4 boxes by Anna Xambó @ MusAI Conference (November 27, 2022)

Performing Critical AI I: feedback, noise, corpus, code. MusAI conference, Cafe OTO, London, UK. November 27, 2022.

Cafe OTO (November 27, 2022). Photo by Anna Xambó.

About the event

Attached to the European Research Council-funded project Music and AI: Building Critical Interdisciplinary Studies led by Prof Georgina Born, this is the first of two concerts within the MusAI Conference showcasing artist-researchers experimenting with AI and complex systems models. The concert will explore live coding algorithms, ensemble improvisation, biologically-inspired feedback systems, and corpus hacking.

This session will include three sets:

  • Feedback Cell (Chris Kiefer and Alice Eldridge) featuring Ollie Bown
  • Anna Xambó
  • P.A. Tremblay and Owen Green

The performances will be followed by open Q & A and discussion with the artists curated by Christopher Haworth about how and why the artists are using AI/machine learning.

Further information

Description

The performance consists of a live coding session using the self-built SuperCollider extensions MIRLCa, MIRLCRep2 and MIRLCRew2 and a DIY box.

The session presents a new seasonal site-specific piece, 4 boxes. The piece combines personal sound samples with crowdsourced sound samples from Freesound that are manipulated in a live coding fashion combined with live sound from a physical black wooden box.

The piece uses machine listening techniques (e.g. onsets, beat detection, frequency detection) combined with the use of machine learning techniques (e.g. a binary MLP classifier to classify the sounds from Freesound based on timbre and K-Means for clustering personal sounds also based on timbre).

Audio / Video

Video

4 Boxes at Cafe OTO by Anna Xambó (live coder)
Discussion with Anna Xambó, Owen Green, Pierre Alexandre Tremblay, Alice Eldridge, Chris Kiefer, and Ollie Bown, moderated by Christopher Howarth

Audio (Rehearsal)

Anna Xambó · 4 boxes @ Cafe OTO Rehearsal (27.11.2022)

Sound Credit List (Source: Freesound.org):

Acknowledgments

I am thankful to Georgina Born, Artemi-Maria Gioti, Oliver Bown, Christopher Haworth and Owen Green for the opportunity to perform at the MusAI conference with special thanks to Oliver Bown and Christopher Haworth for co-organising the event. Many thanks to Willie and Ogni from Cafe OTO for their support during the day. Thank you to Ben, Bruno and Alex for filming the event. Last but not least, I’m grateful to Gerard Roma for his constant help and support.