Sheffield

Our first meetup, which was originally called “Algorithmic Pattern”. We celebrated the release of the TidalCycles live coding system for musical patterns with a quick workshop exploring its new features.

Our second meetup, where we explored the Strudel system for live coding musical patterns, which is an accessible version of TidalCycles for the web.

Our third meetup, and our first textiles-focussed workshop, where we explored Japanese Kumihimo braiding hands-on.

• Venue: DINA, Fitzalan Square
• Time: 6pm-8pm 24th Jan 2023
• Sign up here – free!

Blackwork was a popular 16th and early 17th century embroidery technique, characterised by its use of black silk thread (though other colours are sometimes seen) worked on white linen. Over the roughly 100 years of its application Blackwork Embroidery evolved significantly from the early reversible counted-thread style through to the geometric infill patterns and shaded style worked in ‘speckle’ or ‘seed’ stitch.

Contemporary Blackwork primarily uses simple straight stitches across the regular grid structure of evenweave fabric to create repeating geometric patterns.

In this workshop Toni Buckby will lead us in exploring how these patterns are formed and look at some of the more complex plaited braid stitches used in the historic technique. Materials supplied, no experience of needlework is required!

Join Emergence Collective for a workshop exploring musical patterns! “We will be guiding you through our own minimalism-inspired process that we use ourselves in jams and gigs to improvise our performances. It’s super simple to pick up; we are going to guide you through some musical games and short improvisations to help you make your own pattern-based music in small groups. Vocalists and instrumentalists are equally welcome! If you play an instrument, please bring it with you. No Van Halen wannabes need apply – the workshop will be about playing simple lines, rather than lots of notes. If you have any affection for minimalist music, we think you’ll really love this workshop.” – Emergence Collective

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/BM1BMsxsgbwXXdKQ6

Venue: Access Space @ Event Central, 22-26 Fargate, Sheffield, S1 2HE (opposite m+s)
Time: 6pm-8pm, Tuesday 21 Mar 2023
Cost: Free signup

An extra-special session with Peruvian artist Paola Torres Núñez del Prado introducing us to Andean informatics through textiles and sound. Paola is an e-textile and sound artist, who integrates electronic sensors into their handmade textiles, including in Khipu (ancient Andean practice of recording data in knotted structures) as well as weaving.

Paola will talk us through some of her works, with some focus on patterns that run through Andean culture. She’ll bring some of her e-textiles and share a live performance with us.

Free sign up here: https://forms.gle/sdvBmDHdgRdQ3f5t8

Saturday 15th April 7.30pm – midnight (performances from 8pm)
Theatre Deli, Arley Street, Sheffield, S2 4QP

Pay-what-you-can-afford tickets: £4 / £8 / £12

Pattern Club Live with Church Andrews & Matt Davies, Damu, Epiploke, Eye Measure, Innocent, Kate Sicchio & Alex McLean, Sleepsang and Phoneutrian

Acts will include mutant live drum experiments, modular-cyborg-synth arpeggios, and an algorithmic robot dance performance, each feeding our minds with their own twist on patterned form.

This will lead into live coded algorithmic bangers from Sheffield’s finest algorave musicians.

If none of this makes sense, check out some of the videos below or just come along and enjoy the patterns!

* Venue: DINA, Fitzalan Square, Sheffield S1 2AZ
* Time: from 6pm, Tuesday 27th June 2023
* Cost: Free signup (not essential, but helps us plan and let you know of changes)

After a spring break we’re back with our regular pattern club sessions, back in DINA on Fitzalan Square. This one will be themed around “work-in-progress”, with people showing patterns they’re in the process of making / dreaming up.

Video/code/sound artist, curator and algorave regular Antonio Roberts (aka Hellocatfood), will be visiting Sheffield for an algorithmic pattern residency with Then Try This, and will talk for a bit about what he’s working on at the moment, inviting feedback!

Pattern club resident Alex McLean will show a collaborative project he’s working on too, an augmented reality thingie for exploring rhythmic patterns by drawing abstract symbols. You’ll be able to have a go!

Also feel free to bring along your own works-in-progress, and please do let us know if you’d like a slot to talk about it! Amateurs / imposters welcome, with full respect to the beginner’s mind 🙂

Wednesday 7th June 7.30pm – 11pm
Hatch, 107 Harwood St, Highfield, Sheffield S2 4SE

Tickets £8 / £10 / £12

Pattern Club Live with Ewa Justka, Rian Treanor, Eye Measure and Yaxu 

A bit last minute, but we had the chance to put on this show while Ewa is in town, in collaboration with local superhero Rian Treanor, and pattern club residents Eye Measure and Yaxu supporting. Hope you can join is for this intense evening at Hatch !

18.00 – 20.00, Tuesday 22nd August
@ Gut Level, 121 Eyre St, Sheffield S1 4QW

An introduction to making music using Strudel for live coding musical patterns. Strudel is version of TidalCycles that’s available in the web browser: https://strudel.tidalcycles.org/

To participate, you just need to bring a laptop and some headphones so you can have a go at live coding yourself. Absolutely no experience of coding or anything like that is necessary!!

The workshop will be led by us 🙂 More info on the Gut Level website: https://gutlevel.co.uk/whatson/patternclub8

Fee

While all of our workshops have been free so far, this one it is £4 and you also need to be a member of Gut Level (which costs £2/year). If you aren’t a member, please sign up before buying a ticket. (There’s also the option to support Gut Level monthly, in which case you’d have access to all their workshops for free).

Gut Level is a really amazing community venue doing loads of great things so do support them if you can! But also if you can’t afford the ticket for whatever reason let us know and we can sort that out.

7.30pm – midnight, Thurs 28th September 2023 @ Sidney & Matilda factory, Sheffield
Tickets (£8/10/12 – pay what you can afford)

An evening of pattern-based algorithmic dance music, with focus on live manipulation and sharing of code and other strange structures.. Mixing up live coding, mechanical techno and radical DAW artistry. Taking place in the Sidney + Matilda factory (the room on the right before you enter the courtyard).

Featuring:

• Epiploke – Sheffield-based duo Heavy Lifting and Yaxu team up for some shifty algorithmic techno inspired by ancient greek metrical structures
• Eye Measure + Sam Underwood – Sheffield algoraver and Hope Works resident Eye Measure with a new collaboration with mechanical musician Sam Underwood
• Graham Dunning – mechanical techno legend Graham Dunning returns to Sheffield with what we think will involve a hybrid of mechanisms and live coding
• Innocent – Sheffield resident algoraver Innocent improvising proper dance music in Foxdot
• sclews – fruity loops isn’t technically live coding but when you see how sclews works with it live you’ll see the algorave spirit is strong!