A collaboration between ICST and the Immersive Arts Space at ZHdK

The Immersive Arts Space (IASpace) provides a platform for exploring the artistic potential of state-of-the-art technologies in architectural design, virtual and augmented reality. IASpace combines skills and contributions from a multitude of creative practices present at ZHdK including film, computer music, dance, theater, interaction design, and game design. IA Space provides support and facilities for conducting research projects, realizing artistic productions, and providing educational activities.

This year’s Immersive Arts residency aims at highlighting relations between auditory spatial immersion and architectural design.
While architectural design and music composition obviously both explore spatial, temporal and social situations, the current residency concentrates on possible intertwinements of architectural strategies with sound and music. These relations can be thought of as constructed by means of visualization or materialization, such as architectural forms or models for instance. Models as well as scores, both representational techniques, can either be thought of as descriptive or prescriptive. Accordingly, the work at the intersection of architectural design and music composition can develop in several possible directions:

• sound unfolding into virtual constructions (modeled architecture or abstract form).
• virtual architectural models as means to design or compose sound.
• musical representations organizing spatial or temporal architectural form.

These approaches are open to a large variety of aesthetics and concepts related to composition, sound-art and sound design. The outcome of the residency should both be physically presented at the Immersive Arts Space and in a purely virtual form.

This call for residency is aimed specifically at a team of two people consisting of a sound artist/composer and a person working in the field of computational design or architecture; however, individuals can also apply.
Residents will be given access to and support in the use of the technical infrastructure of the IA Space. This includes a large-scale motion capture system, a multichannel surround audio system and a spatial multi-projector system. If needed, residents can use tools and concepts specifically designed at ICST for spatial-audio computational design. 

Application
The residency is intended for tech-savvy artists who have already acquired some expertise in working with hard- and software for architectural design and sonification and who are interested in working with sound spatialization, video mapping, cloud point and fabrication.
The IASpace offers a wide range of possibilities for the generative, visual and sonic part of projects. As the means for the material part (fabrication) are limited, big and expensive undertakings cannot be fully realized in the ZHdK’s infrastructure. So, in such cases it is recommended that applicants organize the required means independently.  
Candidates will submit a conceptual idea to be realized in the course of the residency. A selective portfolio will document an artistic practice linking sound and form in relation to the above-mentioned technologies.

Course of the residency
The residency’s maximum duration is three weeks.

Demonstration and Event
The results will be presented and discussed within a presentation, demonstration or performance at the end of the residency. If there is mutual interest, efforts will be undertaken to make a public performance possible.

Support
Residents will receive support from Olivier Pasquet (ICST researcher in spatial computing composition) and Eric Larrieux (Immersive Arts Space).
Also, basic technical and project-specific support will be provided during the residency. Nevertheless, the ability to work autonomously in a complex technical environment is a prerequisite. Especially for an eventual complex fabrication part.