Exercices d’étrangeté III Mycorrhizia by Sandeep Bhagwati

Abstract

Exercices d’étrangeté III Mycorrhizia is an explorative work at the convergence of music, technology, and visual art. Its central feature is a digitally generated score projected onto the floor between musicians, utilising a cloth patterned with a custom mycelium-dye procedure as the projection surface. This visual backdrop symbolises interconnectedness, with musicians wearing vests made from the same cloth. The score’s projection metaphorically simulates the exchange of bio-chemical information in mycelial networks using icons derived from mycelium images. These icons move around the space, triggering specific musical gestures and shaping the overall musical form, offering a new approach to ensemble composition where communication and coordination among musicians evolve dynamically. In addition to the main movements, the work incorporates interlude movements featuring large-scale cellular automata simulations of mycelial growth, influencing musicians’ improvisation through comprovisation scores. This unpredictability adds spontaneity to the performance, enhancing the immersive experience for both performers and audiences. The potential for the score to become interactive introduces further possibilities, with the mycelial network responding to musical behaviors as if they were external influences, offering avenues for novel forms of interconnected musical growth.