Dr Nikos Stavropoulos (Leeds Beckett University): ‘The Material Agency of Acoustic Space’
This talk suggests a compositional approach which considers acoustic space as material in the construction of acousmatic works and introduces the notion of aural micro-space, an acoustic space whose aural architecture is not accessible unless it is mediated by recording technology. The methods discussed here are an attempt to unify spatiomorphology and spectromorphology in the collection, processing and organisation of sound materials and propose the extension of the acousmatic ethos to the development of the spatial attributes of the work.
Nikos Stavropoulos (Athens, Greece, 1975) is a composer of predominantly acousmatic and mixed music. He read music at the University of Wales (Bangor, Wales, UK), where he studied composition with Andrew Lewis and completed a doctorate at the University of Sheffield (England, UK) under the supervision of Adrian Moore. His music is performed and broadcast regularly around the world and has been awarded internationally on several occasions. His practice is concerned with notions of tangibility and immersivity in acousmatic experiences and the articulation of acoustic space, in the pursuit of probable aural impossibilities. Since 2006, he has been a member of the Music, Sound & Performance Group at Leeds Beckett University (Leeds, England, UK), where he is a Professor in Composition and lectures on Electroacoustic Music. He is a founding member of the Echochroma New Music Research Group, a member of the British ElectroAcoustic Network (BEAN) and the Hellenic Electroacoustic Music Composers Association (HELMCA).