Yichen Wang PhD Presentation: Beyond Mapping
- Date: Tuesday 8 April 2025
- Time: 11:00am
- Venue: N101 Seminar Room, Ground Floor, Skaidrite Darius Building 108.
PhD researcher Yichen Wang will deliver her Oral Presentation on Tuesday 8 April 2025 at 11:00am in N101 Seminar Room, Ground Floor Skaidrite Darius Building 108. All welcome!
Title: Beyond Mapping: Exploring Spatial Musical Interface Design with Augmented Reality
Abstract:
In recent years, emerging technologies have driven new possibilities for musical performance, collaboration, and co-creativity. Spatial musical interfaces, in particular, have gained attention as a way to shape and enhance musical experiences through head-mounted augmented reality (AR) systems. In digital musical instrument design, the “mapping” has long served as a foundational framework for systematically connecting user actions to sonic outcomes. While this approach offers clarity and precision, it can also restrict creative exploration by imposing rigid structures on performance and limiting the dynamic relationship between performers, audiences, and technology. Spatial interfaces, particularly those enabled by head-mounted AR systems, present a promising avenue to address these constraints, introducing new forms of embodied engagement and collaboration that expand our conception of mapping.
In this presentation, I will discuss three projects that progressively explore spatial musical interfaces in augmented reality. These projects include: a first-person musician experience (cube), collaborations with other musicians (arMIDI), and musical co-creation with an intelligent agent (off-the-shelf). Together, these projects highlight the evolving interplay between human and digital elements, illustrating how AR can foster novel audio experiences and enhance musical interaction.
By examining these projects, this research contributes new insights into spatial musical interface design, demonstrating how AR enriches established mapping practices. In doing so, it also reflects on emerging perspectives that emphasise fluid relationships between performers, technology, and creative expression, supporting human creativity in diverse contexts.