Biography
Experimenter En Couleur


Alexis Bamforth aka Experimenter En Couleur is an artist who uses traditional and emerging technologies to explore new relationships between sound, colour, form, time and the users. These are multidisciplinary works often using modes of reactive expression to straddle music, image and sculpture and explore the intersection of abstract communication and interactivity. From the interactive generative artworks of the See-Sound Tests and Evolution Synthetica at the V&A, to the multi million pound construction of the glass and light canopy at Cardinal Place, work is with many mediums and on many scales.
As former architect his fascination with form and colour brought music to the forefront as a purer method of expression and now he produces images to represent ideas encountered in sound and vice versa. He is founder of one commercial and two charitable organisations, curates and has published several works.


Organisations

Started Digital Tea, 2009
Collaboration with Shroomstudio & Creatmosphere, for multi-disciplinary projects. www.digitaltea.co.uk

Founded Audio Architecture in 2006
A forum, outlet and gallery for contemporary arts. www.audioarchitecture.co.uk 

Co-founded the Din-Collective in 2002
A group of over 60 innovative sound and image artists from around the world. Din-Collective


Curated

Din-London 2009, Din-London, Shunt Lounge. (Co-curated, Serena Bobowski & Messaoud Benramdam)
Din-Berlin 2006, Din-Berlin, Storage. (Sole curator)
Din-Barca 2005, Din-Barcelona, Sonar Week. (Sole curator)
Din-London 2005, Din-London, Bardens Boudoir. (Sole curator)
Din-NY 2004, Din-NY, Tonic & Galapagos. (Co-Curated with Adam Sloan & Jacky Wax)
Din-Barca 2004, Din-Barcelona, Sonar Week. (Co-Curated with Adam Sloan)


Installations and Constructed Works - Selected

See Sound ProjectC - Shunt Lounge, London (2009)
Multi touch Lissajous test interface, displays touch sensitive waveforms in a three-dimensional space, ready for real-time manipulation.

The Digital Tea Party - Tent London 2009, London Design Week
Collaboration with Shroomstudio and Creatmosphere. A dynamic installation of immersive media, referring to the house of the future. It explores digital tracking and computer technology to control our local environment through interaction with lo-fi inanimate objects, in this case the tea set.

Two Tweeters - Audio Architecture 2009
Two speakers mounted in a tree, painted yellow, with tweeter removed and driver disconnected. Inside adapted for nesting. Speakers require active birdsong to work.

Generative Outside Inside - Audio Architecture 2008
Transformation a typical London house through weather patterns. A one year construction-heavy build, that takes its evolving ambience from the element's generative processes. Glass, natural light, artificial light and precipitation are used to transform internal surfaces and our perception of the space we are in.

798 Factory Installation - DIAF 2008, Beijing
In collaboration with Yan Jun the installation refers to the history of the district by taking live sound signals from the original ductwork that form the axis into the gallery site. Visitors are drawn towards the gallery by resonating mechanical and generative sound pulses, to discover its mechanical source. Part of the opening ceremony for DIAF, the Dashanzi Arts Festival. and will be on permanent exhibition in the near future.

Mirrored Samples - Beck's Futures, ICA, London (2007)
A collaborative piece for Matthew Herbert. Conceptual work around mirroring, in which collaborators samples are projected and played from opposite sides of a space. As audio can be echoed, so too can space itself. Being filmed by 5 cameras it has the ability to produce infinite reflections. (performance not executed)

Evolution Synthetica - Raphael Room, V&A, London (2006)
A symbiotic performance of evolving sound and image. Live experiments describing evolutionary processes use generative sound synthesis, microscopy, macro footage and live generative digital animation to create a sensory spectacle bridging art and science.

Cardinal Place - Westminster, London (completed 2006)
Design and management of 4million pound project for EPR Architects Ltd. consisting of a sixty metre glass and steel canopy spanning the courtyard at Cardinal Place. Project also includes Portland House extension and lighting.

