ICLC 2027 - Proposal for Live Performances
Live Performances (including audio, visual, and A/V or multimedia) will largely be sorted into one of two formats: a concert format, with seated audience; and an Algorave format, unseated and intended for dancing. As we explore venues and dates, and according to patterns that we see emerge from the submissions received, we intend to program several different subcategories of the concert format.
1. General Information
- Performance Title: Mother, Demos of All,
- Main Contact: Tomoya Matsuura([email protected])
- Additional Performers:
- Performance Type: Concert
2. Performance description
デモンストレーションについてのライブコーディングパフォーマンス。パフォーマンスは、リアルタイムの信号処理をターゲットにしたプログラミング言語mimiumを用いて行われる。
パフォーマーは、デモンストレーションという言葉の持つ意味について、ダグラス・エンゲルバートによって1968年に行われたコンピューターシステムNLSのデモを起点に解説する文章の朗読をしながら、そのマイク音声をリアルタイムに制御し、意図的にオーディオフィードバックを引き起こしながら変調することで演奏する。パフォーマーは、単にコードを書き喋るだけでなく、自らの喋る声の空間的位置を制御したり、メガホンを使うことでフィードバックの発生を空間的にコントロールすることでも演奏を行う。
エンゲルバートのデモはのちにジャーナリストのスティーブン・レビーによって「全てのデモの母」と表現されたが、この「全てのXXの母」という表現は、サダム・フセインが湾岸戦争の開戦時に「この戦いは全ての戦いの母となるだろう」と発言したものを英語訳したものが、アメリカのニュースを通じてミーム化したものであった。
エンゲルバートの研究は元を辿れば、ヴァネバー・ブッシュがWW2が終わる直前（より詳しく言えば、広島と長崎に原爆が落とされる1ヶ月前）に発表された「As we may think」という、人間の知能増強の研究の原点の文章に影響を受けており、ブッシュは戦争が終わることを見据えて人類が扱う問題が複雑になるにつれ人間を賢くする必要があると感じていたからだった。しかし結果的にエンゲルバートの提示したデモンストレーションは、何ができるか、なぜそれを作ったかを覆い隠し、ピュアに何ができるかだけを提示している。
デモンストレーションとは今や、政治的直接行動を意味するか直線的な技術発展のアピールすることかの二極化している。このパフォーマンスでは、ライブコーディングにおいて美徳とされてきた、コードを見せることの意味を、デモンストレーションという言葉が脱政治化されてきた歴史を振り返り再・政治化することを試みる。
ライブコーディングにおいて、観客は全てのコードの意味を必ずしも理解できるわけではないという問題がある。パフォーマンスの後半でアクターは音色に紐づけられたシンボル（変数名）が恣意的であることを、例えばkickという関数名を機械的にbulletに置き換えてもコードは変わらず動作することを示すことで実演する。その後、アクターはさらにbulletに紐づけられた音色の定義を書き換えることで、明らかにbulletとは紐づかない音を出力することで、全てのコードの意味が理解できなくとも、コードと音の対応関係にナラティブを持たせられることを実演する。
技術的には、本パフォーマンスでは、（筆者自身が開発者でもある）mimiumのライブコーディング機能でなければ実現の難しい、低レベル信号処理のリアルタイムな書き換えを積極的に活用している。これまでにも、筆者はChucKやFaustといった言語で同様のオーディオフィードバックを扱うパフォーマンスを試みてきたが、既存の言語では信号処理のインスタンスの入れ替え時に音切れや、ディレイやリバーブのテールがリセットされる問題が起きていた。mimiumのライブコーディング機能では、これらの問題を、関数呼び出しツリーの差分解析を行うことで、可能な限りインスタンスの内部状態を引き継ぎながら入れ替えを行い、音切れの発生しない自然な繋がりを実現している。
こうした技術的要素により、本作品では、既存のMIDIベースの言語による音楽表現とは大きく異なる、朗読と音響信号処理によるサウンドパフォーマンスを提示する。
パフォーマンスはおよそ25分程度を予定している（タイムテーブルに応じてある程度可変）。
A live coding performance exploring the concept of “demonstration.” The performance is conducted using mimium1, a programming language designed for real-time signal processing.
The performer reads a text explaining the meaning of the word “demonstration,” starting with Douglas Engelbart’s 1968 demonstration of the NLS computer system2, while simultaneously controlling the microphone audio in real time and modulating it to intentionally induce audio feedback. The performer does not simply write code and speak; they also performs by controlling the spatial position of their own voice and by using megaphone to spatially control the occurrence of feedback.
Engelbart’s demo was later described by journalist Steven Levy as “the mother of all demos” in 1990s; however, this phrase—“the mother of all XX”—originated from an English translation of Saddam Hussein’s statement at the start of the Gulf War—“The mother of all battles has started”—which became a meme through American news coverage. Demonstrations today have become polarized into either direct political action or pure appeals for linear technological progress.
Engelbart’s research can be traced back to “As We May Think,”3 an essay published by Vannevar Bush just before the end of World War II (more specifically, one month before the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki), which is considered the founding text of research on human intelligence augmentation. Bush felt that, with the end of the war in sight, humanity would face increasingly complex problems and therefore needed to become smarter. However, the demonstration presented by Engelbart ultimately obscured the “what” and “why” behind the technology, focusing purely on showcasing what it could do.
In this performance, the performer attempt to re-politicize the significance of “showing code”—long considered a virtue in live coding4 —by reflecting on the history of how the term “demonstration” has been depoliticized.
