Presented By: Digital Studies Institute
8-BIT Music Exhibit: The Gallery
The Gallery, Main Event of the 8-Bit Music Exhibit
MORE INFO: https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/8bitmusic/
The 8-Bit Music Exhibit is a week-long exploration of the creation of the nostalgic, retro tunes many have grown up with and come to love, as well as a showcase of how such music has been reclaimed and repurposed for continued existence in the modern world. The gallery plans to guide viewers through a history of 8-bit music, its significance to media and video games of its time, and notable figures that influenced the legacy of the niched genre. In the workshop, participants will learn how modern chiptune artists create music from Game Boys and the production software LSDJ, and have the opportunity to create music of their own design. Throughout the end of the exhibit week, we will celebrate the historic and modern legacies of 8-bit music in a set of live performances produced by Norah, a seasoned chiptune artist.
Our goal in developing this exhibit is to highlight 8-bit/chiptune music as a unique form of digital art celebrated for its sound, cultural significance, and innovation. Throughout the lifespans of the original hardware supporting this music, artists often faced limitations due to hardware constraints. These difficulties led to early video game industry composers inventing new techniques and methods for music creation that have evolved over time and remain influential today.
THANK YOU to our co-sponsors and partners for your support in the creation of this event!
-> U-M LSA Technology Services Digital Scholarship (https://lsa.umich.edu/technology-services/services/research-tools/digital-scholarship.html)
-> U-M Digital Studies Institute (https://www.digitalstudies.umich.edu/)
-> U-M Arts Initiative (https://arts.umich.edu/arts-initiative)
-> Neutral Zone (https://www.neutral-zone.org/event-list/2025/4/11/free-tech-workshop-chiptune-8-bit)
-> Ann Arbor District Libraries (https://aadl.org/)
-> Ypsilanti District Libraries (https://www.ypsilibrary.org/)
-> Pinball Pete's in Ann Arbor (https://www.pinballpetes.org/copy-of-east-lansing-location)
-> Video Game Music Club (VGMC) (https://maizepages.umich.edu/organization/vgmc)
-> WolvSec (https://wolvsec.org/)
-> LGBTQ+ Michigan (https://websites.umich.edu/~lgbtqmichigan/#)
-> Ann Arbor Fighting Game Community at the University of Michigan (FGC) (https://maizepages.umich.edu/organization/a2fgc)
The 8-Bit Music Exhibit is a week-long exploration of the creation of the nostalgic, retro tunes many have grown up with and come to love, as well as a showcase of how such music has been reclaimed and repurposed for continued existence in the modern world. The gallery plans to guide viewers through a history of 8-bit music, its significance to media and video games of its time, and notable figures that influenced the legacy of the niched genre. In the workshop, participants will learn how modern chiptune artists create music from Game Boys and the production software LSDJ, and have the opportunity to create music of their own design. Throughout the end of the exhibit week, we will celebrate the historic and modern legacies of 8-bit music in a set of live performances produced by Norah, a seasoned chiptune artist.
Our goal in developing this exhibit is to highlight 8-bit/chiptune music as a unique form of digital art celebrated for its sound, cultural significance, and innovation. Throughout the lifespans of the original hardware supporting this music, artists often faced limitations due to hardware constraints. These difficulties led to early video game industry composers inventing new techniques and methods for music creation that have evolved over time and remain influential today.
THANK YOU to our co-sponsors and partners for your support in the creation of this event!
-> U-M LSA Technology Services Digital Scholarship (https://lsa.umich.edu/technology-services/services/research-tools/digital-scholarship.html)
-> U-M Digital Studies Institute (https://www.digitalstudies.umich.edu/)
-> U-M Arts Initiative (https://arts.umich.edu/arts-initiative)
-> Neutral Zone (https://www.neutral-zone.org/event-list/2025/4/11/free-tech-workshop-chiptune-8-bit)
-> Ann Arbor District Libraries (https://aadl.org/)
-> Ypsilanti District Libraries (https://www.ypsilibrary.org/)
-> Pinball Pete's in Ann Arbor (https://www.pinballpetes.org/copy-of-east-lansing-location)
-> Video Game Music Club (VGMC) (https://maizepages.umich.edu/organization/vgmc)
-> WolvSec (https://wolvsec.org/)
-> LGBTQ+ Michigan (https://websites.umich.edu/~lgbtqmichigan/#)
-> Ann Arbor Fighting Game Community at the University of Michigan (FGC) (https://maizepages.umich.edu/organization/a2fgc)
Co-Sponsored By
