colloqium48 - Rubén Bañuelos Preciado [MA SP Music and Research]

What are the aesthetic and technical outcomes of decentralizing the performer as the main agent of a sonic instrument? How can operations be automated and programmed using physical sound objects rather than computation alone? How can an acoustic instrument be designed in order for it to be able to capture and manipulate the otherwise inaudible activity of infrasound?

At the center of this artistic project is CLSTR0, an acoustic distortion effect that was originally produced by accident. Although the objects that emitted this sound for the first time were three classical percussion instruments casually clustered together (namely a Bass nicophone, a timpano, and a tibetan bowl), the research needed to understand and to harness CLSTR0 at a technical and physical level has made it possible to reproduce this acoustic phenomenon on many new instrumental clusters. These new clusters can range from collections of traditional percussion instruments, to Machine Learning audio synthesis interfaces, to audio-visual installations, or interactive acoustic environments, and even CLSTR1, an instrument designed under the mentorship of Domenico Melchiore (Lunason).

Whispers of ghosts are summoned by supercolliding multidisciplinary forces in this ongoing project, whose sound pieces and installation hybrids have been showcased at the AI+Performance Hacklab of Sónar Festival (Barcelona, ES), Kode9’s workshop Sonic Tactics (Fano, IT), the Darmstädter Ferienkurse (GE), FABRIKculture (Hégenheim, FR), and at music research conferences such as the VI Conference in Artistic Research in Music of the Pyrenees (ES & FR) and Transplanted Roots: Percussion Research Symposium (Porto, PT).

Rubén Bañuelos (Tijuana, MX) is a percussionist, sound artist, and researcher based in Basel, where he investigates the performance and non-performance of acoustics through hybrid instrument-installations, primarily his CLSTR0 cluster. His work bridges acoustic and electronic media while maintaining a deep commitment to percussion as a foundational medium.

His practice interrogates technological autonomy for musicians and the decentralization of human performativity, as seen in projects like That Weightless Flesh Is Our Relative (2024), which reimagines accessible percussion repertoire using locally fabricated instruments. Rubén holds master’s degrees from the Musik-Akademie Basel (under Christian Dierstein) and ESMUC Barcelona (under Miquel Bernat), as well as a B.M. from The Boston Conservatory. 

His work has been featured in festivals like Sónar (Barcelona), and the Darmstädter Ferienkurse, as well as workshopped under the mentorship of Steve Goodman (aka Kode9). Forthcoming works include LOS GRANDES VUELOS, an interactive installation version of CLSTR1 at FABRIKculture (Hégenheim, FR) that will run from 28.09.25-02.11.25, as well as SANGRE BUENA NUNCA SECA, a hybrid performative-installative piece for the finissage of the same exhibition. In respect to writing, a paper presentation of a piece titled Audio-political interfaces. A viscoursive account of sound interface design for the Répertoire International d’Iconographie Musical (CH) will come out at the association's conference in Mexico City this October