FRASER SCOWEN - GALLERY

Maison Phantasy 'Xylem Gesture' and "Shrouded Mosaic.'

Interactive sound sculpture, featuring a playable touch based surface. Xylem Gesture reads vibrational information from its surface and uses this to outputs control voltages, slewed voltages and envelopes for controlling the Shrouded Mosaic. Shrouded Mosaic is a synthesizer designed for generating complex control voltages and features Positive and Negative ramp generators, smooth and stepped functions along with a six stage analog shift register, based on circuits by Serge Tcherepnin and Ken Stone.

The Shrouded Mosaic was developed as a live performance instrument and investigation into materials and forms, inspired by the electronic instrument works of Jessica Rylan and Peter Blasser. The Xylem gesture was developed to compliment the Shrouded Mosaic and to provide an interactive experience within a gallery setting for the instrument to be explored through tactile touch.

Materials: Circuits and electronic components, resin, reclaimed hardwoods including osage, padauk, birch, walnut, mahogany.

Shown at The London College of Communication 'Work in Progress Showcase', February 5th-6th 2025.

'Alternative Stereo Systems'

Stereo resonator, shown along with original composisition 'Between Waves.' which was specifically composed for the resonator system and dubbed onto an endless cassette tape.

An exploration of memory and materials.

Materials: Electronic components, Paper, Steel, timber, vellum and magnetic tape.

Show at 'Polyphonic.' A group exhibition at the Crypt Gallery, King's Cross, London, 12th-16th May 2023.

‘Memory Software System’ Sonic Exploration Device.

The Memory Software System A comprises three parts, The MEMORYMAGE READ/WRITE LOOPER, The ECCOMAGE TIME DOMAIN PROCESSOR and RAIDEN'S PHANTASMIC GRASP THUNDER GAIN DISTORTION.

MEMORYMAGE takes an input signal and allows for retention of memory, looping this memory endlessly until it is fed new sonic information, using an 8-BIT IC the Memorymage allows for both the slowing and the acceleration of memory over time, inviting the emergence of micro sounds hidden within the material and for digital artefacts to present themselves.

Memorymage uses non-volatile memory to take your analog signal input and convert this into binary information, it can retain memories for up to a hundred years without any power connected, and can be erased and reprogrammed more than a hundred thousand times.

ECCOMAGE takes the output of Memorymage and processes the sonic material further into abstraction. Eccomage allows for the recurrence of memory, allowing material to expand and feedback into itself and like Memorymage binds new noise and colours onto the signals spectrum. With controls for mergence, remembrance and returnal, Eccomage casts magic that shift from subtle to all encompassing.

RAIDEN’S PHANTASMIC GRASP is a gain distortion unit which takes the output of the Memorymage and boosts the signal, providing the user with control over the colour and character of the distortion, allowing for the introduction of new harmonics. RAIDEN serves as the gatekeeper between the two Mages.

Materials: Circuits and electronic components, Birch wood.

Interactive sonic object shown as part of 'Now & Then & Now', a group exhibition held at Gallery46 whitechapel, London, 9th-12th February 2023