by ingrid.hjelm-hansen -

First Prototypes

In the first lecture of our course Design & Research 2, we were instructed to develop 1-3 prototypes within a three-day timeframe. These prototypes were expected to be „quick and dirty“, yet still relevant to our chosen topic. Initially, I thought this would be challenging and time-consuming. However, it turned out to be both fun and helpful. 

I began by brainstorming ideas. Because I am still in the early stages of the design process, I found it hard to already envision potential solutions. Setting a four-minute timer, I began writing down any ideas that came to mind on post-it notes. Under time pressure, my brain generated numerous concepts. I then collected these ideas and proceeded to sketch out various concepts. 

Using this method results in the creation of low-fidelity concepts without extensive contemplation. I might not end up using any of the concepts, but it was a great way to start the creative thinking. 

PROTOTYPES

I ended up creating prototypes out of two different ideas: 

Multiplayer Keyboard

This concept is inspired by the observation that many musicians experience a lack of social aspect in their practice. They often end up prioritizing team sports such as football over solo instruments, drawn to the motivational aspects of teamwork. Playing in a band or orchestra is an option, but this idea aims to facilitate collaborative piano playing among friends. Whether with two or four players, the proposed product would enable the creation of harmonious melodies and the exploration of various tones and melodies with friends. 

Improvisation Motivator

During my research, I observed benefits of improvisation in music. Musicians in all ages can struggle with motivation and to find joy in playing their instruments. It typically becomes overly rigid and challenging, leading to decrease of self-esteem in music. With this proposed concept, the aim is to make music practice more fun and playful. The product contains a built-in metronome and a speaker capable of playing various chords and drumbeats. Intentionally, the improvisation motivator should lower the threshold for solo improvisation practice. Traditional music sheets can be limiting, hindering users from learning in a more enjoyable and interactive manner. To utilize this product, users would simply press the blue button located on the top, enabling them to play over self-selected chords and beats. This approach makes it easier for individuals to experiment with the right tones and create new melodies on their own. 

by Hannah Albrecht -

IRCAM Reflections 1.0: Three States of Wax

Out of all the contributions to the 2024 Ircam Forum Workshops that I have seen in Paris between the 19th and 22nd of March, one has kept me thinking not just for its content in terms of the (musical) arts, sciences and technology, but especially the philosophy behind it.

“Three States of Wax: The Nature of material in Live Electronic Improvisation”, brought to the conference by Juan Parra Cancino and Jonathan Impett framed composition as a critical technical practice through the lens of material as described by Descartes in his wax argument thought experiment and then taken further by Michel Serres in an investigation into the materials of physics.

„Three States of Wax“, in this video performed in 2020 at the New York Electroacoustic Improvisation Summit.

In doing so, the Cartesian and scientific way of thinking about material were interpreted alongside a plane where in the present, the history of the material plays a role as the material becomes its own memory through every interaction with it – memory is approached as a reconstruction from a point of view as a similar process to imagination through improvisation in an electroacoustic performance that incorporates extended techniques on the trumpet, guitar and electronics while coming up with points of communication and interaction.

The presentation also implicitly posed the question of authorship, suggesting that material can be something that transforms how we think about it (also depending on how it is presented) and depending on how it was derived – in an odd way this made me think of “Steal like an Artist” by Austin Kleon (why that is I have to investigate further). As an example, the emergence of paper was mentioned as a clear material that changed how we think: With it, we become aware that we can note down things that might be helpful for later, essentially transforming how we navigate an ever-changing landscape of information and knowledge.

In a similar sense, it prompted reflection on how the reiteration of previous materials and merging of individual contexts transforms into an interconnected web of knowledge, simultaneously creating new input and contributing to a network structure that works as a combobulator, at least in my interpretation. In the context of improvisation in music, the notion that came across to me was that if composition were approached as a design process in terms of thinking about and considering the materials one works with, continuity could be found even where layers are added.

While I would not dare say that I fully grasped the whole idea during the 30-minute presentation without any further input, it provided me with food for thought and new ways to approach and interpret the interweaving of material with an awareness of how information, too, is subjected to change in how it is understood and presented during and also after the creative process, if it were to be fixed and thus became part of a larger network of memories and associations ascribed to it. This blog is by no means meant to explain the presentation itself, but more my interpretations, reflections, and thoughts that came up so far as a result of taking in the information.

Further resources:

Echo, a journal of music, thought and technology – https://echo.orpheusinstituut.be/#issues

Orpheus Institute (Advanced studies & research in music) – https://orpheusinstituut.be/en/music-thought-and-technology/three-states-of-wax

G. Agamben – The Man without Content

A. Negri – Art and Multitude