A04 Musical Polyphony as Experimental Sociality
Processes of separation and division, power games, negotiations and refusals are not merely depicted in music, but are actually embedded within the practice of polyphony itself. This makes polyphony an important component of artistic intervention in social space. Focusing on the practice of contemporary experimental music, music theatre, and sound art, this research project uses an updated concept of polyphony – one that adopts a critical attitude and is emancipated from tonal structures, with the infrastructure of collectives a central research question. Both subprojects deal with polyphony’s potential for intervention, starting from two converging perspectives: the organization of space at the intersections of contemporary music and sound art (Time-Space Polyphony: Sound Architecture as Social Intervention - SP 1) and the role of social and artistic practices in special ensembles for contemporary and experimental music (Sound-Body Polyphony: The Musical Ensemble as Interventional Medium of Compositional Practice - SP 2). Collective artistic practices as well as the architecture of sound are each conceived of as socialities that both essentially experience their respective specific imprints and interventionalist dynamics from polyphonic organization.
Head of Project
Prof. Dr. Ariane Jeßulat (SP 1)
Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Jasmina Samssuli (SP 2)
Dr. Tom Rojo Poller (SP 2, until March 31, 2023)