Workshop

Indexical's series of workshops gives students of all ages hands-on learning opportunities to explore techniques used by the artists who regularly appear on our performance series.

Upcoming Events

Past Events

Workshop: SCUMsessions - Field Recording pt 2

Sun., Aug. 4, 2024 PDT | Indexical

Participants will meet at Indexical to share and manipulate their previously recorded material, as well as demo any material they may have produced over the week. Using computers, DAWs, and open source softwares, we will work with different methods for manipulating field recordings to interpolate and access found sound as means for improvisation, composition, and sound design.

No prior recording, musical experience, or equipment is required.

**This event is designed as an immersive two session program related to phonography and music composition. Single session guests are invited to attend as well! Learn more about the first workshop on field recording and acoustic ecologies here.

Workshop: SCUMsessions - Field Recording pt 1

Sun., Jul. 28, 2024 PDT | Indexical

Participants will meet at Indexical to engage with their surroundings through field recording, listening, and site specific exercises. We will first cover a brief history of field recording and its applications, then split up into smaller groups to explore and record acoustic ecologies near the Tannery. We will also play with sonic ideas and exercises facilitated outside in the “field”. A limited amount of audio recorders and specialized microphones will be provided for shared use, but bringing your own personal recording devices, including phones and handheld recorders, is recommended.

No prior recording, musical experience, or equipment is required.

Workshop: Cyanotype 16mm Filmmaking

Sat., Jul. 20, 2024 PDT | Indexical

This workshop provides participants a basic introduction to the chemistry, tools and techniques necessary to print permanent cyanotype images on various outdated or new 16mm film stocks. Direct printing techniques highlight the use of pre-exposed archival or found footage film, plant materials and various objects serving as ‘image sources'. Sunlight and water are the primary means for developing beautifully rich and highly detailed 16mm imagery without the use of cameras or extensive lab processing.

This relatively simple approach utilizes techniques and knowledge gleaned from the artist/filmmaker (and founder of the Handmade Film Institute) Robert Schaller during the Handmade Filmmaking Workshop John attended on Orcas Island in 2015. Students will receive information on the history of cyanotype, techniques for making their own cyanotype chemistry, as well as how to source and use simple pre-made off-the-shelf chemistry solutions.

The goal of the workshop is to enable participants to utilize this simple filmmaking technique in a home lab environment, encouraging the use of recycled and outdated films stocks, minimal photochemistry and inexpensive exposure equipment for immediate, accessible cameraless filmmaking experimentation.

The workshop will provide all the materials necessary for demonstrating the techniques used to create cyanotype 16mm films, and we will as a group (sunlight depending) create our own exposed material to view at the end of the workshop.

While some additional basic film handling and editing techniques will be covered, including projecting hand-made 16mm films, the workshop is limited in scope to a basic introduction to the process.

Workshop: SCUMsessions - Contact Microphones

Thu., Jun. 13, 2024 PDT | Indexical

Participants will meet at Indexical to learn about soldering and implementing Piezo contact microphones. We will cover a basic history of transducers, and lead a step-by-step demo on soldering your own. We will then have time for free improvisation using the materials at hand to explore various methods and applications. Participants are encouraged to bring any objects or instruments they are curious about playing with. More resonant objects typically yield clearer results. Indexical will also provide materials to experiment with as well as all necessary building materials. We will have soldering irons for shared use, but if you have one, bringing your own is encouraged. No prior soldering experience is required. No prior musical experience is required. Participants will leave with their own fully functional contact mic and fresh ideas for implementation.

Workshop: Granular Synthesis in Pure Data

Thu., May. 9, 2024 PDT | Indexical

Granular synthesis is a type of sound generation that operates on the microsound timescale. In principle, a sound is broken into tiny grains; each grain serving as a building block for macroscale composition. Participants will learn basic granular synthesis techniques along with an overview of its history as we build our own custom designed granular synth in the open source software Pure Data. Pure Data (or just "Pd") is an open source visual programming language for sound and multimedia.

