INSTRACT
Exploring Instrumental Agency in Contemporary Viola and Viola d'Amore Practices
Marco Fusi (responsable de projet) professeur assistant en recherche artistique HEMU-Vaud, Guillaume Bourgogne professeur associé HEMU-Vaud, Scott McLaughlin professeur associé en composition et technologie musicale Université de Leeds, Timothy McCormack professeur assistant en composition UCSD San Diego, Diana Rothaug conférencière Bärenreiter, Amadeus Regucera conservateur EMPAC, Peter Dejans directeur de l'institut Orpheus.
InstrAct seeks to propose a first modelisation of the agency of musical instruments in the field of contemporary classical music, focusing on the ways two different instruments, the viola and viola d’amore, “participate” in the conception of new musical works and to the shaping of their interpretations. By leveraging the contrasting histories and characteristics of the viola, a staple of classical music, and the viola d’amore, which lacks the same historical dissemination and performative standardisation, the project provides an opportunity to explore two different ranges of physical, technical, and historical affordances.
The project draws its theoretical foundations from concepts derived by ecological psychology and Actor-Network Theory, and it is developed through methodologies and tools belonging to the field of artistic research. It combines music analysis, development of case studies (new composition in collaboration with composers Tim McCormack and Scott McLaughlin), documentation of creative process, experimentation within the community of HEMU’s faculty and students, and guided autoethnography of participants, with the aim to present a researched modelisation of instrumental affordances’ interactions.
Foreseen outputs include new compositions, recordings, performances at international festivals, open access documentation, and scholarly publications, a comprehensive handbook on viola techniques (published by Bärenreiter), and educational outputs at HEMU.
Financement: Fonds stratégique HES-SO, HEMU, Université de Leeds, UCSD San Diego, Bärenreiter, EMPAC, Institut Orpheus
01.02.2025 - 01-02 2026