Paulo de Assis

Artistic Researcher @ Orpheus Institute
Belgium (residence), Portugal (citizenship) °1969
research interests: Performance, Composition, Philosophy, AI
affiliation: Orpheus Institute
en

Paulo de Assis is an accomplished artist-researcher and author with a distinguished background in piano, musicology, and composition, currently based at the Orpheus Institute in Ghent, Belgium. He spearheads MetamusicX, a pioneering research group dedicated to exploring the intersections of experimental performance, posthumanism in music, and the innovative applications of AI and blockchain technology in musical creativity.
As an experimental performer and scholar, Paulo's broad interests include composition, aesthetics, and contemporary philosophy. His notable contributions to the field are evident in his authorship of "Logic of Experimentation: Rethinking Music Performance through Artistic Research" (2018) and his role as editor of the influential DARE trilogy: "The Dark Precursor: Deleuze and Artistic Research" (2017), "Aberrant Nuptials" (2019), and "Machinic Assemblages of Desire" (2021). He also edited "Virtual Works — Actual Things: Essays in Music Ontology" (2018), "Futures of the Contemporary" (2019), and the forward-looking "Decentralised Music: Exploring Blockchain for Artistic Research" (2024), highlighting his keen insights into the evolving dynamics of music ontology and the future of contemporary music practices.
Paulo's artistic projects are characterized by experimental performances and creative reinterpretations of works by eminent composers and thinkers such as Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Nietzsche, and Luigi Nono, reflecting his deep engagement with and contribution to the contemporary artistic landscape.
Beyond his professional pursuits, Paulo is an Ironman All World Athlete, having completed 14 races, and an Ironman Certified Coach. His passion for Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) fuels regular publications on diverse online fora, offering insights into his approach to managing the vast array of information that informs his work and life.
In addition to his artistic and athletic endeavors, Paulo is actively involved in the evaluation of research projects, serving as the President of the Panel Arts at the Swiss National Foundation, an elected member of the SNF Research Council, and a panel member for the European Research Council Panels SH5 and SH8. These roles underscore his significant contributions to the advancement of artistic research and his commitment to fostering innovation and excellence in the arts.


