Emotional Machines - Composing for Unstable Media.

Thorolf Thuestad

Emotional machines – composing for unstable media. Thorolf Thuestad In partial fulfilment of PhD in artistic research The Grieg Academy, Department of Music, Faculty of Art, Music, and Design, University of Bergen, 2021 The artistic research project Emotional machines - composing for unstable media explores how non-representational kinetic objects may afford affective and emotional responses, in particular experiences of kinship and relation between an audience and animated objects. Further possibilities for artistic expression are opened through composition and dramaturgy, in works where the animated objects perform alongside human performers and other media, such as light and sound. How may such animated non-representational physical objects be developed? How does animating the physical objects change the potential for experience of kinship and relation between audience and object? How does context modulate the potential for experience of kinship and relation between audience and animated physical object? How does the potential experience of kinship with the animated object differ for the creator of the object, and audience? These questions have been investigated through the creation of a set of animated kinetic figures. These figures have performed in a series of artistic presentations such as gallery exhibitions and stage presentations. The artistic research concludes with two complementary public artistic presentations taking place in bergen in June/July 2021; a time-based stage production at Cornerteatret and a gallery exhibition at Lydgalleriet. The presentations are considered connected and have the common title For one – for many – for all. This is an exposition of the research that presents the kinetic figures, the process of developing them, the questions they have contributed to explore, resulting artistic works (with particular emphasis on the final artistic presentations taking place in June/July 2021), the additional artists contributing to these public presentations, and a series of reflections resulting from the research. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Emotional machines – composing for unstable media Thorolf Thuestad. Denne eksposisjonen presenteres som del av gjennomføring av doktorgrad i kunstnerisk utviklingsarbeid ved Griegakademiet, Institutt for musikk, Fakultet for kunst, musikk og design, Universitetet i Bergen, 2021. Emotional machines - composing for unstable media utforsker hvordan ikke-representative kinetiske objekter kan skape affektive og emosjonelle responser hos mennesker. Spesifikt opplevelse av slektskap og relasjon mellom et publikum og animerte objekter. Det åpnes ytterligere muligheter for kunstneriske uttrykk gjennom komposisjon og dramaturgi i verk der de animerte objektene opptrer sammen med menneskelige utøvere og andre medier, som lys og lyd. Hvordan kan animerte ikke-representative fysiske objekter utvikles med dette startpunktet som inspirasjon? Hvordan endrer animasjon av de fysiske objektene potensialet for opplevelse av slektskap og relasjon mellom publikum og objekt? Hvordan modulerer konteksten de animerte objektene presenteres i potensialet for opplevelse av slektskap og relasjon? Hvordan er den potensielle opplevelsen av slektskap med det animerte objektet forskjellig for skaperen(e) av objektet, og publikum? I Emotional machines – composing for unstable media har spørsmålene har blitt undersøkt ved hjelp av en gruppe animerte kinetiske figurer. Disse figurene har opptrådt i en rekke kunstneriske sammenhenger hovedsakelig galleriutstillinger og scenepresentasjoner. Prosjektet ble avsluttet med to utfyllende offentlige kunstneriske presentasjoner som fant sted i Bergen i juni/juli 2021: En tidsbasert sceneproduksjon vist på Cornerteatret og en galleriutstilling vist på Lydgalleriet. Presentasjonene er tilknyttet hverandre og har fellestittelen For one – for many – for all. Denne eksposisjonen presenterer de kinetiske figurene, prosessen med å utvikle dem, spørsmålene de har bidratt til å utforske, resulterende kunstneriske verk (med særlig vekt på de endelige kunstneriske presentasjonene i juni/juli 2021), kunstnerne som bidro til disse offentlige presentasjonene samt en rekke refleksjonstekster drevet frem av arbeidet med prosjektet.

Sound, movement and composition

Nether consists of three main components: an animated figure, a human performer, and an audio element played back over a PA. The figure's construction is discussed above, so here I will focus on the work with Alwynne and the production of the audio material. The piece is intended to be mobile in the sense that Alwynne Pritchard should be able to bring everything necessary to perform the work if travelling and my presence should not be required to realize a performance technically. Therefore, the audio component is delivered as a single stereo sound file, which a technician starts at a movement cue from the figure. To keep technical complexity down, synchronization between the figure's movement and audio events is loose. Manually triggering the sound file provides sufficient synchronization. Ideally, a few points have a strict synchronization between the audio and activity in the figure, but I do not consider it critical for the artistic result. There are two versions of the audio component for the piece, and the performer may choose either for each performance. The audio element is an attempted amalgamation between something I would describe as organic sounding with something I would associate with mechanistic. The desired effect is the feeling of it being somewhat uncanny. This uncanniness is reflected and further underlined in the motion material developed in cooperation with Alwynne Pritchard. It is inspired by the mannerism movement seen in art from the late renaissance. There are three main sections to the time-based disposition of the motion. In the first and last, Alwynne assumes different "mannerist" style poses synchronized to the figure's movements. A description of the performer's actions follows:

0:0 – 01:11: Performer sits on knees on the ground, strives for a doll-like quality to all movements.

Movements are synced to movements of sculpture. Slow and deliberate. When blinking eyes, do this slowly.

Open mouth wide slowly in sync with sculpture raising left limb.
Close mouth in sync with sculpture lowering left limb.
Open mouth wide slowly in sync with sculpture lifting right side of the body.
Turn head right in sync with sculpture lifting left limb.
As the figure raises its backend, adopt a contorted pose, head twisted back, left-hand palm up left shoulder raised.
Slowly release into right hand raised left hand relaxed, head slightly turned right.

01:11 performer imagines her arms now paralyzed, upper body convulsed bent over and paralyzed, trying to find a way to move forward without the use of arms.

01:59 Gradually disband convulsive movements, giving up on moving forward, remain bent forward. Relax the body.

02:25 Gradually raise torso to a position seated on knees. Listening and vocalizing – relaxed – eyes closed. Vocalizing is improvised but should strive to harmonize with sounds in the soundtrack. Perform text material1:

curious machine

bolts of bones

part by part (by part)

I am nether

dungeon

enslaved

fettered stands

blinded with an eye

03:25 - Listening and vocalizing – slowly adopt doll-like contorted poses, eyes wide open.

04:20 – gradually raise the body to a standing upright on knees, facing the audience. Only move when the figure is moving. Adopt contorted poses.

04:48 – 05:40 Turn to the left facing to the upstage right corner. Continue small vocalizations.

Tip

Tip

Sound, movement and composition