Simon Lysander Overstall

In residence: 2018

Simon Lysander Overstall is a computational media artist, and musician/composer from Vancouver, Canada. 

I came to Coppermoss to begin development of a project that had only existed as an idea so far, though it had existed in that state for a long time. The Conversationalist is a work intended to explore conversations between beings without the trappings of language, words; just, possibly, an exchange of sounds. As a software program and installation The Conversationalist is intended to listen to itʼs world and respond to the presence of others, as indicated by sounds, with sounds of itʼs own that hopefully encourage further exchanges. That is what Coppermoss did for me. Explorations up the mossy cliffs from the cabins and through the clearcut, past the stream and toward the mountain top gave me breath to explore in thought and code as well. I got to have a conversation with the world around me that is not always available and I am grateful.

Simon develops works with generative, interactive, or performative elements. He is particularly interested in computational creativity in music, physics-based sound synthesis and performance in virtual environments, and biologically and ecologically inspired art and music systems. He has produced custom performance systems and interactive art installations that have been shown in Canada, the US, Europe, and China. He has also composed sound designs and music for dance, theatre, and installations. He has an MA in Sound in New Media at Aalto University in Helsinki, a BFA in Music Composition from the School for Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University, and an Associate in Music (Jazz) Diploma from Vancouver Island University.