SCUMsessions: Listening Lounge

Thu., Apr. 11, 2024 PDT | Indexical

Indexical will transform into a comfortable zone for listening and hanging out. Guests are invited to bring records, tapes, CD’s, or other media to listen in an intentional setting on our Meyer sound system. The first portion of the session will feature curated selections from the staff. The second portion will switch to “open decks,” a more casual setting, where anyone can provide or choose something to listen to.

Listening Lounge is an extension of the S.C.U.M. series hosted at SubRosa Community Space at The Hub.

Workshop: Generative Visual Programming in TouchDesigner

Sat., Feb. 3, 2024 PST | Indexical

Please note that this event is rescheduled from January 20th 2024. All tickets booked for the original date remain valid.

A practical, hands-on dive into the concepts of visual programming interfaces. We will use TouchDesigner (https://derivative.ca) as the representative system and learn how to build a generative, simulation-driven, real-time visual effects pipeline. As the main example we will analyze the visual pipeline used later that day during the AL-EK performance (https://www.indexical.org/events/2024-01-20-al-ek-later-days).

Workshop: An Introduction to Making Music in VCV Rack 2

Thu., Jan. 18, 2024 PST | Indexical

A practical and fun introduction to modular synthesis and electronic sound creation using VCV Rack 2, a Eurorack simulator for Mac/Windows/Linux. Learn to create a ‘patch’ to produce electronic sound and leave with the tools for limitless sound creation.

Participants will need a laptop with VCV Rack 2 (free or paid verison) installed & headphones. We will be working entirely in software for the duration so don't forget your laptop power supply as well!
https://vcvrack.com/Rack

Workshop: Introduction to Live Visuals with Phase Shift Collective and special guests Denise Gallant and Allen Riley

Thu., Oct. 19, 2023 PDT | Indexical

This hands-on workshop, led by Andrei Jay and Paloma Kop of Phase Shift Collective with guest collaborators Denise Gallant and Allen Riley, will cover topics including working with video mixers, processors, and synthesizers, video feedback in many forms, and classic light show techniques.

Learn the fundamentals of live performance with video and light. This hands-on workshop, led by Andrei Jay and Paloma Kop of Phase Shift Collective, will cover topics including working with video mixers, processors, and synthesizers, video feedback in many forms, and classic light show techniques. From the occult details of quadrature amplitude modulation to how camera feedback models reaction diffusion systems, this workshop will help beginners get started doing live visuals, and fill in any gaps an experienced video artist might have. No prerequisite knowledge of anything is required to have a good time!

Andrei Jay is a mathematician, video artist, and educator. Paloma Kop is an experimental multimedia artist and ambient musician. Together, they do live audio visual performances and organize community and educational events for media artists.

Kumi Maxson: Exploring Community Liberation through Collective Improvisation

Tue., Jun. 20, 2023 PDT | Indexical

Kumi Maxson’s micro-residency culminates in an evening of collective improvisation and discussion. Accompanying this performance, Maxson created a small program / zine with a range of exercises for facilitating improvisation, written both by themself and others. This event is welcome to all and is the culmination of three months of hosting weekly exploring improvisation sessions at Indexical’s space.

Workshop: Analog Video Processing with Sean Russell Hallowell

Thu., Apr. 27, 2023 PDT | Indexical

On breadboards and with basic electronic components, we will learn how to process analog video signals and display the results on cathode-ray tube televisions. Using sources like VCRs and old security cameras, we will learn the basic architecture of the analog video signal, how it differs from digital video, and how to manipulate that architecture in artistic ways. We will also learn through doing by exploring the basics of electronic signal flow in collaborative exercises.

