Pedro Rebelo: "Network performance strategies"

ABSTRACT:

The presentation addresses the challenges and implications of networked technologies and cultures for the creation of new music performances. The talk covers historical and current examples of work which relates to multi-location, non-linearity and participation with a view to defining a framework for the development of compositional and design strategies for working in/ with the network.

The presentation situates network performance in the context of the relationship between sound and space and addresses the specificity of cultural production through a number of historical examples. The network is then considered as a term which is infused with organizational metaphors and provides an opportunity for questioning and developing relationships. The presentation will then take a performance study as a basis for discussing specific issues that arise when staging networked music performances. It concludes by introducing the notion of Network Dramaturgies as a way of understanding current and future practices.

ABOUT PEDRO REBELO:

Pedro is a composer/digital artist working in electroacoustic music, digital media and installation. His approach to music making is informed by the use of improvisation and interdisciplinary structures. He has been involved in several collaborative projects with visual artists and has created a large body of work exploring the relationships between architecture and music in creating interactive performance and installation environments. This includes a series of commissioned pieces for soloists and live- electronics which take as a basis the interpretation of specific acoustic spaces.

In the duo laut with saxophonist Franziska Schroeder he investigates the extension of interfaces and control in interactive performance practices. His electroacoustic music is featured in various CD sets (Sonic Circuits IV, Discontact III, Exploratory Music from Portugal, ARiADA). His work as an improvisor has been released by Creative Source Recordings. Pedro conducts research in the field of digital media, interactive sound and composition.

His writings reflect his approach to design and composition by articulating creative practice in a wider understanding of cultural theory. Pedro was Visiting Professor at Stanford University (2007) and the Music Chair for the 2008 International Computer Music Conference. He has been Director of Research at the Sonic Arts Research Centre and is now Director of Education at the School of Music and Sonic Arts, Queen’s University Belfast.