Performance: Audio Visual
Friday 6 September, 22:15 - 23:30 - TivoliVredenburg - Hertz
竹脑 (zhu nao)
Iurii Kuzmin (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), Zhengyang Ma (The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), Raul Masu (CMA, HKUST-GZ)


竹脑 (zhu nao)
Abstract:

This performance presents __ (zhu nao) a new instrument based on bamboo craftsmanship as both an archetypal technical practice in South East Asia and the articulation of symbolic and technical dimensions of the material. This instrument was devised to explore the concept of environment improvisation – an approach to free improvisation grounded in aesthetics and philosophy of shanshui – traditional Chinese landscape painting and the associated way of forming affective relations with environment and locality (Wang 2021). This allows us to frame these reference points: bamboo craftsmanship and environment improvisation as cosmotechnical activities following Yuk Hui's proposition to abandon the one-sided narrative of Western technological modernity in favor of pluralist notion of technodiversity (Hui 2016).


A History Told in Grains
Kieran McAuliffe (University of Cincinnati)


A History Told in Grains
Abstract:

The Powder Toy is a free open source sandbox game. It features some of the most extensive systems out of all “falling sand” games a genre in which players freely tinker with powder substances and observe their chaotic interactions. These games notably lack sound. As an enthusiast of the genre I took it upon myself to add audio to The Powder Toy. The result is not an objective or realistic solution to how these quirky games should sound but rather an artistic exploration. Using this system I present a history of the known universe told through grains of sand and grains of sound by three laptop performers.


What it means to be post-human
Andrew A Watts (University of California Santa Barbara)


What it means to be post-human
Abstract:

What it means to be post-human, explores the intersection of technology and human performance. Drawing inspiration from A Dialogue, In Absentia, this work advances the concept of integrating human performers with digital sound processing in a futuristic, collective context. The composition utilizes purpose built, original Bluetooth speakers and headset devices to direct processed sounds into performers' mouths, enabling them to modulate audio output through physical movements. This innovative approach transforms performers into live acoustical filters, adding human texture to digital sounds, and challenges traditional distinctions between musicians and instruments. The compositional framework employs a hocket technique to create a cohesive auditory experience from individual inputs, embodying the NIME 2024 theme Tactility in a hybrid world. This piece exemplifies the fusion of tactile human interaction and digital technology in music, highlighting sustainability and adaptability in post-pandemic performance contexts. What it means to be post-human contributes to the discourse on new musical interfaces by redefining the role of the human body in musical expression and demonstrating the enhanced possibilities when merging human and technological elements. The composition invites reevaluation of musical performance boundaries and exemplifies the potential of technology in expanding the capabilities of human artistic expression. This work not only adds to the field of musical technology but also provokes thought about the future of human and digital collaboration in art.


degr d t n
Nicholas Shaheed (Stanford University)


degr d t n
Abstract:

Slow, repetitive, contemplative, and noisy. Repeatedly-applied neural reconstructions fail slowly and imperceptibly as feature space is explored. This performance uses the 'I Am Sitting in a (Latent) Room' improvisation system. Inspired by Alvin Lucier's 'I Am Sitting in a Room' and the general process of degrading sound by repeatedly passing it through an acoustic medium, it is a system that allows the improvisers to interact with the process of degradation in real time. Using a bespoke variational autoencoder (VAE) model, a 25-second audio clip is repeatedly encoded and decoded through two parallel instances of the model. On top of this process, the performers take on the role of improviser. By manipulating the model's latent embeddings of the audio in real-time, they explore the latent space (or room) of the model over the course of the performance.