Maria del Carmen Montoya slapped a bow, broken and taped in several places, across a badly damaged cello. Her solo, a blend of sound and performance art, was greeted with an eruption of applause.
The grating, industrial sounds of Montoya and Kevin Patton’s art show, “At Hand,” combined technology, visual art and sound through a variety of media. The artists, invited to Eugene by the Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts (DIVA) and the University’s School of Architecture and Allied Arts, presented a show based on the concept of creating sound through touch.
Patton and Montoya incorporated computer programs and electronic instruments, most of which they made themselves, for their unique performance.
The program began with “Creaking the Air,” in which Patton generated sounds with a pair of gloves with sensors in them. Theyallowed him to manipulate the noises and add a spatial aspect to the performance, as well as incorporate a video element.
“I really enjoyed the glove thing, especially how it interacted with the video,” University freshman Daniel Hughart said.
Patton programmed a computer to detect the number of movements he made with his hands, and upon reaching 1,500 gestures, the computer triggered an abstract video that concluded the act.
Much of Patton and Montoya’s work is based on improvisation.
“They’re more like structured improvisations, so there’s a plan, but it’s not scored out like classical music,” Patton said.
Two performances from “At Hand” used instruments modified with sensors. The final piece, titled “Digital Poplar Consort,” used two original wooden instruments  called “Fossil” and “Mouthbox.”
“Inside (the instruments) there’s a circuit board I designed, as well as a microcontroller that takes input from sensors,” Patton said. He described the instruments as “gestural computer music instruments.”
The piece “So Sad to See You Go,” used similar technology in a guitar so Patton could manipulate the sounds it produced without adjusting knobs or using foot pedals.
Patton and Montoya met in Houston in 1995 when Patton was attending the University of Houston. Since then, they have collaborated on several projects.
“We don’t expect everyone to like (our work),” Patton said. “But if people can at least engage honestly and maybe spark some thoughts, that’s what we’re hoping for.”
The performance got generally positive reviews from audience members, many of whom saw the duo in classes earlier this week.
“It was very meditative,” University graduate student Patricia Morales said. “It took me to another place; I thought it was great.”
University graduate student Iris Wang was also impressed with the performance.
“I think it’s awesome,” she said. “These instruments totally make sense for new electronic music.”
The artists visited Eugene in part for the launch of the A&AA Media Management program.
The two spent the week visiting classes and presenting about their work.
Patton and Montoya will conclude their visit with a talk, called at 3 p.m. today in the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.
“Everyone has been so welcoming,” Montoya said. “It’s wonderful to be surrounded by smart, open-thinkers. That’s precious no matter where you are.”
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To see video and artist reaction to the performace, click here.