Christophe Lebreton, alias Zakahamida
Status : Artist under the alias Zakahamida – Art interactive stage, instrumental set design. Sound engineer, computer music designer. Technical director, enginery and scenography of sound and visual exhibition. Developer of music gesture apps
Bio ( short version ) :
Designer of interactive devices, musician and scientist by training, he has worked as a sound engineer and producer in computer music since 1989. Until 2019, he participated in the development and influence of GRAME (National Center of musical creation – Lyon – FR) , creation of recording studios, discographic productions, shows, concerts, Opera, exhibitions and has worked with many composers of contemporary music in France and abroad while confronting the realities and diversity of contemporary productions on a daily basis. Since 2003, he has focused his research and development on gesture capture and the augmented scene. He experiments with what he calls “instrumental scenography”. He is interested in all the performing arts for which his research and development are related. Since 2013 he has been creating gestural musical applications for Smartphones (“SmartFaust”, “Smart Hand Computer”), developing the “Light Wall System” software suite oriented for pedagogy. In 2019 he founded with Jean GEOFFROY the association LiSiLoG, dedicated to technological, artistic and transmission innovation. Since 2020 he has been developing the iMSS system for multi-camera motion capture for low budget creation and production. Under his artist name Zakahamida, he creates interactive installations running from second-hand iPhones to easily edit and distribute his works. In particular, he is continuing his experiments around the concept of “Smartland post-digital garden” which he initiated in 2013 with “Smartland – Divertimento”. In 2021 he created the « C.CUT-UP! » and distributes his works in France and abroad, continues to lead workshops in art schools and various training centers while continuing his creations, research and development within LiSiLoG. ( www.lisilog.com )
.
Bio ( longer version ) :
Musician with a scientific training, he has worked with the GRAME (National Center of Musical Creation) since 1989 as a sound engineer, a designer and a creator of interactive devices. He set up the sound system for many concerts, operas and great shows; performed several discographic projects (he got awarded the Diapason d’Or in 1992 like sound engineer). He worked with composer Xu Yi on spatial orchestral projects including the emblematic piece “The full of emptiness”. In 1999, he designed and built the new GRAME studios. These studios are equipped with an innovative dynamic matrix technology. This was a first and this technology is now known as ‘multi-channel digital studios’. He worked on the engineering of many sound installations including the ones of the composer Pierre-Alain JAFFRENNOU. In the early 2000s, he directed several musical productions for silent films (creation Auditorium of the LOUVRE-Paris – ARTE). In 2004 he created the device and softwares for the piece “Light Music” along with Thierry DE MEY and Jean GEOFFROY. After this project, his work was oriented towards the capture of the gesture, with creations of interactive devices via cameras and embedded sensors. He experimented with what he calls “instrumental scenography”: the scene thought as an instrument. In 2007 he directed the device for Philippe MANOURY‘s piece “Partita 1” with violist Christophe DESJARDINS via IRCAM and GRAME (they toured the USA, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, China). In 2008 he created the device and scenography of the show “TYPHON” with composer Vincent Raphael CARINOLA and developed a real-time image projection system based on mapping and video feedback. He continued to experiment with the capture of movement via embedded systems and confronted the gesture tracking and partitioning technologies developed by IRCAM through different productions. In 2009 he developed new gesture capture interfaces based on technologies developed by CEA Grenoble and the MOVEA startup. He developed softwares based on angular capture that he will later integrate to his numerous developments. Since 2010, he has worked on the engineering and scenography of many international sound exhibitions in collaboration with James GIROUDON (co-founder and artistic director of GRAME until 2018). In 2010 and 2016, he realized real time sound processing for the Operas of Kaija SAARIAHO (“Emilie” – “Only the sound remains“). Having become an expert in DSP programming via FAUST language and gesture capture, he kept working on many multidisciplinary productions in France and abroad. He has carried out many projects with different conservatories in China since 2004 and taught from 2014 to 2015 for a Master in “Computer Music” at the Shanghai Conservatory. In 2013, he developed the 13 “SmartFaust” music apps for the composer Xavier GARCIA. These apps are iOS and Android compatible thanks to the FAUST language created by the GRAME research team. Always in connection with the capture of movement by camera, he developed a device for the composer Jesper NORDIN (Frame in transit). In 2015, he designed and built the “Air Machine 2″, an instrument designed by Ondrej ADAMEK. Since 2015, he has developed a real time processing device for augmented guitars for guitarists Camel ZEKRI and Gilles LAVAL. In 2016, he introduced the concept of “Post Digital Garden” via the “SmartLand – Divertimento” sound installation realized in collaboration with the composer Stéphane BORREL and the designers of the RandomLab of Saint-Etienne. He created the “Light Wall System” suite of software for Jean GEOFFROY , oriented towards pedagogy. In 2017 he developed a device for the composer-improviser Xavier GARCIA (LifeLines 3 – 2017, then in version sound installation LifeLines 4 – 2018). In 2017-2018, he designed and realized the algorithmic instrument “Smart Hand Computer” for Jean GEOFFROY whose first creation was the piece “Virtual Rhizome” by composing Vincent Raphael CARINOLA (solo piece for 2 Smartphones and quadraphonic device). In 2019 he founded the LiSiLoG association with Jean GEOFFROY, association dedicated to technological innovation and transmission (www.lisilog.com). He continued to work on sound exhibitions (“Musica Mobile” at the Taipei Fine Art Museum – 2019), developed new violins for composers and performers, organized workshops to share his developments and experiences, via the association LiSiLoG.
