Innermost Echoes

Danny Hynds, Aoi Uyama, George Chernyshov, DingDing Zheng, Kozue Matsumoto, Michael Pogorzhelskiy, Tatsuya Saito, Kai Kunze, and Kouta Minamizawa

Music Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

• Year: 2023
• Location: Mexico City, Mexico
• Article Number: 1340
• DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.11194734 (Link to paper)
• PDF link
• Supplementary File 1: online-in-person-concerts

Abstract:

Innermost Echoes is a performance work which utilizes performer physiological data as a novel input mechanism to introduce a new form of hybrid improvisation alongside a robotic koto which will sonify this data in a communicative feedback loop and a Eurorack system which will serve as a bridge between the passive physiological data and the active performance. By introducing this form of input, our improvisational performance will challenge the traditional approach to live performance by creating a closed loop between our emotions and the performance itself. In a sense, we will be improvising with our own presence. We believe this new kind of performative dialogue can challenge existing hierarchies within live music performances. This novel performance paradigm seeks to examine new performative dialogues and ideas on what it means to perform live. Current performance practices are often based predominantly on the direct communication of the performers through their respective instruments. When we introduce the performer’s physiology as a gestural language, we hope to define a new methodology of presence-based improvisation. The performers wear custom built sensing wristbands and elastic breathing bands around their chest to gather physiological data consisting of EDA (electrodermal activity), HRV (heart rate variability), and respiration rate. This data is then sent via OSC to a laptop running Max/MSP which applies this live data to the robotic koto and the Eurorack system. These data streams and occurrences of synchrony between the performers’ data are then sonified and used as a structural indicator of the current state of the performers, thereby forming a new unspoken dialogue between the two.

Citation:

BibTeX Entry:

  @article{nime23-music-1340,
 abstract = {Innermost Echoes is a performance work which utilizes performer physiological data as a novel input mechanism to introduce a new form of hybrid improvisation alongside a robotic koto which will sonify this data in a communicative feedback loop and a Eurorack system which will serve as a bridge between the passive physiological data and the active performance. By introducing this form of input, our improvisational performance will challenge the traditional approach to live performance by creating a closed loop between our emotions and the performance itself. In a sense, we will be improvising with our own presence. We believe this new kind of performative dialogue can challenge existing hierarchies within live music performances. This novel performance paradigm seeks to examine new performative dialogues and ideas on what it means to perform live. Current performance practices are often based predominantly on the direct communication of the performers through their respective instruments. When we introduce the performer’s physiology as a gestural language, we hope to define a new methodology of presence-based improvisation. The performers wear custom built sensing wristbands and elastic breathing bands around their chest to gather physiological data consisting of EDA (electrodermal activity), HRV (heart rate variability), and respiration rate. This data is then sent via OSC to a laptop running Max/MSP which applies this live data to the robotic koto and the Eurorack system. These data streams and occurrences of synchrony between the performers’ data are then sonified and used as a structural indicator of the current state of the performers, thereby forming a new unspoken dialogue between the two.},
 address = {Mexico City, Mexico},
 articleno = {1340},
 author = {Danny Hynds and Aoi Uyama and George Chernyshov and DingDing Zheng and Kozue Matsumoto and Michael Pogorzhelskiy and Tatsuya Saito and Kai Kunze and Kouta Minamizawa},
 booktitle = {Music Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.11194734},
 editor = {Rob Hamilton},
 month = {May},
 note = {Online Presentation},
 title = {Innermost Echoes},
 url = {https://www.nime.org/proceedings/2023/nime2023_music_1340.pdf},
 urlsuppl1 = {https://www.nime2023.org/program/online-in-person-concerts},
 year = {2023}
}