research

MetamusicX

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MusicExperiment21

Published expositions

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Rasch X

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  • Rasch 24 : the somatheme (14/11/2016)
    Publication: Publication, Leuven University Press, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
    Book chapter providing a genealogy of Roland Barthes' concept of the somatheme.
  • Rasch 23 (05/10/2016)
    Event: Performance, Porto, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Juan Parra, Lucia D'Errico, Heloisa Amaral
    Performance in Casa da Musica Porto
  • Rasch 22 : Transplosions (17/05/2016)
    Event: Performance, Vienna, AIL, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Lucia D'Errico
    Kreisleriana op. 16, complete piece timely compressed into 6’18”
  • Rasch 21 : shimmering (17/05/2016)
    Event: Performance, Vienna, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Lucia D'Errico
    Audio file. A female voice reads Roland Barthes’ essay ‘Rasch’. Progressively all words are eliminated, only breathing inspirations remain. Audio projection and live electronics: Lucia D’Errico Duration: 7’
  • Rasch 20 : Interferenzen (17/05/2016)
    Event: Performance, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Lucia D'Errico
    Action performance: Lucia D’Errico (actions inside the piano) Music: Kreislerianum nr. 8 (pre-recorded: Paulo de Assis) Duration: 4’
  • Rasch 19 : quasi parlando (17/05/2016)
    Event: Performance, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Lucia D'Errico
    Piano: Paulo de Assis Video: Lucia D’Errico Music: Kreislerianum nr. 6 Video images: a female mouth in close-up with slowly moving lips Duration: 5’ Context: played during a panel discussion on ‘Secondary formats: the design of epistemic objects’, with Gerhard Eckel, Michael Schwab, Phoebe Stubbs, Paulo de Assis, Neal White, and Lucia D’Errico
  • Rasch 18 : maître et esclave (17/05/2016)
    Event: Performance, Vienna, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Lucia D'Errico
    Rasch 18 : maître et esclave Audio only. Text: excerpt from Roland Barthes’ inaugural lecture at the College de France Voice: Roland Barthes Audio projection and live electronics: Lucia D’Errico Duration: 1’
  • Rasch 17 : Rasch-clash (17/05/2016)
    Event: Performance, Vienna, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
    Rasch 17 : Rasch-clash Piano: Paulo de Assis and CEUS systemVideo/ Text projection: Lucia D’Errico Piece: Kreislerianum Nr. 7 (without Coda) and Artemi-Maria Gioti Galaxies-Cluster (CEUS) Place: AIL, entrance hall Duration: 3’ Context: performed as a sudden disruption to a dialogue on ‘epistemic plurality from a systems theoretical perspective’, with Wolfgang Hofkirchner, Cecile Malaspina, and Paulo de Assis
  • Rasch 16 : Äußerst bewegt (17/05/2016)
    Event: Performance, Vienna, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
    Rasch 16 : Äußerst bewegt Piano: Paulo de Assis and CEUS system Video: Lucia D’Errico Piece: Kreislerianum Nr. 1 — A-B-A’ (slow-motion; CEUS alone)-A’’ (a tempo; CEUS alone) Place: AIL, entrance hallTime: 11:10-11:13 Duration: 3’ Context: performed at the beginning of a panel discussion on ‘techno-scientific systems of knowledge production seen through the arts’, with Neal White, Artemi-Maria Gioti, Mauricio Suarez, David Pirro, Gerhard Eckel, Lucia D’Errico, and Cecile Malaspina
  • Rasch 15 : … dans la nuit (17/05/2016)
    Art object: Installation, Vienna, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Lucia D'Errico
    Rasch 15 : … dans la nuit iPad installation Text: Roland Barthes, Loving Schumann Voice: Bob Gilmore Place: AIL, cellar (Dark Room) Duration: non stop
  • Rasch 14 : Loving Barthes [3] (05/04/2016)
    Event: Performance, Gent, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Juan Parra, Lucia D'Errico
    Rasch 14 : Loving Barthes [3] // Orpheus Academy 2016
  • Rasch 13 Schumann re-notated (02/10/2014)
    Art object: Drawing, Reijkijavik, artist(s)/author(s): Einar Torfi Einarsson
  • Rasch 12 – For Maynooth (24/10/2014)
    Event: Performance, Maynooth, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Juan Parra
    Rasch 12 – For Maynooth [Section 1 of Rasch-11 + one-hour discussion with students and faculty] [National University of Ireland, Maynooth | 24.10.2014]
  • Rasch 10 – for lydia (04/04/2014)
    Event: Performance, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Juan Parra, Lucia D'Errico
    Rasch 10 – for lydia for piano, tape, live-electronics and video projector. [ORCiM study-day Lydia Goehr, April 4 2014].
  • Rasch 9 – barthe-s-chumann assemblage (28/03/2014)
    Event: Performance, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Juan Parra, Lucia D'Errico
    Rasch 9 – barthe-s-chumann assemblage for piano, tape, live-electronics and video projector. [docARTES Focus Session, with Ton Koopman, March 28 2014].
  • Rasch 8 – Pouvoir et Contre-pouvoir (13/03/2014)
    Event: Performance, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Juan Parra
    Rasch 8 – Pouvoir et Contre-pouvoir for piano, tape and video projector. [ORCiM Study-day with Michael Gees, March 13 2014].
  • Rasch 7 – Scar3No+Sch3 (31/05/2013)
    Event: Performance, Porto Alegre, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Juan Parra
    Rasch 7 – Scar3No+Sch3 for piano, 6-channels tape and video projector. [Performa Conference, Porto Alegre, Brazil, 31 May 2013].
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  • Rasch 4 – Schumann's somathemes (2) (08/05/2012)
    Event: Presentation, York, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Juan Parra
    Rasch 4 – Schumann's somathemes (2) [University of York, May 8 2012].
  • Rasch 3 – Schumann's somathemes (07/05/2012)
    Event: Performance, York, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Juan Parra
    Rasch 3 – Schumann's somathemes for piano, tape, video, and projector. [University of York, May 7 2012].
  • Rasch 2 – Schumann's BwO-2 (28/03/2012)
    Event: Performance, Gent, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Juan Parra
    Rasch 2 – Schumann's BwO-2 for piano, tape, video, and projector. [Orpheus Academy, March 28 2012].
  • Rasch 1 — con Tarkovsky (09/01/2012)
    Event: Performance, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Juan Parra
    Rasch 1 | con Tarkovsky, for piano, 4-channels tape and video projector. [ORCiM General Assembly, January 2012].
  • Rasch 0 – Schumann's BwO (23/09/2011)
    Event: Performance, Gent, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
    Performance proposal for piano, 4-channels tape and video projector. [Orpheus Festival 2011].