ProjectC001 - Din-Berlin 2006, Storage, Berlin
Generative synthesising instrument that creates chance combinations of sounds over the time required to play them. Sounds are played to no specific scale or time signatures, but inevitably form their own micro structures and containing compositions.

Waldorf Hotel Foyer - Waldorf Hotel, London (2004)
Re-design and contemporary refurbishment, for EPR Architects Ltd. using floating ceilings, fabric and backlit glass walls to add colour and drama to entrance hall, reception and intermediate spaces.

In Out Club - Picadilly, London (2003)
Concept design of exclusive members club, involving the idea of guests as performers in the buildings facade.

Pod Hotel - Travel Inn, Heathrow (2002)
Pod design conception and construction, consisting of 416 pre-constructed timber pods stacked on site to form bedroom units.

Fusion Club – Leeds (1999)
Concept design for a club. Modifying the Leeds Roundhouse into an organism like structure that reacts to its users in real-time via hive mind and can so cater for a variety of events.

A Maze - Brunswick Building, Leeds (1998)
An installation to simulate a confusing external environment. Uses natural daylight, blackout fabric, white paint, found obstacles and recorded sound to give able bodied persons the experience of blindness.

Meander - West Gate Gardens, Canterbury (1995)
A series of immense sandstone rocks diverting the river to forced meanders. The rocks not only create natural architectural forms, but through increased erosion evolve to also represent time.


Publications - audio CD

Testing the Wheel EP
Limited Edition of 400 hand drawn and printed audio CD and sleeve.
(Audio Architecture, AARCH-001)

Publications - printed

Contemporary Lighting Design within Public Space
Tokyo, NY, San Francisco, KL & Dubai, with interview from Howard Brandston.

Neural Nets Within Architecture
A theoretical paper looking into buildings and public spaces as organisms and self thinking machines, able to react to and adapt our environment.

Publications - forthcoming

Testing The Wheel album - Audio DVD with accompanying visual experiments (Third Ear)  V&A Evolution Synthetica Performance - DVD (Third Ear).

See Sound Tests DVD - ProjectC Lissajous tests (Audio Architecture).

Form, Colour & Time - The paper analyses the inner dynamics of visual form, colour and time in relation to our perception of sound.


Performances - Selected

Evolution Synthetica - Rafael Room, V&A, London (2006)
A symbiotic performance of evolving sound and image generated from lifes organisms.

Storage, Berlin (2006)
Generative sound performance for Din Berlin showcase.

Din-Barca 2005 - The Loft, Barcelona
A performance from self made generative instruments and their compositions, Din-Barcelona, Sonar Week.

Din-Barca 2005 - Mau Mau, Barcelona
Presentation of collaborative films with live sound fx.

Stream - Bishopsgate, London
Mixed live and DJ set.

Din-Barca 2004 - Casa Paco, Barcelona
Microtonal performance from field recordings for Din-Barcelona, Sonar Week.

Sud Electronic - The City Arts & Music Project, City Road, London (2004)
Detroit based rhythmic patterns with generated lead instruments.

Din-NY 2004 - Galapagos, Brooklyn
Generative sound compositions for Din-NY.

Din-NY 2004 - Tonic, NY
Sampled film mixing performance.

Din-Barca 2003 - Casa Paco, Barcelona
Field recordings from Japan for Din-Barcelona, Sonar Week.

Round @ Cube, Barcelona (2003)
Sound compositions involving found sounds from the Japanese transport system.

Prior to 2002 performances were regular fortnightly occurrences and mainly Leeds or London based. Performances were a form of cut up live detroit. The Lex & Tim duo played in such places as the Orbit and Warehouse in Leeds, with experiences on LSR radio, in borrowed studios and at parties, alongside the likes of Joey Beltram, Squarepusher and Sven Vath.

Current Projects
Upcoming Events

Galapagos, New York - 2004
Evolution, V&A, London - 2006
Kreuzberg, Berlin - 2006