Project Archive:

Here, in no particular order are some of our projects to date. Some of these we still work on, sometimes in new incarnations/iterations others are included for context and to show the variety of things we have been involved in. Follow the links for a lot of great images and more information on each project.

The Sonic Soul Suits:

The creation and staging of the Sonic Soul Suits was the starting point of Sonic Sideshow. Simply put, they are audience-interactive wearable technology devices – to see it put less simply follow the links below or go to FAQ to delve into the technical details of the project.

The suits present technical possibilities that formed the basis of several stage shows, walkabout acts acts and audience-interactive game sequences.

An array of body patches across both suits allow the players to trigger sound samples via a wireless link to a computer program. In a live setting the custom-built program also allows us to record ourselves, or members of the audience, simply by touching a patch and speaking into a microphone.

Shows/Acts

The making of the suits

Waterwheel-Powered-Beat-Sequencer:

The Waterwheel Beat Sequencer uses a waterwheel-powered turn-table and light sensors to read black and white drawings created by the audience. The shapes in the drawings are turned into a rhythmic pattern by the machine. For a full explanation on how it does so, have a look at this short Youtube clip. In an events context we run this machine as a curiosity sideshow....its like a hand-drawn early-late cousin of the record! We use an organ or other instruments to jam along with the 'drawn' percussion -which steers the experience in a musical direction.

This was originally created for an educational workshop and can still be staged as such.

MS Stubnitz at Canary Wharf -Transceiver Series and more:

In 2013 Sonic Sideshow worked for MS Stubnitz at Canary Wharf. After staging Apocalypse Gameshow onboard in 2012, at the Newham berth, Aste was able to securing a new mooring for the ship at Canary Wharf, and programmed events on board Feb-May 2013 focusing on tech-art-performance, digital and kinetic arts, technology and gaming. Within this Sonic Sideshow drew on our contacts and interests to curate the Transceiver Series, a season of events featuring sonic arts, innovative electronic music and maker-musicians - with an emphasis on live performance, on new ways to interact with the audience, and on re-imagining musical instruments.


MS Stubnitz at Canary Wharf

Transceiver Series

Apocalypse Gameshow audience profiling induction design:

Since 2012 Sonic Sideshow has been developing new technical systems for audience participation and profiling in live-game/immersive theatre experience Apocalypse Gameshow.

Through a combination of custom hardware interfaces and data bases we have created a system of audience management that records player actions, answers and choices. Through the system we select skilled/keen audience for on-stage participation and create in-game identities for players through the use of our Survivalist Top-Trumps.

Our work in this area is ongoing with much potential for further development.


Apocalypse Gameshow

Wearable-Tech Performance Workshops:

Sonic Sideshow worked with Creative Partnerships and the educational department at Royal Opera House to provide tech-art-performance workshops in schools.

Kids were guided through a Science Fiction design history, with discussions of what various designs communicated about the future vs what they themselves thought their future would hold.

Students created their own costume designs informed by this and were supported in realising their creations as conductive midi-triggered costumes. The costumes formed the basis for on-stage performances, loaded with the kids own devised dialogues about their future and how technology would shape that world.

Though highly successful this was an ambitious project to do with children, we would be very interested in running a version of this workshop for adults.