Emergent properties – intra-acting with algorithms (Dr.art., in progress)


Project Information

 

  • Candidate: Marco Doettlinger
  • Affiliation: Artistic Research Center (ARC), mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Spirits in Complexity—Making Kin with Experimental Music Systems funded by the Austrian Science Fund (Grant DOI 10.55776/AR821)
  • Supervisors:
    • Thomas Grill, mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
    • Tasos Zembylas, mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
    • George Sioros, mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
  • Keywords: Media Arts, Experimental music, Sound Art, composition, computer music, machine learning, improvisation, Human-machine-Interaction, speculative materialism
  • External links:
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  • Abstract:
 

The artistic research project ‚Emergent properties – intra-acting with algorithms‘ aims to map structural features of the contemporary digital apparatus to the domain of experimental electro-acoustic music composition and improvisation. In an iterative performance and live-coding practice, generative and machine learning algorithms are explored and exploited.

 

The main hypothesis is that emergent properties occur in and through human-machine intra-actions. Human and Nonhuman actors – computational processes, or algorithmic agents – gain an emergent agency in the process: algorithms are not just tools that are (artistically) used by human subjects to solve some problems and accomplish certain tasks. Their usage, design, misuse or misappropriation is understood as artistic decision-making and leads to unpredictable and surprising sonic artifacts.

 

An important research direction is the question of how intra-action of humans and algorithms infects this assemblage at diverse layers. Further, it raises questions about the ontology of electro-acoustic music, about authorship and the agency of human creators.
  • Further Information
 

Following links give additional information on subprojects:

 

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This reseach project is part of the PEEK-project Spirits in Complexity—Making Kin with Experimental Music Systems funded by the Austrian Science Fund (Grant DOI 10.55776/AR821). More info about the project: https://www.mdw.ac.at/spirits-in-complexity