The Composition-Instrument: musical emergence and interaction
[Abstract submitted and accepted for Consciousness Reframed 8]
Keywords: music, music composition, sound art, installation art, artificial life, emer-gence, interactivity
In music, the process of composition can be understood as the conception and organization of musical ideas, whereas an instrument provides the necessary apparatus to realize such a work. As a composer and sound artist interested in environmentally specific works involving telematic interaction, I have become increasingly curious to blur the lines between these terms and consider a coalescence of "composition" and "instrument." I am fascinated with the idea that a composed work can stand alone and also provide a point-of-departure. On its own the piece creates an experience of sound. But when altered by one or several users in the course of an interaction, it serves as an agent for further musical expression and exploration. The composition-instrument is a work that can play and be played simultaneously.
This paper examines the synergies found in the experimental music of John Cage and Terry Riley, algorithmically generated music, the interactive works of Toshio Iwai, contemporary music practice based on file sharing, electronic instrument construction and modification, and computer game design. Across these disparate genres there is a confluence of technical and aesthetic sensibilities—a point at which the idea of a "composition-instrument" can be explored. Examples by the author are used to focus the discussion, including works based on flocking behavior, swarm intelligence and telematic interaction.
Keywords: music, music composition, sound art, installation art, artificial life, emer-gence, interactivity
In music, the process of composition can be understood as the conception and organization of musical ideas, whereas an instrument provides the necessary apparatus to realize such a work. As a composer and sound artist interested in environmentally specific works involving telematic interaction, I have become increasingly curious to blur the lines between these terms and consider a coalescence of "composition" and "instrument." I am fascinated with the idea that a composed work can stand alone and also provide a point-of-departure. On its own the piece creates an experience of sound. But when altered by one or several users in the course of an interaction, it serves as an agent for further musical expression and exploration. The composition-instrument is a work that can play and be played simultaneously.
This paper examines the synergies found in the experimental music of John Cage and Terry Riley, algorithmically generated music, the interactive works of Toshio Iwai, contemporary music practice based on file sharing, electronic instrument construction and modification, and computer game design. Across these disparate genres there is a confluence of technical and aesthetic sensibilities—a point at which the idea of a "composition-instrument" can be explored. Examples by the author are used to focus the discussion, including works based on flocking behavior, swarm intelligence and telematic interaction.
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