Manuel Rocha Iturbide
Encyclopedia
Manuel Rocha Iturbide is a Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 composer and sound artist.

Biography

Manuel Rocha Iturbide was born in 1963 in Mexico City, he started musical studies when he was 13 years old. In 1983, after studying musical pedagogy in Lyon France for one year, he decided to start a career as composer at the "Escuela Nacional de Musica" of the University of Mexico. The extremely academic and traditional studies in that institution led him to explore different creative ways beyond instrumental music and so he practiced photography at "Taller de los Lunes", a workshop organized by Mexican digital photography pioneer Pedro Meyer
Pedro Meyer
Pedro Meyer is a well-known photographer based in Mexico. He is one of the pioneers of the digital revolution in contemporary photography...

. In 1988 he started using video work and in 1989 he realized his first sound sculpture at the mild stone exhibition "14 artists around Joseph Beuyce" in Mexico City along with important Mexican artists from his generation such as Gabriel Orozco
Gabriel Orozco
Gabriel Orozco is a Mexican artist, who in 1998 was called "one of the most influential artists of this decade, and probably the next one too." He was born in Jalapa, Veracruz, Mexico and educated in the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas between 1981 and 1984. He then continued his education...

. In 1989 Rocha Iturbide travels to USA to Mills College
Mills College
Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...

 in order to pursue an MFA in electronic music. There, he composes "Frost Clear", a piece for amplified refrigerator, double bass and electronic sounds that has been played by him through the years in different important festivals such as the "San Francisco electronic Music Festival" in 2006. In 1991, Rocha Iturbide travels to France where he studies and works as a researcher at IRCAM
IRCAM
IRCAM is a European institute for science about music and sound and avant garde electro-acoustical art music. It is situated next to, and is organizationally linked with, the Centre Pompidou in Paris...

, and where he pursues his doctoral thesis on granular synthesis
Granular synthesis
Granular synthesis is a basic sound synthesis method that operates on the microsound time scale.It is based on the same principle as sampling. However, the samples are not played back conventionally, but are instead split into small pieces of around 1 to 50ms. These small pieces are called grains...

 and Quantum Mechanics
Quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...

 in relation to sound from 1992 to 1999. In these years, Manuel Rocha Iturbide worked with Curtis Roads
Curtis Roads
Curtis Roads is a composer of electronic and electroacoustic music specializing in granular and pulsar synthesis, author, and computer programmer....

 and Barry Truax
Barry Truax
Barry Truax is a Canadian composer who specializes in real-time implementations of granular synthesis, often of sampled sounds, and soundscapes...

, two of the most important pioneers on granular synthesis computer music techniques. In 1999 the president of the jury of his doctoral thesis defense was Jean Claude Risset (The name of his thesis was "The granular synthesis techniques"). The influence of this research can be seen in different electroacoustic music
Electroacoustic music
Electroacoustic music originated in Western art music during its modern era following the incorporation of electric sound production into compositional practice. The initial developments in electroacoustic music composition during the mid-20th century are associated with the activities of composers...

 works of this composer: "Transiciones de Fase" for brass quintet and electronic sounds (1994), Moin Mor for electronic sounds (1995), SL-9 for electronic sounds (1994), etc.

At his return to Mexico after 7 years abroad, Manuel Rocha Iturbide devoted himself to sound art
Sound art
Sound art is a diverse group of art practices that considers wide notions of sound, listening and hearing as its predominant focus. There are often distinct relationships forged between the visual and aural domains of art and perception by sound artists....

, being one of its pioneers and biggest promoters. His first important work at that stage was "Ping-Roll", an aluminum Ping Pong Table with speakers underneath where over 60 ping pong balls reacted to the continuous and discontinuous sounds produced by sine waves and bouncing sounds, jumping and then rolling. This sound sculpture was exhibited at the "Sidney Biennale" in 1998. From there on, the Work of Manuel Rocha Iturbide has been devoted to sound art and electroacoustic music, having had important commissions in both fields. In 2006 he received a commission from the Arditti Quartet
Arditti Quartet
The Arditti Quartet is a string quartet founded in 1974. The quartet is associated particularly with contemporary music.-Early history:The quartet was founded in 1974 by violinist Irvine Arditti together with John Senter, Levine Andrade and Lenox Mackenzie...

, the composition "Tetraktis" for string quartet and 4 digital tracks, and in 2010 a commission from the Japanese piano player Aki Takahashi
Aki Takahashi
is a Japanese pianist specializing in contemporary classical music.-Biography:Born in Kamakura, she began studying piano at the age of five and received her M.A. degree from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Her teachers included Yutaka Ito, Ray Lev, and George Vásárhelyi...

 for Piano and electronic sounds ("Ashimakase").
On the other hand Rocha Iturbide has devoted also himself as the curator of the international sound art festival in Mexico and as a researcher, writing articles about the history of electroacoustic music and sound art in Mexico, or about the aesthetics of sound art expressions such as the sound installation and the sound sculpture.

Selected Electroacustic Compositions

  • Avidya for tape. 1989.
  • Atl for tape. 1990.
  • Semi No Koe for flute and tape. 2001.
  • Cantos Rituales for tape. 2003.
  • S-36-A for 19 digital tracks. 2004. Commission from the "Oasis sonoro" project.
  • Purusha-Prakrti for tape. 2005. Commission from the IMEB electroacoustic music institute in Bourges
    Bourges
    Bourges is a city in central France on the Yèvre river. It is the capital of the department of Cher and also was the capital of the former province of Berry.-History:...

     France.
  • Light and Dust for Oboe and tape. 2006.
  • Tetraktys for string queartet and 4 digital tracks. 2007. Commission from the Arditti String Quartet.
  • Ashimakasefor piano and electronic sounds. 2010. Commission from Japanese pianist Aki Takahashi.

Selected Sound Art Works

  • (+ * -) = - Sound Sculpture. 1989.
  • Ligne d'abandon conceptual sound piece in collaboration with Gabriel Orozco. 1994.
  • Mechanisms for the absolution of waste sound installation. 1997.
  • Rebicyling Sound Installation. 2000.
  • El eco esta en todas partes Sound Installation. 2003. Commission for the art collection JUMEX.
  • I play the drums with frequency Sound Installation. 2007.
  • Sónca Tal Sound Sculpture. 2010.

Selected exhibitions

Manuel Rocha Iturbide has had solo exhibitions in ARCO 99 in Madrid Spain, Surge Gallery in Tokyo Japan, Avatar in Quebec Canada in 2002, etc.
And collective exhibitions in Chantal Crousel Gallery in Paris France, 1993; Artists space New York in 1997; Biennale of Sydney
Biennale of Sydney
The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is the largest and best-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country...

 in 1998; Puddles Artists-Initiative links in Tokyo Japan, 2003; Colección Jumex
Colección Jumex
The La Colección Jumex is said to be the largest private contemporary art collection in Latin America, with works by Jeff Koons, Andreas Gursky and Gabriel Orozco....

 in 2003 and 2006; Museo de Bellas Artes in Caracas Venezuela in 2003, Museo el Eco in 2008.

External links


Further reading

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