Breaking Out: The Trip Back

Thorington, Helen

2005

Contemporary Music Review 24(6): 445-458.

Language: English

In this article, the author discusses how sound was used in early Turbulence Internet works (1996 -1998) and musical collaborations distributed between multiple physical performance venues (1998 - 1999). Focusing on the open composition, the article addresses the challenges of Internet-based musical interaction, including asynchronous time, lag and technical glitches. The latter part of the article focuses on the advent of mobile devices and wireless networks and the migration of computing out of the desktop computer into the physical world, and the resulting changes in musical experience. As composers and non-composers encourage active ‘audience' participation in the realization of the work, the accepted nature of performance is called into question and a shifting relationship between the artist (composer), artwork (composition) and audience is introduced.