Project Portfolio [Sound] (2015-2018) - Michalis Shammas

PROJECT PORTFOLIO selected works 2015 - 2018

Michalis Shammas

CONTENTS

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Curriculum Vitae

- INSTRUMENTS & CONTROLLERS5

Kyklophonon, a physical sequencer : Diploma Project 13 21

Kyklophonon II

The BXB : a custom made midi controller series 27

Pattern Generator : Max for live patch - PERFORMANCE & RELEASES31 35

Performance Releases

-INSTALLATION37 43

Ebb & Flow

Studio Zimoun exhibitions

CURRICULUM VITAE

personal info name address tel e-mail website date of birth place of birth

Michalis Shammas Aelbrechtskade 30A, 3022HL Rotterdam, The Netherlands +31 657 210 643 michaelshammas@hotmail.com www.michalisshammas.com 30.9.1988 Nicosia, Cyprus

profile Michalis Shammas is a Cypriot born architect, musician, instrument designer and performer.

His work lies in an intermediate space between Art, Design and Technology. Through his studies in Architecture in the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (graduated 2015, GPA 9,15), he came to develop a keen interest in small scale design and fabrication, electronics prototyping as well as kinetics and sound sculpture. His multi-disciplinary personal work combines these elements into the creation of architectural objects of sound that seek the properties of complexity, narrativity and elegance. Michalis has worked as a head architect and exhibition curator during his internship in 2016-2017 at Studio Zimoun in Bern, creating kinetic-sound installations in Switzerland (Zurich), Denmark (Aarhus) and France (Paris). He has presented his own work in several festivals in Greece and Cyprus throughout 2015 - 2017, and is currently continuing to develop his personal work in the field of design and sound art.

He has been an Msc candidate in the Industrial Design Departments of TU Delft and TU Eindhoven since 2018.

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education 2008 - 2015 Diploma of Architecture (300 ECTS - BArch + MArch equivalent) Aristotle University of Thessaloniki GPA : 9,15 / 10 skills computer software : excellent knowledge of Rhinoceros & Grasshopper, Adobe Photoshop / Indesign / Illustrator / Premiere Pro, Autocad, EnRoute, Ableton Live, Max MSP, Cinema 4D, Arduino materials / fabrication : experience in working with metal & wood, CNC drilling, laser-cutting, 3D printing, hardware prototyping languages : Greek (mother), English (fluent), Turkish (basic) work experience 2015 - 2016 Personal work 2016 - 2017 Internship at Studio Zimoun, Bern Switzerland 2017 - present Personal & Freelance work live performances 22.11.2015 12.12.2015 8.4.2016 19.5.2016 12.6.2016 30.12.2016 2.6.2017 22.6.2017 1.7.2017 9.8.2017 30.12.2017 27.6.2018 13.7.2018 12.12.2018 21.02.2019

Live electronics performance at Coo, Thessaloniki Greece Kyklophonon performance at Les yper yper, Thessaloniki Greece Kyklophonon performance at Fasma Festival, Athens Greece Live electronics performance at Viotexnia, Thessaloniki Greece Live electronics performance at Coo, Thessaloniki Greece Live electronics performance at the Envelope Festival, Nicosia Cyprus Live electronics performance at the Gathering Festival, Kampia Cyprus Kyklophonon performance at Revlon event, Limassol Cyprus Kyklophonon presentation at Farma Festival, Kampia Cyprus Live performance at Honest electronics 1 year anniversary, Nicosia, Cyprus Live electronics performance at the Envelope Festival, Nicosia Cyprus Kyklophonon II Presentation at Drivedrive, Nicosia Cyprus Live electronics performance at Stargaze, Kampia Cyprus Collaborative performance w/Emmidio Vasquez at Echo Buecher, Berlin, Germany Live performance at LAPSody festival, Helsinki, Finland

releases Polygona EP, 2018, Leerraum (CH) Kyklophonon II Sessions EP, 2018, Honest Electronics (CY)

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KYKLOPHONON a physical sequencer type : diploma project | october 2015 supervisor : Apostolos Kalfopoulos

Kyklophonon was initially conceived as an abstract mechanism capable of producing musical patterns, intended to be a part of my diploma project for the Architecture Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Such a device would be the physical equivalent to a sequencer: an artifact that can produce numberless musical sequences through a manipulation of its physical parts.

This project eventually led to the full scale design and fabrication of a fully functional musical instrument. With a main body cut out of plywood, standing on four iron columns, its detailed parts produced either in laser cutters or by hand, embodying saz strings, ball bearings, fishing weights and piezoelectric transducers, the Kyklophonon incorporates a number of peculiar mechanisms that can be either manually handled or automated to produce a fully unique, ethereal sound.

The working principles are simple: a vertical system of freely sliding strings, tightened by suspended weights, is activated by a horizontal system of rotating discs with attached pins. This contact produces harmonious sequences which vibrate the instrument and are then amplified to become audible. Everything is variable: the notes can change through the strings’ sliding movement on the pulleys and the rhythm of contact depends on the position of the rubber band connecting the discs.

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Kyklophonon : main body / front

Kyklophonon : main body / side

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Since the project’s completion and presentation in October 2015 in AUTH, the Kyklophonon has been publicly presented and performed in several occasions, in Greece and Cyprus.

