Max Cooper releases new video as NFT project tops charts
The ‘SYMPHONYINACID’ digital art collection is part of Max Cooper’s “Symphony In Acid” collab with multi-media artist Ksawery Komputery, which comprises a music video, interactive website, public art project, NFT collection and content for Cooper’s acclaimed live show.
Ksawery Komputery is an award-winning graphic designer, animator and programmer based in Gdańsk, Poland. His latest art installation will be part of the new exhibition at Nxt in Amsterdam, ‘UFO – Unidentified Fluid Other’, which opens later in June.
Max Cooper said of Mesh Lab: “We set up Mesh Lab as part of the wider Mesh platform to delve into new forms of digital art, part of which involves NFT collections, but also AR projects, installations and new collaborations stemming from the Mesh Discord server.”
Llyr (Gareth Williams), Mesh artist and one of Mesh Lab’s co-founders adds: “It’s amazing that we could offer these beautiful art pieces to the wider community while raising funds for the artists and label to be driven back into creating art. We’re thankful to objkt.com and Tezos for allowing us to do this without compromising on our principles, by using energy efficient proof of stake blockchain technology.”
Max Cooper’s manager and co-founder of Mesh, James Palmer-Bullock of The Wild Seeds, added that “Mesh was established to explore the intersection of music, science and art. New technology enables new opportunities to build infrastructures and communities. Creativity will always find a way forward.”
“I find that abstract structures can be a beautiful place to escape to,” says Cooper. “That’s why I put a lot of binaural elements in my stereo mixes, and pursue Atmos and full spatial mixes whenever I can. I want to create a surreal space that surrounds you as the listener, and takes you away from everyday experience.”
“Solace In Structure” is the latest visual project from Cooper’s album Unspoken Words where he was trying to express feelings and ideas outside of language. This chapter uses many layers of sounds, constrained to a precise rhythmic grid. “It was designed for escapism amongst dense rigid complexity. It may not be for everyone, but I had a lot of fun making it,” adds Cooper.
Max talked with Donato about the idea and in collaboration with Marco Holland and Silvia Gariglio, they embarked on a painstaking hand drawn mapping of geometric structures to the elements of the music.
“I love how the visual interpretation plays on the rigidity and precision of the musical approach, as well as the humanised notation and thought surrounding the structures. For me, it’s a perfect interpretation of the music in the visual realm.”
Also, Max Cooper was a special guest at the University of Sussex workshop ‘Not Handwaving But Grounding?’ this week, exploring the interdisciplinary field of cognitive and consciousness science, and the concept of emergence, contributing alongside a global collection of some of the biggest names in the philosophy and science of emergence.
The ‘SYMPHONYINACID’ collection includes…
* the full-length 5:22 single edition ‘genesis’ piece with a high quality download of the full “Symphony In Acid” music video.
* 56 unique single edition audio-visual pieces
* 199 unique single edition still images.
* A still image airdropped to all those holding Mesh Lab pieces at the time of mint.
Mesh Lab also gave away 5 unique single edition NFTs to members of the Mesh Discord community – accessible by signing up via Max Cooper, Mesh or Llyr’s mailing lists
The “Symphony in Acid” project comes from Cooper’s album Unspoken Words and his attempt to create audio-visual pieces about, and containing, communication outside of language.
“I turned to the writings of Ludwig Wittgenstein, who tackled this issue of the problems with words and their inability to capture every aspect of our lives,” said Cooper of his influence. “Wittgenstein’s writing tackles the issues of human expression and the links between our symbolism and existence, but also does so in an incomprehensibly dense way, which for me lent itself to presentation as art rather than a technical reading challenge.
“Ksawery did an amazing and painstaking job mapping every sound of the 303 and orchestrally inspired audio track (the acid symphony) to text, using only audio reactive HTML and Wittgenstein’s writing to create an emergent barrage of ideas.”
Readers can also experience the project as an interactive website – www.symphonyinacid.net – seeing their own face in the words, and also submit their own words to be part of the ‘Selfie’ section.
Speaking about using “Symphony In Acid” in his live performances, Cooper said; “”Symphony In Acid” has been one of the highlights of my live shows in recent months, with a special triple wide-screen version to engulf us all inside performance spaces, increasing the intensity even further. I’ve been having a lot of fun layering the text onto duplicated multiple-surfaces for shows as well, like the Roundhouse in London and the US debut of the 3D show in Los Angeles last weekend.”
Links and references:
https://symphonyinacid.net/
www.maxcooper.net
https://ksawerykomputery.pl/
https://twitter.com/mesh_lab
Mesh Lab Objkt gallery: https://objkt.com/profile/meshlab/collections
Sign up for updates on digital and NFT art projects HERE
11 June – Margate, SANDS Festival at Dreamland
12 June – Anglesey, Gottwood Festival
18 June – London, Junction 2
24 June – Mallorca, Mallorca Live
03 July – Largs, The Kelburn Garden Party
22 July – Rome, Videocittà at Gazometro
29 July – Barcelona, Razzmatazz
10 Sep – Istanbul, Imera & Niks Festival
13 Oct – Berlin, Huxleys Neue Welt
3 Dec – Luxembourg, The Sound of Data, Rockhal
His work carries an emotional resonance and sensory immersion, often focusing on humanity’s place in the world. He merges electronic music and visual art with scientific enquiry through installations, live performance, immersive audio-visual experiences, a range of digital media and award-winning music videos.
Unspoken Words is Cooper’s 6th studio album and the latest in an impressive back catalogue that dates back to 2007, when he juggled studying Computational Biology with being resident DJ at a local techno club.
He recently supplied the music for a powerful video narrated by Greta Thunberg and Pope Francis and played at COP26, urging world leaders to consider climate and environment in Covid recovery plans. Last year, he became the first techno artist to play at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece.
His label, Mesh, is keenly placed to explore the intersection of music, art and science through interdisciplinary creative collaborations that blur lines between art, mathematics, film, choreography, sciences, architecture, psychology and spirituality.
https://www.unspokenwords.net
https://www.youtube.com/c/maxcoopermax
https://www.instagram.com/maxcoopermax/
https://twitter.com/maxcoopermax
https://www.facebook.com/maxcoopermax/
https://www.instagram.com/Meshmeshmesh_/
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