Command; Improvise explores the process of musical and movement improvisation between man and machine.
From a human perspective, improvisation can be described as the creative process in which immediate musical composition takes form. It touches upon the inner source of creativity by intertwining the individual's musical and technical experiences with their subjectivity, unconscious mind, and spontaneous ability to compose in the present moment. The human experience of improvisation has often been philosophically described as the self "not doing anything," but rather following an already existing, internal dictation. William Blake described the process as "melting apparent surfaces away and displaying the infinite which was hid."
From a non-human perspective, improvisation is a consequence of algorithmic processing and data-driven decisions. The robot does not make decisions based on emotions or intuition, but rather by analysing musical data and identifying patterns and rules. The robot can perform repetitive and complex musical patterns with a precision and speed that is difficult for human musicians to match. At the same time, and this is crucial to the core of the project, the robot's improvisation is not isolated. It interacts with human musicians and responds to their ideas. This creates a dynamic and surprising musical dialogue that would not be possible without the robot's participation. The non-human aspect challenges and complements human creativity, resulting in a symbiosis of technology and human art that opens new doors for musical exploration and experience. With Command; Improvise, we explore not only the boundaries of music but also the boundaries of how humans and machines can collaborate creatively. We explore how technology can become an extension of human improvisation, rather than a replacement for it, and create a poetic experience where mechanics and the mystics of human subconsciousness collaborate and create something greater than the sum of each part. Command;Improvise raises questions about art, technology, and humanity in the age of technology through the power of music to unite and challenge.
Funded by The Swedish Arts Council and the City of Malmö. Premiere at Inkonst, November 19 2024.
Parvaneh means butterfly in Farsi and is a common name for women in Iran. The piece is a reflection of the metamorphosis of female liberation and is dedicated to the lost lives of all the brave women who have spoken out for their rights in Iran. It also serves as a reminder of the butterfly effect - the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can results in large differences in a later stage. The death of Jina Mahsa Amini in 2022 had a ripple effect on the world and gave rise to the first ever global feminist revolution.
Parvaneh is the joint creation of composer Vincent Bahar and ballet dancer and choreographer Vivian Assal Koohnavard for Staatsballett Berlin. It is also part of Next Generation - an innovative project that provide a few of the academy’s dancers with the opportunity to express their creative visions, contributing to the dynamic and evolving landscape of contemporary ballet.