CONCLUSIONS

"One of the ways in which an individual scientist or artist goes beyond the known is by synthesizing diverse influences while finding his or her own voice”57.

Findings:


I always believed in the potential of joined work in arts. This research explored different ways of shaping a collaboration between composer and performer, starting from the question “How can I, as a performer, engage in a collaboration with a composer to co-create a piece for flute(s)?”

The two collaborative processes I engaged in during ten months, from April 2023 to January 2024, helped me not only understand different possibilities in collaboration but also define some tools that could be useful for future projects. 

 

As expected, each collaboration took a very personal and peculiar direction, reflecting in varying degrees the type of interaction that emerged from the sessions with each composer. 
The comparative analysis demonstrated that the answer to the research question is simple: we can collaborate as we want – with stress on the active meaning of "want".
The possibilities are endless; each of them will bring unique insights into (inter)personal (inter)actions and collaborative work.
This research shows that each individual brings countless inputs from their cultural, artistic, and social background. Each combination and each choice will drastically define the direction of the process. 
What I like about it is exploring joint choice-making in artistic contexts, conscious of their impact on the entire path that leads to the outcomes. The collaborative aspect of the process forces us to make explicit choices; researching the involved collaboration requires an even further level of consciousness. 

Notes for future collaborations

"This project was very much about exploring, [...] it was about the process and not the result, which is rare, and also it's uncomfortable in some way, [...] because it's something we are not used to [...]: we think very teleologically about the end, so it's confronting also to see the process as an end in itself”58.

Gaspar’s words well represent the aim of this project and showcase how difficult a collaboration like ours can be. I agree with his statement; Gaspar showed a deep understanding of the aims of this project, even if he was critical, especially in the last sessions, about them being sustainable in the long term.

 

After all the considerations reported, I would do many things differently if engaged in a new collaboration with a composer. 

I would focus more on: 

  • Goal setting: I would definitely plan at least one performance before starting the process and explicitly discuss a shared purpose;
  • Contextualisation: I would probably choose to focus on a topic as extra-musical inspiration, collectively approved; 
  • Role definition: I would be transparent in how the roles could balance, and I would explicit the ways this balance could be challenged, with more awareness since the beginning on how to work on this;
  • Complementarity: choosing a collaboration with knowledge and skills on related but not overlapping fields would help shape a fulfilling partnership for all involved individuals;
  • Authorship guidelines: as Elizabeth Creamer59 suggests, I would explicitly discuss credits for the final result.
  • Equal engagement: collectively researching about collaboration would surely enhance the research by making it more exhaustive and contribute to equally involving partners in a shared artistic process.

 

I think this new insights would lead to a more balanced and still explorative collaboration, learning from the processes I experienced in the past months.

 

Some specific ideas deriving from my collaboration with Gaspar, as examples of possible solutions to overlapping skill areas are:

  • Leaving the collaborator more space to be "the composer" and take more of the "performer" role myself (to be consciously agreed);
  • Diving deeper into my own way of playing, which on its own would offer the composer new and different perspectives on their way of crafting music. (With Gaspar, due to our divergent aesthetic research on the modern flute, that would have been very interesting to explore).

 

In a future collaboration I would definitely focus more on the creation of new meanings in the music we want to make. This research focuses on the process, but I am more and more aware that, even if I am convinced that art is not teleological but finds and creates meaning in itself, a concrete goal and narrower focus on the general idea of the composition would enhance the entire collaboration process, and not only its musical outcomes. Also, finding a clear joint purpose – different from my personal research project – would help create a more balanced engagement from both sides. I plan to explore further the mentioned topics through future collaborations.

Personal achievements

The awareness and personal growth I experienced thanks to this project are evident: comparing the blurry and idealised image I had about collaboration between performer and composer before the project to the one I developed during this project, I can identify a much stronger conscience about composition, personal practices, and collaboration skills. 

On a general level, I refined my organisation abilities and audiovisual skills by recording the sessions. 

I now know what is most important for collaboration in the artistic field, with a more critical and realistic opinion about how to work with other artists.

I challenged myself to expand my horizons by entering the composition field and opening my mind to accept and build on constructive criticism.

I connected with people by collaborating (I am grateful to Gaspar and Jasper for their enthusiasm and respect in this project) and by sharing my ideas about this project with them. 

I pushed my technical and musical limits, progressing one more step towards improvement. I learned to accept failures, to learn from them, and to celebrate successes, however small and seemingly insignificant. 

I achieved all the personal and artistic goals I stated at the beginning of this collaboration; I feel energised by the possibility of continuing the collaborations I started or creating new future ones, aware that every person I share my path with can bring new perspectives and widen my horizons. 

I also developed a critical awareness about the role of artistic research.

Thanks to this process, I discovered that in this moment of my artistic development, I favour a practical and experimental dimension (learning by doing), and I am interested in building community through collaborative practices.