Von: „John Coulter“
Datum: 13. Januar 2011 20:31:41 MEZ
Betreff: The Australasian Computer Music Conference (ACMC) 2011 – Call
for Presentations of Research and Creative Works
The Australasian Computer Music Conference (ACMC) 2011
Time and place:
From 6-9 July 2011 The School of Music University of Auckland New
Zealand will host a 4-day research symposium on the topic of Organic
Sounds in Live Electroacoustic Music. The keynote presenter will be
Simon Emmerson (DMU). Other featured composers and presenters include:
John Cousins (NZ Composer), Gerardo Dirie (QCGU), John Elmsly (UA),
Jason Phillips (Taonga Puoro Player), and Ian Whalley (UW).
As a special feature of the conference, a series of closed concerts
will be presented through a 24-channel geodesic sound dome that will
be installed in Studio One Kenneth Myers Centre for the duration of
the 4-day event (small audiences only). A second multi-channel system
designed to cope with larger public audiences will be installed in the
Music Theatre, and made available to participating ACMC delegates.
Practical workshops will also be offered on Taonga Puoro (traditional
Maori Instrument) making and playing, and ambisonic recording and
spatialisation techniques.
The special theme of ACMC11 is Organic Sounds in Live Electroacoustic
Music
For the sake of clarity, a dictionary definition of the term ‘organic’
is first offered.
organic
organic adj
1. of, produced by, or found in plants or animals, the rocks were
carefully searched for organic remains,
2. not using, or grown without, artificial fertilizers or pesticides,
organic vegetables, an organic farm,
3. (Chem) of or belonging to the class of chemical compounds that are
formed from carbon,
4. (of change or development) gradual and natural rather than sudden
or forced,
5. made up of many different parts which contribute to the way in
which the whole society or structure works, an organic whole,
Collins English Dictionary Online – 10th Edition 2009 © William
Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998,
2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009. Retrieved December 2010 from http://www.collinslanguage.com
A contextual definition might include sounds made by plants and
animals (including humans) as well as all sounds that exhibit the
behaviour and/or form of living things (the surrogates of living
organisms). In live electroacoustic music, this may include the use of
real-world samples, abstract sounds produced by musical instruments,
as well as those produced by generative systems.
Firstly, regarding the use of sound samples in live electroacoustic
music: Australia and New Zealand are home to some of the most
remarkable (and some of the most endangered) species of plants and
animals in the natural world. Sounds from the Australasian biosphere
such as wind, waves, insects, bird and whale song have, for centuries
– if not millennia – provided musicians with a source of inspiration,
and with settings in which to contemplate their individual and
collective heritage. Body sounds and rhythms too, form a powerful
subset of musical materials on which many claim human appreciation of
musical phraseology and dance is based. Then there are the industrial
and urban soundscapes – the sounds of every day life – that might
that might be considered to be organic. Since the advent of recording,
composers have made prolific use of real-world sounds in their music,
and in both Australia and New Zealand there is an established culture
of sample editing approaches to music making. Now, with the aid of
multichannel technology, and faster computer processing, composers
have the capacity to reproduce sophisticated real-world environments
in 3-dimensions, and to use a number of once-non-real-time processes
in live performance. Some interesting questions arise: What are the
advantages of employing such technologies in this way? How might sound
samples be used to greatest effect in live electroacoustic performance
settings?
The term ‘organic’, within the context of music is not without
precedent. In popular music it is often used to describe the quality
of certain sounds as ‘living’, or to highlight a specific process of
natural and/or evolutionary development – so it is with ease, that it
migrates to the realm of abstract instrumental sounds. Traditional
Maori and Aboriginal instruments have achieved a special status in
their ability to evoke associations with living things present and
past, while modern and ancient instruments made from wood, bone,
seashells, clay, and stone appear to be being used more and more in
live contemporary performance. Electroacoustic composers can now elect
to transform acoustic instruments (both traditional and modern), and/
or other objects of personal value into complex hyper-instruments that
produce organic acoustic, and electroacoustic sounds. Very quiet, (and
sometimes inaudible) sounds, such as those produced by some ethnic
instruments, or sounds from the human body, can be amplified, and
spectrally extended in real time, transforming our ordinary sense of
spatial organisation. Within this sub-domain, some important questions
arise: How might traditional Maori and Aboriginal instruments be
respectfully employed within the context of electroacoustic music? How
might technology be used to extend or change our own body boundaries?
The term may also be used to describes generative systems based on
conversational or evolutionary models. For this special class, we
might adopt the category of ‘surrogates of living things’. These
intelligent artificial agents are being used more and more (in various
musical settings) as a means of extending the sonic capabilities of
instruments, to manage information too complex for the ordinary
performer to comprehend (such as multimodal gestural data), and as
performers in their own right. How might this new technology be used
to assist the ordinary electroacoustic performer/composer?
Scientific and socio-cultural approaches to the subject unearth
several complex sub-topics each with its own set of detailed
questions: What are the salient features (abstract sonic
characteristics) that lead to the appreciation of sound as organic?
