Conducting the in-between: improvisation and intersubjective engagement in soundpainted electro-acoustic ensemble performance

摘要

This paper examines an approach to ensemble performance, guided by a form of improvised conducting that functions both as communication with musicians and an embodied interface for transforming the ensemble sound. The framework for analysis draws upon the concepts of distributed creativity, its intersection with a listening-centric approach to meaning creation and an embodied cognitive stance on the development of semantic identifiers in music/movement practice. In the described project, tensions are negotiated between acoustic and electronic sources, and between bottom-up structured improvisation and top-down guidance via Soundpainting conducting. These continuums are amplified and explored through another layer of shared articulation, as machine learning has been applied to recognition of the composer/conductors gestures as well as to continuous mapping of conductor movement to sound transformations. These techniques allow for an intersubjective engagement between all members of the ensemble, wherein sound and movement gestures are co-constructed.