Embodiment Workshop for Creativity and Activism with Nicol Hammond

Sun., Apr. 23, 2023 PDT | Indexical

Teaching music - particularly the music of marginalized people - sets up an environment in which trauma is hard to avoid. The COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing complexities of returning to classrooms with students who are frequently traumatized, dissociated, and disconnected led me to develop the exercises I will share in this workshop. When we are stressed or traumatized, or otherwise in a hypervigilant state, our mind and body work overtime to find environmental clues that confirm that we can safely narrow our focus to the thing we're trying to concentrate on. Consequently, orienting ourselves to our environment helps our nervous system to step down a little from our alertness. By gently orienting to one another, and recalling the materiality of our bodies, we can make space for more creativity, shake off some of the fatigue that comes from activist work. These exercises are adaptable for all types of mobility and fitness, and do not require special equipment.

Stephanie Hewett: Groove Sermon Workshop

Sat., Apr. 22, 2023 PDT | Indexical

Groove Sermon is a movement workshop celebrating the rich Black Queer history of House music through an exploration of the body's response to the African rhythms and dynamic vocals inherent in the music. The workshop begins with a groove-centered warm-up, followed by movement improvisation and ending in a short, choreographed movement phrase.

[POSTPONED] Workshop: Handcrafting Soft Circuits with Niki Selken

Sat., Apr. 1, 2023 PDT | Indexical

This event has been postponed! We'll have a future date up shortly.

Handcrafting Soft Circuits focuses on ways to learn about circuits via paper crafts. Beyond the value of crafts as creative practice and art they provide a respite from the tyranny of the screen, in a world where we primarily engage with computers to learn/make.

Weekly Exploring Improvisation Space with Kumi Maxson

Mon., Mar. 27, 2023 PDT | Indexical

Kumi Maxson is facilitating weekly collective improvisation workshop spaces, every Monday* from March 27 to May 29 from 6-8pm. The workshops will consist of a short reading and listening session, followed by discussions of the liberatory political implications of musical improvisation. The workshops will cater to all levels of improvisational and musical experience (including none!), striving to create an accessible space for non-hierarchical participation and experimentation. Musicians are encouraged to bring their own instruments, however some will be provided for those who do not have their own.

Ben Krasner & Clare Bathum S.C.U.M. x Indexical: Forest Walk (offsite)

Sat., Mar. 25, 2023 PDT | Fall Creek Unit Parking Lot, Henry Cowell State Park

Ben and Clare will lead a walk through a forest in the Santa Cruz area, traditional territory of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. During this walk participants will engage in sonic and sculptural exercises inspired by Deep Listening and certain veins of environmental art.

POSTPONED: Feldenkrais Somatic Bodywork Workshop for Improvisers with Meerenai Shim

Thu., Feb. 16, 2023 PST | Indexical

Meerenai Shim leads a group in a Feldenkrais awareness through movement class. Participants are asked to bring a yoga or exercise mats, as well as an instrument of their choosing (if desired). Shim leads participants through sound exploration using Feldenkrais principles of curiosity, exploration, and observation without evaluation. If you're not familiar with the Feldenkrais Method, it's a form of somatic education/bodywork. You can read more about it here.

Allen Riley: Synchronization Station Workshop

Fri., Jan. 27, 2023 PST | Indexical

Synchronization Station is a participatory video art project that reformulates present-day issues around video-based communications and feelings of connectedness through a sci-fi reimagining of cybernetics. Attendees will be invited to participate in creating a collective video synthesis recording or to just sit back and enjoy the performance.

Tamara Duplantis: Creating Sound Art with GB Studio Workshop

Thu., Jan. 19, 2023 PST | Indexical

In this hands-on workshop, learn a simple game engine and how to hack it to create musical work. GB Studio is a quick and easy to use retro game creator for your favorite handheld video game system. No programming experience is needed! Leave with your own unique musical software for both your computer and a Game Boy cartridge to take home.

Participants will need a laptop with GB Studio installed: https://chrismaltby.itch.io/gb-studio

Workshop: Free Improvisation with Jacob Felix Heule and Danishta Rivero

Fri., May. 27, 2022 PDT | Indexical

Jacob Felix Heule and Danishta Rivero of Voicehandler will lead a workshop on free improvisation drawing on the Oakland-based series Doors That Only Open in Silence, as well as work by Pauline Oliveros and John Stevens. Bring your instrument (or non-instrument) and come ready to play. Open to all levels of instrumental experience.