Diabelli machines

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  • Diabelli Machines #5 (05/04/2016)
    Event: Concert, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
    Diabelli Machines #5 is an outcome of the collaboration between the ME21 Collective and the Frankfurt based Ensemble Interface. This collaboration was preceeded by a two weeks long residency of the Ensemble Interface at the Orpheus Institute. The performance was integral part of the International Orpheus Academy for Music and Theory 2016, convened by Paulo de Assis with the tilte "Virtual Works / Actual Things". Paulo de Assis, concept, piano and direction // Kurt Dreyer, stage direction // ME21 Collective: Lucia D'Errico, guitars / Juan Parra C., live-electronics // Ensemble Interface: Bettina Berger, flutes / Niels Hap, clarinets / Marieke Berendsen, violin / Christophe Mathias, cello / Agneszka Koprowska, percussion / Anna D'Errico, piano // Special guests: Benjamin Widmer, bariton & projection / Katlyn Dreyer, lighting.
  • Diabelli Machines 3 - Deleuzabelli Variations II (29/09/2015)
    Event: Concert, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
    Paulo de Assis, piano and direction // HERMESensemble: Karin De Fleyt (fl., bass fl. and picc.) / Peter Merckx (cl. in B and cl. in Eb) / Nico Couck (guitar) / Marc Tooten (viola) / Stijn Saveniers (cello) / Geert Callaert (piano) / Gaetan Lamella (perc.) // ME21 Collective: Mieko Kanno (vl.) / Valentin Gloor (tenor) / Juan Parra C. (live-electronics) / Lucia D'Errico, lighting & intertiles // Ghent | Miryzaal | 29.09.2015
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  • Diabelli Machines 1: Unexpected Variations (07/10/2010)
    Event: Concert, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
    The concept of ‘variation’ traditionally includes the notion of a central ‘identity’ (the theme) orbited by a number of satellites (the ‘variations’). In various degrees of subtlety, the variations reveal certain differences vis-à-vis the theme, as well as obvious repetitions of certain aspects of its structure. ‘Difference’ is understood here as a difference between two entities, and ‘repetition’ as a reiteration of a certain situation or a return to it. This vision does not deal with ‘difference’ and ‘repetition’ as such, but mainly situates it in relation to its originary position of reference – that of ‘identity’. "Diabelli Machgines 1: Unexpected Variations" explores another understanding of ‘variation’, one where ‘difference’ is not mediated by an ‘identity’ but through difference itself. To reinforce this aspect, techniques of elimination, suppression, substitution and replacement are extensively brought into play. Starting and finishing with Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations op. 120, this concert proposes rhizomatic eruptions of forces and energies, such as Henrik Frisk’s Repetition Repeats All Other Repetitions, Edward Jessen’s Chamber 119, Anton Webern’s cello pieces op.11 and Morton Feldman’s King of Denmark. More than addressing the relations between contingency and structure, organization and change, the ‘Unexpected Variations’ project proposes a collection of heterogeneous elements that are diverse, but bundled together through specific relations and expressing a common feature: a newly conceived idea of ‘variation’, where the difference itself becomes the constitutive dimension. Inspired by the idea that different elements can be connected (articulated) or disconnected in order to create new, unexpected assemblages, this endeavour stresses the urge for articulations that must be made, sustained, transformed and unmade in particular concrete practices. More than predictable and expected entities, it is the transformational power of the events that is proposed and stimulated in this concert - its character and its latent critics of a re-presentational understanding of art points to an aesthetic venture that affirms experimentation over interpretation.

Unfolding Waves

  • Unfolding Waves [A+B] (12/11/2012)
    Event: Concert, Cologne, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
    Recording of the concert of Paulo de Assis' orchestral work Unfolding Waves (after Luigi Nono's ".....sofferte onde serene...") at the Philarmonie Cologne. Conductors: Peter Rundel, Leo Warinsky; WDR-Symphonie-Orchester Koeln.
  • .....sofferte onde serene... (1) (24/09/2013)
    Event: Performance, Orpheus Institute, Ghent, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
    Studio recording of Luigi Nono's ".....sofferte onde serene..." for piano and tape. Piano: Paulo de Assis; Tape projection: Juan Parra C.
  • Unfolding Waves [A] (11/11/2012)
    Art object: Composition, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
  • Unfolding Waves [B] (11/11/2012)
    Art object: Composition, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
  • Venexia (01/01/2004)
    Publication: Catalogue, Venice, artist(s)/author(s): Paolo Giudici, Paulo de Assis
    Series of 7 photos

Nietzsche N

  • Nietzsche N (2014)
    Polifonia project, Principal Investigator: Paulo de Assis
    Between 1854 and 1874 Friedrich Nietzsche composed a substantial number of musical compositions, including fragmentary pieces for solo piano, several songs and even a sketched opera. His activity as a composer remains essentially unknown and his music pieces are rarely performed. However, and beyond aesthetical judgments, his musical compositions disclose a character and a personality quite different from the far better-known Nietzsche-the-philosopher. The project Nietzsche N aims at exposing some of the tensions between Nietzsche-the-composer and Nietzsche-the-philosopher.
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  • Nietzsche 6+1 (22/11/2017)
    Event: Performance, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis, Michael Schwab
    Nietzsche 6+1
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Publications Books

