This is a recurring event: View all events in the series “Music Research Seminars”
Speaker: Atau Tanaka
Abstract
This talk considers the human body as musical instrument. To do so, they look at the use of physiological signals, notably the electromyogram, as a way to capture the gestural intention and effort of the performer.
The use of biomedical technologies as computer interfaces, however, do not automatically comprise a musical instrument.
To imagine a system that affords expressive musical performance, they will think about the notion of the “instrument” and contrast it with concepts of the “tool” predominant in our technoculture.
They will also consider the word, “performance” and its various artistic, technical and social meanings.
Through this extended vision of musical instruments, they will consider how biosignals provide a virtual instrument, or perhaps even turn performer into instrument.
About the speaker
Atau Tanaka performs music with systems of embodied interaction, capturing body movement and physiological states to create digital musical instruments.
He studied with composers Ivan Tcherepnin at Harvard University and John Chowning at Stanford University’s CCRMA.
He has carried out research at IRCAM Centre Pompidou STEIM Amsterdam, Apple France and Sony Computer Science Laboratory (CSL) Paris.
Atau’s first inspirations came meeting John Cage at his Norton Lectures. His music has been presented at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), Eyebeam NYC, Southbank Meltdown London, NTT-ICC Tokyo and ZKM Karlsruhe.
He is professor of Media Computing at Goldsmiths, University of London and has affiliations with the Bristol Interaction Group and the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme Paris Nord.
He is commissioning editor for the Sonics Series at Goldsmiths Press and is Co-Director of the Centre for Sound, Technology & Culture (CSTC).
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