Peter Edwards is an American artist, musician, and teacher who has explored circuit bending and experimental music and instruments through his business Casperelectronics. He sometimes performs under the same name. He works extensively with interlinked sound and light generation to create immersive musical experiences.
On view for the duration of his residency is DroneScape, which consists of ten inter-connected "NovaDrones," electronic kits create a drone orchestra by engaging with light, sound, and spaces that they occupy. The unending frequencies waver and distort as one moves throughout the space and becomes enveloped in a unique auditory and visual environment. DroneScape is an homage to the landscape of oscillations New Yorkers move through every day as every ventilation system, jackhammer, car alarm or revving engine we encounter possesses its own unique drone.
Also on view is a modified Nintendo video game console, which has it's video outputs and controllers manipulated in such that way to allow both players to interfere with the video signal itself in addition to the avatars on screen, extending the competitive game-play into a parallel, collaborative, video manipulation work.
New York/Amsterdam based artist Peter Edwards has been designing and performing on experimental instruments and musical environments for over a decade under the name Casperelectronics. His work explores the definition of intended functionality and consistently challenges the process of performance. He works extensively with interlinked sound and light generation to create immersive musical experiences.
Edwards received a BFA in sculpture from The Rhode Island School of Design in 2000. Since then he has taught himself electronics and strives to find ways to help creative thinkers take control of the medium.
In 2005 he developed the creative electronics department at Hampshire College. He currently teaches circuit bending classes at New York City’s new media arts center, Harvestworks, and writes electronics tutorials for American DIY tech magazine Make.
Edwards has performed, taught workshops and spoken on the topic of circuit bending and creative electronics at MIT’s Media Lab, Hasbro Toys, Hampshire College, Skidmore College, New York University, Bloomfield University, Long Beach University and at new media festivals around the world including The Piksel Festival (Bergen, Norway), The OFFF Festival (Paris, France), Sequences Festival (Reykjavik, Iceland) and Bent Festival (New York & LA, USA).
His sculptural work has been shown at the Tang Museum (Saratoga Springs, NY), Green Gallery (YALE University, New Haven, CT), West Hall Gallery (RPI, Troy, NY) ABC no Rio (New York, NY), Lost Horse Gallery (Reykjavik, Iceland), Hans Wies Gallery (Manchester, CT) and more.
Edwards shows, lectures and performs regularly at venues across Europe and the US, curates the performance space Casper Land, and is currently studying electronic music and synthesis at the Institute of Sonology in The Hague.
The Clocktower projects of Peter Edwards and Casperelectronics are made possible by a grant from the The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
