NOP.

nz / French-New Zealand Project for a

multimedia orchestra
NOP.nz is a cultural project, betwenn France and
New Zeland, based on « New Orchestra Practices ».

The concept involves gathering people from

different ethnic backgrounds, music abilities, ages
and social classes to collectively play sound and visual
parts. This inter-arts orchestra will perform pieces from
both France and New Zealand.

NOP.nz’s main goal is to bring together various

audiences, cultures and artistic practices.

The planning for NOP.nz is currently being

coordinated from France by Nolwenn Hugain. NOP.
nz will begin in New Zealand from February 2011. The
project will return to France in 2012.

Videos are available on www.nop-project.com

Nolwenn HUGAIN Lisa GREGOIRE

PROJECT SYNOPSIS
Project manager Project assistant
and conductor in New Zealand

7, rue Clisson 25/8 Burgoyne St

75013 Paris Newton
FRANCE Auckland 1021

+ 33 6 82 29 47 06 + 64 22 0178 291
nolhugain@yahoo.fr lisa.gregoire@yahoo.fr
 NOP.nz values

BRINGING TOGETHER AUDIENCES

Playing is the core aspect of the NOP.nz project ; it plays a large

part in amateur practices. The wide range of people and skills to
be involved in the project will enrich the orchestra. No specific
knowledge is required to be part of the NOP.nz adventure.

The NOP.nz orchestra will follow two main lines :

The game can be used as a space of freedom. The orchestra
will use a device similar in appearance to a video game joystick :
the Meta-Mallette. This aspect will reinforce the idea that playing
is a pleasant way to work. Indeed, playing enables to free oneself
from everyday standards and restrictions and therefore to express
oneself entirely.
Gestures can be used as a link towards art. The learning
and teaching process for the orchestra members will only involve
gestures. Even if they have to be adapted according to age and
motor abilities, these gestures remain an element common to
all and easily approachable. The orchestral scores are therefore
written in gestures and not in music codification. By using gestures,
players can capture the artistic views and make them their own.

BRINGING TOGETHER ARTISTIC PRACTICES

NOP.nz is first and foremost interested in projects involving sound

PROJECT VALUES
and image, which artistic association is very nourishing. The very
diverse links between sound and image encourage players to use
their visual and hearing sensations to question their perception.

The video technology has introduced a clear and strong connection

between sound and image. New technologies (NTIC) have made
this connection even simpler. However, many fields have not been
explored yet. Thanks to the NTIC, the Meta-Mallette offers an easy

Meta-Orchestra’s rehearsal/ University Pierre et Marie Curtie / Paris, France / 2009 / © PUCE MUSE
access to many interactions between sound and image and the
opportunity to create a completely new repertoire.

BRINGING TOGETHER CULTURES

NOP.nz is based on a cultural encounter between France and

New Zealand. The project has been shaped thanks to exchanges
between Nolwenn Hugain, project manager, and Nathalie Buckrell,
Cultural and Schools Coordinator at the Alliance Française de
Wellington.

A few cultural differences have held Nolwenn Hugain’s attention.

These will be explored during the selection of the orchestra
members, the search for concert venues and the discussions with
New Zealand artists who will express their artistic views for the
project.
New Zealand is a melting pot of different cultures, most
notably the Maori culture and the culture inherited from the
European settlers.
The density of population in New Zealand is sparse while
the landscape diversity is dense. The biggest cities are at the edge
of a wild environment.
New Zealanders use extremely modern technologies while
still perpetuating ancestral traditions.
People know various music genres coming from all over the
world : the French classical repertoire, English rock, New Orleans
jazz, traditional Indian music, etc. In comparison, people know
New Zealand mostly through rugby.

PROJECT VALUES
Stage before a Meta-Orchestra’s concert/ University Pierre et Marie Curtie / Paris, France / 2009 / © PUCE MUSE
Projected shedule 2012 / PARIS

Return of the project in France.

The NOP.nz project will continue to exist in partnership with the
FEBRUARY 2011 / AUCKLAND Roland Dorgelès high school and the Goutte d’Or community
centre in Paris. The school’s pupils will perform the New Zealand
The Project Manager arrives in New Zealand and starts the piece. Also, an introductory workshop will be developed so as to
establishment of the NOP.nz orchestra in Auckland. enable the local inhabitants to comprehend the project in an
The project will be implemented thanks to the cooperation of local accessible way.
organisations such as the Alliance Française (French cultural and
language centre), Vitamin S, Audiofoundation... The ensemble’s
special feature will be to gather people from diverse backgrounds
(students, musicians, Maori and Pasifika peoples, retired, etc.).
They will use an interactive device, called the Meta-Mallette,
that enables sound and visual creations thanks to video game
joysticks.

