Cartographic (2023)
About
Program notes
Cartographic is a live audiovisual piece that focuses on a three-dimensional map created from sound. Leveraging Machine Learning techniques, an original sound source is broken into small segments and these segments are scattered in 3D space according to their timbral qualities. The piece unfolds as we navigate through this space and explore the different neighborhoods and their sonic character. Fluctuating between descriptive and poetic, the journey takes us through various stages as we observe the system gradually falling apart and what before stood like a map, eventually dissolve into an abstraction.
Technical description
Cartographic is centered around the idea of three-dimensional sound visualisation. By harnessing the unsupervised learning capabilities of UMAP, original sound material undergoes segmentation into small fragments which are then represented by points in three-dimensions. The points are dispersed and clustered in space according to the timbral similarities of the sonic fragments they represent. As the piece progresses, we traverse this visual and auditory map, navigating through the formulated neighborhoods and exploring their sonic identity. The piece combines freely improvised material juxtaposed with precomposed sections to explore an audiovisual paradigm made possible through recent technologies.
Format: Live audiovisual performance
Duration: 14:27 (flexible)
Performances/Exhibitions
05/03/2023 - Manchester Theater in Sound Festival, at John Thaw Studio Theatre, Martin Harris Centre, Manchester, UK
11/07/2023 - UnSupervised #3 Showcase, at Martin Harris Centre, Manchester, UK
30/08/2023 - The International Conference on AI and Musical Creativity 2023: Algorave, at St. Mary’s Church Kemp Town, Brighton, UK