Research Catalogue

Through Segments is a sound installation in an unusual interstitial space—the staircase of the Kunsthaus’ Iron House that connects to the “Friendly Alien”. Four artists listen into the storeys using real-time computer algorithms, taking an acoustical image of the visitors’ movements, forming four individual reactions. It is a poetic attempt to think about the distributed, the fragmented, the parallel. During the development phase, the artists work independently, but at the same time they observe and interrogate each other, performing the gesture of a “simultaneous arrival” (Sara Ahmed). They enact a human algorithm, informed by reiteration and duplication but never being identical. The aim is not one “of all converging towards the same, but circulating, making common relaying, relaying back, being relayed” (Isabelle Stengers).

Continuous Exposition is a dissemination strategy of the project Algorithms that Matter (ALMAT). It serves as an entry point to the mesh of our activities.

The Role of Sound as a Component of Urban Experience is an audio-video essay using urban sound and image for an experiential experiment. Research focuses on the cinematic/cinematographic experience of an urban dweller when retransforming/playing with sensational components on the screen and that way revealing the influence.

There are different ways to create a screenplay – freewriting from a spontaneous idea, or more planned with a determined end. I and three other screenwriters write two short screenplays each. I document the process and compare the screenplays. Based on a critical analysis of some classical dramaturgy handbooks I explore prospective versus retrospective writing practices, focusing on processes as well as results. The results will be of value for both the practice and teching of screenwriting.

This artistic research PhD project challenges classical music performance culture through a series of experimental collaborative projects. My particular interest lies in how this culture shapes the psychological experience of performance from the perspective of the individual musician. The project’s aims can be further defined through the following research questions: a) How can I better understand the psychological impact that the traditions and ceremonies of classical music have on my performance? b) Departing from my own practice, what other factors affect me emotionally during performance? c) How can experimentation with the traditions of performance culture in classical music provide different modes of emotional regulation in staged performance? This thesis is a compilation of projects and publications in which I explore classical music performance through my individual experience as a soloist. Selected concert performances of classical works, experimentation with performance settings, and the creation of two commissioned works, play central roles. The method and design builds on the qualitative study of several case studies of my practice as a concert pianist in collaboration with other musicians, choreographers and composers. The methodological approach entails combinations of autoethnographic methods, stimulated recall and thematic analysis. The theoretical framework is twofold, and rests on psychological and psychoanalytical perspectives as well as on a socio-historically driven analysis of the music-theoretical concept of Werktreue. Some artistic results are available online in The Research Catalogue and others are published on the CD Notes from Endenich (Daphne Records). The combined outcomes of the project suggest, that musicians can benefit from an increased awareness of factors that affect the western classical music performer. While this thesis is specifically directed towards other musicians, it is also my hope that the findings can be valuable also in other research fields. Without the active contribution from musicians and artists into the investigation of how they function as performers, and of the values that accompany them on-stage, it is difficult to understand which needs should be addressed scientifically. For music researchers, there are many opportunities to dig into the different aspects of performance, but it is vital to let musicians show the way by collaborating within the field of Artistic Research, and thereby, together with musicians, find new ways to transform their experience of performing.

NO: RESPONSIVT ROM - EN LYTTING INN I MATERIALITET er et dybdesøk inn i oss og våre omgivelser. De kunstneriske arbeidene kan beskrives som større skulpturelle lydinstallasjoner som beveger seg mellom visuell kunst, scenekunst og lydkunst. Verkene utforsker rom, materiale, lyd, kropp og tid som likeverdige deler i en komposisjon. Forskningens hovedverk INTERFERENS, RESONANS, SEDIMENT, STED 1 og STED 2 er på ulike vis henvendelser til en utvidet opplevelse av dialogen mellom tilstedeværelse og materialitet. De er omgivelser som søker å berøre nærhetssoner der vi som mennesker kan fornemme at vi inngår i en finmasket sammenfletting med det som omgir oss. Å lytte er av sentral betydning i de kunstneriske undersøkelsene som arbeider med iscenesettelse av rom gjennom lyd, minimalistisk skulptur og dramaturgiske strukturer. Eksposisjonen er skrevet på norsk. --------- ENG: RESPONSIVE SPACE – SOUNDING INTO MATERIALITY is an in-depth research project into the interrelationship between us and our surroundings. The artworks can be described as large sculptural sound installations which blur the lines between visual art, performing arts and sound art. The works explore space, material, sound, body and time as equal parts in a composition. The main artworks of the research INTERFERENCE, RESONANCE, SEDIMENT, PLACE 1 and PLACE 2 are in a variety of ways inquiries towards an expanded experience of the dialogue between presence and materiality. The artworks are composed environments which respond and take shape and form from their surroundings, seeking to touch proximity zones where we as humans can sense aspects of being closely intertwined with our surroundings. The act of listening is of central importance in the artistic survey. Olaussen stages space utilising the mediums of sound, minimalistic sculpture and dramaturgical structures. The exposition is written in Norwegian.