MIDI Gesamtkunstwerk and a schema for creative design

Abstract

"MIDI Gesamtkunstwerk and a Schema for Creative Design" formulates a model for creative thought and examines its impact when applied to the making of art. Use of the Schema as a system of design has propelled my work from sculpture to multimedia performance, specifically under computer control. :MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is proposed as a solution to multimedia performance as Gesamtkunstwerk, with examples from my own experience and research. The Schema for Creative Design derives from and cross-pollinates three systems: I) William Glasser's theories of perception; 2) semiotic theory as formulated by Umberto Eco and others; and 3) Lowry Burgess' "Tools for Thought." The model makes conscious use of subconscious processes to exploit them in stimulating expanded and unique creative thought. The use of MIDI to create a unique interaction between media is postulated as modem "Gesamtkunstwerk." Gesamtkunstwerk is a term associated with composer Richard Wagner's music-dramas of the 19th century. It characterized not only a performance mode, but also a philosophical orientation. This thesis considers a contemporary version of this philosophy as influenced by the changes in available media and methods of interaction. Because MIDI can interface physical objects, electronics, lighting, sound and special effects into a single score, composition and orchestration elements can be conveniently recorded, replayed, rehearsed and refmed. The data from a MIDI light board, MIDI mix board, and MIDI synthesizer are interchangeable. The artist has immediate access to sound, light, and video image. Specific intermedia control is a unique development which allows exact timing to program convincing intermedia gesture. Computer-control over the various media enables the artist to perfect performance similar to the way film is edited for maximum effect, and brings the ideal Gesamtkunstwerk - all the artforms working together toward a common expression - closer to realization. A MIDI Gesamtkunstwerk was attempted in the performance the "midicube." The MIDI-ized media performers are members of the evolving "MIDI Robot Orchestra," hybrid objects developed from preexisting items, such as toys and tools, that usually produce sounds. The sounds are underscored by hybrid digital samples. The Macintosh computer records and plays back the code to form a precise musical ensemble. MIDI Gesamtkunstwerk considers practical aspects of scored multimedia performance, proposes a computer-controlled intermedia studio and discusses the advantages and limitations of a MIDI modified system. Concepts of deconstructed forms, reconstruction via permutation and the conflicted tension of the hybrid object also figure into the realization of MIDI Gesamtkunstwerk.