Public graduation presentation, March 25
On Friday March 25, student Pieter Pierrot will present his Media Technology MSc graduation thesis work. In 20-25 minutes Pieter will present his project, followed by 10-15 minutes public discussion. Everyone is invited to attend. The presentation is in English.
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, the presentation takes on a hybrid form. Audience can attend in room 413 of the Snellius building, or online via the link shared below.
Pieter Pierrot
"Shapes and Staffs - A Qualitative Exploration of the Ontology of Computer-generated Graphic Scores"
This thesis takes first steps into exploring the ontology of computer-generated graphic scores. Generating such scores with a computational system naturally fits the trend that graphic scores sparked in the mid–20th century, in which composers partly relinquished compositional power to the musicians performing their work. A generative computational system relinquishes even more control, as it has no musical ideas to communicate. This results in what I call a semantic vacuum. In this thesis, it is investigated what effects this vacuum has on the interpretational practice of musicians playing computer-generated graphic scores. This is done by qualitatively assessing parts of their practice during three live interpretation sessions, in which individual musicians sonify four computer-generated scores. The assessment shows that the influence of the semantic vacuum on the music-making process might be small, but reflection on different aspects of the system implementation and the experimental design suggests that complex relationships between contributing parties in the musical communication process exist that are not properly understood. In addition to these results, the adopted theoretical and practical methodologies are discussed, as to build foundations for how to understand and study computer-generated graphic scores, as well as to advance the field of computational creativity by injecting humanities-inspired methodologies.
Thesis advisors: Rob Saunders & Edwin van der Heide
When and where?
Friday March 25 2022, 14:30 – 15:15h
Room 413 of the Snellius building, Niels Bohrweg 1, Leiden.
Online: Zoom link; meeting ID: 672 4826 8182; passcode: 8l}P4j{L
Conference format
Media Technology MSc graduation presentations follow a classic conference format. Each student presents their work in 20 minutes. With the primary advisor acting as a conference session chair, the presentation is followed by a moderated public discussion.
Invited critics
Although everyone can ask questions in the discussion, the right to ask the first questions is for the two invited critics. These were personally invited by the graduate to read their thesis before the presentation, and to formulate one or two questions for the discussion. Ambitious students have been known to invite high-profile academic critics.
