Comments on: Avant garde music / team building https://past.asc-cybernetics.org/2010/?p=2524 July 30th to August 2nd 2010 (with surrounding events) Mon, 27 Dec 2010 03:03:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: cezaic https://past.asc-cybernetics.org/2010/?p=2524&cpage=1#comment-262 cezaic Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:03:51 +0000 https://past.asc-cybernetics.org/2010/?p=2524#comment-262 The introductory exercise was an astonishing example in architectural design as it could be. The entry's design allowed for a presentiment of what was about to emerge in the conversation sessions. It thus gave orientation without limiting exploration. In principle, the sessions followed the structure of the introductory exercise. A theme and a set of instructions served to generate a conversation which was followed by the (re-)presentation of the conversation. And thus, the playback of the exercises listened/sung in the concert hall of the EMPAC allowed for an astonishing insight into the compositional qualities of conversational activity. The introductory exercise was an astonishing example in architectural design as it could be. The entry’s design allowed for a presentiment of what was about to emerge in the conversation sessions. It thus gave orientation without limiting exploration.

In principle, the sessions followed the structure of the introductory exercise. A theme and a set of instructions served to generate a conversation which was followed by the (re-)presentation of the conversation.

And thus, the playback of the exercises listened/sung in the concert hall of the EMPAC allowed for an astonishing insight into the compositional qualities of conversational activity.

]]> By: ranulph https://past.asc-cybernetics.org/2010/?p=2524&cpage=1#comment-185 ranulph Sun, 01 Aug 2010 12:18:27 +0000 https://past.asc-cybernetics.org/2010/?p=2524#comment-185 Although we did some singing (what makes it "avant garde" is that it was harmonic singing, and the would was not composed but an outcome of moderated chance processes which can be captured in the Law of High Numbers), the key point of this exercise was that we should learn to listen. Put rather over-simply, each singer was invited to listen to the sounds of those around them and to borrow from the sounds the others were making. At the centre of the conference C:ADM is the notion of a conversation, and as Josef Beuys said, there is no conversation without a listener. In the western world, we are much more interested in speaking than listening (for instance, our conferences emphasise the reading of papers). To allow a conversation to develop, to tap the creativity, requires us to listen. The reason we sang, and sang as we did, was to remind ourselves of the importance of listening, and to practise it. At the end of our performance—for most of us the only time we will ever perform in a major concert hall—we moved from the choir to the main auditorium, to listen to a recording made as we performed, a few minutes later. Those are the recordings "Sitting Wave – Movements 1 and 2". It was not the singing that was important: it was the listening that inspired the singing. Although we did some singing (what makes it “avant garde” is that it was harmonic singing, and the would was not composed but an outcome of moderated chance processes which can be captured in the Law of High Numbers), the key point of this exercise was that we should learn to listen. Put rather over-simply, each singer was invited to listen to the sounds of those around them and to borrow from the sounds the others were making.

At the centre of the conference C:ADM is the notion of a conversation, and as Josef Beuys said, there is no conversation without a listener. In the western world, we are much more interested in speaking than listening (for instance, our conferences emphasise the reading of papers). To allow a conversation to develop, to tap the creativity, requires us to listen. The reason we sang, and sang as we did, was to remind ourselves of the importance of listening, and to practise it.

At the end of our performance—for most of us the only time we will ever perform in a major concert hall—we moved from the choir to the main auditorium, to listen to a recording made as we performed, a few minutes later. Those are the recordings “Sitting Wave – Movements 1 and 2″.

It was not the singing that was important: it was the listening that inspired the singing.

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