SXSWORLD

5 2 S X S W O R L D | M A R C H 7, 2 0 1 9 | SXSW.COM Let's start with a basic question … What is Algorave? "Algorave is a stupid term. It's a funny term. It's a silly term. Algorithm is a term that just is intimidating by its nature. People think algorithms are complicated things, but sometimes they are simple things, like basic mathe- matics. Algorave makes algorithm as a term a bit more silly, maybe ironic," explains Joanne Armitage. Armitage is a coder, musician, and lecturer in digital technology at the University of Leeds — and half of the duo, Algobabez, along with fellow SXSW panelist Shelly Knotts. Algorave is an aural-visual experi- ence built upon the practice of live coding, which is writing and editing code live in front of an audience. Alex McLean, a live coding pioneer, and his friend Nick Collins christened Algorave in 2012. Armitage explains further: "It's a variation on this — you show up at a club, art gallery, or someone's living room. There are usually two people hovering over laptops — a musician and a visual artist. A projector or two throw light on a wall. The per- formers begin coding, and their code is projected so everyone can see it in real time. A beat starts. An image emerges. People start cheering and swaying to the music as it's coded piece by sonic piece." Armitage recalls her first attempt at participating after Maclean invited her into Algorave's epicenter in 2014. "I just gave it a bash, and it was really terrible," she laughs. "But I sort of pursued it and kept going. I'm quite interested in seeing code as something that is glitchy … some- thing made by humans, something that can break." Visual artist Antonio Roberts was also pulled into the U.K. Algorave community in 2014. "If you've ever tried to type when someone is watching you … it's like, 'how do I spell my own name?' Imagine one hundred or two hundred people watching you," he explains. "I think it's fortunate that people can see our screens … For me, at least, it helps connect us [the performers] to them [the audience]. They're seeing this very human way of working, they're seeing us make mistakes and then correct them." When asked to expand on Algorave's improvisational component, Roberts offers, "Of course, most people have their own style of music and their own style of visuals … but we're just improvising within what we know, and we're starting it from scratch." "Live coding can create a space to fail in, technologically, and that is something that should be cele- brated," Armitage said at a recent conference on digital technology. Algorave communities have cropped up all over the globe. New York City and Tokyo have strong groups that are branching out to other cities in their respective countries. Different locations in Europe, Mexico and South America are dotted with Algorave communities as well. When asked about this expansion, Roberts doesn't hesitate: "I'd say the key word here is 'open.' We're Live Coding Parties Put Performance Into Programming By Noah Stroehle Algobabez. Photo by Antonio Roberts continued on p.50

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