recent activities
Here I move - An artistic research on composition, improvisation, tools and spaces to grow in
(2025)
Corrado Cerutti
Here I move, is an artistic research project focused on composition and improvisation. The aim is to explore and develop flexible compositional tools that can adapt to a wide range of creative contexts — from symphonic orchestras to conceptual performance, from music to dance, and towards any interdisciplinary field I find artistically engaging.
Improvisation is the main method of investigation: by performing solo, recording sessions, selecting specific fragments, and analyzing them, I generate new material that is then proposed to ensembles and commissioned projects. This cyclical process feeds a continuous reflection and contributes to the development of compositional strategies tested in diverse performance environments.
The research revolves around three central questions:
– How can I create compositional tools that remain adaptable to increasingly diverse contexts?
– How does this system influence my own performance practice and interaction with other musicians?
– How flexible is it within interdisciplinary settings?
This project is part of the Jazz Composition course at the Jazzcampus in Basel, under the supervision of Stian Westerhus, with the support of Stephan Meidell, Tineke Postma, and Guillermo Klein.
コスプレ ko su pu re — Ti dedico corpo e animæ
(2025)
Gloria Furlan
This research explores the phenomenon of Cosplay as experienced by Cosplayers themselves through a subjective lens.
A project that stems from specific personal attitudes and inclinations to the practice of Cosplay — コスプレ kosupure — in relation to japanese entertainment media. The focus of the analysis resides in individuals influenced to the point of bordering on obsession, surrounded by characters from works of Japanese animation, illustration and graphics — Anime, Manga and RPG — culminating in the practice of donating one’s body through the practice of interpretation, assimilation and appropriation.
Consistencies and idiosyncrasies between assumptions and experience are addressed starting from Japanese imagery, cultivated by years of tactile and vivid experience of this practice as carried out in Italy.
The impact and perceived impact of the journey facilitated a firsthand, lived experience through my month-long stay in Toshima, one of Tokyo’s twenty three special districts. The reiteration of this practice in the country accredited for the birth and export of Cosplay, put to test the skills and preconceptions developed over years of experience and virtual exploration. Analyzed the ideological presuppositions set forth by Luca Vanzella in Cosplay culture: fenomenologia dei costume players italiani, found within my personal experience in Italy, the same were used as a key to reading and interpreting the experience in Japan, analyzing points of contact and divergence. Through this paper I wish to document the vivid aspects of a research at a still embryonic state, without rushing to judgment.
A vision that is not intended to be faithful to reality as a focused image, but rather as the perception of light imprinted in the first impact with the retina. It represents, in its essence, an investigation that reports testimonies and subjective experiences, exploring with individuals the value placed on their choice of character, the reasons for choosing to lend one’s body to such practice. The unambiguous presence of the self, versus, the assumptions of loss of identity and desire for escape in the link between Cosplayer, performance act and self-perception. Analyzing the relational dynamics between Cosplayers and those shared personas, with a focus on the figure of the otaku and the way it relates to this practice.
This printed object consists of 2 main parts; the first visual and graphic and the second textual and theoretical. Bound together by the “japanese stab binding” technique, that has been appropriated in correlation to the practice of Cosplay. Becoming not only a physical link, but also a key conceptual and graphic element. Giving body and matter to the characters that make up the term Cosplay.
recent publications
Ebb/Flow - Flow/Ebb: A Dialogue Between Visual Arts and Music
(2025)
Alex Designori
This research explores the synergy between auditory and visual sensory impressions, investigating how music and visual arts can merge, interact, and resonate reciprocally to create a unique cross-modal performance. Central to this research is the collaboration with the visual artist Damiano Colombi. The focus is placed on two distinct types of interaction: large canvases enriching the visual space on stage, around which the musician moves, and digital projections created with TouchDesigner, a software that generates real-time visuals reacting to the music. These contrasting approaches shape an immersive experience, transforming sound into moving images and creating a dynamic interplay between structured visual elements and fluid digital projections.
A central challenge of this research is to create a balanced interaction between the auditory and visual components, so that each artistic discipline complements and enhances the other, allowing a continuous dialogue between sound and image.
Throughout the creative process, these ideas evolved organically, guided by continuous experimentation and reflection. By documenting the sensations, insights, and evolving artistic choices, this research not only explores the theoretical and technical intersections between music and visual arts but also highlights the deeply personal and intuitive nature of interdisciplinary collaboration. Ultimately, this research provides a framework for crafting audiovisual performances that foster a compelling and harmonious fusion of music and visual arts.
A study of Giovanni Battista Bovicelli's Regole, passaggi di musica
(2025)
Kristy van Dijk
This research examines Giovanni Battista Bovicelli’s Regole, passaggi di musica (Venice, 1594), a Renaissance treatise on (vocal) ornamentation. By analyzing Bovicelli’s diminutions, this research aims to identify his characteristic stylistic elements as a composer and singer. Beyond defining these elements, the findings provide a solid foundation for comparing his style with that of Giovanni Bassano, previously studied, and for applying Bovicelli’s techniques in newly written diminutions. More broadly, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of late 16th-century Italian diminution practice.
Bovicelli’s treatise offers information for singers about text placement, presents examples of diminutions for various intervals, cadences, and melodic contexts, and includes his own diminuted lines of well-known pieces of the time. This research focuses specifically on the examples of diminutions, analyzing them according to seven musical criteria: note values, range, intervals, melodic sequences, rhythmic patterns and/or sequences, standard figures such as trills and turns, and ficta application. Additionally, in cadences and melodic contexts, the extent to which the original melody is preserved is assessed. The results of this analysis are presented in tables and graphs for a clear overview.
Additionally, the research includes a comparative analysis of Bovicelli’s and Bassano’s diminution styles, clarifying both their individual characteristics and, very carefully, broader trends in 16th-century Italian diminution practice. Furthermore, newly composed diminutions in Bovicelli’s style demonstrate the practical application of the findings. These diminutions are written on the well-known Anchor che col partire by Cipriano de Rore (1516-1565).
Why does she cry salty tears while he touches the sea
(2025)
Jenný Mikaelsdóttir
Thesis of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, 2023
BA Photography
Summary:
"Why does she cry salty tears while he touches the sea". Follows a search for understanding how being in cold water has a relationship with humans. More specifically if the sea is for people to be in or not - the upbringing stories from Iceland and a Nordic background is noticeable in how the author approaches the subject of the sea. From the perspective of being cautious towards it, yet fearful and therefore the quest is giving contrast on how the sea shapes people. On an emotional level yet spiritually as well. Questions regarding people’s place within the social context and, with others. The personal writings is intertwined with challenges people face and how it’s displayed in the art world. Research into how artist have dealt with overcoming bigger forces than themselves. The social element of a sea swimming community is discussed where recent acknowledgment in a modern society to be in cold water is ever present. This is done by interviewing people who have been tuned in with the sea, a former sailor and a sea swimmer.
The paper is divided into four chapters. Their titles serves the focus points. In Salt water, a look into the unknown, how artists deal with the sea as a natural force, admiration towards the sea with a connection to the emotional state. Community, is where the unknown offer a place to belong to, observing from a distance as well inside a sea swimming community. In Rituals, sea swim is investigated as a social act binding the community. Tales brings storytelling with focus on sailors and sea creatures.