Workshop: Creative discourse and computer music performance with Madalyn Merkey

Thu., May. 26, 2022 PDT | Indexical

The focus of this workshop is to highlight a concern for personal discourse in computer music. Madalyn will discuss her 10+ years of using Max MSP to develop synthetic instruments for improvisation with an in-depth look into her main performance patch, and will give an overview of her research into early electronic music in Italy.

Workshop: Composing with Cybernetics with MSHR

Fri., Apr. 8, 2022 PDT | Indexical

Learn to compose human-technological cybernetic systems in Pure Data with Portland-based duo MSHR in this workshop focusing on sonic feedback and interactions between participants. MSHR has been creating sculptural electronic systems since 2011, and their performances combine light and homemade circuit designs with digital systems for controlling and manipulating complex behavior in sound and visuals.

Workshop: Improvising DIY Electronics with Lauren Sarah Hayes

Thu., Mar. 10, 2022 PST | Indexical

In this workshop we will demystify some of the processes surrounding live electronic music making. Led by electronic musician, improviser, and sound artist Lauren Sarah Hayes, participants will be guided through building low-cost, DIY electronic synths, and explore strategies for improvising using these new creations. Using techniques derived from embodied interaction, enactive approaches to music cognition, and improvisation traditions, the group will work together to playfully explore collaborative electronic music making. No musical or electronics experience is necessary.

Workshop: No-Input Mixer Feedback with Sally Decker

Sat., Feb. 12, 2022 PST | Indexical

This workshop will be an introduction to acoustic and electronic feedback — when a loop is created between an audio output and an audio input. We will experiment with both kinds of feedback, delving into “no-input” mixing (routing a mixer’s output back into its input), and how to connect acoustic and electronic feedback together in one system to produce dynamic, musical results. Participants will gain valuable insight into how audio mixers work and how to use them as instruments. We will practice setting up feedback systems and will have generous time for experimentation.

Workshop: RICH GLITCH with Anna Luisa Petrisko

Sat., Jan. 22, 2022 PST | Indexical

RICH GLITCH is a collaborative, interactive workshop where we will journey through the realms of analog video mixing and 80’s style graphics. Steered by our collective vision, we will use vintage video mixers, live camera feed, video synthesis, and found footage to create new video art that looks rich and glitch. We’ll also view and discuss historical examples of video art. Feel free to bring your own found footage via VHS tapes or youtube links.

Workshop: Intro to SuperCollider with Michael Masaru Flora

Sun., Dec. 12, 2021 PST | Indexical

An introductory course to using the SuperCollider programming language to make sound and explore generative composition. Look forward to a fun and hands on environment, as we journey through: instrument design, sound synthesis, and algorithmic composition. Participants will leave the workshop with a foundation of skills related to using SuperCollider for creative projects and resources for further development. Points of departure will depend on each student’s unique set of interests and abilities, but may include: music, installation, performance, and interactive art.

Workshop: Edible Instruments with Casey Thomas Anderson

Thu., Oct. 28, 2021 PDT | Indexical

Design new instruments in this hands-on workshop dedicated to the piezoelectric effect, a phenomena first observed in 1880 in which mechanical stress generates an electrical charge in crystals and ceramics allowing one to transform everyday found objects into unique sound generators! Join composer, sound artist, and educator Casey Anderson to learn about and experiment with the technological and artistic concepts that form the basis for this amplification-oriented approach to instrument design.

Workshop: Gerald Casel & Tim Russell

Sat., Aug. 21, 2021 PDT | Indexical

Join us for a workshop with choreographer Gerald Casel and sound designer Tim Russell, as they share their collaborative process with sound and dance artists to create a generative space where different modes of improvisation and composition are shared, critiqued, practiced, and re-processed.