Further discussion of composition, emergence , and interactivity
Following are some thoughts that will hopefully better articulate the intentions behind my compositional approach.
Interactivity is open and free; within the acceptable codes of the system, anything is possible. This is true of social and cultural systems as well as telematic technologies, which is where I focus my discussion.
When creating an interactive, telematic system, the system's author has no way to determine the duration of any future interactions that will take place within the system. Similarly, the author has no idea of the specific events that will ensue as part of an interaction. The author can only set initial conditions and allow individual interactions to run their course. These characteristics define the two guiding principles for my music. I want to create works that reflect the true nature of interactivity within a telematic system. For me, this means that the music must be:
1) Unbounded by time. There is no prescribed beginning or end as the music stretches infinitely outward with the interaction.
2) Open to all possibilities. However, because interactivity is ultimately a cultural or social process there will be emergence—unique, self-organizing behavior that arises from within the system.
Emergence is the key ingredient. It is what prevents the phenomenon of "all things possible" from spiraling into meaningless chatter. By looking at the emergent aspects of interactions, and using these as the engine that drives a piece of music, we can arrive at a place where what one hears is a unique reflection of the specific interactions in which one is engaged in a specific environment under a specific set of conditions.
I believe the easiest comparison is to consider the music created by a public market. (Some may not choose to hear these activities as music but many do.) In this scenario you have merchants, shoppers, passers-by, and miscellaneous others. As these people come together within the marketplace they interact: checking prices, buying, selling, bartering, haggling, and so on. Their conversations, the sounds of goods changing hands, and a variety of other actions produce the music of the public market. If one listens carefully to the market composition they hear that it has structure; there is an organization that unmistakably characterizes the place and the events that are happening. This is because of emergence. The self-organization of market-goers is the force driving the music.
It's important to note that the musical approach I'm describing isn't meant to be a definitive representation of a telematic environment or the interactions that take place there. It's probably best described as a musical interpretation of the environment and the goings-on within it. Another musician or composer could look at the same situation and, in the way one changes the colored gels in stage lights, lend a different interpretation.
Interactivity is open and free; within the acceptable codes of the system, anything is possible. This is true of social and cultural systems as well as telematic technologies, which is where I focus my discussion.
When creating an interactive, telematic system, the system's author has no way to determine the duration of any future interactions that will take place within the system. Similarly, the author has no idea of the specific events that will ensue as part of an interaction. The author can only set initial conditions and allow individual interactions to run their course. These characteristics define the two guiding principles for my music. I want to create works that reflect the true nature of interactivity within a telematic system. For me, this means that the music must be:
1) Unbounded by time. There is no prescribed beginning or end as the music stretches infinitely outward with the interaction.
2) Open to all possibilities. However, because interactivity is ultimately a cultural or social process there will be emergence—unique, self-organizing behavior that arises from within the system.
Emergence is the key ingredient. It is what prevents the phenomenon of "all things possible" from spiraling into meaningless chatter. By looking at the emergent aspects of interactions, and using these as the engine that drives a piece of music, we can arrive at a place where what one hears is a unique reflection of the specific interactions in which one is engaged in a specific environment under a specific set of conditions.
I believe the easiest comparison is to consider the music created by a public market. (Some may not choose to hear these activities as music but many do.) In this scenario you have merchants, shoppers, passers-by, and miscellaneous others. As these people come together within the marketplace they interact: checking prices, buying, selling, bartering, haggling, and so on. Their conversations, the sounds of goods changing hands, and a variety of other actions produce the music of the public market. If one listens carefully to the market composition they hear that it has structure; there is an organization that unmistakably characterizes the place and the events that are happening. This is because of emergence. The self-organization of market-goers is the force driving the music.
It's important to note that the musical approach I'm describing isn't meant to be a definitive representation of a telematic environment or the interactions that take place there. It's probably best described as a musical interpretation of the environment and the goings-on within it. Another musician or composer could look at the same situation and, in the way one changes the colored gels in stage lights, lend a different interpretation.
