Head researcher: Gonçalo Gato
Team:
- Sivakumar Ramachandran (IADT)
- Gonçalo Gato (Lusófona University)
Project Abstract
Relying on a multidisciplinary team, the project aims at conceiving and creating a thought-provoking artwork which can be a concert, a performance or an art installation. This pilot project is investigating how programmed mechanical devices, in some senses regarded as robots, can be configured to physically play music with or without instruments. From this starting point, a series of research activities are being carried out both from a technical and an artistic point of view. This is a project which intersects music, sound, performance, art-making, electronics and programming.
Research question
How to create a thought-provoking artwork based on musical composition that relies on robots taken both as sound sources and performers?
Methodology
The project employs artistic research methodology. This means the team is relying on practice as its main driving force. The creative journey will eventually produce the artwork, most probably a prototype, and this process is recorded through online group meetings, use of collaborative platforms, video footage, personal notetaking and sketches which, apart from thought and insights, cover coding, experimental set-ups, testing procedures, musical drafts and sound design. The project will be placed in a wider context of similar activities, accessible either through scientific literature or relevant artworks. Instances of innovation should be strived for and highlighted, so that they can be disseminated, thus making contributions to knowledge.
Milestones
Technical milestones
Selecting robots
The team is pinning down available robot technology which can be used in a research setting to receive musical, movement and possibly speech instructions. As robot selection depends on the artistic aims, there is an ongoing team discussion involving technical and aesthetical decisions.
Questions such as anatomy and shape — from humanoid to abstract mechanical constructs — instructability and flexibility, together with energy autonomy, are being actively discussed and answered.
Robots as sound sources and performers
The possibility of creating sounds with robots is paramount. Robots can make sounds by moving, hitting objects, or by using built-in speakers. As such, they would make up the instrumentation — or, in fact, the sonic world — made available to the composer and/or sound artist. Furthermore, robots can play roles in a hypothetical and to-be-devised performance script. This would involve actions, situations and potentially drama.
Devise a server system
So that robots can be centrally controlled, the team is designing a server system. This would centralize instructions, but also, potentially, convey a degree of inbuilt intelligence which could incorporate indeterminacy.
Creative milestones
Framework of Performance
The project's international scope, combined with the involvement of robots, highlights the need for a clear understanding of our objectives. To facilitate this, we aim to establish a framework for evaluating the technical capabilities of the robots in relation to performance. This framework will serve as a guiding tool to ensure coherence in our performance goals and shared vision.
Musical Composition
Drawing from sounds generated by robots, and taking into account the constraints of the technical setup (mainly, but not limited to, timing accuracy, precision, resolution and latency), we seek to craft a musical composition that can express both aesthetic motivations and conceptual concerns. Given the diverse locations of composers and performers involved in this international endeavor, harmonizing the musical score with robotic execution is essential for coherence, synchronization and compositional feedback.
Introduction of Thought-Provoking Elements
To transcend conventional robot-generated music, we will introduce thought-provoking elements. Through the framework of performance and direct technical insights, our team will select the most feasible options for integrating these elements, elevating the artistic impact of the project. Phenomenologically, the current stance is that the artwork should lean towards raising questions, causing perceptions and experiences such as perplexity, awe, aporia, which perhaps would, paradoxically, link to familiarities through identification. Further research will clarify these vectors.
Literature survey and review
Artistic research involves contextualizing endeavors within a set of similar practices. In this regard, the team is conducting a first-level literature survey, which will be reviewed along the research journey. The preliminary literature list can be found further below.
Deliverables
- A working framework to allow musical and performance instructions to be sent to a set of robots.
- An artistic creation, i.e. an artwork featuring robots.
- Dissemination of research outputs through conference presentations and paper write-up and submission.
- Plan hypothetical displays of the artwork at relevant events and/or venues.
- Assess and plan the continuation of the pilot through extension of core questions, technical apparatus and artistic goals.
