s theme by exploring how musical interfaces can bridge environmental monitoring with live artistic experimentation. The technical implementation combines custom-designed sensors, a low-latency streaming network, and a granular synthesis performance tool for live manipulation of the hydrophone streams in surround sound. The interface enables intuitive control while maintaining complexity in the sonic output, allowing for both composed sections and improvisatory responses to the unpredictability of live streams. {riversynth} creates an entangled network where environmental data becomes musical material, and human gestural control is mediated through live engagement with the hydrophones. This creates a feedback loop between performer, technology, and environment that emphasises our interconnected relationship with aquatic ecosystems and their health. While the performers appear to have agency through their gestural engagement with the water, it is ultimately the live river soundscapes that dictate and control how the performance will unfold, mirroring the unpredictability of the natural environment.