a.o.i. - lasting memories

Mental Imagery
Philosophy, Psychology, Neuroscience
Bence Nanay

Part III Multimodal perception
13:Multimodal mental imagery
14:Sense modalities in mental imagery
15:Sensory substitution and echolocation
16:Synesthesia
17:Pain
18:Object files
Part IV Cognition
19:Language
20:Memory
21:Boundary extension
22:Mental imagery versus imagination
23:Emotion
24:Knowledge

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/mental-imagery-9780198809500?lang=en&cc=gh#

Abstract

 

The artistic research project "a.o.i. - lasting memories" is an interdisciplinary exploration of ethics and aesthetics from both music and visual arts perspectives, particularly from the perspective of cognitive science in the 21st century. The project revolves around the theme of coincidence and randomness and aims to create a new musical aesthetic by exploring the nature of sound in a particular environment and how its natural contingencies can be organized. The project comprises four stages of research.
The first stage has been focused on "Notation 1 and 2"  which explored cycles and geometry by Erika Matsunami. The second stage, that has been explored is sonic composition and interpretation in music by Erika Matsunami and Chris Dahlgren on randomness practically. The third stage is a spatial installation based on "a.o.i. - lasting memories" notation, creating diffusional spatiality in real space. The final stage involves a contrabass and live electronic improvisational performance with live electronics in a spatial installation-contingency as a composition.

"Notation 1" is a blueprint in the project a.o.i. - lasting memories consist of two different interpretations, one is the sound
organisation for a live electronics and 2–4 channel sound installation and another one is the interpretation and improvisation by Chris Dahlgren with the contrabass.
The study of sound synthesis through the improvisation-performance approach requires two distinct interpretations in Notation 1, which is developed with consideration for both performance and sound organization in a virtual space.  This approach goes beyond traditional musical scores, emphasizing the importance of a biological and observational perspective in music and visual arts.
The project is explored ethics and aesthetics through music and visual arts interdisciplinary, particularly from the perspective of
cognitive science in the 21st century. Improvisation has been exploring an artistic method to represent embodiment.

Keywords: Sonic; Cognition; Embodiment; Randomness;

Short bio:

 

 

 
Chris Dahlgren - Multi-Instrumentalist/Composer/Teacher 

 
Chris Dahlgren was born on November 13, 1961 in New York, NY. He received his BM in Jazz Studies from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (1986) and an MA in Composition/Experimental Music from Wesleyan University (2003). Chris studied composition with La Monte Young, Anthony Braxton and Alvin Lucier and double bass with Barry Green, François Rabbath and Dave Holland. In the 80's he performed with many American jazz masters. During this time he also established himself as a composer and unique voice on bass and co-founded the group Ekimi and the music label Krysdahlark. In 1993 he moved back to New York and for eleven years played and recorded actively with his own bands and others in the downtown scene. From 2001 to 2009 he was a regular member of the ensembles of pioneering avant-garde composer and woodwind player Anthony Braxton. Chris has lived in Berlin since 2004 and plays composes and collaborates with many European artists. In 2018 he released "Dhalgren", his first recording of compositions as a singer/songwriter, followed by "Songs from a Dystopian Utopia" in 2020. Since 2004 he has been teaching and directing ensembles at Hanns Eisler HfM and Jazz Institut Berlin.

 

On Performance

Introduction

1. Notation

Notation II

Notation I

Erika Matsunami – Visual artist, Sound composer, Artistic researcher

 

*1963 in Hiroshima, Japan, lives and works in Berlin, Germany as an independent transmedia artist engaged in interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary artistic research. Her profession is as a visual artist, sound composer, choreographer, and artistic researcher. She graduated from the Faculty of Fine arts in liberal arts at the KAW – Aesthetic education/art and cultural studies / Institute for Art in Context at the Berlin University of the Arts in Germany in 1997. In her professional education from 2009–2010 and 2011–2012 (2012/13), she researched as a guest auditor under the honorary professor Dr Martin Supper in the Faculty of Music, at the Berlin University of the Arts.

She transforms autobiographical experiences and motives from her social environment into an artistic context and creates projects with different mediums. Her works comprise a spectrum of both themes and media that spans from sculpture and photography by way of video (audiovisual) and performance art all the way to mixed-media installations. Her auditory work in the installation is a kind of secondary space and time that is not synchronized, and that is probably a topologically manifold in relation to the visual space.

