Artist Statement

Performance for 50 Ikea clocks, metal surfaces, contact microphones and amplification (2013)  The performance is part of Madan’s ongoing engagement as part of the Montréal-based collective [The User] with the ideas of György Ligeti surrounding determinacy and  indeterminacy in complex mechanical systems. The performer selects from a large pool of ostensibly identical clocks, placing these on one of several metal surfaces to which contact microphones are affixed. The performance relies on the subtle differences between each of the clocks, their rhythmic and timbral distinctions highlighted by the resonating characteristics of the metal sheets.
The Coincidence Engines series was begun by [The User] in 2008. Earlier works in the series
include Coincidence Engine One: Universal Peopleʼs Republic Time and Coincidence Engine
Two: Approximate Demarcator of Constellations in Other Cosmos.

• Emmanuel Madan is a composer, sound artist, and curator based in Montréal, Canada. He studied electro-acoustic composition in the early 1990s under the direction of Francis Dhomont. He then spent five years working in community radio broadcasting as an engineer, journalist, and producer. Since 1998, Madan’s main focus has been an artistic collaboration with architect Thomas McIntosh known by the name [The User]. To date, this duo has produced three major projects: Symphony for dot matrix printers, Silophone, and Coincidence Engines. Madan’s solo practice currently includes a strong focus on radio and transmission art with works such as the talk radio remix performance Freedom Highway and the science fiction multi-channel transmission work The Joy Channel, (with Anna Friz). Madan has worked with Thomas McIntosh and Finnish artist Mikko Hynninen on Ondulation, a synaesthetic composition for water, sound, and light. He has also collaborated with musician/composer Alexander MacSween and scenographer Simon Guilbault on Ground, an installation and performance based on the inductive properties of audio cables. Madan’s solo works include Final Vinyl, a performance for turntables and live signal processing. Madan’s work has received many distinctions, including two awards from the FCMM Festival in Montréal (1998, 2001), an honourable mention from Ars Electronica (1999), and nominations to the Nam June Paik prize (2004), the Transmediale award (2010) and the Qwartz award (2010). Since 2014, Madan has been the national director of the Independent Media Arts Alliance, an organization advocating on behalf of the Canadian independent media arts sector. imaa.ca

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