what are soundtoys?

Soundtoys may take the form of art, games, generative music, interactive environments, shockwave movies, etc.
They could be described as "new audio visual experiences", or multimedia experiments which explore the parameters of our new media world. They might be described as the fusion of audio and visual output through new technologies made available for the internet. But because this site intends to encourage the expansion of the possibilities of this new media, hard and exclusive definitions should be avoided, and each contributing artist to the exhibition is invited to provide their own views to help develop the dialectic.

The soundtoys site offers insights into the diverse and creative nature of the web which is available to todays 'creatives'. Increasing numbers of these artists are exploring, researching and playing within the parameters of the medium: Designers, painters, film makers, installation artists, writers, photographers, printmakers, musicians, each bringing to the online audio visual domain their own intent, their skillset, their history. So many threads here interweaving to make this rich ever-evovling tapestry.. This diversity which is inherent to the internet is reflected not least in the variety of technologies explored in the works showing on the soundtoys site; shockwave, flash, vrml, java to name a few.

The synthesis of the visual to the audio is increasingly becoming a central issue in the development of interactive media on the web. The soundtoys.net site is a fusion of the arts and media incorporating a wide range of approaches to the medium of the internet and audio visual practice. The internet has become the the leading economic and artistic tool for our age. Words like 'emergence' are used to explain the propulsion of these medias into our daily lives. Convergence is used to describe the meeting of medias, and their the fusion through new technology. Our exhibition series and website is for artists to explore the paradigm of audio visual practice. It also functions as a fun site where the new and cutting edge of artistic research is exhibited and can be engaged with as online internet experiences.

The soundtoys site features a journal section which aims to provide a forum for debate around the creative use of new technologies for the internet, past, present and future. All interested parties - artists, writers, programmers, scientists, philosophers - are encouraged to post their related essays, texts, articles and debates, and we envisage that this journal will become a valuable reference and research tool which will inform current practice and future development.

Stanza: Director. mail icon contact