JUNE 2011 / AUCKLAND

A composer and a visual artist from New Zealand will be invited to

write an original piece for the orchestra.
Parallel to the learning of the existing French repertoire, the
orchestra will act as a laboratory for the creation of the original
sound and visual piece set in the local culture.

SEPTEMBER 2011 / AUCKLAND

PROJECTED SCHEDULE
First public performance of the NOP.nz orchestra.
A forty-minute programme will be ready to be presented to the
New Zealand public.
The project may also then be extended by creating a link
between culture and sport centred round the Rugby World Cup
2011 Festival. Two teams of young French and New Zealand rugby
players and French artists from the PUCE MUSE music company
would join the orchestra. All together, they would perform an
original monumental symphony including image projection onto
one of Auckland’s major façades.
Meta-Orchestra’s concert/ University Pierre et Marie Curtie / Paris, France / 2009 / © PUCE MUSE
Tools required to achieve the project
META-MALLETTE
The Meta-Mallette is a device enabling multiple players to per-
form live sounds and images thanks to video game joysticks, all
connected to one single computer. It was designed in 2005 by the
PUCE MUSE music company. Based in Paris, the company is also a
resource centre specialised in Live Visual and Virtual Music. PUCE
MUSE is supported by the French Ministry of Education, the French
National Research Agency and the European Union.
More information on www.pucemuse.com.
SOUNDPAINTING
Soundpainting is a live composing sign language used to conduct
an orchestra. It was created by composer Walter Thompson in the
United States in the 1990s. Many artists use soundpainting in France,
especially musicians from the Association of Jazz Musicians.
The use of such a language is completely relevant to the NOP.nz
project since soundpainting is aimed at various artforms : music,
visual arts, dancing, acting, etc.
More information on www.soundpainting.com.
A VARIED FRENCH REPERTOIRE
The Meta-Mallette repertoire keeps expanding. Some of the
pieces have been written by French contemporary artists, such as
Serge de Laubier, Gyorgy Kurtag Jr., Jean-Marc Weber and Xavier
Garcia. It is also possible to perform pieces from the classical music
repertoire.
AN ORCHESTRA BASED IN AUCKLAND
The NOP.nz orchestra will be based in Auckland, which is a
cosmopolitan city that the project wishes to reflect. Nolwenn
Hugain will manage the project and conduct the orchestra.
The project is innovative in three different ways:
The orchestra will gather people from diverse backgrounds,
no matter how old or skilled they are.
The orchestra will play contemporary pieces combining
sound and image simultaneously.
The orchestra will not be set in its ways, it will evolve with
time. Each new artistic proposal, each live performance by the
orchestra will lead to a revival of the orchestra.
INVITING NEW ZEALAND ARTISTS TO JOIN THE PROJECT
The NOP.nz project has many specific features and goals, which
is why it is essential to create a unique repertoire for this artistic
ensemble. Therefore, New Zealand artists (composers and visual
artists) will be invited to work with NOP.nz on the expansion of the
repertoire.
The NOP.nz world premiere will take place when the orchestra
performs for the first time in New Zealand, probably during Rugby
World Cup 2011.
TOOLBOX
Influence

IN NEW ZEALAND

The first live performances will take place around September 2011.
At this stage, an exchange programme is also planned between
French youth from the Rugby Club Massy Essonne (Paris region),
New Zealand youth from New Sports Generation (Waiheke Island,
Auckland) and the French Embassy. This exchange programme
would take place during Rugby World Cup 2011.
Introductory workshops will also enable the project to reach various
New Zealand audiences. Events such as lectures at the Production
School in Wellington and the New Zealand School of Music are
considered..

IN FRANCE

As part of the « Paris Young Adventure Grant », a perfomance

will take place in Paris in 2012. This unique event, aimed at the
French public, will raise cultural awareness of diverse cultures and
artforms.
A partnership will be established with the Roland Dorgelès high
school and the Goutte d’Or community centre in Paris. The pupils
will attend workshops to get to know the project, they will learn
how to play with the Meta-Mallette and will eventually perform
the New Zealand piece.

