1 research outputs found
Structured reciprocity for musical performance with swarm agents as a generative mechanism
A creative inquiry introduces a swarm simulation as a generative mechanism,
providing a third agency in music creation alongside agency of composition
and performance. When applying an evolutionary model such as swarms to
music the challenge is to develop a performance interaction model beyond improvised
explorations so that the model can facilitate the integrities for, and
emerging dynamics in, all agencies. To minimize a performer’s cognitive overload
another challenge is management of dataflow in interactive architecture for
generating music. An interaction model for structured reciprocity is investigated
as a design solution that applies model-based indirection. In the scope of musical
composition, reciprocity is exhibited as a time dependent relationship between a
performer’s actions and evolutionary swarm tendencies applied to generate musical
outcomes. Reciprocity is structured using levels of indirection as a construct
of mapping data from a swarm simulation to an interactive music performance
application. The paper presents an approach to encoding, activating, generating
and measuring reciprocity. A comparative case study demonstrates the implementation
of these concepts in two musical works. The paper concludes 1) reciprocity
in interactive applications helps optimize actions to leverage emergent tendencies,
including their intuitive qualities, towards realizing desired outcomes; and
2) data analysis from the case study indicates temporal signatures of reciprocity
are related to indirection in interaction scenarios for generative musical performance