Conclusion
Through the exploration and development of different composition strategies and techniques in collaboration with practitioners from different disciplines and their application in the creation of science-based new work, I found that it is possible to engage deeply with the subject matter of a music-theatre piece and communicate it directly to an audience on more than one level. The collision of the crafts and aesthetic tastes of different practitioners proved to generate new paths of creative exploration, as many more aspects of a subject matter (that individually might not be considered) could be engaged with in the creation of new work. By working through an interactive collaborative interdisciplinary approach, I can therefore explore new ways to associate and map different resources and ideas within the compositional process. This is evident in the eclecticism shown in the portfolio: each work showcases very different outcomes with similar compositional strategies and focuses on different compositional aspects and mechanisms of mapping to tackle the different subject matters and the technical considerations that arose in integrating and communicating them in the works.
The Flowering Desert and TRAPPIST-1 are significative in this research, as they share the same subject matter: the discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system. The impact of the practitioners’ varied interests and backgrounds and the idiosyncrasy of each collaboration resulted in the exploration of similar elements but with different ways of engaging with them in each piece. Both works use techniques for transforming data into musical parameters, but the fact that in TRAPPIST-1 we could engage easily with microtonality[1], and therefore be more accurate in the transformations of data into pitches than in The Flowering Desert, generated several questions about fidelity and accuracy in data transformation. What is the threshold at which we are faithful to the data? Is it more faithful to transform the distances from the planets to the star into frequencies than to assign a note from a diatonic scale to each of the seven planets? Is it more faithful to approximate a transformation of data into pitches to cents than to semitones? Does being more accurate in a transformation communicate the subject matter better? I did not find an objective answer to these questions, just personal subjective assumptions, as all the transformations were ultimately informed by personal arbitrary decisions. What is true is that in any of those transformations, we experience, in this case, aspects of the real planetary system[2]. I found that what we could experience and understand is how these planets (or any other kind of data) relate to each other and to us. This can be seen, for example, in TRAPPIST-1: by generating a rotational soundscape with the electronics, we can experience the planetary system at work, to which we can then layer other elements, such as the flautist representing an astrophysicist during its discovery, generating meaningful relationships that can help to communicate ideas on different compositional levels.
As a result of this research project, I also started considering many more aspects and parameters in my approach to composition. I found myself developing an equal interest in how, where, when, and why the pieces were performed than in what was performed. These questions are interconnected and inform each other and can be used to generate associations on different levels between the different resources that are used to inform a composition. I also found this holistic approach key to my personal engagement with the concepts of integration and communication. During the initial stages of this research project, influenced by the work with numerical data from the TRAPPIST-1 system, I was especially focused on the integration of elements such as data into the musical discourse without considering how its integration in the composition would ultimately communicate the subject matter. I was focusing on integration just applied to the “what” (the musical material, in this case). This eventually led to a creative block in the composition of The Flowering Desert, as I felt the piece was not conveying the subject matter as much as I tried to integrate data into the piece. This was also fuelled by the COVID-19 lockdowns and the difficulties they generated in working with other collaborators. However, with projects such as In response to Naum Gabo: Linear Construction in Space No. 1 and especially Autohoodening: The Rise of Captain Swing, in which I had to work mostly with qualitative data, I started developing different approaches to composition to focus more directly on the communication of their subject matters. It was the moment in which I started considering the musical material in relation to where, how, when, and why it was performed that I was able to harmonise better integration and communication.
In relation to these ideas:
- In Response to Naum Gabo: Linear Construction in Space No. 1 succeeded in integrating Gabo’s sculpture into the performance by using different processes of melodic stretching (that replicate the nylon threading process in the sculpture) that engaged with the performance space[3]. Those melodic processes generated echoes that accompanied the promenade in the “Scene”, helping to recreate sonically the visual appearance of Gabo’s work. However, this representation works on a macro-structural level, making it difficult for the audience to experience it directly. The communication of the subject matter of the piece was happening mainly through the text delivery and the promenade across the galleries by juxtaposing Gabo’s ideas with the pieces of past artists. As a first case study, it showed me how the engagement with the space can be a key parameter to consider in both the integration and the communication of a subject matter.
- Autohoodening: The Rise of Captain Swing, with a musical language that combines folk traditions and minimalist techniques with performative actions, generally succeeds in communicating on many levels the situation of exploitation suffered by many workers at Amazon. In this sense, I think scenes such as “The Algorithm” or “The 2nd Punishment” succeeded particularly. Not only is the musical material designed to be relentless, but the performativity that the musical material implies also showcases it visually. However, the fact that this piece was filmed also gave us agency during the editing process to highlight these elements. This is also a valid practice, as in fact, the film became an artefact by itself, being showcased as a piece of visual art at the Luleå Biennial 2022 (Sweden). Still, I would be curious to see this work performed as it was intended, as a street masquerade with a chorus of workers protesting by re-embodying their situation through the cathartic lens of the mask and the ritual.
- I think that the sections composed in The Flowering Desert after the creative block mentioned above (Mélodrames 2-4, and scenes 3 and 4) succeeded much better in communicating their subject matter than the Overture or Scene 1 (which were composed in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic). Those sections were more focused on conveying ideas through simple processes (e.g., acceleration or rotations) and considering how they related to the space. I am pleased with the Mélodrames, as with these sections I was finally able to both integrate and communicate the rotation of the system and its harmonicity (purely transformed data). This was the result of starting to consider not just the musical material by itself, but how it relates to the space (the planetarium), how it was performed (the disposition of the musicians and the use of the pre-recorded material), and how it relates to the visuals and the text (“when”) and to the subject matter (“why”).
- TRAPPIST-1 was created very slowly in very distinctive creative cycles, being the last piece to be fully completed. The more Gavin Stewart and I delved into our respective research projects, the more distilled ideas we were able to apply to the composition of this piece. Theoretically, and guided by the result of the mock recording, in this piece, most of the ideas showcased in this research crystallised. The planetary system is communicated both directly and faithfully, taking into account how and what is performed in relation to a space that is created by the same musical material (the sonic rotation of the electronics determines the performance space). Furthermore, we also integrated the human side of the discovery by engaging with Dr Amaury Triaud’s experiences and by delivering the knowledge that we currently have about this subject matter. We are looking forward to eventually performing this piece, as it was not possible for us during this research project due to the delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Once it is performed live, we will be able to assess properly if the performativity and the elements of engagement with the performance space are effectively communicating the subject matter of this work.
To finish, and considering the interdisciplinary approach of this research project, I am confident that the techniques and strategies presented in the portfolio are transferrable to other artistic practices in the art and science context. Techniques such as appropriation, transformation of data, or text setting are common practices in many artforms. However, their use in an interdisciplinary setting, considering how they relate to each other and if they are effective in communicating an idea, can help to engage and intertwine deeply with a specific subject matter and to operate at more meaningful levels. In a socioeconomic context in which fake news, lies, global warming, radicalisation, or virtuality are impacting our society so strongly, engaging with truthful research in art and trying to communicate truthful ideas and statements is, I believe, capital to help showcase the different realities we live in and raise the necessary awareness to promote positive changes in our communities.