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Learn the art of circuit-bending from the art's founder, Reed Ghazala, in the anti-theory workshop itself! Ghazala's forty-plus years of constant hands-on electronic design, bent and original, true theory & anti, qualify him uniquely in the field. This apprenticeship program is an attempt to distill these forty years into four days of fun and learning. Whether you just want to experience the art first-hand, pursue a design set for your music or develop an original instrument for sale, this course will teach you everything you need ...and way more. Ghazala's apprenticeship program is structured with field trips, workshop sessions, discussions and "free time" to explore Ghazala's museum, and to just hang-out. Even browse through Reed's personal bending notebooks of the designs you see on-site! All students will leave with a completely-finished instrument made by themselves with Ghazala's help the whole way. In fact, you'll get the course AND instrument for about what the instrument alone sells for onsite Are you the type that prefers non-stop, wild creation? There's a "marathon" program for that too, described below Diplomas will be awarded on four levels of
completion, rendered by Ghazala on his original suminagashi artworks WORKSHOP sessions include • demystifying electronics & making it friendly.
FIELD TRIPS include: • toy hunt! A loop drive to various circuit & toy sources - Reed's favorite places to hunt for SK-1's, Speaks, Trigons, Morpheums and the rest, all at a couple bucks each. Hop in the car with Reed - you might find loads of great things to take home with you, or something special to bend, with Reed's help, in the workshop sessions. • a trip to Mendelson's in Dayton with Reed to witness one of the best electronic surplus walk-throughs on the planet. Bring a big shopping bag. • a visit to the childhood home of Reed to see where the first bent instrument was born. • a visit to the church where Reed was attacked in the 1960's for playing the Odor Box, in one of its first performances, to a not-ready-for-circuit-bending crowd.
DISCUSSIONS in an outdoor setting, pic-nic style, will be held on the topics of: • "theatric listening" - a brief discussion on how to "see" music. • "clear illogic vs. fuzzy logic" - a discussion on chaos and the "harmony" within discordance. • "living instruments" - a discussion on how bending creates animal-instruments. • "BEAsapes" - a discussion on Bio-Electronic Audiosapians, the temporary new species that body-contact players become. • "alien music engines" - a discussion on why bending represents a true alien landscape. • history of bending - a discussion on why we bend and where it came from.
PLUS • tour & play Reed's instrument museum of the bent designs you see on-line (as well as the hundreds of unusual instruments from around the world). • listen to the rare recordings of Reed's early bent instruments, no longer in circulation. • browse Reed's experimental music book and recording collection, including Reed's twenty articles on circuit-bending in Bart Hopkin's Experimental Musical Instruments magazine, the classic series that launched the art. • play the original Odor Box, Reed's first bent instrument and the circuit that started it all (circa 1967). • become a BEAsape of the First Order by linking hands with Reed and the Odor Box body contacts, its electricity passing through you both (this is what the time-delay feature on your camera is for!) • follow-up support: ask Reed questions as you develop your own instruments. Course includes all materials for the workshop including a Speak & X to transform into a fully-finished instrument to take home with you (unless you find something else you'd like to bend on the toy hunt).
Would you like to do nothing but toy-hunt and prototype? Some students think this is the best-spent time and the most fun. Without doubt, much is learned in this whirlwind of creation. Here we wouldn't paint anything. We'll simply toy-shop and marathon bent instruments. No guarantee of success! However, if all protos fail we'll still "bare-bend" an Incantor to take home. You'll be paying a couple bucks each for your second-hand toys, as many as you want to bend in class or later on your own. Reed will help you choose good targets!
Your Diploma The diploma you'll earn is not empty. Reed's purpose is to graduate students based upon an understanding of the art as he learned it, in the original style behind the art movement. The diploma is meant to signify real accomplishment and to be as challenging to earn as the student is willing to accept. The following diplomas can be earned: Apprenticeship Level 1: You've taken the course and have shown proficiency in the techniques covered in class (and you've built a fully-finished and painted Incantor). Apprenticeship Level 2: You've completed Level 1 and have additionally, within six months of leaving the class, sent to Reed a fully-finished and painted, completely original instrument of your own discovery. He'll check wiring, sounds and finish, and issue the Level 2 diploma if he thinks all criteria are met. This is a difficult Degree to earn! Reed must reject any technical/visual imperfection. Marathon Diploma Level 1: You've taken the Marathon course and have shown proficiency in the techniques covered in class. The number of completed instruments will show in the diploma's text. Marathon Diploma Level 2: You've taken the Marathon course and have shown proficiency in the techniques covered in class. The number of completed instruments will show in its text. Additionally, within six months of leaving the class you'll send Reed a fully-finished, completely original instrument of your own discovery. He'll check wiring, sounds and finish, and issue the Level 2 Marathon diploma if he thinks all criteria are met. You will not actually paint an instrument in the marathon though the techniques will be demonstrated. Again, this is a difficult degree to earn! All diplomas are beautifully hand-rendered by Reed Ghazala on his original suminagashi artworks.
Costs For the sake of personal attention, apprenticeship is limited to two students per session. Price for one person: $1,400. For two persons: $2,200 ($1,100 each). A non-refundable deposit of $200 is required to schedule an apprenticeship. The full balance is due one month prior to date of first session. Once paid, time will be firmly booked and cancellation cannot result in refund (Reed can schedule only a limited number of apprenticeships a year). Re-scheduling a cancellation is possible, though if not the same year an additional fee may be incurred if enrollment prices rise. An evening Photoshop session is also available with Reed at an additional cost. In this two-hour program you'll learn how to create a full-color instruction manual via photographing your instrument and importing the image into Photoshop. You'll learn the use of layers, masking, backgrounds, special effects, color correction, text insertion, sharpening, color saturation, contrast adjustment, appropriate file sizes and printing. All the techniques Reed uses for the instrument images you've seen on-line will be explored. If you book a motel close to the workshop Reed will pick you up for all sessions. Transportation to & from airport will be the responsibility of the student. Circuit-bending is recognized as a new school of art and is becoming part of the curricula from kindergarten through high school to college and post-grad studies. Here's an opportunity that will provide students with the best learning experience and apprenticeship credentials of the field, and a very rare experience in the arts: learning with an acknowledged master and founder. Fear not. Reed is a street artist and still works
with the sense of wonderment that invited him into the field, by accident,
long ago. He will immediately put you at ease; Reed's teaching techniques
are happy and casual. You'll laugh a lot. You might even go on a mushroom
hunt or meet Friend Raccoon! This is a very unique, and VERY FUN class.
Are you traveling through Cincinnati? Bring your
un-bent Speak & Spell and Reed will transform it for you right there in
The Anti-Theory Workshop before your very eyes! You'll leave with a fine
instrument and get a crash course in circuit-bending at the same time
since Reed will demonstrate the fine points of bending all along the way.
Oh, and bring an apple slice for friend Raccoon. Contact:
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