  • Experimental Affinities in Music (17/12/2015)
    Publication: Book, Leuven University Press, Leuven, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
    "Experimental Affinities in Music brings together diverse artistic, philosophical, historical and methodological approaches, creating a broad discourse on artistic experimentation, in dialogue with more orthodox notions of interpretation, and contributing to a better understanding of an “experimental attitude” in music. “Experimentation” is taken to be an adventurous compositional, interpretive, or performative attitude that can cut across different ages and styles; “affinities” suggests connectors and connections, convergences, contiguities, and adjacencies that are found in and through a diversity of approaches and topics. The golden thread running through the essays is the quest for “inherently experimental” musical practices, pursued variously from interrogating, descriptive, or challenging perspectives, and applied to music composed between the thirteenth and the twentieth centuries. The texts share a common genesis: the lectures of the International Orpheus Academies for Music and Theory from the years 2011, 2012, and 2013, convened by Luk Vaes and Paulo de Assis. The affinities found here extend beyond scholarly essays by Lydia Goehr, Felix Diergarten, Mark Lindley, Martin Kirnbauer, Edward Wickham, Lawrence Kramer, Hermann Danuser, and Thomas Christensen to include three interviews with pianist Leon Fleisher, with pianist-composer Frederic Rzewski, and with composer Helmut Lachenmann."
  • Sound and Score. Essays on Sound, Score and Notation (02/10/2013)
    Publication: Book, Leuven University Press, Ghent, Leuven, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
    Sound and Score brings together artistic-research expertise from prominent international voices exploring the intimate relations between sound and score, and the artistic possibilities that this relationship yields for performers, composers and listeners. Considering “notation” as the totality of words, signs and symbols encountered on the road to a concrete performance of music, this book aims at embracing different styles and periods in a comprehensive understanding of the complex relations between invisible sound and mute notation, between aural perception and visual representation, between the concreteness of sound and the iconic essence of notation. Three main perspectives structure this volume: a conceptual approach that offers contributions from different fields of enquiry (history, musicology, semiotics), a practical one that takes the skilled body as its point of departure (written by performers), and finally an experimental perspective that challenges state-of-the-art practices, including transdisciplinary approaches in the crossroads to visual arts and dance.
  • dynamics of constraints Essays on Notation, Editing and Performance (06/10/2009)
    Publication: Book, Leuven University Press, Ghent, Leuven, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
    This volume is a collection of three essays that express some of the fundamental issues addressed by the research group ‘the musician’s relation to notation’ (2009) in the framework of the Orpheus Research Centre in Music (ORCiM). Considering ‘notation’ as the totality of words, signs and symbols supporting the road towards a real performance of music, this research endeavour aims to embrace different styles, eras and conceptions, going far beyond any form of static (or ‘demiurgical’) authority, in order to assert the permanent need of critical thinking.
  • Luigi Nonos Wende. Zwischen Como una ola fuerza y luz und .....sofferte onde serene... (02/10/2006)
    Publication: Book, Wolke Verlag, Hofheim, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
    Gemeinhin wird die vieldiskutierte Wende bei Luigi Nono auf das Streichquartett Fragmente – Stille, an Diotima von 1979 datiert. Dieses Werk ist aber nichts anderes als das prominenteste Beispiel für eine künstlerische Neudefinition, die viel früher einsetzte: 1974, nach der Beendigung der Oper Al gran sole carico d'amore, im Zeichen politischer Veränderungen und persönlicher Schicksalsschläge. Paulo de Assis zeichnet diese Zeit im Detail nach und setzt seine Ergebnisse in Beziehung zu jenen beiden Werken, die vor und nach der Oper entstanden: Como una ola de fuerza y luz (1971-72) für Klavier, Sopran, Tonband und Orchester und .....sofferte onde serene... (1975-77) für Klavier und Tonband. Diese Werke werden, gestützt auf die Skizzen, in ihrem Kompositionsprozeß nachgezeichnet, so daß nicht nur ersichtlich wird, was Nono machte, sondern auch wie er dabei vorging. Es zeigt sich, daß beide Werke in Ästhetik und Technik, in Klang und Struktur paradigmatisch stehen für die politisch inspirierte Phase seit 1960 einerseits und den Spätstil andererseits, der in den 80er Jahren weltberühmt wurde. Assis Studie ist der entscheidende Beitrag zum Verständnis von Nonos »Wende«. 400 S. (2 Teilbde.), Notenbeisp., Pb., € 44.–, 978-3-936000-62-7
