“Out of the Body” is an exciting new collaboration between students studying Interactive Media and Music students studying Composition in The Wits School of Arts. Under the direction of Composition Lecturer, Jonathan Crossley, the music students have used their bodies as sources of sound samples – recording physical processes, even swallowing miniature microphones – which they have then worked into electronic compositions. At the same time, the Interactive Media students, working with Lecturer Tegan Bristow, have designed interfaces which allow the compositions to be performed in unexpected and innovative ways. The works will be publically performed on Sunday 7 November at 21:00 in the Wits Amphitheatre. On Monday 26 October, the two groups of students got together to test drive their collaborations. Two of the seven collaborative projects were captured on camera by Christo Doherty

Music student, Zarchia Zacheus, uses the contortions of her mouth to shape the performance of her electronic composition, using a camera-based motion detection system designed by Interactive Media postgrad Michael de Jager.

Composer Nicolas Williams test drives the “Drawdio”: a pencil-based music controller, built by Michael de Jager.

A close-up of the back-end of the “Drawdio”.