The main composers with whom he worked directly for creations :
Franck BEDROSSIAN – Vincent Raphaël CARINOLA – Pierre-Alain JAFFRENNOU – Michael JARRELL – Philippe MANOURY – Thierry DE MEY – François PARIS – Kaija SAARIAHO – Annette SCHLUENZ – Xu Yi – Roque RIVAS – Ondrej ADAMEK – Xavier GARCIA – Kenji SAKAI – James GIROUDON – Jean-Baptiste BARRIERE – Florence BASCHET – Stéphane BORREL – Bernard CAVANNA – Benjamin DE LA FUENTE – Bertrand DUBEDOUT – Jonathan HARVEY – Stéphane MAGNIN – Jesper NORDIN – Chen QIANGBIN – Claire RENARD – Marco Antonio SUAREZ-CIFUENTES – Christopher TRAPANI – Ye GUOHUI – Núria GIMENEZ-COMAS – Camel ZEKRI
Projects that particularly marked his career:
2024 Course & Workshop “Presence and temporality” – Prep. St.Louis St.Bruno School of Art – Lyon
2023 “Grounding Time” show at LIVE in St Nazaire – FR
2023 “Natura – naturans” exhibition at the Grange à pierre – St Pierre-le-vieux – FR
2023 ART12PM residency – iMSS with Daniel Pop – Târgu-Mureș University of Arts – ROMANIA
2023 Composition residency “Part of the bird” at LiSiLoG studio with Yui Sakagoshi
2023 Course & Workshop “« du moderne au vivant »” – Prep. St.Louis St.Bruno School of Art – Lyon – FR
2023 “Light Music” concert – UNESCO sound week with ensemble regards – PAU – FR
2022 Workshop & concert « Footprint(s) » in Zagreb – Croatia
2022 Workshop & concert – OPUS#2 – around the iMSS system at Royaumont Abbey
2022 LiSiLoG laboratory around iMSS & Suspendules#3
2022 “Disfluxion” exhibition at the Ampère – Poleymieux museum in Mont d’Or
2022 Seminar – Laboratory Passage XX-XXI “Figure on background”
2022 Teaching sound creation at UCLY 2 and 3 Bachelor cycles
2022 Exhibition in Taiwan “International Light Festival – National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
2022 Course & Workshop “Kinetic Art & Haiku” – Prep. St.Louis St.Bruno School of Art – Lyon – FR
2021 Exhibition “C.Cut-up! » at the Solyanka gallery – Moscow
2021 Colloquium University Lyon 2 – 2listening, writing resonance: between music and philosophy »
2021 Creation of the show “Cirkantranse”, Iliade Grenoble theater and Quais des Arts Argentan – FR
2021 creation of the first LiSiLoG days – Laboratory of interpreters and instrumental scenography – development of a musical and dance program which will be created at the Moscow Conservatory in October 2021.
2021 « NASALO » R&D pour Sissel Toolas de module Smellboxes pour l’exposition à Nanjing – Chine
2021 « C.Cut-up! » creation of an exhibition of 4 new works under the artist name “Zakahamida at the Grange à Pierre with the association Cépanou & Lisilog
2021 iMSS workshop for choreographers at Royaumont Abbey
2020 “sound installations” Conferences at the National School of Fine Arts in Lyon
2020 « Cirkantranse » creation residency Royaumont – Argentan – la Brèche – research and development “interactive Motion Sound System »
2020 Sound installation workshop – Prep. St.Louis St.Bruno School of Art – Lyon
2019 teaching Master2 gesture capture at Jean Monnet St.Etienne University
2019 « Bartok, from Budapest to Biskra » GuitarMotion development for Camel Zekri
2019 “Sounds, Writings, Vibrations… Sound and Visual Exhibition at ERATA Museum – St Pertersbourg
2019 “Musica Mobile” Sound and Visual Exhibition at Taipei Fine Art Museum – Technical Director – Artist
