Live coding is a performance practice and creativity technique that focuses on the real-time writing of source code and the use of interactive programming, improvising and formalising in public. Live coders expose and modify software in real time by generating music and/or images, while the manipulation of the code is projected to allow the process to be seen: our thoughts! Live coding is used in many musical genres, and because of the elements that compose it - art, science and technology - it also shapes a social and political discourse.

Live coding is organised within a global community called TOPLAP with local branches in various locations around the world. The local community is called TOPLAP Barcelona.

The live coding principle of sharing the performer's screen, and thus the processes of creating music and visuals, challenges the common narratives of authorship and ownership imprinted in the art industry. Live coders often learn new tricks and techniques by watching someone else do it. Along with the widespread availability of free and open source software for live coding and the multiple channels and ways of information exchange that exist within the community, this also challenges traditional conceptions of creative production where someone owns the rights to the final output of the work.

The algoraves are inspired by the idea of anonymous people playing to anonymous crowds, collapsing hierarchies and headliners. Live coding is not intended to be the future of electronic music, but rather a diverse community open to everyone to engage with live coding and its communal principles.

The community will come together to share knowledge and experiment collectively, offer panel discussions, talks, workshops and concerts of various styles and for all ages.

Programme:

Tuesday 12/11/24:

11-18 h / Lecture room / Cucacharrismo: Live coding and hardware.
Live coding controlling music (and/or video) synthesizers. By TOPLAP Bcn.

19:15 -20:15 h / Lecture room / Round table. Livecodera meetup
Livecodera is a community of about 100 women and FLINTA* who practice live coding. They will host a hybrid meeting (face-to-face/online) to work on topics related to the experiences lived by its members in the practice of this discipline. Coordinated by Maia Francisco (Toplap) and Alicia Champlin (Toplap).
Capacity: 30 people.

Wednesday 13/11/24:

11-18h / Lecture room / Collaborative live coding: Flock  
Flok is a polyglot environment for collaborative live coding, where an indeterminate number of live coders can create music and visuals together, similar to what is done to write documents with Google docs. Coordinated by Lina Bautista (Toplap).

19:15 -20:15 h / Lecture room / Round table. Craftsman Code Meetup
Round table with people from the community who have developed their own programming language for live coding. By the TOPLAP community.
Capacity: 30 people.

Thursday 14/11/24:

11-18 h / Lecture room / Livecoding visuals
Live coding controlling visuals. Coordinated by TOPLAP Bcn.

19:20-20:20 h / Lecture room / Talk. Data, real time and learning algorithms
Talk about data used in artificial intelligence systems applied to live coding, touching on topics such as: data for live coding, what is real time, Markov vs Neural Nets, Transformers Attack, ‘I'm a human, can I play? Coordinated by Dr. Iván Paz (Toplap), PhD in Live Coding and AI.
Capacity: 30 people.

Friday 15/11/24:

11-17 h / Lecture room/ Workshop on experimentation with code and instruments
Musicians from different fields and members of TOPLAP Bcn will experiment to achieve the fusion between two apparently distant fields such as chamber music and live coding. Coordinated by Niklas Reppel (TOPLAP Barcelona).
Capacity: 30 places.

18:45-20 h / Lecture room / Experimental concert with Ensemble Orfeó Gracienc
Concert/experimentation, fusion between chamber music and live coding.

Saturday 16/11/24:

11-12:30 h / Bar Room / Microblocks workshop.
Microblocks workshop for audiences of all ages, taught by its developer Bernat Romagosa, making DIY electronic synthesizers at a very affordable price. Family audiences, recommended for ages 12 and up. Coordinated by Bernat Romagosa (Toplap).
Capacity: 15 people, plus accompanying family members.
Pre-registration by filling in the form, active from 30/10/24.

12:45 - 13:30 h / Bar Room / Live coding for children
Informative concert aimed at introducing children to contemporary, electronic and algorithmic music. Performance accompanied by live coding of visuals that help to understand the concept in a simple and accessible way. Family audiences, recommended for children aged 12 and over. Coordinated by Eloi el Bon Noi (Toplap).
Capacity: 15 people, plus accompanying family members.
Prior registration by means of a form, active from 30/10/24.

After the family concerts and until 20:00 h / Terrace / Algorave Concert
Electronic dance music session with Algorave.
The duration of the sets is between 20 and 30 minutes, but the length of the concert is determined by the people's desire to dance.

By TOPLAP Barcelona    

Activity promoted by: Cicle Difracccions, Xarxa de músiques inusuals arreu del territori

TOPLAPBarcelona is a collective that practices and promotes live coding as a creative technique in audiovisual creation, as a critical approach to technology and as a process of research, using free and open source tools.
Over the years, TOPLAP Barcelona has established relationships with artists and other live coding communities around the world. It promotes exchange between these communities, welcoming and inviting artists from all over the world to participate in its activities. It also supports local artists who want to take their projects beyond the local level. 

Language: catalan, spanish and english

Links of interest:

https://toplap.cat/

https://blog.toplap.org/