Diffusion Evolved: New Musical Interfaces Applied to Diffusion Performance

This exegesis takes a critical look at the performance paradigm of sound diffusion. In making a shift away from the sixty-year-old practice of performing on a mixing desk or other fader bank console, it proposes and outlines a goal towards intuitive and transparent relationships between performance gesture and spatial trajectories. This is achieved by a coupling of the two previously segmented fields within electroacoustic: spatialisation and interface design. This research explains how connections between the two fields and an embracing of contemporary technological developments, with a goal toward increasing the liveness and gestural input that currently limit sound diffusion practice, could extend the art form into a virtuosic and compelling gestural performance art. The exegesis introduces and describes the author’s research and development of tactile.space, a new multitouch tool developed on the Bricktable for live sound diffusion. tactile.space is intended as a contribution to the growing research area of user interfaces developed specifically for the performance of sound in space. It affords performers a new level of gestural interaction with the space of the concert hall and the audience members and redefines multiple standardised interactions between the performer and the space, the gesture, the audience, and the sound in a diffusion concert

Computed fingertip touch for the instrumental control of musical sound with an excursion on the computed retinal afterimage

In this thesis, we present an articulated, empirical view on what human music making is, and on how this fundamentally relates to computation. The experimental evidence which we obtained seems to indicate that this view can be used as a tool, to systematically generate models, hypotheses and new technologies that enable an ever more complete answer to the fundamental question as to what forms of instrumental control of musical sound are possible to implement. This also entails the development of two novel transducer technologies for computed fingertip touch: The cyclotactor (CT) system, which provides fingerpad-orthogonal force output while tracking surface-orthogonal fingertip movement; and the kinetic surface friction transducer (KSFT) system, which provides fingerpad-parallel force output while tracking surface-parallel fingertip movement. In addition to the main research, the thesis also contains two research excursions, which are due to the nature of the Ph.D. position. The first excursion shows how repeated and varying pressing movements on the already held-down key of a computer keyboard can be used both to simplify existing user interactions and to implement new ones, that allow the rapid yet detailed navigation of multiple possible interaction outcomes. The second excursion shows that automated computational techniques can display shape specifically in the retinal afterimage, a well-known effect in the human visual system.Computer Systems, Imagery and Medi

Musichildren: proceedings of the 1st International Conference Music for and by Children

The 1st International Conference: “Music for and by Children: Perspectives from Children, Composers, Performers and Educators” (musichildren) was hosted at the Department of Communication and Art of the University of Aveiro from October 19th to 21st 2017. musichildren’17 welcomed as keynote speakers two distinguished personalities in the academic and artistic fields - the composer Dai Fujikura (Royal College of Music) and the Distinguished Professor of Music Education Jackie Wiggins (Oakland University). The main goal of the musichildren’17 conference was to explore aspects of music for children and music that is created by children, thus contributing to the dissemination of knowledge in the fields of Music Composition, Performance and Music Education. The conference fostered several discussions in these areas, alongside the sharing and development of new ideas. The three-day event hosted participants from South America, North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania who presented their work in different formats such as communications, workshops, panels, lecture recitals and concerts.(...)A 1ª Conferência Internacional: “Music for and by Children: Perspectives from Children Composers, Performers and Educators” musichildren’17 foi realizada no Departamento de Comunicação e Arte da Universidade de Aveiro nos dias 19, 20 e 21 de Outubro de 2017. O musichildren’17 acolheu como oradores convidados duas personalidades distintas do meio académico e artístico internacional - o compositor Dai Fujikura (Royal College of Music) e a Professora doutora Jackie Wiggins (Oakland University). O objetivo principal da conferência musichildren’17 foi explorar diferentes aspetos da música para crianças e da música criada por crianças, contribuindo assim para a disseminação da investigação no campo da Composição Musical, Performance e Educação em Música. Durante a conferência foi possível observar diversas discussões na área e a partilha e o desenvolvimento de novas ideias. Este evento de três dias contou com participantes provenientes da América do Sul, América do Norte, Europa, Asia e Oceânia, que apresentaram os seus trabalhos em diferentes formatos tais como comunicações, performances, workshops e recital conferência. (...