Live Coding Jam

Trinity Square Video is one of Canada’s first artist-run centres and its oldest media arts centre. In 2023 my live coding ensemble The Endemics organized a public jam session for live coders and those curious to learn more.

Audiovisual live coding is a performance practice where artists write and modify code in real-time to generate and manipulate both sound and visuals. It combines creativity and technology, allowing performers to improvise and create dynamic, evolving digital art right in front of an audience.

It was great to see so many community members come out and step up to play with us. We had live music coders, modular synth players, visualists, and even an analog foley artist and a guitar, making sounds the old-fashioned way to join in the fun.

The beautiful gallery space at Trinity Square Video with its vaulted ceilings and shining hardwood floors was the perfect canvas for our improv artistry; we brought out a projector for everyone who wanted one and lit up every surface.

This event not only showcased the versatility and accessibility of live coding as an art form but also fostered a sense of community and collaboration among artists and attendees, building the confidence of new coders to explore the artform further, and creating an engaging experience for the uninitiated. By bringing together diverse creative practices in an inclusive and experimental environment, we demonstrated how technology and art can unite people, spark curiosity, and inspire new ways of thinking about creativity and performance.