Bellacode: localized textual interfaces for live coding music Luis N. Del Angel Marianne Teixido Emilio Ocelotl McMaster University Universidad Nacional Universidad Nacional [email protected] Autónoma de México Autónoma de México [email protected] [email protected] Ivanka Cotrina David Ogborn Independent artist McMaster University [email protected] [email protected] AB#TRA!T In May !"#$ t%e collective &''(&N presented a series o) live coding *orkshops )ocused on t%e development o) localized live coding esolangs, targeting t%e underlying affordances o) (idalCycles via t%e -stuary *eb.based environment. /is paper )ocuses on t%e interpretation o) t%e live coding esolangs La Calle and Sucixxx created during t%e *orkshops. 0e expose t%ese languages %ere as t%ey engage critically *it% bot% live coding practice and t%e speci1city o) t%e artist.programmer. /is paper ends *it% a brie) analysis o) an anonymous survey deployed during t%e *orkshops and a brie) discussion o) )uture *ork. 2n t%e basis o) t%is account$ *e suggest localization as an aspect to be )urt%er explored in live coding practice. % INTROD&!TION In May !"#$ t%e collective &''(&N presented a series o) live coding *orkshops )ocused on t%e development o) localized live coding esolangs, targeting t%e underlying affordances o) (idalCycles 3Mc4ean !"56 via t%e -stuary *eb.based environment 32gborn$ et al. !"76. /ese *orkshops %appened in 8ogot9 3,olombia6 at t%e &eal-(ime )estival, Manizales 3,olombia6 at t%e "7t% Image )estival, Medellín 3,olombia6 at )estival A&($ 4ima 3;erú6 at (ele)onica =oundation$ and >ito 3-cuador) at t%e Media4ab UI2. ?uring t%ese *orkshops, *e 3i.e. t%e members o) &''(&N"6 encouraged participants to develop live coding languages using t%eir o*n linguistic logic. =rom t%is, *e encountered t%at )or some participants "6 %aving a lingua )ranca o) so@*are and live coding *as problematicA and 6 t%ere *as a desire )or mainstream live coding languages to be reBective o) t%e participants’ locale. /is paper exposes t%e live coding esolangs 4a ,alle and Ducixxx created during t%e *orkshops as intelligible ideology critiEues o) bot% live coding practice and t%e speci1city o) t%e artist.programmer. /e second section o) t%is paper provides a context and a motivation )or bot% t%e *orkshops and t%is paper. /e t%ird section is a description o) %o* using slang and transfeminist reggaeton became t%e main design c%aracteristic o) t%e esolangs La Calle and Sucixxx$ respectively. /is paper ends *it% a brie) analysis o) an anonymous survey deployed during t%e *orkshops and a brie) discussion o) )uture *ork. 2n t%e basis o) t%is account$ *e suggest localization as an aspect to be )urt%er explored in live coding practice. " RG'(RN is Emilio Ocelotl$ Jessica Rodriguez, Marianne Teixido$ and Luis Navarro. 0ebG %HpsGIIrggtrn.git%ub.ioI ' CONTE(T AND MOTIVATION /e *orkshops series described in t%is paper %appened in t%e context o) &''(&N’s !"# J8ellacode (our" t%roughout ,olombia$ ;erú$ and -cuador. /is tour *as sponsored by t%e Ibermúsicas =und and involved participants )rom inside and outside t%e collective. /ese *orkshops *ere motivated by "6 4uis N. ?el Angel’s ongoing ;%? researc% at McMaster University regarding t%e development o) culturally situated plat)orms )or live coding musicA and 6 -milio 2celotl and Marianne (eixidoCs interest in 1nding and recognizing communities o) live coders in 4atin America. /e *orkshops series *as named K;arserx_ lenguajes vivos para el performance sonoro.visual” O;arserx_ live languages )or audio.visual performanceP. /e *ord parserx is a pun made o) t%e computational *ord parser and t%e ,olombian slang parcera3o6. A parser is a program t%at analyzes strings in order to translate t%em into somet%ing else$ suc% as anot%er language. /is made sense as parsing *as t%e met%od used )or creating t%e participants’ esolangs 31g. "6. ;arcera3o6 is used to approac% someone in a )riendly *ay as it o@en means K)riendN or KbuddyN. ?uring our stay in ,olombia$ nevert%eless, it *as pointed out to us t%at t%e origin o) t%is *ord *as a pejorative one$ and t%us *e ackno*ledge %ere our misappropriation. /e *orkshops *ere open to t%e general public$ eighteen.years-old and above. -ac% *orkshop lasted six %ours, divided over t*o days *%erein participants *ere encouraged to develop t%eir o*n audio and video live coding esolangs, as *ell as to reBect on natural languages t%rough a )ollo*.up survey. /is paper )ocuses on t%e audio live coding K%alfN o) t%e *orkshops, *%ere -stuary and (idalCycles *ere principal tools. -stuary 32gborn et al. !"76 