Closing concert OdeGand - Ways of [ ]

What does it mean to be human in a world in which we have to relate to other forms of intelligence? Audiovisual artist and composer Zeno van den Broek asks that question at a time when artificial intelligence is developing rapidly. With Ways of [ ] , he creates an audiovisual composition that therefore feels more urgent than ever. Van den Broek brings people and machines together in one musical and visual experience in Ways of [ ] . He composed the piece for two musical groups – HIIIT and Percussions de Strasbourg – and for four digital 'musicians': self-playing percussion machines that both perform independently and react live to the human percussionists. To train these digital entities musically, Van den Broek fed their algorithms with rhythms from industrial history: think of steam engines, looms, and other mechanical systems. In this way, the digital players learn, just like humans, from their predecessors and from their musical environment. Ways of [ ] is an audiovisual composition that feels like the emergence of a new kind of shared intelligence. You see and hear how the digital and human musicians learn to understand each other: first somewhat searching, then increasingly fluid. In three largely improvised parts, the players discover their own voice, and eventually find a shared musical language. With Ways of [ ] , Van den Broek invites us to reflect on what intelligence is exactly, and on what defines us as humans.