Alan Ahued Naime
Plasticity of Sound
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Music only exist in time and memory
Music is the sequence of organised sounds (and silences) in time.
It also exists in memory because we can recreate sounds in our brain.
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​With a background in music composition and multimedia art my work often stands in the space where sound/music and other disciplines meet. As a composer I'm in a constant search for ways of expanding both perception and expressive possibilities of music. After some time composing instrumental and electroacoustic music, I decided to begin a research on composing for fixed media in space. Unlike regular electroacoustic and/or spatial music, here the music is not moving around the audience, but the other way around. In this space, sound is constant and the listener is the one that moves through it.
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The "Plasticity of Sound" is a creative research that explores the idea to emancipate music from the element of duration, trying to reach a ‘new’ way of sonic perception. My project delves into the possibility of perceiving music as a plastic medium. In simple terms, I create site-specific sculptural spaces where several audio sources play small fragments of a full music composition. Similar to the way we approach a sculpture, visitors can walk through the space at their own speed, forward or backwards, and even stop at any section for a deep listening. In this way, sound (music) is always there and the listener becomes time itself along the composition.
Projects:
Research:
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The Plasticity of Sound is a large-scale project worthy of a few years of research so I am tackling small fragments of the concept in order to be able to experiment, learn, present, and further develop the idea. The research is led by a series of creative exercises where I experiment with the different elements that I consider important to address. Such elements include visual, acoustic, and musical aspects that will enrich a full experience of the piece.
In addition, I am highly interested in exploring how far this project can reach in terms of social engagement. An important reason for me to do art and music is to create the circumstances for people to reflect about their relationship with themselves and their close ones. I aim to create (sound) art and music that fosters social engagement with both communities and individuals.
I am currently searching for support to perform a full research on the project, there is much to develop in its musical, visual, acoustic, perceptive, and emotional possibilities.
For more information, please contact me.
Sculptural space
This is the concept of creating the space needed for playing "plastic" compositions. With every presentation the space needs to be adapted, and in order not to stop experimenting, prototypes of the space have been built in different dimensions. In addition to physical exhibitions, I have created a virtual reality and a digital platform that enables me to test the composition without the need of assembling the full setup. In addition to the musical aspect, experimentation on materials, acoustics, and perception are still to explore.
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White corridor (15m)
Overhead setup (45m)
Industrial setting (5m)
Virtual Reality (30m)
First tests (7m)