Video: https://vimeo.com/142541512 https://vimeo.com/142547186 https://vimeo.com/142547186

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KYKLOPHONON II the second of the strange instruments type : personal project | sound / design / kinetics

Kyklophonon II has been designed to be the successor of the first instrument built in 2015. The design features a new overall arrangement and advanced materials such as bronze, stainless steel and maple wood. More precise and solid mechanisms are incorporated, for example the use of a central gear system instead of interconnected pulleys in the middle horizontal level, and a damping system for the string elevators to prevent unwanted movements.

The instrument can again be automated, or manually played with pieces of steel strings or e-bows for sustained drones.

The aim was to bring the instrument to a new level in all aspects: functionally, aesthetically and acoustically. The project was completed in July 2018.

Video: https://vimeo.com/298757991 https://vimeo.com/298757991

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Kyklophonon II

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Kyklophonon II

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Kyklophonon II : central mechanism

the 8 x 8

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THE BXB custom made midi controller series type : personal project | MIDI controller | 2016 - 2017

The BXB is a custom MIDI controller series developed in 2016-2017.

This project kicked off due to my personal need for a compact controller featuring 64 knobs. The series continued with some more controllers with different sizes, always emphasizing on an elegant design and materials that are pleasant to see and to touch, which is what the commercial machines usually lack.

The circuits are hand-built and the board (Teensy) is programmed through Arduino.

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the 8 x 8

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the 8 x 8 : internal circuit

the 2 x 8

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PATTERN GENERATOR MAX for live patch type max

: personal project | patch | 2016 - 2017

The Pattern Generator is a Max for live Patch that is designed to generate MIDI sequences in a more complex and unpredictable manner than regular sequencers.

The patch features extended parameter controls on steps, inbuilt scales, a custom scale builder, a save bank, a velocity randomizer, shift & transfer controls for live manipulation of the sequences and most importantly an external timing option (allows for irregular stepping).

Link: https://files.cargocollective.com/c237807/Pattern-Generator-2.0.amxd

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PERFORMANCE

type

:

sound

The sound performances are built around the devices of my own making, whether it be the peculiar Kyklophonon, the home-made midi controllers, or my collection of custom sequence-producing algorithms run through analog synthesizers.

The electronic instrument performance is characterised by a deep layering of polyrhythmic patterns, creating rich hypnotising soundscapes that stretch up to half-an-hour long tracks, yearning for a balance between mathematical complexity and chaotic bliss. Kyklophonon performances tend to be very slow-paced, delicate and fragile, attempting to induce an eerie, mystical listening experience.

In the future I want to work on the combination and blend between these two, potentially with the creation of instruments that combine a physical body and vibrating mediums but can be manipulated through a digital interface.

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/michalis-sham https://soundcloud.com/michalis-sham

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Collaborative performance with Emmidio Vasquez at Drivedrive, Nicosia Cyprus

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Polygona EP, 2018, Leerraum (CH) http://www.leerraum.ch/ http://www.leerraum.ch/

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RELEASES

Kyklophonon II Sessions EP, 2018, Honest Electronics (CY) https://honestelectronics.bandcamp.com/album/kyklophonon-ii-sessions-he10

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EBB & FLOW

type

:

kinetic

/

sound

installation

Ebb & Flow is a kinetic sound installation made in collaboration with Demetris Shammas and presented in exhibition space “Thkio Ppalies�, Nicosia, July of 2018.

This work tries to induce and capture a relationship between mechanical rhythm and the effortless drift of natural waves. Gouging their way through masses of sand, these mechanical automata waver on a fragile balance between perpetual struggle and sedate harmony.

Video:

https://vimeo.com/298903537 https://vimeo.com/298903537

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STUDIO ZIMOUN EXHIBITIONS

type kinetic

-

:

studio projects sound installations |

| 2017

During my internship in Studio Zimoun in Bern, Switzerland, I have worked as a head architect, project manager and curator of three major kinetic sound installations: 1 ] 435 prepared dc-motors, 2030 cardboard boxes 35x35x35cm installed in Godsbanen, Aarhus Denmark, February 2017 2 ] 600 prepared dc-motors, 58kg wood presented in Le Centquatre, Paris France, March 2017 3] Vibrating Blocks presented in Le Centquatre, Paris France, March 2017 Zimoun’s kinetic sound installations use simple mechanical elements to create architecturally-minded platforms of sound. The observer is submerged into atmospheres of chaotic yet calming soundscapes, their natural complexity emerging from the vast repetition of identical mechanical components.

The studio work for me involved conducting research, design and prototyping on such simple mechanical elements from which ideas for artworks could derive. I was also greatly responsible for making detailed planning and calculations for the upcoming exhibitions, as well as leading teams of technicians or volunteers at the site of the exhibitions for the set-up phase.

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image: 600 prepared dc-motors, 58kg wood / Paris, France photo copyrights: Zimoun

Detail, 600 prepared dc-motors, 58kg wood / Paris, France

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APPENDIX : Compilation of links Website: https://michalisshammas.com Instrument Videos: https://vimeo.com/142541512 https://vimeo.com/142547186 https://vimeo.com/298757991 Installation: https://vimeo.com/298903537 Releases: http://www.leerraum.ch/ (scroll down) https://honestelectronics.bandcamp.com/album/kyklophonon-ii-sessionshe10 Max patches: https://files.cargocollective.com/c237807/Pattern-Generator-2.0.amxd Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/michalis-sham https://soundcloud.com/michalis-sham

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