Back to Repertoire Kenneth Newby is a media artist and composer with research interests in the areas of computational poetics, interdisciplinary media performance, cultural encoding and interaction design. His practice includes the creation of interactive computer systems for live media performance, animation, music and installation as well as software tools for composition and design. He has worked as an audio software designer for Electronic Arts, interaction design consultant for Pixar Animation Studios and producer for City of Tribes records. His music is published in a variety of compact disc editions and his writings on new media theory and practice are published in several journals and book chapters. Kenneth teaches in the Film, Video & Integrated Media; Digital Visual Arts; and Foundation areas at Emily Carr Institute of Art, Design and Media.
Eileithyia
Written as part of the Sirens cycle compositions dedicated to the divine female across cultures, this particular piece of music is for the Cretan goddess of childbirth and midwiving and was composed after the birth of my son Ashlan. The work is in A/B/A form with a rhythmic cycle of 16 + 20 + 12 for A and 8 + 6 for B. The marimba/harp, erhu and bass guitar parts share three pitches in common but deviate in two others to create a delicious melodic tension characteristic of some forms of Javanese music. Interlocking parts characteristic of Balinese kotekan technique are played between the marimba, harp and bass guitar. The video composition makes use of live visual processing to transform the live performer into ghosts beyond the screens.
Fully staged Multimedia performance, recorded live at the Roundhouse, Oct. 2008. dancer - Sutrisno Hartana, media arts - Aleksandra Dulic & Kenneth Newby (Flicker media), zheng - Gelina Jiang (previous member)