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Audiovisual Composition and the
Avant-Gardes
by Mick
Grierson
Experimental
musician, film maker and researcher.
Also, a Research Fellow in the Creative and Performing Arts at
Goldsmiths Electronic Music Studios.
October 5, 2006, Seminar Rooms, BPB
@
Goldsmiths, 18h -- 20h
Digital Studios @ Goldsmiths College
Abstract
Historically, experimental film practice has been perceived as
belonging to a self-conscious avant-garde film making tradition. The
tradition itself is well documented by those such as P Adams Sitney, A
L Reese and Malcolm Le Grice. Importantly, it is easy to demonstrate
that this type of practice is closely related to experimental sound
practice with respect to process, material and aesthetics. In addition,
many of those who are seen as key experimental film practitioners are
themselves musicians, and/or involved in the sound arts. However, in
Modernism and the Avant-gardes (Smith M 1998), Murray Smith highlights
a major difference between the two disciplines.
Traditionally, experimental and avant-garde sound practice has been
supported by the arts establishment, whereas avant-garde film practice
has not (at least, not to the same degree). This could be seen as
contributing to a general decline in experimental avant-garde film and
video throughout the late eighties and nineties. It can be argued that
recent developments within the sound arts have had a significant impact
on this situation. With the increase in computing power and
availability of flexible programming tools (such as Max/MSP/Jitter),
musicians and sound artists are able to more flexibly explore film and
video in ways that are similar to the traditions of experimental and
avant-garde film and video practice. What is more, this activity could
be said to be contributing to the emergence of a new art based on
structural aesthetic similarities between the two forms, similarities
which are fundamental to an understanding of both experimental
avant-garde film, and contemporary electronic music practice. Beyond
this, supporting evidence from the fields of cognition and
neuroscience is generating renewed interest in structural approaches to
artistic theory and practice.
With this in mind, this presentation will attempt to explore and
demonstrate the practice of 'Audiovisual Composition' in the context of
a possible continuation of avant- garde traditions normally associated
with modernism. It will feature a number of real-time demonstrations,
and attempt to provoke debate on the nature of the practice itself.
Short Bio
Mick Grierson specialises in the area of real-time audiovisual
composition and performance. In addition to working as an artist and
researcher, he has extensive experience in the creative industries as
an editor, composer, cameraman, sound designer, consultant and computer
programmer. He is currently working on cognitive and structural
approaches to contemporary computer aided audiovisual composition as
part of the three year AHRC funded CAVE project.
The Thursday Club is an open forum discussion group for anyone
interested in the theories and practices of cross-disciplinarity,
interactivity, technologies and philosophies of the
state-of-the-art in today’s (and tomorrow’s) cultural
landscape(s). Originally set up in October 2005 by Goldsmiths Digital
Studios (GDS) as a more informal setting for research
discussions, it has grown to include over 80 members, artists,
technologists, scientists, in fact, a growing diversity of people
from different communities worldwide, that are now connected via
an online forum and discussion group. There are also regular meetings
in ‘real space’ at the Ben Pimlott site of Goldsmiths, University
of London. Anyone can attend these events. They are free, and in
keeping them informal they allow for a more diverse and open
ended discourse for people who perhaps would not have the
opportunity to discuss ideas outside of their chosen discipline.
For more information on the Thursday Club check
http://www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/cccc/thursday-club.php
or email Maria X: drp01mc(at)gold(dot)ac(dot)uk
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Last update: Oct. 3, 2006.