Approaching the new : a center for the research and performance of contemporary music

Abstract

This thesis examines the idea that the spatial experience of a place can make the activity of being in the presence of a new art form more understandable, more meaningful and more powerful. The premise is that contemporary art is significant for it reflects the goals and spirit of an era, and that it is important for us all to be conscious of and to participate in that spirit. The vehicle for this thesis is the design of a center for the research and performance of contemporary music. It is a place where researchers can study , composers compose, musicians perform and audience observe. And here, each of these individuals will experience a new form of an old art. The form and the experience of moving through the building is intended to bring these individuals, especially the audience, closer to the experience of the new.