  • Domani l’aurora. Ripristino ricostruttivo del «Concerto per pianoforte e orchestra» incompiuto (1993) di Camillo Togni. (01/06/2004)
    Publication: Book, Leo S. Olschki Editore, Firenze, Florence, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
    Nel 1993, anno della sua scomparsa, Camillo Togni, lasciò incompiuta una grande opera cui aveva inteso affidare un messaggio poetico e compositivo di raro impegno: un «Concerto per pianoforte e orchestra», qui accompagnato da un saggio che non solo affronta la questione di «finire il non-finito», ma ne descrive anche il processo ricostruttivo. In appendice una prima indagine volta alla catalogazione degli archivi documentari di Togni. Includes list of composer's works. Also includes extensive commentary, text, and score for the composer's song for soprano and piano, Domani l'aurora.
  • Pierre Boulez – Escritos Seletos (17/10/2013)
    Publication: Book, Casa da Musica / CESEM, artist(s)/author(s): Pierre Boulez / Jean Jacques Nattiez (preface) / Artur Morão (trans.) / Paulo de Assis (ed.), Paulo de Assis
    First Portuguese translation of texts by French composer Pierre Boulez.
  • Luigi Nono. Escritos e Entrevistas (19/01/2015)
    Publication: Book, CESEM / Casa da Musica, Porto, artist(s)/author(s): Luigi Nono / Artur Morão (trans.) / Paulo de Assis (ed.), Paulo de Assis
    First Portuguese translation of selected texts by Italian composer Luigi Nono (1924-1990).
  • Jorge Peixinho – Escritos e Entrevistas (05/10/2010)
    Publication: Book, Casa da Musica / CESEM, artist(s)/author(s): Jorge Peixinho / Paulo de Assis (ed.), Paulo de Assis
    Selected texts and interviews by Portuguese composer Jorge Peixinho (1940-1995).
  • Emmanuel Nunes – Escritos e Entrevistas (10/11/2011)
    Publication: Book, Casa da Musica / CESEM, artist(s)/author(s): Emmanuel Nunes / Paulo de Assis (ed.), Paulo de Assis
    First publication of texts written by Protuguese composer Emmanuel Nunes (1941-2012).
  • Mémoires… Miroirs - Conferências do Simpósio Internacional Jorge Peixinho (03/10/2012)
    Publication: Book, Edições Colibri, Lisbon, artist(s)/author(s): Paulo de Assis
    A obra de Jorge Peixinho (1940-1995) tem vindo a ser crescentemente apreciada e valorizada como uma das contribuições mais importantes para a arte portuguesa da segunda metade do século XX. Introdutor em Portugal do que, naquele tempo, se chamava “música de vanguarda”, Jorge Peixinho foi capaz de articular uma necessidade construtiva – própria da sua época – com uma espontaneidade expressiva inalienável. Conhecedor profundo das diversas correntes musicais do pós-guerra europeu, Jorge Peixinho soube sempre encontrar o seu caminho individual e específico, marcado de forma contínua e indelével por um ideal de grande liberdade criativa. A espontaneidade, o entusiasmo e a alegria fundamental do ato de fazer música – compondo, executando, interpretando, ou analisando – são as qualidades que melhor caracterizam a sua diversificada atividade musical. O presente volume reúne uma seleção das comunicações apresentadas no colóquio internacional “Jorge Peixinho—Mémoires…Miroirs”, organizado pelo Centro de Estudos de Sociologia e Estética Musical [CESEM] da Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, em colaboração com a Fundação Caixa Geral de Depósitos/Culturgest, nos dias 8 e 9 de outubro de 2010. Durante dois dias cerca de trinta investigadores, músicos e musicólogos, discutiram a música de Jorge Peixinho, abrindo novos horizontes à sua compreensão, documentando inúmeros aspectos específicos, e potenciando renovadas abordagens analíticas e interpretativas às suas partituras. Algumas das comunicações foram seguidas de períodos de discussão extremamente interessantes, que são aqui transcritos com o mínimo de intervenção editorial possível, procurando reter a vivacidade coloquial própria de tal contexto. Concebido como ponto de partida para novas abordagens, novas reflexões e novos estudos sobre a obra de Jorge Peixinho, este livro destina-se a todos aqueles que se interessam pela música e pelas artes portuguesas da segunda metade do século XX.

Publications Essays

DARE 2015, Index / Book

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