Urban Musical Game has been created for

the festival Future en Seine in June 2011 by

researchers of the Real-Time Musical Interactions

team at the IRCAM – Centre Pompidou,

the design agency NoDesign and the

association Phonotonic in collaboration with the

composer Andrea Cera.

The installation features balls augmented by

wireless sensor technology inducing the

generation of digital sounds and music tracks.

Uniting music and sports, the game embraces

challenges and rules of both universes.

The installation is accompanied by animators

taking over the role of game referees as well as

conductors or bandleaders depending on the

setup of the game.

8-channel loudspeaker system

wireless receivers

real-time processing

The installation deploys advanced technology for

real-time motion analysis and recognition as

well as interactive sound and music rendering

integrated into Max/MSP.

sound and music content

audio rendering and spatialization

motion analysis and recognition

wirelessmotion data

receiver

soundoutput

interactive sound and music models

A New Generation of Digital GamesThe players are deployed in a real space directly

interacting with each other.

The technology augments the challenges and rules

of a ball game by sound and musical feedback.

A Participative Music PerformanceWhile part of the audience is involved into the

performance the other part watches a concert.

These video materials have been filmed during a

residence at the Centquatre arts center in Paris in

march 2011, inviting the Parisian audience to

experiment with the current state of the project

three month before the first public performance.

The installation relies on the MO – Modular Musical Object

technology that has been developed in the framework of the

Interlude project.

The MO project has been presented at the third International

Design Biennial in St. Etienne in 2010 and will be presented

in the exhibition «Talk to Me» at the Museum of Modern Art in

New York from July to November 2011.

The project has won the first prize at the 2011 third annual

Margaret Guthman Musical Instrument Competition

organized by the Georgia Institute of Technology.