I work with electronics and real-time animation systems. I am interested in real-time performance systems that have some of the live, tactile qualities of good human musicians playing acoustic instruments. My work mostly involves using gestural interfaces to control animation and sound synthesis, and building real-time audio-visual systems that interact with human performers. In particular, I am inspired by improvisers who have developed rich palettes of extended techniques.
I've built systems, tools, installations and compositions in collaboration with Peter van Bergen, Chris Burns, John Butcher, Tom Djll, James Fei, Matt Heckert, Lynn Hershman, Matt Ingalls, Paula Levine, Jeremy Mende, and Gino Robair, among other wonderful musicians and artists. I've performed and exhibited work in the US, Asia, Europe, and Australia. I am a founding member of the Beanbender's collective, which organized over 150 concerts of new music in the San Francisco Bay area.
Recent/Upcoming Events
- 09/22/2023
Performance with Chris Burns, Noa Even, and Thomas Kraines at Studio 34, Philadelphia [more info] - 09/19/2023 Performance with Michael Foster, Richard Kamerman, and Sean Meehan at Microscope Gallery, New York [more info]
- 08/26/2023 Performance with Wilmer Chan, Brian Chu, and Nelson Hiu, Hong Kong
- 12/02/2022 Performance with Bjll Dingalls and Bill Wiatrowski at Shapeshifters Cinema, Oakland CA
[ more info] - 06/03/2022 Performance with Bjll Dingalls at Mosswood Sound, Oakland CA [more info]
- 11/05/2021 Performance with Bjll Dingalls at Center for New Music, San Francisco CA [more info] [ video]
- Older events
MEDIA
Bjll Dingalls (Tom Djll/Bill Hsu/Matt Ingalls) live at Center for New Music, San Francisco, 11/5/2021
Bjll Dingalls (Tom Djll/Bill Hsu/Matt Ingalls) live at Peacock Lounge, San Francisco, 03/05/2020
John Butcher and Bill Hsu, live at ICLI 2016, Brighton, 7/1/2016
James Fei, Bill Hsu and Gino Robair, live at Outsound Summit, San Francisco, 8/1/2015
Xenoglossia/Leishmania (CMJ version) from Bill Hsu on Vimeo.
CONTACT
Older Events
- 12/29/2020 Introduction to Visual Programming Workshop at RC3 hacker conference
- 06/30/2020 Center for New Music Panel on Queer and Trans Voices in New Music, with Mya Byrne, Amanda Chaudhary, Luciano Chessa, Stephen Hall, and Theresa Wong [more info]
- 04/12/2020 Performance with Peter J. Woods, Sharkiface, and Marlo Eggplant, live stream at https://soundcrack.net [more info]
- 03/05/2020 Performance with Tom Djll and Matt Ingalls, Peacock Lounge, San Francisco [more info] [video]
- 02/08/2020 Performance with Tom Djll and Matt Ingalls, KZSU Day of Noise, Palo Alto CA [more info] [video]
- 12/18/2019 Solo performance at Mind Shaft, San Francisco [more info]
- 11/19/2019 Performance with Matt Ingalls and Tom Djll, Center for New Music, San Francisco [more info]
- 08/03/2019 Presentation on audiovisual performance systems, Y-space, Hong Kong [more info]
- 08/02/2019 Performance with Wilmer Chan, Nelson Hiu, and Dennis Wong, private venue, Hong Kong
- 06/30/2019 Performance with Chris Burns, John Ingle, and Peter J Woods, Artists Television Access, San Francisco [more info]
- 06/01/2019 Performance with Michael Thieke and Nicolas Wiese, Sowieso, Berlin
- 04/05/2019 Performance with Nelson Hiu and Dennis Wong, SAAL, Hong Kong [more info]
- 02/15/2019 Performance with Tom Djll and Gino Robair, Temescal Arts Center, Oakland CA [more info]
- 11/03/2018 Performance with Matt Ingalls and John Shiurba, CODAME Evening at the Leonardo Convening, San Francisco Art Institute, Fort Mason, San Francisco [more info]
- 10/01/2017 Performance with Carl Ludwig Huebsch, James Fei, and Matt Ingalls at Artists' Television Access, San Francisco [more info]
- 03/03/2017 Performance with James Fei and Gino Robair at Center for New Music, San Francisco [more info]
- 11/11/2016 Installation A Flourish of Tiny Regrets at Artificial Experiences, Hotel Zetta, San Francisco [more info]
- 06/29-07/03, 2016 Presentation and Performance with John Butcher at International Conference on Live Interfaces, Brighton, UK [more info] [video]
- 02/23-03/17, 2016 City-to-City installation (by Paula Levine, Lee Periolat and Bill Hsu) in Art Faculty Exhibition, Fine Arts Building Room 238, SFSU, San Francisco [more info] [project website]
- 08/18/2015 Presentation with Paula Levine on City-to-city installation, ISEA 2015, Vancouver, BC [more info]
- 08/01/2015 Audiovisual performance with James Fei and Gino Robair, Outsound Summit, Community Music Center, San Francisco [more info] [video]
- 06/21/2015 Audiovisual performance with Kyle Bruckmann and Gino Robair, Garden of Memory, Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland CA [more info]
- Audiovisual performance with Chris Burns, in "Distributed Agency and Musical Metacreation", 2014 Computer Music Journal Sound and Video Anthology. Computer Music Journal 38(4), December 2014. [more info]
- 09/30/2014 Performance with Birgit Ulher and Jacob Felix Heule at Artists' Television Access, San Francisco [more info]
- 09/27/2014 Performance with Birgit Ulher and Grosse Abfahrt at Center for New Music, San Franciso [more info]
- 09/04/2014 Performance with James Fei, Gino Robair, and special guest percussionist from Israel, at Center for New Music, San Franciso, 9/4/2014 [more info]
- 05/02/2014 Installation I touch your salt, I see your futures and Performance at Blurred Edges festival, Hamburg [watch video]
- 04/26/2014 Performance with Chris Burns at Quiet Cue, Berlin [watch video]
- 04/13/2014 Performance with Thomas Miley and Silvia Matheus at Center for New Music, San Francisco [more info]
- 01/22/2014 Opening reception for Paula Levine's City-to-City installation (sound design and software by Bill Hsu), Fellowship/x exhibition, ZERO1 Garage, San Jose, 1/22/2014 [project home]
- Installation Narcissus 2 by Jeremy Mende and Bill Hsu, in All Possible Futures, SOMArts Gallery, San Francisco, 1/14-2/13, 2014 [more info] [video demo]