In live coding, there is the issue that the audience does not necessarily understand the meaning of all the code. In the latter half of the performance, the performer demonstrates that the symbols (variable names) linked to sounds are arbitrary—for example, by mechanically replacing the function name “kick” with “bullet” while showing that the code continues to function unchanged. Subsequently, the performer rewrites the definition of the sound associated with “bullet” to produce a sound clearly unrelated to “bullet,” thereby demonstrating that even without understanding the meaning of all the code, a narrative can still be established through the correspondence between the code and the sound.
Technically, this performance actively utilizes real-time rewriting of low-level signal processing—a feat that would be difficult to achieve without the live coding functionality of mimium (of which the author is also a developer). Previously, the author has attempted performances involving similar audio feedback using languages such as ChucK and Faust5; however, with existing languages, issues such as audio dropouts and the reset of delay and reverb tails occurred when swapping signal processing instances. mimium’s live coding feature addresses these issues by performing differential analysis of the function call tree, allowing instances to be swapped while preserving their internal states as much as possible, thereby achieving a natural transition without audio dropouts.
Through these technical elements, this work presents a sound performance combining dialogue reading and audio signal processing that differs significantly from musical expression using existing MIDI or other note-based languages.
The performance is scheduled to last approximately 25 minutes (subject to some variation depending on the schedule).
3. Video and/or Audio Material
The reading in the past performance has done in Japanese but I will speak in English in this time.
4. Program Note
音楽プログラミング言語mimiumを用いた「デモンストレーション」についての、リーディング/サウンドパフォーマンス。 デモンストレーションとは何かを提示することであり、それは政治的な直接行動を意味することもあり、一方で技術的発展をアピールするために用いられることもある。 このパフォーマンスでは、ダグラス・エンゲルバートに代表される技術的デモンストレーションが脱政治化されてきた歴史を振り返りながら、それをライブコーディングにおけるコードを見せることの美学と接続し、技術的デモンストレーションの再政治化を試みる。 パフォーマンスは、マイクロフォンで拾われる朗読の音声をリアルタイムで意図的にオーディオフィードバックを起こしながら、それを制御することで実行される。
A reading/sound performance about “demonstrations” using the sound programming language mimium. A demonstration is an act of presenting something; it can signify direct political action, while at the same time it is sometimes used to showcase technological advancements. In this performance, while reflecting on the history of how technical demonstrations—as exemplified by Douglas Engelbart—have become depoliticized, the performer tries to connect this to the aesthetics of revealing code in live coding and attempt to repoliticize technical demonstrations. The performance is executed by intentionally inducing real-time audio feedback from the voice being read aloud, captured by a microphone, and controlling that feedback.
5. Artist(s) Biography
Matsuura Tomoya/松浦知也 is SoundMaker: who makes a sound, makes instruments to make a sound, and makes environments to make the instruments. He calls his own research area “Civil Engineering of Music”, which designs socio-technical infrastructure around sound and music critically through practices. He develops “mimium” a programming language for music(2019~), and does performances with “Exidiophone”, an electro-acoustic instrument that makes sound with only an audio-feedback.
Ph.D in Design. He is born in 1994 at Chigasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. Graduated Department of Music in Tokyo University of the Arts and Graduate School of Design, Kyushu University.
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ICLC 2027 – Technical Requirements
Live Performances
1. General Information
1.1 What setting is the performance intended for?
Concert setting with seated audience will be preferred but moving/exploring audience are also okay(maybe some interesting intervention to audio feedback will happen).
Any lighting setting is okay if the characters on screen are clearly visible.
1.2 How many performers will be in the performance?
1
1.3 Are you open to being paired with another performer?
Basically no(I will show my text editor for code and dialogue texts, if the visual performer does not affect to the visibility of those texts that maybe okay)
1.4 Will your performance require technical support during the set?
No but maybe some discussion needed with sound operator if the compressor/limiter of main console significantly prevents system from inducing audio feedback
2. Materials Needed
VIDEO
2.1 What are your projection needs?
1 1920x1080 HDMI output
Basically I want to mirror my entire screen. If sub-screen/display is available, I will use for displaying dialogue text window.
AUDIO
2.2 How many input channels on the mixing console do you need?
2ch XLR
2.3 Do you require a microphone? If so, how many microphones does your performance need?
I use 2 channel microphone placed close to the table but they will be connected directly to my audio interface.
2.4 Do you require a monitor, either over headphones or otherwise?
want to discuss on the time of rehearsal, because I use controlled audio feedback from main speaker to microphones. The volume of monitor speaker will significantly affects to temporal quality of output.
2.5 Are you bringing your own audio interface?
Yes(I will use RME Babyface Pro)
OTHER
2.6 How much table/floor space will you need for your performance? How many chairs?
1 table for putting laptop, audio interface and megaphone
2.7 Do you need an internet connection during the performance?
No
2.8 Anything else you need?
1 boom microphone stand will be helpful.
Footnotes
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Vannevar Bush. 1979. As we may think. SIGPC Note. 1, 4 (Spring 1979), 36–44. https://doi.org/10.1145/1113634.1113638 ↩
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Wang, Ge, and Romain Michon. “FAUCK‼ HYBRIDIZING THE FAUST AND CHUCK AUDIO PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES.” Sound and Music Computing Conference (SMC-16) (Hamburg, Germany), August 2016, 310–13. https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03162895. The author had previously performed with fauck in Algorave Tokyo August 2018. ↩