Some 800 people visited CMC on Culture Night recently.

With two interactive sound installations proving a special attraction, visitors streamed through the Centre from 6.00pm until midnight. These record numbers were a wonderful opportunity for CMC to show off the resources of the Centre, and many people expressed support for our work.

As an active user of social media, CMC posted real-time photos, soundclips and messages to Facebook and Twitter during the night, and a video team recorded the occasion for a future feature on our web site.

Under the title InterPlay II, the sound installations which were specially commissioned from composers Jonathan Nangle and Brian Bridges, with Brian Solon as Production Manager, proved very popular. They enabled visitors to experience a whole new approach to sound and music in a very immediate way.

Touch Music by Jonathan Nangle allowed visitors to use iPhone and iPod Touch technology to interact with electronic music and lighting design. In the Centre's outdoor courtyard, Brian Bridges' Spectral Space is a multi-speaker outdoor sound installation whose slowly evolving microtonal drones were diffused through a number of speakers sited around the space. For those who were not able to visit on Culture Night, this installation continues until Friday 2 October, running from 12.00-4.00pm daily.

"The Contemporary Music Centre is at the forefront of what is happening in new music and music technology. We were delighted to have an opportunity through Culture Night to showcase exciting new work and technological developments to visitors of all ages and backgrounds," said Karen Hennessy, CMC's Promotion Manager.

Culture Night is an initiative of Temple Bar Cultural Trust to encourage people to experience what is on offer from Dublin's numerous cultural organisations. Since its beginning in 2006, Culture Night has grown to include over 100 of Dublin city's arts and cultural organisations. This year Culture Night expanded to 11 other counties around Ireland.

Posted: 28 September 2009