Does psychological projection of ‘the self’ (or selves) play a part in
the efficacy of such sounds? Does the use of organic sounds in
electroacoustic music encourage a paradigm shift from Music for
Performance to Music for Personal Growth?
Academic discussion on the theme Organic Sounds In Live
Electroacoustic Music is a difficult proposition, as there are a
number of remote, yet intersecting domains to consider – each with its
own set of terms, and its own cluster of research priorities.
Nevertheless, significant contributions to the topic (and sub-topics)
have already been made. There is much to be gleaned from the music of
Australasian composers and performers who work with the (often unique)
sound sources specified; from their artist’s talks and research
publications; and from the expert domain literature associated with
the fields of acoustic ecology, Maori and Aboriginal music, socio-
cultural aspects of electroacoustic music, live electronic music, and
psychology of human audition. The organisers of ACMC11 feel that the
subject is important to Australasia, and worthy of further
investigation.
Call for Papers and Presentations of Research
Conference papers for peer review and publication in the conference
proceedings are requested concerning all aspects relating to the theme
of the conference. Papers and presentations concerning Organic Sounds
in Acousmatic Electroacoustic Music / Sonic Art are also welcome.
Submissions from wider fields are also welcome: Themes may include:
· Performance-Based Electroacoustic Music / Sonic Art (with live
electronics and/or acoustic instruments and/or dance)
· Acousmatic Electroacoustic Music / Sonic Art
· Multi-channel Electroacoustic Music
· Electroacoustic Music with Moving Images,
· Interactive Installation / Sonic Sculpture,
· Electroacoustic Music with other disciplines,
Papers and presentations may be in one of the following categories:
+ Research Paper – Fully refereed (6-8 pages)
+ Paper – Abstract refereed (500 word abstract)
+ Poster – Abstract (500 word abstract)
+ Studio Report (100 word abstract)
+ Artist Talk (500 word abstract)
Each spoken presentation (excludes studio reports) will be 20-min in
duration with 10-min reserved for questions. The inclusion of creative
work is encouraged as a means of research reporting. Stereo playback,
and data projection facilities will be made available to all presenters.
Guidelines for submission of papers
Papers and abstracts should be submitted ready for publication. For
formatting details (examples) please see the ACMC10 proceedings
available at
http://www.lulu.com/items/volume_68/9134000/9134568/1/print/ACMC2010.pdf
The deadline for receipt of proposals is Thursday 31 March 2011.
Please visit the conference website for full details on submitting
papers – http://conference.acma.asn.au
Call for Presentations of Creative Work:
Delegates are welcome to submit creative works for inclusion in the
following concert series. Space in some events may be limited, as a
number of high profile Australian and New Zealand Composers have
already accepted invitations to present.
Lunchtime Concert Series
6 July, 1pm: Lunchtime Concert, Music Theatre
7 July, 1pm: Young Composers, Music Theatre
8 July, 1pm: Lunchtime Concert, Music Theatre
SONIC ART 2011 (Live Works)
Thursday 7 July, 7.00pm, Music Theatre
Guidelines for submission of creative work
The organisers welcome submissions of recorded, acoustic, and mixed
works with any combination of electronic and acoustic elements.
Playback formats available will include CD, DVD, and file-based
playback for stereo or multichannel works (up to 16 channels). The
submission of live electroacoustic works with multiple channels is
also encouraged. All files should be submitted on optical media in
either stereo or multiple-mono format. Works containing visual
elements should also be submitted as DV PAL or HD files. The deadline
for receipt of proposals (files and biographies of contributors) is
Thursday 31 March 2011. Please visit the conference website for full
details on submitting papers http://conference.acma.asn.au
Call for Workshop Proposals
Workshops are educational sessions run by a conference delegate or
partner on a particular area of their expertise. There will be
opportunities for delegates to host workshops on Saturday 9 July (the
day after the conference). Proposals for workshops are welcome on any
topic related to the theme of the conference.
Guidelines for submission of workshop proposals
Please submit a proposal (no more than 500 words) detailing the topic,
scope
and likely resource requirements for the workshop. Please visit the
conference website for full details on submitting workshop proposals – http://conference.acma.asn.au
Registration
Conference registration will be available soon. Please check the
conference website for updates – http://conference.acma.asn.au
All ACMC11 concerts are free to the public, with the exception of the
Sonic Art concert on 7 July, which is $15 (but free to ACMC
delegates). Special concerts held in the ‘sound dome’ will be closed
to the public (attended by ACMC delegates only)
Programme
The full conference programme will be available in early May 2011
Contact details
For further details please visit http://conference.acma.asn.au or
contact the ACMC11 organisers directly j.coulter@auckland.ac.nz.
The organisers would like to thank the Composers Association of New
Zealand (CANZ) for publicising the event.
Dr John Coulter
Senior Lecturer
Head of Sound Programmes
School of Music
National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries
The University of Auckland
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