ON A WORLDWIDE SCALE

NOP.nz is structured around two keystones: the establishment of

an orchestra that will gather people highly motivated to be part
of a unique artistic adventure and the teamwork between artists
coming from distinctive cultures.

INFLUENCE
Therefore, one can imagine that the NOP.nz project can be
reproduced in other nations with new challenges, and further
cultural goals. The inner values of NOP act as a model, a model
which could be reinvented all over the world : Other Countries,
Other NOPs.
Meta-Orchestra’s concert/ University Pierre et Marie Curtie / Paris, France / 2009 / © PUCE MUSE
Partners involved in the NOP.nz project
CULTURAL EXCHANGE
T.BRAUN, Councillor for the Paris City Council
www.jeunes.paris.fr/jeunes
12.06.2010 (from tyn.braun@free.fr)
You applied on 8 June for a grant from the Paris Jeunes Aventures pro-
gramme. I am pleased to announce to you that your grant application
was successful.
L.RODIER, Councillor for the New Zealand-France
Friendship Fund www.nz-franceff.com
09.09.2010 (from lorraine.rodier@numericable.fr)
We can testify that your project has been submitted to the joint com-
mittee of the New Zealand-France Friendship Fund. The latter found the
project interesting, and indicated that they would reach a decision by
the 2011 session, by which time the project will have reached a signifi-
cant stage of preparation.
MUSIC AND VISUAL ARTS
L.MARCEL-BERLIOZ, Director of the CDMC
www.cdmc.asso.fr
14.04.2010 (extract from the attached endorsement letter)
We are very interested in this project and the original music repertoire
that the orchestra will create. This is why we wish the project a great suc-
cess and we will most certainly promote its achievements and events
via our network.
N.BUCKRELL, Cultural and Schools Coordinator at
the Alliance Française www.french.co.nz
15.03.2010 (extract from the attached endorsement letter)
We are regularly in touch with Miss Hugain and we have nothing but
praise for her passion and involvement in this cross-cultural project. NOP
has positive future repercussions for France since it contributes to the de-
velopment of an international network of new orchestra practices.
P.FOUCHER, , Assistant to the Cultural Attaché at
the French Embassy www.ambafrance-nz.org
15.05.2010 (from pauline.foucher@diplomatie.gouv.fr)
Thank you for this information. I am delighted to see that your project
is taking shape. Indeed, I think that this type of project could be a real
success with New Zealanders.
A.MacMILLAN, Musician and member of Vitamin S
www.vitamin-s.co.nz
19.08.2010 (from drewmcm@blackbridge.co.nz)
We would very much be interested in helping out to get this going. We
can coordinate most things including publicity, production and techni-
PARTNERS
cal requirements, rehearsal spaces, performance spaces, and artists. I
can also help organise travel and accommodation for yourself if you
need me to.
Let me know, but definitely keen to help out.
 S.de LAUBIER, Artistic director at the PUCE MUSE M.NORRIS, Professor and composer at the New
music company www.pucemuse.com Zealand School of Music www.nzsm.ac.nz

03.03.2010 (extract from the attached endorsement letter) 28.02.2010 (from michael.norris@nzsm.ac.nz)
Miss Nolwenn Hugain has been working for us since 2007. Her current This sounds potentially quite interesting. We have a new lecturer here
project, NOP.nz, aligns itself with the work we have been doing together at the New Zealand School of Music who used to be a member of the
so far. Her objectives are ambitious : spreading the concept of ‘Live Stanford Laptop Orchestra, and would be very interested I think in colla-
Visual and Virtual Music’ to new countries, diversifying this type of music borating in some kind of project. He is working with our students on buil-
by working together with New Zealand artists and passing it on through ding new electronic interfaces for musical multimedia performance. We
the creation of amateur orchestras. I am sure she will be able to take could put together a collaborative performance in 2011 perhaps?
up this challenge. Her dynamic skills, artistic sensibility and her great
adaptibility will meet with a positive response from the musicians under
her guidance.
PUCE MUSE will pay close attention to the development of the project
and we also wish to participate from France by playing the pieces that
will be written by New Zealand composers.

PARTNERS
‘Concert de concert’ show by the PUCE MUSE company / Parc Geaorges Brassens / Paris, France / 2010 / © PUCE MUSE
Project manager and conductor’s curriculum vitae

����������

Since 2007 ���� �� ��������� � �������� ��� ����������� �� ������� - PUCE MUSE - Paris (France).
���������: designed and presented teaching workshops, coordinated adult training.
�������� �������: monitored the software and the musical pieces, conducted orchestras performing pieces with the Méta-Mallette.
�������������: assisted with graphic design, video editing of concerts.