2019 Foundation of association “LiSiLoG” with Jean Geoffroy.
2018 “Virtual Rhizome” by Vincent Carinola – SmartSolo concept and application development
2017 “Audio Guide” House of the Blind in Lyon – design and development
2017 “Listening to transparency” Exhibition at Busan Kiswire Art Museum – engineering and scenography
2017 “Listening to transparency” Exhibition at Shanghai Minshen Art Museum
2017 “Life line 3” of Xavier Garcia – development of a new interface of play with motion
2017 “Smartland – Metrophony” a new version of post digital garden around “Freedom, Equality, Fraternity”
2016 “Architectures, Landscapes, Resonances” Exhibition at Museo de Arte Contemporaneo – Santiago Chile
2016 “Through the listening glass… Exhibition at Total Museum of Contemporary Art – Seoul
2016 New real time interface to play with motion guitar – perform: Camel Zekri – Gilles Laval
2016 “Light Wall System” abstract of “Light Music” system to share with educational project
2016 “Smartland – Divertimento” concept and creation of post digital garden by CL with composer S.Borrel
2016 “Only the sound remains” of Kaija Saariaho created at Amsterdam – Real time sound design by CL
2015 “Smarfaust” Chinese tour of concert Wuhan, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Beijing
2015 “Air Machine 2” R-D of a new musical instrument inspired by Ondrej Adamek
2015 “Laboratory Stage Research” around “Light Music” device at CNSM of Lyon -J.Geoffroy – A.Martin
2015 “Titu” Multimedia show children – compose José luis Campana
2014- 2015 Master teaching “Computer Music” at Conservatory of Shanghai
2014 “Around The Sounds” Exhibition A4 Musuem at Chengdu-China
2014 “Smartfaust” created software for Smartphones concert – compose Xavier Garcia
2013 “Threads” Music and dance project. Composer Roque Rivas – choreographer Shang Chi Sun – created at Taipei with Digital Art Center of Taipei
2013 “Imminent Sounds” Exhibition at Fine Art Museum of Taipei
2013 “Laboratory Stage Research” motion capture with the CNSM of Lyon – J.Geoffroy – A.Martin
2013 “Frame in transit” of Jesper Nordin – created Vasteras-Sueden
2013 “Partita1” Tour of Japan, Korean – China
2012 “Endless Eleven” Multimedia show of composer Bertrand Dubedout
2011 “Line 9” Music and dance project. choreographer Jing Xing, composer Chen Qiangbin (created at Shanghai)
2010 “Unfolded bodies” project Music and Dance. Annabelle Bonnéry choreographer, composer Sebastian Rivas.
2010 “Emilie” Opera of Kaija Saariaho, created at Opera of Lyon – Real time sound design by CL
2010 “Fall (s)” A multimedia musical Paolo Pachini with composers Michael Jarrell, Martin
Matalon, and Raphael and all Cendo muzikFabrik
2010 “Mobility, sounds and forms” sound and visual installation at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum
2009 “Partita1” Tour of the United States, Mexico and Taiwain
2008 “Blaulaub” piece for large ensemble, flute, koto and real-time Annette Schlunz (Creating the festival Musica Viva in Munchen)
2008 “Typhoon” Spetcacle Mulimedia Vincent Raphael Carinola including set design and video projection device was designed and directed by Christophe Lebreton.
2007 “Partita1” piece for solo viola and live electronics by Philippe Manoury. (Grame-IRCAM).
2007 “From Inside” interactive installation by Thierry De Mey with the choreography of William Forsythe, Manuella Rastaldi and movies “Kinshasa, a city in motion” by Thierry De Mey.
2004 “The Divine” creating music for silent film Yi Xu Wu Yonggang. ARTE control, and created in 2007 with a live band in Shanghai.
2004-2015 “Light Music” Solo Conductor, video and interactive device Thierry De Mey
2002 – 2003 “The Fall of the Angel” sound and visual installations. Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel. Resumed in 2007 at Church of the Convent of La Tourette Eveux
2001 “Storm over Asia” creating music for silent film Yi Xu (created at the Auditorium of the Louvre – Paris)
2000 “Panopticon” Sound installation and video. Facade of the Rhone CAUE
2000 “Animots” Permanent sound installation. Gerland Lyon Park.
1997 “Full of empty” orchestral piece with electronic Xu Yi
1992 Grame CD, “Music for Strings,” Forlane Edition / French Music of Today (Golden Diapason)
1992 “Beat the wind, run the seas’ great show given Pluriel Festival, With Querqueville, Theater of Cherbourg
1990 “Man Who Fly” show gave the Faust Festival in Toulouse, cloister of the Jacobins. First Prize of the Festival performances: Gold Faust.
1990 “Twins” Opera Music of James and Pierre Alain Giroudon Jaffrennou, text and staging of Michel Rostain.