I HAVE THE MOON: aesthetics of contemporary classical music from a composer-performer band retreat.
(2024)
author(s): Samuel Penderbayne
published in: Research Catalogue
The artistic research project I HAVE THE MOON was an experimental group activity or 'band retreat' for five composer-performers resulting in a public performance in the aDevantgarde Festival, 2019, in Munich. Research was conducted around a central research question stated verbally at the outset of the project: how can aesthetic innovations of contemporary classical music be made accessible to audiences without specialist education or background via communicative techniques of other music genres? After a substantial verbal discussion and sessions of musical jamming, each member created an artistic response to the research question, in the form of a composition or comprovisation, which the group then premiered in the aDevantgarde Festival. The results of the discussion, artistic works and final performance (by means of a video documentation) were then analysed by the project leader and presented in this article. The artistic research position is defined a priori through the research question, during the artistic process in the form of note-taking and multimedial documentation, and a posteriori through a (novel) 'Workflow-Tool-Application Analysis' (WTAA). Together, a method of 'lingocentric intellectual scaffolding' on the emobided knowledge inside the creative process is proposed. Insofar as this embodied knowledge can be seen as a 'field' to be researched, the methodology is built on collaborative autoethnography, 'auto-', since the project leader took part in the artistic process, guiding it from within.
Concepts of Embodiment in Interdisciplinary Work Within a Musical Context
(2019)
author(s): Sarah Albu
published in: KC Research Portal
Integrated musical experiences have long existed, previous to and outside of the traditional concert music setting. Interdisciplinary approaches to performance creation are becoming more accepted and more common in academic music contexts. This research asks the question "How does the concept of embodiment serve the creation of interdisciplinary work within a musical context?", examined through the lens of definitions of embodiment, spinning, technology, community, and inter/multidisciplinary vs. intermediality and expanded through case studies of two of the author's recent performance works.
The Dim Lit Subterranea of the Ancient Mind: the influence of place in ‘inspired’ composition, and the search for 'Ur' sound.
(last edited: 2020)
author(s): Jonathan Day
This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
This interdisciplinary research progresses aspects of musical composition, musicology and organology though the application of specific recent developments within philosophy and physics.
There are two contingent ‘expeditions’–articulated constellations constructed of a suite of compositions (released as a musical album), exegetical writing and performances.
Atlantic Drifter investigates and evidences interactions developing from the implications of Object Orientated Ontology, (Harman, Bogost et al) for composition. OOO identifies the independent cosmopoesis of non human objects–the manner in which objects-with-agency declare the nature of their ‘world’ through artefacts. It calls the interaction of object worlds ‘encounters’. This research interrogates and transcribes a series of these encounters, experienced in locations internationally. It explores and reveals the agency of place, Genius Loci–air, water, stone, architecture interacting with the composer/philosopher. The research resulted in new music released through Proper Records. A chapter in Music, Myths and Realities (2017) offers a detailed exegesis of the theoretical advances facilitated by the creative work. The works and ideas were shared by invitation as concerts and keynote lectures at prestigious venues internationally.
The second expedition, A Spirit Library, develops from this and examines the ‘encounter’ with the physical presence and agency of sound itself. Schopenhauer’s exposition of music as Will was revisited though the lens of String Theory and aspects of Steven Hawking’s ideas about universal futures. The work explored the sound/human/instrument ‘encounter’, resulting in novel engagements with the cosmopoesis of sound. It allowed an extension into organology, where the generative influence of ‘Ur’ sound was applied to the construction of instruments, offering a novel understanding, shared in a streamed Keynote lecture, available online.
The work was performed by invitation at high status venues and on radio internationally. The music was positively reviewed, including selection as Album of the Year 2019 by Folk Radio UK.
Art and the Philosophies of East & West
(last edited: 2020)
author(s): Christopher Healey
This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
Art arises either in parallel with or in response to the implicit or explicit philosophies of a culture. Aesthetics and artistic processes have traditionally varied across cultures as a result. For example, the so-called "Western" Classical music tradition which has been influential and widespread throughout much of Europe is distinctly different from the artistic traditions that existed in Japan. Indeed, Japan presents an interesting example for comparison not only because its religo-philosophy is distinct from the Christianity, but because its location resulted in long periods of isolation from other cultures. It is only comparatively recently that the culture of Japan and that of Europe (as disparate as it may be) made meaningful contact.
This essay explores how Japanese art and European art were historically distinct, as well as examining the more recent examples of how this cross-cultural contact has influenced some notable composers.
An Erotics of Art: A Specific Attempt at Failure
(last edited: 2018)
author(s): James Wood
This exposition is in progress and its share status is: visible to all.
Is it possible to conceive of a form of musical criticism that reflects the very subject(s) it attempts to mobilise? To embrace the fluid ontologies of music while limiting the ossifying nature of linguistic criticism?
An Erotics of Art was a project I ran in 2016 to try and create such an art form. Myself and a select few artists, writers and musicians were asked to create "responses" to musical works of their choice. These responses had to be created in real-time, as they listened. These are my submissions.
Because of my grounding, the majority of each response is text based (I am loathe to say linguistic...) but occasionally text fails me. I stretch it to what I saw as its intelligible limit at the time, and used images and free-drawing.
The resulting pieces are a searing autoethnographic matrix of my situation at the time, as provoked by these musics. The inspiration came from both Susan Sontag, from whom I clearly ape the name of the series, and an old Downbeat Magazine section called "Blindfold Test". Examples are easily found. They may seem discursive but rest assured: I am talking about the music itself and nothing else.