Sonic Speculations

Gastvortrag Gerhard Eckel

In this guest lecture, I will introduce my most recent composition, Speculator, a work for electroacoustically extended doublebass. This piece was specifically composed for and premiered at the Speculative Sound Synthesis Symposium held in Graz in September 2024. Alongside showcasing the creative process behind Speculator, I will delve into the broader practice that informed its development – an approach deeply connected to my collaborative work with Ludvig Elblaus in our duo, utrumque (utrumque.com). Since 2018, utrumque has cultivated a shared methodology for both composition and performance. Our journey began with an exploration of room-scale acoustic feedback as a foundational element and has since evolved to encompass complex systems more broadly. These systems are navigated and shaped using custom-built digital software alongside bespoke physical instruments. This integrated approach allows us to push the boundaries of sound and interaction within performance spaces. During the lecture, I will also examine key works developed by utrumque that significantly influenced the conception and realization of Speculator.
These projects illustrate how our methodology – rooted in iterative exploration, the interplay of physical and digital elements, and an emphasis on emergent soundscapes – provides a framework for creating intricate and immersive auditory experiences. This discussion will illuminate how the ethos and techniques of utrumque informed and shaped the artistic choices behind Speculator.

Guests are welcome!

Gerhard Eckel (* 1962) is a professor of Computer Music and Multimedia at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz, where he lead the Institute for Electronic Music and Acoustics (IEM) from 2007-2010. Since his first contribution to the academic field of computer music in 1985, Eckel has been a prolific composer, researcher and educator. His career includes leading the Interface et Representationde Sons team at IRCAM, as well as roles at the Fraunhofer Institute for Media Communication, the Royal College of Music Stockholm, and KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. At IEM, Eckel has directed several FWF-funded projects: Embodied Generative Music (2007-2010), The Choreography of Sound (2010-2014), Transpositions: Artistic Data Exploration (2014-2017), and Inter_agency: Composing Sonic Human- Computer Agent Networks (2018-2021). He also initiated and coordinated the EU-funded LISTEN project (2000-2003), headed the interdisciplinary SonEnvir project funded by Zukunftsfonds Steiermark, and led the MUMUTH Lab infrastructure project supported by Austria’s Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research. Eckel's artistic work has been recognized with multiple honorary mentions, including at the Prix Ars Electronica for ”Camera Musica” (2001) and ”Zeitraum” (2015), and at the Bourges 30th International Competition of Electroacoustic Music and Sonic Art for ”Grenzenlose Freiheit” (2003). He also served as the President of the Society for Artistic Research from 2013-2015, fostering cross-disciplinary exchanges and advancing artistic research as a field. Eckel has held prestigious roles, such as Edgard-Varèse Guest Professor at the Technical University of Berlin (2001/02) and Composer in Residence in Krems, Austria (2004); Banff, Canada (1995, 2000); and Utrecht, Netherlands (1985). His extensive publications reflect his focus on computer music, acoustics, signal processing, and embodied interaction, and he continues to teach electroacoustic composition and supervise doctoral research in both scholarly and artistic domains.