29 Speedway founder Ben Shirken presented “Corpus” on November 22, 2024, an evening of software-based improvisational performances at Blade Study Gallery. The performances were part of Blade Study's "Speak Ill" Group Show pertaining to gossip. Integral to cultural production, hearsay can be a corrosive or supportive force, depending on the words exchanged. The value of information and its dissemination holds alchemical potential. Works by Tommy Martinez, Ben Shirken, Axine M and Karol Konstancia obfuscate hearsay, obscuring chatter through Tik Tok addiction, archival manipulation, and automated spontaneity. The performances will use
Shirken's performance utilized a live feed of current event Tik Tok news columns pertaining to Youtuber and celebrity "hearsay" news. The audio from Tik Tok was fed into a system built using Ircam's SOMAX II, an application for musical improvisation and composition using AI and live machine listening. The custom system responded generatively to the speech from the feed, outputting instrumental parts, audio samples, and midi information to control piano, marimba, cello, voice, and miscellaneous instruments. The performance was viewed by computer monitor and via Emmett Palaima’s artist-editioned Morningstar speakers as a conduit and amplifier for an expanded notion of gossip.
