Interdisciplinary artist Grayson Ava

Queering the score: reimagining western art music practices through 3-dimensional tactile notational agents

This artistic research project is the continuation of the development of a series of 3-dimensional, materially-focused tactile musical scores that are interpreted via touch. I refer to these scores as ‘notational agents’ to highlight the importance of their physicality and reframe their instrumentality in influencing musical performance. I carry out this work with the purpose of critically addressing colonially- and canonically-relevant challenges regarding the creation, interpretation, and realisation of musical works within western practices and traditions. By reinterpreting the 'reading' of a score with fingers or tongue—and by working with materials that are meant to change and break down over time—a shift is created in the way in which a musical work is conceptualized, interpreted, and performed. With this approach, embodiment becomes a key underlying way of knowing in all stages of music-making. This development of these notational agents relies primarily on the approach of vital materialism. Emerging design research also plays a substantial role, specifically theories of affordance and CMF (colour, material, and finish) design. The goal of this residency is to deeply explore the potential of bioplastics and other biodegradable materials for the creation of these scores.