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Experiencing Responsive Technology in a Mixed Work: Interactive music as embodied and situated activity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 November 2017

Anna Einarsson*
Affiliation:
Royal College of Music, Box 277 11, 11591 Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract

How is performing with responsive technology in a mixed work experienced by performers, and how may the notion of embodied cognition further our understanding of this interaction? These questions are addressed here analysing accounts from singers performing the author’s mixed work Metamorphoses (2015). Combining semi-structured interviews and inspiration from Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, questions concerning the ‘self’ when listening, singing, moving and relating to fellow musicians, as well as the relationship towards the computer, are explored. The results include a notion of the computer as neither separated nor detached but both, and highlight the importance of the situation, including not only the here and now but also social and cultural dimensions. The discussion emphasises the role of sensorimotor interaction and bodily experience in human meaning-making.

Type
Articles
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2017 

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