Purveyor of: Nostalgic analogue distorto-mation.
File Next To: Your Dad’s Pay-TV descrambler, the Panopticon.
Visualizing: #WL14 Saturday, February 15 @ Polish Combatants Hall

Last summer, Wavelength took three of our favourite Toronto bands out on the road together for the inaugural Wavelength Roadshow. One of our warmest welcomes was at St. Alban’s Church in Ottawa, for a very special night co-presented by Arboretum Arts Festival and the Ottawa Explosion Festival. We were very intrigued by the interactive, analog visuals accompanying the live performances, which added a whole new layer to the show. The unassuming guy hunched over the pay batch making this projected magic was Arturo Brisindi a.k.a. Hard Science, who we have invited to make the trek down from the 613 to take part in WL14. Jonny Dovercourt caught up with Arturo about sound and vision, technological nostalgia and the wonders of the LZX Visionary modular video synth system.

So Arturo, after that show in June, Arboretum’s Artistic Director Rolf Klausener said to me, “you can’t really call what Arturo does ‘visuals’ or ‘A/V’ or 'projections’ – it’s just 'Hard Science.'” How would you describe what you do in layperson’s terms?

Hah! Rolf, I’m blushing. I run a mix of camera feeds, old footage, video feedback and video generated shapes and patterns through a shi- ton of analogue video equipment and project my results on white surfaces for all to enjoy.

Multi Eyes Full from Hard Science on Vimeo.

How did you get involved in creating visuals for the music scene?

I’ve always been interested in video, especially to accompany a band or performance. Anytime I’d see a band that had visuals, I’d get excited and revel in how much better the show was with that extra element. But it was never really something I considered exploring beyond projecting film reels and home videos when my band [My Dad vs Yours] played. 

About four years ago, I was introduced to the LZX Visionary modular video synth system. My life has not been the same since. You see, I’m a synth freak, and the idea of using a synth to manipulate and create video was something I didn't even know existed. I couldn't stop thinking about it and I knew I just had to get into it. But alas, it wasn’t financially feasible right then.

Fast forward another two years, and I finally started to take the idea of doing visuals a little more seriously. I was with my friends Jose and Pawel, and we were discussing the possibility of projecting something for their monthly dance party here in Ottawa called Kitchen Party. I had yet to get into visuals at that point in time, so the idea was just to project old ‘80s movies from a VCR. I’m not sure what happened, but I must have really taken that discussion seriously because a few months later I was sporting the beginnings of what is now a decent-sized LZX system.

We never actually went through with the original idea. Instead, I set up my video synth, some surveillance cameras and an old video mixer and projected onto an old sheet hung on a fence outside of the venue. That was the summer of 2012, and it was my very first gig. From there I was doing a lot of visuals for dance parties mostly. It wasn’t until later that year when Mike Dubue of the Hilotrons asked me to do visuals for a big show he had coming up, that I started projecting for bands. I now work with bands almost exclusively and I love it! 

You also make your own music – under various aliases, in divergent contexts - how do you see your purely audio excursions intersecting with what you do as a visual/media artist?

When it comes to music, and the visual arts for that matter, I’m heavily influenced by this weird hybrid of aesthetics, technology and nostalgia. They have shaped who I am artistically and are present in most, if not all of my work. I cannot separate them. I’m a child of the ‘80s. Growing up, my Dad was into computers and the hi-tech scene. I draw so much inspiration from my influences as a child and I tend to borrow heavily from that era in both music and video.

But it’s weird because, aside from when I do live techno sets with my audio modular synth,  I have yet to really combine any of my synth-pop music with the video stuff in an official capacity. I tend to keep them separate. I guess I’m just really focused on working with other people that I haven’t found the time to work on my own stuff. I’m planning on releasing an album this year, so maybe then I'll finally get my act together and make myself a video.

Hard Science x Dolphin Dream Pyramids (Féline Exerpt) from Hard Science on Vimeo.

There seems to be an upswing of interest in analogue technologies, especially in the video realm. What do you attribute this to you – Nostalgia for our youth? Reactivity against digital dominance? Something completely different?

I think it’s a combination of many things; Nostalgia, backlash to the digital age, hip factor, function. I imagine it’s different for everyone though. When talking about analogue equipment (audio or video), I think some people much prefer the tactile nature of a physical device, as opposed to software, or the menu-based systems you’d find in most digital devices. There’s just so much performance value with analogue equipment, each knob, button, slider, switch — and in the case of modulars, patch cable — has a single function. You don’t have to go searching through menus to sweep a filter. You just have to figure out which knob does it.

Personally, my interest in analogue technology stems from my youth. As a kid I would raid my Dad’s closet and borrow (re. steal) his Adidas tracksuits and Super 8 cameras and projectors.  I started collecting analogue synths and vinyl in the late ‘90s when I was a teenager, way before it was cool. ;)

I’ve always been obsessed with all things analogue, especially in the audio/visual realm. I’m also an electrical engineer by education and a very technical person, so my love for the technology is ingrained into my very soul!

Thanks to amazing events like Arboretum, artists like A Tribe Called Red and numerous supportive institutions and venues, Ottawa seems to be on the rise right now. Have you noticed a change in excitement in activity in our National Capital Region?

Absolutely. And it’s about time. Ottawa has some amazing talent that, for reasons I cannot understand, gets completely overlooked. But I think that has a lot to do with the general attitude here more than anything. The bottom line is that the people of Ottawa need to start celebrating our own. We seem to have this thing — call it an inferiority complex — where we don’t fully appreciate our talent until they’ve made it somewhere else. Like we’re waiting for validation or something. It sucks. I’ve lived here my entire life and I’ve seen some absolutely amazing talent leave the city or give up completely because they weren’t getting the support they deserved from home. It’s sad.

OR, maybe people outside of Ottawa have such a deep resentment for our government that they can’t bring themselves to take us seriously. But I digress.

We have a lot to be proud and excited about. We're more than just a government town. Behind all the bureaucracy, politics and all that bullshit there's a thriving core of creativity that's ready to burst at the seams. I really do feel like things are changing. With people like Rolf and Steph from Arboretum and the Ottawa Explosion people doing amazing things, bands like A Tribe Called Red, The Hilotrons, Roberta Bondar, The PepTides, Theaternia and Silkken Laumann making names for themselves outside of Ottawa, the hardcore/punk scene that's killing it with their DIY magic, zines and blogs like Herd Magazine and Apt613 covering what this city is up to in fun and creative ways, and a kick ass party scene with Time Code, Kitchen Party, Ceremony and Double Barrel, along with so much more, I think people are starting to pay a little more attention.

Messiaen: Quatuor Pour La Fin Du Temps from Hard Science on Vimeo.

Without giving away too many spoilers, what can audiences at the Polish Combatants Hall expect from Hard Science on February 15^th? Any sets you’re especially interested in animating?

Hmmm. A lot of flashing colours, smudgy, smeary video and swirly, squiggly lines dancing to the music.

I’m really looking forward to Colin Stetson. His expressiveness and tonal range is really going to jive well with the video synth. Overall though, I’m just very excited about the diversity of music that will be performed that evening. Each artist or band is going to bring something completely different to the stage, which is always great for me!

Hard Science will create live visuals for performers at night three of Wavelength FOURTEEN, Saturday February 15 @ Polish Combatants Hall (206 Beverley St.).