2005-2006 ��� ������� �� ������������ ��� ���� ������� - Don Bosco institution - Mayenne (France).
Prepared lessons and corrected exams, established projects between the school and the city's cultural organisations.

2004-2005 ����� ��� �������� ���������

March 2005 - Sound supervisor for the show 'Ici même' created by the Grame institution (national centre for music creation) -
Poitiers (France).
November 2004 - Sound supervisor for the Digital Art Festival 'Vollevox' - Brussels (Belgium).

2000-2005 ����� ������� - local music school - Ernée (France).

Taught flute in individual lessons, prepared and supervised auditions, member of the panel of judges during exams, coordinated lectures
on art history, gave lectures on the links between music and art in the 20 th century.

��������� ������ � ����� ���������

2009-2010 Certificate for conducting ������������� orchestra - Languages French: mother tongue / English: fluent.
UMJ (association of jazz musicians) - Paris (France).
Computing (Windows and OS) Word, PowerPoint,
2000-2005 ���� ���� ������ - specialised in painting and sound Photoshop, InDesign, Final Cut Express,

NOLWENN HUGAIN
installation - ������ �������� ���� ����������� - Max/MSP/jitter.
Rennes (France).
Travels USA, Finland, Iceland, Canada, Mexico,
Autumn 2004 ������� ������� �� ��� ���� - visual arts and flute Belgium, Egypt, England, Germany.
departments - Reykjavik (Iceland).
Hobbies Trekking, comics, architecture.
2001-2003 ����� ������� - flute, music theory and improvisation -
Rennes (France) .
 APPENDIX

ARTISTIC ACTIVITIES EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Show « XXX 360 » with the Joysticks Orchestra
2007 �������� ��� - Festival Eclat - Aurillac
����� ����� ��� - Nuit Blanche - Paris
���������� ��� - Capitale Européenne - Esh sur Azette (Lux.)
2008 ���� ����� ����� ��� - Festival « Complètement à l’Ouest » - Port Saint
Louis du Rhône
������� ��� - Festival « Bains numériques » - Enghien-les-bains
2009 ��� ���� ��� - Festival de la Francophonie - San Jose (Costa Rica)
Show « Concert de concert » with the Joysticks Orchestra
2008 Residency at UPMC (Pierre and Marie Curie University) - Paris
« Nuit des Chercheurs » - Milly La Forêt
2009 School sessions - Wissous
Festival « Et 20 l’Été » - Paris
Festival « Chalon dans la rue » - Chalon-sur-Saône
Residency at UPMC - Paris
« Nuit des chercheurs » - Vélizy Villacoublay
Garden Festival - Paris
Science Festival at the « Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie » - Paris
Meta-Orchestra concerts
2009 World Astronomy Year - Paris
Buttes Chaumont Park bandstand - Paris
UPMC - Paris
State education
Dorgelès intermediate school - Paris
Charles Péguy intermediate school - Palaiseau
J. Lurçat and A. France intermediate schools - Sarcelles
Academic Institute for Teacher Education - Paris
Primary schools - Saclay
Music schools
Music academies - Versailles and Chalon-sur-Saône
Music schools - La Celle-Saint-Cloud and in Noisy-le-Sec
Music schools - Igny, Saclay, Rungis, Châtillon and Montrouge
Institutions for the disabled
Petit Tremblay institution together with the « French organisation
for the disabled » - Corbeil-Essonnes
Toulouse Lautrec high school for disabled youth - Vaucresson
Baguères Institute for the deaf - Asnières
Jean Charcot intermediate school for gifted children - Joinville-
le-Pont
EME Luxembourg special school - Paris
Institutions for artistic creation, research and higher education
Pierre and Marie Curie University - Paris
Art school - Orléans

NOLWENN HUGAIN
La Maison Populaire - Montreuil
Shows associating dance, sounds and images
Company Lagnarte - Bonloc
2008 Festival « Babel Danse » - Saint Brieuc
Cité des Sciences - Paris
Residency with choreographer Dominique Boivin - Sotteville les
Mendès France Complex - Poitiers
Rouen
2009 « Labo Méta-Danse » with choreographer Hamid Ben Mahi - Paris