Expression and Its Discontents : Toward an Ecology of Musical Creation

Michael Gurevich, and Jeffrey Treviño

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

  • Year: 2007
  • Location: New York City, NY, United States
  • Pages: 106–111
  • Keywords: Expression, expressivity, non-expressive, emotion, discipline, model, construct, discourse, aesthetic goal, experience, transparency, evaluation, communication
  • DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1177107 (Link to paper)
  • PDF link

Abstract:

We describe the prevailing model of musical expression, which assumes a binary formulation of "the text" and "the act", along with its implied roles of composer and performer. We argue that this model not only excludes some contemporary aesthetic values but also limits the communicative ability of new music interfaces. As an alternative, an ecology of musical creation accounts for both a diversity of aesthetic goals and the complex interrelation of human and non-human agents. An ecological perspective on several approaches to musical creation with interactive technologies reveals an expanded, more inclusive view of artistic interaction that facilitates novel, compelling ways to use technology for music. This paper is fundamentally a call to consider the role of aesthetic values in the analysis of artistic processes and technologies.

Citation:

Michael Gurevich, and Jeffrey Treviño. 2007. Expression and Its Discontents : Toward an Ecology of Musical Creation. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1177107

BibTeX Entry:

  @inproceedings{Gurevich2007,
 abstract = {We describe the prevailing model of musical expression, which assumes a binary formulation of "the text" and "the act", along with its implied roles of composer and performer. We argue that this model not only excludes some contemporary aesthetic values but also limits the communicative ability of new music interfaces. As an alternative, an ecology of musical creation accounts for both a diversity of aesthetic goals and the complex interrelation of human and non-human agents. An ecological perspective on several approaches to musical creation with interactive technologies reveals an expanded, more inclusive view of artistic interaction that facilitates novel, compelling ways to use technology for music. This paper is fundamentally a call to consider the role of aesthetic values in the analysis of artistic processes and technologies. },
 address = {New York City, NY, United States},
 author = {Gurevich, Michael and Trevi\~{n}o, Jeffrey},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.1177107},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 keywords = {Expression, expressivity, non-expressive, emotion, discipline, model, construct, discourse, aesthetic goal, experience, transparency, evaluation, communication },
 pages = {106--111},
 title = {Expression and Its Discontents : Toward an Ecology of Musical Creation},
 url = {http://www.nime.org/proceedings/2007/nime2007_106.pdf},
 year = {2007}
}