BOUNCE JUGGLING RESEARCH PROJECT
RICOCHET
Ricochet is a hybrid of drumming, carpentry and ball bouncing that explores musicality and physics. A privately funded research project at Eureka Arts Studio, Ricochet aims to modernize juggling as musical expression. The ultimate goal is to bring these new technologies into exhibitions that elevate the human experience of the physical world.
Percussive Bounce Juggling Research
Angular Research
Density, friction and angularity are studied to reveal new vocabulary. New playing techniques evolve in tandem with observations of how materials respond to impacts across surfaces.
Slab Orientations
Experimentation, study, inquiry and documentation are all essential ingredients to the creative process. Applications of outcomes and new possibilities are placed on hold until a clear understanding of the materials becomes observable.
R7 Ricochet Arc
R7 is a completed instrument. It has 7 concrete bounce slabs that are calibrated in incremental angles. Based on the number of slabs in the configuration, R7 incorporates over 200 sampled percussion sounds with a Roland interface.
Pentagonal Drum
Pentagonal geometry study / simultaneous structural, acoustic and light reflection tests. Wood shapes are custom built at Eureka Arts Studio using raw materials. Designs are reconstructed for optimum acoustics.
Ricochet Cube Research & Square Gong Instrument
Digital Sample / Trigger Testing
Ricochet is an exploration of very heavy objects. As most juggling equipment, out of the practicalities of touring, are as light-weight and portable as possible, this research goes in the other direction. It is having fun with a lot of heavy concrete slabs and heavy wood materials. This is a play-in-progress. Stay tuned for more information on this page as Ricochet takes shape in the years ahead. It might at some point see an installation somewhere. Or perhaps be turned into an epic online video piece or it could be projected as accompaniment in a live percussive juggling performance. It’ll find it’s own path I’m sure.
Community Involvement
Ricochet, a form of dynamic play, is a universal activity that helps stimulate our neurology in a way that is not achievable through interfacing with digital devices as they lack physical stimulation. Ricochet is a hybrid model of performance and audience participation that incorporates public involvement through encouraging curiosity and learning.
Theatrical Narrative Conceptualizations
After development, the human element into the equation, choreographing and rigorously training and perfecting sequences. As a facilitator, I embody a wizard-like abstract super being that compliments my various heroic characters on stage. The final presentation of a virtuoso performance is the ultimate goal.
