review: Sergi Jordà (reactable) talk

[cola_fan]

Review of Sergi Jorda's talk, 4 October 2007
reviewed by Graham Coleman, to be posted at the seminar wiki

Comments

[cola_fan]

I agree with you; performing with a computer can remove the burden of some tasks (note selection) and offer other forms of articulation and expression (effects processing, more global changes to the arrangement). However, I think process automation can create a vacuum, of connection and of risk.

The performer has to make up for the fact that there is no longer a direct, immediate, visual link (the traditional instrument) between his actions and the music. In this way, gap between the performance model in the computer and the audience restricts the flow of information between performer and audience.

As well, an automated performance can proceed without interaction from the performer. This is safe, but a performer who takes no risks for his audience will be uninteresting.

In the worst case, nothing fills the vacuum. Seeing performers hit "play" and pump their arms for the most of the performance is sad. After seeing this a few times at an early laptop battle, I hoped I could do better.

Because my first musical traditions were classical and jazz, I tend to respect technique and improvisation the most. But there are a variety of musical traditions, and other aspects of music that are also important (composition, emotion, poetry, etc). Laptop music particularly excels in sound design (due to processing and automation capacity) and theatrics (again the automation, as the performer is free from his instrument). When you are used to having certain things and they are not present, you feel their lack.

Not that I believe in a weakness model of music. I think that any art or music that has something new and original to offer will be respected, despite any percieved deficiencies.