Institute of Art Design + Technology
Dún Laoghaire
On Show 2020
Rhys Mayes

This project is an interactive, audiovisual installation addressing the theme of Juvenoia. The piece illustrates how cross-generational harmony is achievable via the use of old technology in a modern context, along with the ambiguity in the period of the set. It highlights that Juvenoia is not a new concept, but is a phenomenon that has been happening for generations.

The piece has roots in serialism and electroacoustic music, and is algorithmically composed by a programming language called Csound running on a 2001 PowerMac. The computer analyses input taken from various sensors placed around the room and uses them to influence the notes it is generating, the sounds it is making, and the visuals it is displaying. Juvenoia, the exaggerated (and futile) fear of the effects of social change on youth, is shown through the juxtaposition of old fashioned aesthetics and avant-garde music composed with computer code. The user is the median through which the music and the environment communicate, acting as a bridge between the generational gap more

The results of parents’ Juvenoia indisputably affects young peoples’ self confidence and self image. Attention should be drawn to the fact that it is not something to be taken personally, but occurs as an extant part of life