Interdependent Compositions Employed in Sonic Ecosystems: Integrating the Listener in the Evolving Soundscape

A presente dissertação explora a integração de ouvintes na paisagem sonora em transformação enquanto compositores do ambiente sónico, no formato de instalações áudio.A investigação é motivada pela necessidade de promover e discutir a identidade do património aural da cidade do Porto e a sua crescente transformação.O desenho metodológico seguido é o practice-led research/research-led practice, e foca-se na compreensão e no desenvolvimento de ecossistemas sonoros e das relações interdependentes entre os agentes internos e externos do sistema.Os participantes exploram cartografias sonoras generativas, transformando iterativamente a natureza composicional das paisagens ao navegarem por motivos abrangentes ou focarem em elementos específicos da experiência.Palavras-chave: Identidade, Transformação, Ecossistema, Composição de Paisagens Sonoras, Interatividade.This dissertation explores the integration of listeners in the evolving soundscape as compositional agents of the sonic environment, presented as an audio installation.The investigation is motivated by the need to promote and discuss the sonic landscape identity of Porto and its rapid transformation. A method of practice-led research/research-led practice is followed, focusing on the development and understanding of sonic ecosystems and the interdependent relationships between its internal and external agents.Participants explore generative aural cartographies, transforming iteratively the nature of compositions by expanding into wider motifs or focusing on small and specific elements of the experience.Keywords: Identity, Transformation, Ecosystem, Soundscape Composition, Interactivity

Pandemics, Delays, and Pure Data: on 'afterlives' (2020), for Flute and Live Electronics and Visuals

The essay addresses creative and technical aspects of the piece 'afterlives' (2020), for flute and live electronics and visuals. Composed and premiered in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the composition employs audiovisual processes based on different audiovisual techniques: phase-vocoders, buffer-based granulations, Ambisonics spatialization, and variable delay of video streams. The resulting sounds and images allude to typical situations of social interaction via video conferencing applications. 'Afterlives' relies on an interplay between current, almost-current, and past moments of the audiovisual streams, which dephase the performer's images and sounds. I have avoided, in text, delving deeper into the Pure Data abstractions and or into the musical analysis of my composition. The main purpose of the text is rather to present compositional/technical elements of 'afterlives' and discuss how they enable new experiences of time

Mapping Dynamic Relations in Sound and Space Perception

The research investigates the dynamic relations between sound, space and the audience perception as related to an artist’s intention. What is the relation between sound and space in the sonic arts, and to what kind of merger does it lead? What relationship exists between the intention of the composer and the perception of the audience regarding architectural and environmental spaces? Is there a common thread of perception of architectural and environmental spaces among participants? Is embodiment a key for the perception of the dynamic relations of sound and space? The framework for the investigation is based on a map of three defined spaces (Real, Virtual, and Hyperbiological) included in a portfolio of six works (three electroacoustic compositions, two sound installations, and one performance), which lead to the analysis of the perception of space, namely, the perception of architectural and environmental spaces as required by the portfolio. The original knowledge resides in the exploration of a potential common representation (space and sound perception being, of course, a personal representation) of internal perceptual spaces and mental imageries generated by the works. The act of listening plays a major role in the development of the portfolio presented and includes Pauline Oliveros’ concept of deep listening (Oliveros 2005). Sound and space are intimately related in the portfolio. One particular element emerging from this relationship is the plastic quality of sound, meaning that sound is considered and observed as a material that is shaped by space. From this perspective the research investigates the ‘sculptural’ and morphological quality of the relationship between sound and space. The results include the specific language and signature of the artworks that delineate the intersection of music and fine arts. The portfolio pays a large tribute to several iconic artists present in the outposts of sound blurred by space. Composers and artists are therefore presented in the theoretical section in order to highlight how their pioneering works have influenced and informed the present research portfolio. The analysis of the perception of the artworks relates to a methodology based on an empirical survey inspired by phenomenology

VR Storytelling

The question of cinematic VR production has been on the table for several years. This is due to the peculiarity of VR language which, even if it is de ned by an image that surrounds and immerses the viewer rather than placing them, as in the classic cinematic situation, in front of a screen, relies decisively on an audiovisual basis that cannot help but refer to cinematic practices of constructing visual and auditory experience. Despite this, it would be extremely reductive to consider VR as the mere transposition of elements of cinematic language. The VR medium is endowed with its own speci city, which inevitably impacts its forms of narration. We thus need to investigate the narrative forms it uses that are probably related to cinematic language, and draw their strength from the same basis, drink from the same well, but develop according to di erent trajectories, thus displaying di erent links and a nities

Sonic Interactions in Virtual Environments

This open access book tackles the design of 3D spatial interactions in an audio-centered and audio-first perspective, providing the fundamental notions related to the creation and evaluation of immersive sonic experiences. The key elements that enhance the sensation of place in a virtual environment (VE) are: Immersive audio: the computational aspects of the acoustical-space properties of Virutal Reality (VR) technologies Sonic interaction: the human-computer interplay through auditory feedback in VE VR systems: naturally support multimodal integration, impacting different application domains Sonic Interactions in Virtual Environments will feature state-of-the-art research on real-time auralization, sonic interaction design in VR, quality of the experience in multimodal scenarios, and applications. Contributors and editors include interdisciplinary experts from the fields of computer science, engineering, acoustics, psychology, design, humanities, and beyond. Their mission is to shape an emerging new field of study at the intersection of sonic interaction design and immersive media, embracing an archipelago of existing research spread in different audio communities and to increase among the VR communities, researchers, and practitioners, the awareness of the importance of sonic elements when designing immersive environments