Inter_agency: Composing sonic human-computer agent networks

The project Inter_agency aims to explore the relationship between musicians and intelligent computer systems from a compositional perspective. Our goal is to create compositions in which both the musician and the computer are able to listen to each other and act in response to each others actions. This approach requires the design of computer software that exhibits intelligent, human-like behaviour: software that is able to listen. The computer analyses the instrumental sound and responds to it in real-time, by generating its own sound material. At the same time, the musician listens to the sound material generated by the computer and responds to it, adapting his/her behaviour to that of the computer, according to the composers instructions. The compositions that we describe cannot be documented in the form of fixed musical scores, since they are subject to the instant interaction between the musician and the computer. This, in turn, means that each performance of a composition is different than the previous one. In this context, composition expands from composing sounds to composing sonic interactions, an approach that implies a totally different understanding of composition and performance practice. In order to test our hypotheses we will create several compositions as case studies. In doing so, we will work in collaboration with the Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence (OFAI) and the musicians of ensembles Klangforum Wien and Schallfeld. In our collaboration with the musicians we will be able to test the software that we develop and experiment with it not only technically, but also aesthetically. In addition to the two main researchers, Artemi-Maria Gioti and Gerhard Eckel, three internationally renowned composers working in the field of Music and Artificial Intelligence will be invited for a residency at the IEM in Graz and will contribute to the project by developing compositions/installations. The results of the project will be disseminated through concerts, lectures, scholarly publications, a young composers workshop and an international conference.

No additional funding sources recorded.