When
Thematic Session 3: Modeling and Analysis (Tuesday, 09:40)
Abstract
n this talk we report on an ethnographic observation of the electroacoustic composition Conatus and its subsequent interpretation through the lens of an enactive theoretical framework. More specifically, we concern ourselves with the nature of improvisation within recurrent participatory musical interactions that aim at composition.
When interactions take on the feature of recurrence, improvisations depend for their ongoing success upon structures engendered by previously successful improvisations.
Using examples from the observation of Conatus we argue how through iterative co-regulatory processes of interaction, and tending towards a co-optimal grip on a field of affordances, patterns at multiple timescales (e.g. patterns of ‘getting along’, patterns of ‘playing together’, patterns of ‘playing this section’) stabilise as autonomous participatory frames and thereafter constrain the activities of the various elements of which they are comprised.
Within this context improvisation depends upon both the skillful reenactment of such frames and an ability to transcend their animating force.
Bio
Shane Byrne is a composer of electroacoustic music based in Wicklow, Ireland. His work focuses on interactivity and participation within the practice of electroacoustic music composition. His current interests include physical computing and the potential for human-computer interaction to enhance the musical experience for both performer and audience alike. This has led him on to build interactive audio installations for music festivals, symposia and public workshops. His work has been performed globally at various conferences and electroacoustic festivals including TIES, MUSA, KLG, SMC and iFIMPac.