According to the World Bank data from 2014, there are 97 mobile phone subscriptions per every 100 people in the world. Just 10 years ago, that figure was 42 out of 100. There’s no doubt that smartphones have transformed our world by creating communities, enabling content sharing, and facilitating a global marketplace at our fingertips. But in order to do this, many smartphones users spend hours a day staring at their screens for business and entertainment. And while this technology certainly makes some of life’s tasks easier, it is also easier to “miss” the world around us.
In partnership with AT&T, Thrival will have a discussion about what strategies people are taking to get work done while also taking time away from the screen — to connect with others face to face, person to person. Jim Penna, Director of External Affairs at AT&T, will be joined by Kevin Saftner, General Manager of James St. Gastropub (which recently implemented discounts for phone-free dinners), and Gil Teixeira, the inventor of CEEMI, a tool that allows any smart device to become a collaborative musical instrument.
Meet Jackie Dempsey and Steve O’Hearn, the creative geniuses behind Squonk, a brazen ensemble of makers and music technologists who have wowed audiences around the world with their surreal post-industrial productions. Since their start in a Pittsburgh junkyard 24 years ago, Squonk has created thirteen original productions and performed in more than 250 venues across the US, and on 3 continents. With strong priorities in being accessible and transformative, they’ve taught workshops, directed collaborative creations, and done residencies at myriad universities, museums, and middle schools.
Squonk’s two most recent productions will be featured at the open and close of Thrival Music. Each day will begin with a performance of Cycle Sonic, their brand new bike-inspired rock concert on human-powered moving platforms. And to close out each night, Pneumatica will play, featuring a 40-foot high moving statue surrounded with fans, turbines, and inflatables. Don’t miss this chance to meet the creators, two of Pittsburgh’s most fascinating personalities.
CEEMI can be quickly described as the hardware generator of an instant virtual ensemble that turns any WiFi compatible device – a smartphone, tablet, desktop or laptop – into a collaborative electronic musical instrument on the fly. It was specially designed for the performance of music by groups of people without prior musical training.
CEEMI was conceived by musician/sound artist Gil Teixeira in 2013 and started being developed as a response to the growing global community of smartphone and tablet users who seem to be perpetually more disconnected in social settings. The vision behind CEEMI is to harness the power of technology to connect people in real time, in a live setting. It’s not so much about humans interacting with technology, but about technology as a means to human interaction.