is a collaborative *eb.based live coding environment t%at provides access to t%e affordances o) (idalCycles 3Mc4ean !"56 as *ell as ot%er live coding languages. /e )eatures -stuary provides enabled participants to "6 *ork immediately in t%e bro*ser rat%er t%an installing so@*areA 6 test and play *it% t%eir developed esolangs, eit%er solo or in a collaborative seHing; and R6 *rap t%eir custom esolangs around (idalCycles )unctions and t%e 0eb?irt sampling engine 32gborn and 8everley !"S6 optimized )or live coding music in a *eb bro*ser. * DEVELO+ING LO!ALIZED TE(TUAL INTE$.A!E# FOR LIVE CODING MUSIC A common activity in t%e live coding community is developing original languages/interfaces. Dome o) t%em are domain.speci1c$ built on top o) general-purpose computer languages. -xamples include (idalCycles 3Mc4ean !"56$ built on top o) Taskell, Donic ;i 3Aaron U 8lack*ell !"R6$ built on top o) &uby$ and =luxus 3Mc4ean$ 'riVt%s, ,ollins and 0iggins !"!6$ built on top o) Dc%eme. 2t%er languages/interfaces are built on top o) languages t%at are already specialized )or soundImusic$ like t%e /renoscope 3Magnusson !"W6 and Ixi 4ang 3Magnusson !"!6 bot% built on top o) DuperCollider. In some ot%er cases a ne* languageIinterface may be deemed personalized as it is developed )or t%e use o) a sole user/artist. -xamples include Cacharpo 3?el Angel and 2gborn !"76$ Daem0n 32gborn !"R6$ and t%e Autocousmatic 3,ollins !!X6$ among many ot%ers. -soteric languages, or Kesolangs”$ suc% as t%e *ell kno*n 8rain)uck 38rain)uck !"#6 o@en deploy opaEue notations in order to uncover Kt%e constraints o) mainstream programming languages” 3Mc4ean and 0iggins !" 6. /ey additionally propose alternative programming notations in order to %ighlight t%e expressive possibilities o) computer programming. -xamples close to esolangs in live coding practice include ?ave 'riVt%s’ Dc%eme 8ricks, 8etablocker$ and Al-Fazari all built on top o) =luxus 3Mc4ean$ 'riVt%s, ,ollins and 0iggins !"!6. ?uring t%e *orkshops, *e looked to )urt%er proli)erate distinctions 3,oleman !"R6 by encouraging http://www.ibermusicas.org/es/noticias/596 participants to design localized live coding esolangs. Tere$ participants %ad t%e option to Kadapt$ translate$ and customizeN (idalCycles’ lexicon$ syntax, sample 1les, and )unctions to t%eir Kspeci1c localeN or culture not only to make t%em more Kmeaningful and compre%ensibleN to t%em 3Doup%avan% and Yaroonboonyanan !!W$ "6 but to potentially convey Ka speci1c cultural and political message about code 3Nasser !"W6 an esolang *%ose قلب itselfN 3(emkin !"W$ secc. #$ para. 6. /e laHer is exempli1ed in intentionZnot )ar )rom live coding practiceZis )or people to reBect upon kno*ledge connected to Arabic as *ell as to enjoy t%e calligrap%ic Euality o) t%at natural language. Input Esolang parsing program TidalCycles’ events .igure 1. A workflo* for implementing t%e live coding esolangs during t%e workshops 8ased on t%e distinctions made above$ *e position t%e resulting languages *it%in t%e category o) live coding esolangs as t%eir purpose is to live code music and to appreciate a code$ and t%us a logic particular to a determinate group o) people. =rom t%e 1@een custom esolangs produced$ t%is paper *ill )ocus on t*o examples, c%osen because t%ey bot% invite t%e audience to reBect upon ideologies 3i.e. ideas, interests, and values) different t%an t%e ones o) mainstream live coding languages and critically explore natural language$ slang, and experience *it%in t%e participants’ individual communities. ?ocumentation o) t%ese languages can be )ound at %Hps:IIgit%ub.com/rggtrnIla,alle and %Hps:/Igit%ub.com/rggtrnIsucixxx. /ey can be played at %Hps:/Igit%ub.com/d!kt!r0Iestuary. *.1 #lang and musical patterns 0it1 La Calle La Calle O/e DtreetP is a mini live coding esolang developed in 4ima 3;eru6 by *orkshop participant Ivanka ,otrina$ using slang c%aracteristic o) t%at cityCs *orking-class neighborhoods 3(able "6. According to Ivanka$ Kt%e street is t%e place *%ere ne* codes o) language are created [ and *%ere meaning is domesticatedN 3?el Angel, personal communication$ Deptember !"#6. Ivanka sees slang as Kan alternative *ay o) communication t%at delineates territories, meaning, t%at one can connect O*it% ot%ers] t%rough a rhetoric t%at is accepted Oin t%at territoryP despite not being grounded on cultured languageN. Ivanka *as interested in demonstrating, in a play)ul *ay$ t%at t%is marginal code is not in%erently countercultural but rat%er is just anot%er )orm o) communication %elping people to mani)est t%emselves and be %eard.