This is a preliminary document collecting references for the ICMA Workgroup on Interaction and Performance.
Version on August/05/02 by M. Wanderley
Interaction & Performance targets current trends in the design and development of interactive systems which virtually includes all types of devices and systems which a human interacts with. In the music context, it talks about three types of interaction: the Performer-System interaction (e.g. a musician manipulating an electrical instrument), the System-Audience interaction (e.g. interactive installations), and the Performer-System-Audience interaction (Bongers1999).
The interaction between performer and system, usually takes place by means of an interface or instrument. The interface is part of the system or machine and consists of the sensors and actuators. Sensors are the sense organs of a machine. Through its sensing inputs, a machine can communicate with its environment and therefore be controlled. Machine output takes place through actuators, such as a loudspeaker. In the case of new electronic musical instruments, like the Theremin, the Lady’s Glove, the T-Stick, the Yamaha Miburi, the Reactable, mapping algorithms and sound synthesizers also contributes to the system performance.
The interaction between system and audience, frequently involves the audience acting on the work of art or the piece responding to users’ activity, via interactive installations. There are several kinds of interactive installations that artists produce, including the CDROM-based installations, web-based installations, mobile-based installations, etc. One sound example is the Interaction Chair.
In the Performer-System-Audience interaction, both the artist and the audience are active parts of the interactive loop and the performer communicates to the audience through the system besides the direct interaction between them.
Concepts to consider (Wanderley&Orio2002):