Participatory performance that gathers the city’s seasoned and casual cyclists to perform a piece for bicycle bells. Riders will be given bells of selected pitches and follow cues transmitted by a series of lights attached to the back of two lead bicyclists. The lights on each lead bike are pre-programmed with an identical melody, the pace of which is controlled by the speed of the two main riders. As the performers travel along a pre selected route a 2 part canon will be created in real time by their performance, shaped by the landscape they travel and accompanied by the soundscapes around them behind one of two lead bicycles equipped with an interface to convert the speed of the riders to the tempos of 2 part canon and transmit the score through a series of lights on the back of the lead bikes. As the riders take their cues from the lights and ring their bell of specified .ravel through a selected path, following a score transmi000. pre-programmed with mechanical lights that cue bicycle bells of different pitches. Through the piece, riders collaborate with each other and generate music that interacts with the soundscape of the area.

About the artist: P. Spadine is a composer, tinkerer, scientific tourist, and pack rat nested in New York City. The voice of his practice is the Ashcan Orchestra, which is simultaneously a pen name, revolving performance ensemble, and a collection of instruments designed and/or reappropriated to perform new works of theatrical music which attempts to emulate and celebrate the basic mathematics and physics that bind the world around us.
Ashcan has been humbled to be able to present works at institutions such as the Clocktower Gallery (NYC), the New Children’s Museum (San Diego), Roulette Intermedium (NYC), Make Music NY, Salem Art Works (NY), Issue Project Room (NYC), The Red Room (Baltimore) and Outpost Artist Resources (NYC) among others. Spadine was excited to show his mom that he was named one of 25 artists to watch in 2016 by Modern Painters magazine.

Collaborator:  Sean Francis Conway