Experimentation and beyond in music

The University of Aveiro and the School of Music and the Performing Arts (Polytechnic of Porto), in association with Casa da Música, the Performance Studies Network, the Portuguese Society for Research in Music and the XPERIMUS project, will host a research forum on experimentation in music on 15–16 April 2022 at Casa da Música in Porto.

Experimentation in music is particularly challenging to define and pinpoint, as its underlying concepts and methods can be identified in artistic creation and performance in general. The designation can also encompass a wide range of perspectives, which this forum aims to address and discuss: its association with specific historical and research contexts, the role of technology, the ecology and ideological contents of its processes and outputs, and its intersection with artistic research.

Submission Guidelines

Proposals can be submitted through EasyChair by 24:00 Central European Time (CET) on 22 January 2022, and should include information on: background; research questions; aims; content description; and artistic and/or research significance.

Presentation formats include:

• Individual presentations (spoken): 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of discussion.
• Individual or short group presentations including performance: 35 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of discussion.
• Collective sessions: 90 minutes in total, including discussion. This format can include spoken presentations (panel), or integrate spoken and performative content.

For individual presentations, and individual or group presentations including performance, a proposal of c. 500 words should be submitted; in the case of collective sessions, the proposal should be c. 1,000 words. No names or other identifying information should appear on proposals.

Proposals should identify AV requirements (Mac or PC, sound, projection) and special requests for space/equipment for performance during the presentation. Our venue has excellent facilities in terms of instruments, AV equipment and technical support, but we cannot guarantee that all requirements can be addressed. Please send any inquiries regarding this issue to xperimus@ua.pt.

Authors will be notified of the review results by February 28, 2022.

Topics

Proposals are invited for individual/group presentations and collective sessions, on topics addressing experimentation in musical creation and performance. We welcome contributions addressing the following themes:

• experimental cross/multi/inter- and transdisciplinary methodologies and modes of presentation
• historical perspectives on experimental contexts, practitioners and creative outputs
• theoretical perspectives on musical experimentation
• case studies addressing current experimental contexts and practices
• autoethnographic and collective autoethnographic outlooks on experimentation
• experimentation as a device in contemporary performative creation

Venue

The conference will be held at Casa da Música (Porto - Portugal).

Contact

Please send inquiries to: xperimus@ua.pt