Nora Farrell
Internet impressario NORA FARRELL has been an early adapter since before there were Walkmen. As co-creator of the Cathedral Project, she and composer William Duckworth have been exploring the artistic potential of the Internet since the mid '90s.
In performances and web works exploring the theme of public art for private spaces, Farrell draws from net sources such as webcasts and internet radio, rss and data feeds, virtual instruments, public posts, and the open source community to assemble her sound palette. Uniting these parallel spaces, she mixes the multiple streams live in connected performance. She also builds custom applications and virtual instruments, including the multiuser PitchWeb that allows people to play together online in real-time, and the mobile PitchWeb, premiered in Tokyo in March 2007.
Mediated communication and community are central to Farrell's work. As a member of the Cathedral Band, she is the bridge between the on-stage artists and the Internet band, moderating PitchWeb players worldwide and mixing them into the live concert. Her recent New York area appearances with the Cathedral Band include Roulette, Galapagos, The Cutting Room, La MaMa and The Winter Garden, presented by WNYC’s New Sounds Live. The band will be returning to Japan and Australia in 2007. She is currently collaborating on an iPod opera and music for servers.
By day, Farrell is a software designer specializing in programming web applications for the publishing and music industries, for clients such as Pearson, Thomson, Cablevision, Microsoft and AT&T. Farrell's work has garnered several awards, including a Clio for a web application for Pringles, and the 2001 ASCAP-Deems Taylor Internet Award for Cathedral. Her work appeared at Streaming Media West in 1998.