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On Designing, Composing and Performing Networked Collective Interactions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 December 2021

Frederic Bevilacqua ,
Benjamin Matuszewski ,
Garth Paine  and
Norbert Schnell
Frederic Bevilacqua*
Affiliation:
STMS IRCAM-CNRS-Sorbonne Université, Paris.
Benjamin Matuszewski*
Affiliation:
STMS IRCAM-CNRS-Sorbonne Université, Paris.
Garth Paine*
Affiliation:
Arizona State University, USA.
Norbert Schnell*
Affiliation:
Furtwangen University, Germany.
*
Email: frederic.bevilacqua@ircam.fr
Email: benjamin.matuszewski@ircam.fr
Email: garth.paine@asu.edu
Email: norbert.schnell@hs-furtwangen.de
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Abstract

In this article, we discuss some of our research with Local Area Networks (LAN) in the context of sound installations or musical performances. Our systems, built on top of Web technologies, enable novel possibilities of collective and collaborative interaction, in particular by simplifying public access to the artwork by presenting the work through the web browser of their smartphone/tablet. Additionally, such a technical framework can be extended with so-called nano-computers, microprocessors and sensors. The infrastructure is completely agnostic as to how many clients are attached, or how they connect, which means that if the work is available in a public space, groups of friends, or even informally organised flash mobs, may engage with the work and perform the contents of the work at any time, and if available over the Internet, at any place. More than the technical details, the specific artistic directions or the supposed autonomy of the agents of our systems, this article focuses on how such ‘networks of devices’ interleave with the ‘network of humans’ composed of the people visiting the installation or participating in the concert. Indeed, we postulate that an important point in understanding and describing such proposals is to consider the relation between these two networks, the way they co-exist and entangle themselves through perception and action. To exemplify these ideas, we present a number of case studies, sound installations and concert works, very different in scope and artistic goal, and examine how this interaction is materialised from several standpoints.

Type
Article
Information
Organised Sound , Volume 26 , Issue 3: Collective and Networked Sound Practices , December 2021 , pp. 333 - 339
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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