CONFLUENCE  will be available on pbs.org for free streaming for two months after the TV broadcast premiere.

About CONFLUENCE "Material World" - Episode 102

Every Thing Has Its Limits for/with Glass Cymbals

The new PBS TV documentary series – CONFLUENCE – offers a rare opportunity to follow the entire collaborative creative process of Professor Tod Machover, from initial concept to experimentation, to prototyping and performance. The unique development of "glass cymbals" was conceived especially for this new, three-part TV series, which explores the enduring and surprising connections between the arts and the fields of science, engineering, and design. Machover is among the array of creative people—including Nick Cave, Iris van Herpen, Refik Anadol, and Joshua Bell—featured in the series who are crossing boundaries where multiple perspectives are fused to open up new insights. Episode 2, in which Machover is featured, premieres on PBS TV on July 19.

Viewers follow the entire process as Machover works with UK artist and material scientist Zoe Laughlin and glass artist/engineer and former member of the Media Lab’s Mediated Matter group Michael Stern to develop a new instrument—a glass cymbal—that Machover describes as simultaneously "sonically superb, percussively resilient, and extremely fragile in paradoxical and provocative ways." Through exploring different glass textures, techniques, and resonances, Tod, Zoe, and Michael ultimately create glass cymbals for which Machover creates and performs a new composition—Every Thing Has Its Limits—in a one-time-only event for an intimate audience gathered in his 18th-century barn outside of Boston.

About the PBS Series CONFLUENCE:

CONFLUENCE explores the enduring—and surprising—connections between some of the most essential aspects of the human experience. In a world where the arts and STEM are often seen as distinct realms, CONFLUENCE demonstrates how they can combine to spark human creativity. As highlighted by the celebrated subjects in the series, both art and science serve as interrelated ways to understand the world and the human condition.

Series Schedule:

Episode 101: "THE DANCE" - PBS TV premiere on July 12 

Episode 102: "MATERIAL WORLD" (featuring Prof. Tod Machover) - PBS TV premiere on July 19

Episode 103: "EVERYTHING NEW IS OLD AGAIN" - PBS TV premiere on July 26

Broadcast on PBS stations across the US will begin shortly thereafter—keep an eye on your local listings. All three episodes will also be available for free streaming at pbs.org for two months following the broadcast premieres, and will also air on the WORLD Channel (available on most PBS stations) beginning Tuesday, July 23. 

Full information on the entire CONFLUENCE series, with viewing information, can be found HERE.

In mid-September, the series will go behind the PBS paywall, requiring a PBS Passport subscription to access.