Output details
35 - Music, Drama, Dance and Performing Arts
University of Surrey
Spatial Music
This project investigated how spatial music can be created for semi-immersive, three-dimensional sound reproduction environments. Electronic music with fully 3D spatial articulations or movements as primary elements of the artwork differs from “surround sound”. It requires the alternative creative tools, conceptual methods and implementation methodologies at the centre of this project. In addressing these, the project explored the following questions:
• By what methods can contemporary electronic music and sound art practice embrace a spatial dimension?
• How can new works of spatial audio be conceived and realized for an ambulant, exploring audience?
I conceived the project and directed all phases of the exploration and production.
The investigation resulted in thirty new audio artworks, commissioned by the Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary (Vienna) and presented in concerts and exhibitions in Seville 2008-9, Istanbul 2010, Vienna 2011-12, and Karlsruhe 2012. I presented lectures and public symposia in all the above, Croatia and the UK.
Research focused on approaches adopted by contemporary professional experimental electronic music composers and sound artists, such as Carsten Nicolai, Christian Fennesz, Lee Ranaldo, Florian Hecker, Jónsi, Yasunao Tone and Jim Thirlwell - none are associated with academic or artistic institutions.
My investigations with each artist were conducted in four stages:
•a workshop exploring initial conceptions of their work,
•a period of collaborative creative development,
•my implementation of their work and associated spatial data within a computer environment,
•final auditions, tests and refinement of the artwork.
This activity developed works which reveal distinctions between graphic/visual spatial conception methods and acoustic soundfield construction models; the integration of architectural concepts in audio; soundfield constructions appropriate for ambulant listeners; and the generation of synthetic sound environments which appeal to the cognitive comprehension of space.
