Les Ateliers UPIC is the name CEMAMu founded in 1985 in Paris by Iannis Xenakis and the French composer Maurice Fleuret and Iannis Xenakis, who was also a composer. Formally, was born as an association which had the task of promoting the knowledge and use of the UPIC system.
As a general goal Les Ateliers would have to deal with the optimization of research conducted within the CEMAMu but, actually, he devoted himself exclusively to the promotion and enhancement of the UPIC system, creating educational projects for children between the composers and encouraging the use of this computer instrument.
Even Les Ateliers, as well as the UPIC, was built on the initiative of the French Ministry of Culture. In 2000, Les Ateliers UPIC changed its name becoming CCMIX, which stands for Centre de Création Musicale Iannis Xenakis.
Initially, Les Ateliers UPIC not be distinguished by the structure of CEMAMu. From 1991 to 1995 he stayed in Massy, near Paris. From 1996 it was moved to Alfortville, where it remained until its transformation into CCMIX.
It is worth mentioning in the history of the Ateliers, in 1993, on the initiative of Gerard Pape – who directed the center of Paris from 1991 until the early 2000s – even Curtis Road began attending Les Ateliers, and here he developed in 1995 the software Cloud Generator, also presented in the book Microsound.
A poster that documents one of the many events organized to promote the UPIC system. In this case, at the School of Music Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. As a teacher there was Gerard Pape who directed the Ateliers onwards 1991. Via centre-iannis-xenakis.org
References:
Makan, Keeril. An Interview With Gerard Pape, Computer Music Journal, Vol. 27 [3], 2003, pp. 21 – 32.
Pape, Gerard; Raczinski, Jean-Michel; Marino, Gérard; Serra, Marie-Hélène; Musical Creation at Ateliers Upic and CEMAMu in Proceedings of International Computer Music Conference, 1992, p. 310.