Artistic research Untitled* a.o.i. - lasting memories on circular algorithm 

2. (Random) Composition

Composition a.o.i. - lasting memories I and II, April 2023, Berlin:

Erika Matsunami (Sound organisation with Sonic Sound) and Chris Dahlgren (Interpretation with Contrabass) for 2-ch mono or 4-ch mono discrete-Sound system

for the improvisation-Performance;

Double Bass by Chris Dahlgren, live electronics by Erika Matsunami

This composition a.o.i. - lasting memories , which is based on circular geometry, is our blueprints of this project. Through the situational performance in the spatial installation and its environment, how the composition would change, not only 'Ereignis' of the performance, but rather in an artistic method.

Thereby, this composition is the most important part as the starting point of the project a.o.i. - lasting memories, which addresses the topic of  "life" from the aspect of a molecular-biological view in the post-conceptual era.

Random composition is created the musical piece which is not by written musical score, but rather through the act of drawing. It is possible to use the computational manner as a creative act of drawing as well. 

My idea in the composition differ from Xenakis's exploration in his composition at that time because of the choreographic perspective, the exploration of space, the body, and sound that is an interaction with/in/to space (through the performance/happening), which addresses spatial aesthetic and transversal aesthetic. - Performance in the installation


Randomness in Xenakis's, and in algorithmic


The result is an amoeba-style (improvisation-based) composition that is an interplay with other performers – improvisational performancein the spatial installation – It deals with the spatiality of the place.


Recently, I explore an interactive-improvisation on the topic of 'Human and Non-Human'.


Post-Photographic era in Visual arts and Post-Score era in Music

-> B.O.D.Y. - the second skin/space y

Observational biological approach in music and visuarl arts:

For the study of sound synthesis from the aspect of the improvisation-performance methodologically, we both need to work out two different interpretations together in Notation 1 from the point of view of performance and sound organization in the virtual space. – beyond musical score in the 21st century

Explanation:

This piece a.o.i. - lasting memories Notation 1 is a musical composition, Chris Dahlgren and Erika Matsunami simply work on Krangfarbe/timbre. Both composers are working on the interpretation of the notation 1 and there is no relation between two composers. Chris Dahlgren had interpreted the notation 1 and played freely with the contrabass (performance). Erika Matsunami organized the noise consisting of three different sine waves which based on 440 Hz, managed the characteristics of the sine waves for the 4-channel mono discrete sound in the 2-channel mono discrete (sound organization). This is the blueprint of Notation 1, and we've explored sound chromatic (sound organisational aspect) and randomness (performing aspect) in music. Thereby, we examined circle geometry and distance and closeness between tones. This music composition piece had composed the two interpretations by two differnet artistic apporaches towards timbre and ranodmness from the performing and sound organisational aspects in the virtual space. Thus, We explore a new creative way in music and visual arts methodologically, that is the notation 1 - a.o.i. - lasting memories, is circle geometry, and a creative communication between Chris Dahlgren and Erika Matsunami in a musical piece.

3. Installation

quantum algorithm

Preparation

Notation III

Artistic research a.o.i. - lasting memories

A recent question for the improvisation is, What is an improvisation? with the artistic research project a.o.i. - lasting memories, an improvisation performance with Chris Dahlgren.
With AI or without AI?
When we play with AI, between us? This is a question of time
– "Time won't back, it fluxs, but it lies* in-between in the natural system."

*lie is "be in a horizontal position, be situated"
*lay is "nonstandard"

I think that in this case (the context of between human and non-human in a natural system) is situated, so time lies. (With virtual space)

An improvisation between Chris Dahrgren and me is 'time lays between us'. (without virtual space)




Creating a time-based space or spaces, is it a creativity of human(s)?
What is a collective knowledge?

4. Performance

-> Untitled*Synapse

How I organise Notation I


circular geometry

An edited version will be uploaded.

1. The beginning and end of the circle is the whole of time

2. Radius and circumference
the spread of time from the centre of the circle

3. Ratio
Golden ratio and its spiral <1:1.618>

4. Changes while repeating
coincidence

5.Interval
pitch

6. Redundancy*
noise

*Time redundancy, performing the same operation multiple times such as multiple executions of a program or multiple copies of data transmitted.


for mono-discrete-multi channel loudspeakers