Research at the ZHdK
Following on from the November issue, this issue focuses on the research departments at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), highlighting their versatility.
MvO - In the course of establishing research at the universities of applied sciences, the ZHdK has intensified its research activities. Seven institutes and two independent research focuses are primarily active in the field of artistic research, including cultural mediation and musicology. The beginnings of research at the ZHdK date back to the 1990s, when Daniel Fueter, then Director of the Conservatory and the Zurich University of Music, took up the subject and pursued it with a group of like-minded people. Even back then, it became clear that the area that Gerald Bennett was responsible for (in addition to his founding activities for IRCAM in Paris, he was also co-founder of the Swiss Center for Computer Music) could be a unique selling point for the future ZHdK. This subsequently led to the founding of the Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology (ICST), which researches music in the context of new technologies. Individual focal points soon emerged more and more clearly. The ZHdK's research projects are funded by national institutions such as the SNSF and innosuisse (formerly CTI), by private foundations or by the EU, or are collaborations with universities, the ETH, universities of applied sciences, other research institutions and business partners.
It is in the nature of things that research at ICST is particularly interdisciplinary and has an enormous range of aspects, both scientific and artistic. Some examples from the current project catalog are presented below.
The field of audio haptics investigates the relevance of vibrations via haptic feedback in instruments for the accuracy of music-making. To this end, the ICST has carried out perception studies and experimental investigations, which have led to the question of what electronic musical instruments could look like in the future and what improvements haptic feedback could enable. As little systematic research has been carried out in this area to date, the findings of the ICST are all the more important, especially as Stefano Papetti and his group have been able to present them in publications and at international conferences.
Research in the field of interfaces has now also produced usable results. The starting point was the SABRe project, about a bass clarinet enhanced with sensors, which initially developed into a start-up company that was able to launch the SABRe Multi Sensor on the market at the beginning of March. This is a modular system with various sensors, which can now not only be used for clarinets and saxophones, but can also be mounted on numerous objects.
The project Trees, Making Ecophysiological Processes Audible and the follow-up project Sounding Soil are about researching natural sounds and their relevance for understanding ecosystems. On the one hand, sound installations can be used to sensitize people, and on the other, the interface between art and science can be experienced. The scientific aspect is being investigated in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Research (WSL) and the ETH.
The ICST also addresses the questions of communication, experience and the possibilities of new technologies. What significance does a telematic environment have for the music (performance), what does a telematic performance look like, how can new technologies be used so that musicians can play together without having to be in the same room? What are the opportunities and problems that arise from a time delay? The institute is developing tools to understand and apply these phenomena. Another topic is games. The focus here is on the question of how gaming strategies can be integrated into musical compositions and performances and what influence they have on musicians and audiences.
The works of Anton Webern are an important focus of research in the field of musical interpretation. As the analysis of a performative interpretation of 20th century music has hardly any tradition in interpretation research, the question of a performance theory of dodecaphonic music or rules for its performance practice (for example in questions of tempo or intonation) is of great importance. In the area of the older history of interpretation, basso continuo realizations of the 19th and 20th centuries are under discussion. The research department also focuses on the history of music in Zurich, including the complete edition by Erich Schmid, as well as research into the life and work of Stefi Geyer and Adolf Busch and the management of Fritz Muggler's extensive tape collection.
The ZHdK Department of Music's research focus on musical interpretation also includes music physiology, which enjoys an international reputation. Research is carried out, for example, in the field of stage fright and stage competence and on the prevention and overcoming of severe strain and misalignments when playing string instruments, piano or percussion. The Zurich Musician's Hand Center (ZZM), also known as the Hand Laboratory, also belongs to the field of music physiology. Here, biomechanical measurements are carried out and consultations are offered, which record and help to minimize the various stress factors of a musician. This alone shows how broad the field is, ranging from physiology to neuropsychology.
One aim of research at the ZHdK is to achieve a greater transfer between research and teaching. Even if not all practitioners are currently showing a great deal of interest in research, the results of research are increasingly being incorporated into teaching thanks to the courses for Bachelor's and Master's students. However, this connection should be strengthened and possible synergies better utilized. Dominik Sackmann's reader on historical performance practice is a good example of this. Music physiology is just as firmly anchored in teaching, as can be seen from the fact that a chinrest model called Zuerich was presented on the basis of a recently completed SNSF research project on individually suitable violin positions at the ZHdK. With its various height and angle settings, this allows different individual head positions, even while playing, in order to prevent fatigue. ICST research is also closely linked to practice, because in addition to experimental research, all areas of research require interaction with composers and performers, and some researchers are also lecturers. The potential of the latter research has meant that the repertoire of electronic music has become much more present at the ZHdK, the offerings for Master's and Bachelor's students in the field have become more numerous and interest in live electronics is growing among lecturers and students, so that the repertoire is finding an increasingly natural place in teaching.
In contrast to university musicology, the main subject of research at the ZHdK is sound and its production, working with sounds or sound history. And Dominik Sackmann is convinced that this research is of great importance for the entire Department of Music because it can change it. Research stimulates active curiosity, which is enormously important for a university. Especially in a place where interpretation is taught, it must also be possible to raise the question of incompetent or incomplete interpretation. However, this can only be uncovered and corrected if research provides contemporary answers and possibilities. In this way, research can become an engine for keeping interpretations up to date with the state of knowledge. And this understanding should also be transferred to the students, to the next generation of artists who are open and curious - but ultimately also to the lecturers.
ICST also adopts this perspective, in the knowledge that we communicate differently due to new media technologies and always have new channels for exchanging information, which sometimes radically changes our lives. Art is eminently important here because it takes on the critical function of considering how these technologies are changing us and how they influence the creation and reception of art. It is not about creating even more gadgets, but about recognizing the opportunities and risks of technological innovations in the field of artistic production.
Challenge and goals
Research at the ZHdK would like to get even closer to practice, become even more visible and be more closely intertwined with the degree programs. One day, research at an art academy should be a natural part of the curriculum. However, the question remains as to how this can be financed and how the third-party funding quota can be achieved. There is also the question of where the next generation of academics will come from one day. The structural problem lies in the fact that Swiss art academies are not yet able to offer their own PhD programs, but this would be important for the next generation and distinguishes Switzerland from other countries where the art academies have a third cycle due to their university status. Fortunately, the Department of Music at the ZHdK can help itself with intensive cooperation with the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz.
Another challenge of research is the goal of maintaining independence in the choice of methods and content. This is particularly relevant with regard to the competition for third-party funding and requires the creation of understanding in the scientific community. The research departments must succeed in making their concerns clear. Cooperation can also be important for this. The ICST is a major magnet for cooperation with other relevant institutes in the field. Either way, it is important to maintain good contacts between the music universities.
> icst.net
> www.zhdk.ch/forschungsschwerpunkt-musikalische-interpretation-1414
